The 3 C’s of Pandemic Online Teaching
Michelle Barton and Skylar Gremillion Ph.D.
Louisiana State University
Last March, we paused our normally scheduled class programming to talk to our students about the then still far away Covid-19 Pandemic. They were anxious and no one was talking to them about it. Not long after, our classes were plunged into an emergency online format.
We both had significant online teaching experience going into it: Michelle since 2013 and Skylar since 2015, so neither of us were worried. In fact, we were two of three colleagues asked to lead our college’s transition to online teaching during Spring 2020 as our worlds were collapsing around us (both with 5-year-olds at home).
However, it’s likely not apt to call what we were doing that semester (or in the semesters that followed) “online teaching” in the true pedagogical sense. Sure, there are lots of overlaps and the best practices hold true for each, but one inescapable truth sets online teaching in the strict sense apart from emergency online teaching during the pandemic. The students who were in our (now) online classes in the Spring and Fall of 2020 did not choose to take online courses. In fact, many of them absolutely hated them.
Several pedagogical and course design strategies and practices have helped students soar in our classes.
Consistency
Consistency in teaching has never been more important. This rings true in two senses: consistency between what students would receive in an in-person class and online, as well as consistency in scheduling from week to week.
We both strived to keep our (now) online classes as similar as possible to what we were doing in the classroom. This meant keeping our 3-day a week schedules while allowing students flexibility should they need it. We were both able to record lectures asynchronously for the same length that we would meet if we were in person. The assessment structure remained the same.
Consistency from week to week is also extremely important. We both aim to have all of our classes on the same schedule each week in order to maximize predictability. Students are struggling greatly with lots of unstructured time and potential barriers to internet access and other important resources (like time or a quiet space to work). Being as consistent as possible in terms of both broad and day-to-day course design helps students utilize time management strategies to stay on top of their work and contributes to their success.
Communication
It cannot be overstated how important communication with students during this time is. Since we can no longer stand in front of students and remind them of important deadlines, we must find a way to stay in contact with them in an online environment. Using announcements or email features to remind students of when work is due, touch base with any scheduling changes, or just to say hello goes a very long way in fostering a welcoming course community that helps students to feel engaged.
We both teach many freshmen, many of whom have never used our university’s LMS and as such, are completely unfamiliar with how many of their assignments will work. Recording short screen videos to show them where they can find assignments and offering sample assignments/quizzes, files and the like can help students understand how to navigate an online setting that they may not be prepared for.
Connection
In this unprecedented time when we are more socially isolated from one another than ever before, maintaining a connection to our students is challenging but necessary. Although it may seem hard to create a robust instructor presence online, there are many things that can help foster this connection: sharing photos or bitmojis, personalizing course materials to the extent possible, recording videos, utilizing humor and overall trying as much as possible to maintain and recognize our—and our students’—humanity. Each semester, on evaluations and in (virtual) conversations with students, there were two things that made them appreciate and want to excel in our classes: 1) monthly check ins to ask how they are doing and what resources/support we could provide (this was in the form of a Moodle feedback poll, as we each have 200 students in some classes) and 2) around midterms, replacing one of their short assignments with a mental health check to assess how they are doing and intervene if necessary. Finding ways to engage with our humanity truly makes a difference in these isolating times and helps us to remain connected to one another.
