Embedded Files
Teacher-to-Student & Student-to-Student
Teacher-to-Student & Student-to-Student
It is easy for students to feel like a course is on "auto pilot." I am present in my courses by showing my personality, providing live interactions, and tailoring the curriculum to what the needs of the students are in that particular section. Student-to-student interaction also helps humanize their peers.
It is easy for students to feel like a course is on "auto pilot." I am present in my courses by showing my personality, providing live interactions, and tailoring the curriculum to what the needs of the students are in that particular section. Student-to-student interaction also helps humanize their peers.
Community college students are more likely to come from underserved populations and are inclined to feelings of self-doubt in academic settings. When learning online, our students need to know they have an instructor who cares and is there to support them, and that they are part of a vibrant learning community. Effective online teachers mindfully cultivate their presence at the course level and one-on-one with students. These interactions foster a relationship based on trust, which is the foundation of a learning community.
Reflections
Reflections
Where I was.
Where I was.
I had a course that felt fairly personalized, but I wasn't making myself fully available. For example, I only included recorded lectures.
Where I am.
Where I am.
I now use tools like Zoom for live lectures, provide voice feedback, and create Adobe Spark videos to have more presence.
Where I'm headed.
Where I'm headed.
I need to incorporate student-to-student interaction beyond discussion boards, such as peer review over Zoom and collaborative annotation in Google docs. I plan to also send out more informal videos here and there in announcements.
Course Improvement Examples
Course Improvement Examples
Personal Biography Video: I created this video using Adobe Spark, and it resides in my "Getting Started" module. In it, students learn a bit more about who I am, my hobbies, and how I got into teaching. My hope is that they watch it and relate to my love of travel, love of dogs, etc. I hope they also see the compassion I bring to teaching and that I become more approachable.
Personable Announcements: I used to have the same boring announcement title at the start of each week: "Week 3 is released," for example. Now I vary it and use fun little sayings to make things interesting.
Voice Commentary: I started giving voice commentary on lower stakes assignments, such as their introductory sheets and annotated bibliographies. In a Canvas survey I conducted, 66% of students said they preferred voice commentary. For those who don't prefer voice, I let them know they can make a note in the submissions box that they prefer written commentary on an assignment. This is important with accessibility and other reasons a student might have this preference.
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