HUMANIZE

Effective Online Teachers Are Present Within Their Course

Explanation of the Humanize Principle

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.

This principle underscores:

Evaluating and incorporating digital tools to support the development of a learning community;
Providing a supportive environment for all learners;
Incorporating tools and activities to support student-to-student interaction and presence;
Using multiple tools to support instructor-to-student interaction.

Reflections

View of runner's calves and feet taking a step up stairs.

The First Step

I had absolutely no idea of the many ways that a class could be humanized.

I had taken several online courses to earn a Certificate in Fiduciary Management. These were real time classes where the instructor would lecture and the students could type in comments and questions. There was a human element because we could hear the instructors' voices and occasionally would see the instructors. There were discussion boards, but I don't recall the instructors participating in those.

When I began the @One Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning course, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. About a year ago, the college began the process of transitioning online classes from Blackboard to Canvas. I wasn’t teaching online classes, but I went to a few of these Canvas classes and heard the phrase "regular effective contact," but didn't really understand what it meant. I thought it primarily had to do with discussion boards and making sure that the student getting credit for the class was really the student doing the work on the other end of the computer. I also heard the phrase “meaningful interaction.” At the time, I associated that with providing good feedback and comments, as well as creating good prompts to stimulate discussions among the students.

The Training

The Humanizing class was both invigorating and exhausting. I loved reading all of the course materials, watching the videos, and learning about the amazing tools that can be used to create online presence, a safe community, and opportunities for interaction. The Humanizing class introduced us to several tools and required that we use them. This pushed many of us to go beyond our comfort zones, but it was well worth the effort. The instructors made it easier by providing multiple links to resources that demonstrated the process step by step. They also used scaffolding very effectively in this class. We would learn and practice one skill, such as recording a 15 second video on our phones and uploading it to Youtube, then build upon that knowledge by recording and captioning a longer video. It was sometimes frustrating, because what worked one time would not work the next time, but with patience and perseverance, everything was doable. I especially liked using Adobe Spark, which was surprisingly easy to use and resulted in a beautiful product.

Students feel the teacher’s presence when they can hear the teacher's voice and see the instructor's face. They feel more connected when they learn at least some personal information about the teacher. Technology can be very effective in creating a presence. Checking in with students with gentle reminders is another way to demonstrate teacher presence and show that I care. Students tend to perform better in classes where there is more interaction and when they feel that their own “presence” matters.

Teacher presence and culturally responsive teaching are not mutually exclusive. Students who are comfortable with a community-based support system will benefit from a teacher who is present and supports them when they reach out. Students want to feel that the teacher cares about them personally and would like them to succeed, so I need to convey to the students through my words and actions that I believe in them and am part of the community that is rooting for their academic and personal successes.

When students see themselves as part of a larger community, they are more motivated, satisfied and more likely to succeed. Online students place a high value on interactions with other students. Alienation contributes to lower online persistence and retention. One of the first steps toward building a community is to help the students feel safe. This can be done through community ground rules and opportunities to share - ice breakers, links, photos, audio interviews, or an open comment forum. Using Flipgrid as an icebreaker could really let the students see each other as individuals, but several people in the Humanizing class commented that many students may be uncomfortable videoing themselves, especially early in the class, and just skip the icebreaker. I might give students the option to use a photo of their pet or superhero or favorite place for an early assignment. Higher levels of interpersonal interaction were correlated with better student performance.

This class helped me realize that without humanizing the teacher is arguably not necessary. The students could just read or watch the material and take automated tests. On the other hand, a humanized classroom can bring the material to life and help students achieve a deeper understanding of the material rather than just the ability to regurgitate material in the short term. In addition, a teacher's caring and outreach can encourage disengaged students to invest time and energy into a class and help them reach their goals.

In It for the Long Run

Be visibly engaged at least four times per week through multiple venues: posting an announcement, changing graphics, responding to emails, participating in discussions, giving written and verbal feedback, using video to introduce or summarize a chapter, etc. I will make sure that the at least some announcements are done spontaneously at various times and are not all prescheduled for the term.
Develop ways to promote student interaction beyond discussion boards, such as live audio, video chats, ice breakers, and online small group projects.
Look for real life "stories" or interesting examples that demonstrate particular issues or concepts.
Create discussions and assignments where the students are sharing information from their own research and/or life experience. Just because I am the instructor, does not mean that I am the only one who can provide content.
Use verbal and/or video feedback to help students feel an increased presence and feel like I am giving them personalized attention. My first choice would be to schedule an interactive session so that I can tell whether they understand and/or have any questions. Depending on the assignment, I may want to have a Zoom conference to discuss feedback.
Create a safe environment by setting guidelines and expectations, while at the same time conveying my willingness to be flexible and sensitive to individual circumstances. I will share information that allows them to see me as an approachable person, and not Charlie Brown's faceless teacher.
Actively look for signs that a student might need help, such as not turning in an assignment or not logging in. For students who have suddenly stopped logging in, I would send an email that is a balance between caring and nudging. If the student does not respond to the email, I would try to phone or text to express concern. I will continue to give a short questionnaire at the beginning of the semester to get to know the students and what commitments and/or concerns they might have.
Ask other teachers what their favorite tools are and then watch an instructional video on how to to use at least one of them. Most importantly, I will then practice using that tool in Canvas Sandbox, so that it will be more likely to be incorporated in a future online class.

Examples

Welcome video

This was a class assignment that demonstrated that it is possible for a beginner to create a video using a phone, upload it to YouTube, caption it and put it into Canvas. Of course, creating a video that is both personal and professional will require more practice. The important part is to get started.

Seeing, hearing and getting just a glimpse of the instructor as a person goes a long way toward humanizing the class.

Adobe Spark Interview

An assignment like this Humanizing class video describing one student's perception of online classes serves many purposes:

Encourages students to gather information from their family, friends, and others around them.
Generates "stories" which other students can identify with and internalize more easily than by just reading content.
Demonstrates that it is relatively easy to create an attractive video using existing or original graphics, thus giving students a new presentation tool.

Icebreaker

Icebreaker Discussion

This example serves many purposes:

Helps students feel connected and part of a community.
Encourages students to recognize that there is more than one way to contribute to class discussions and that they have knowledge, skills and experience that they can share.
Provides an opportunity for students to create community expectations for discussions.

Google Sites

Report abuse