Consider what you, the instructor, bring to the course.
What are your strengths? Where is your comfort zone? Do those things align with the way students learn in the online world, and how they engage with the material?
They should.
Think about it: When a student complains that they “hate online teaching,” what does that mean?
Most likely, somewhere along the way, that student had a bad experience. Someone’s clunky pedagogy left the student unsatisfied.
Let’s not repeat the same mistakes. There are many merits to online learning. Teach with the tools available – and to your strengths and comfort zone, and things will work out well.
Here are a few things you should definitely do while teaching online:
Get to know your LMS
One powerful tool that we can use for online learning or blended learning is our Learning Management System (LMS) so it is recommended to explore its features. Check out these LinkedIn Learning videos about the basics of Canvas, where you can learn how to navigate the layout of Canvas, customize your course settings, create assignments and quizzes, create rubrics, enhance the feedback process with SpeedGrader, leverage course management tools, etc. Other Canvas tips and tricks can be found here.
The Canvas Community provides an abundance of great information on how to utilize various features of Canvas.
Set yourself up for success
Let students know what the desired learning outcomes are at the outset of a module. That can help to increase student engagement and critical comprehension. Let your students know what, why, and how you’ll collectively learn. This method helps make your rationale for teaching more transparent.
Go short
Consider giving shorter assignments at a higher volume that can be finished in one class session so as to encourage attendance. Parsing out grading based on in-class work helps students want to come to class, while simultaneously requiring attendance.
Parallel creation
Assignments where students and faculty co-create bodies of writing, visual work, or other forms of intellectual inquiry encourages feelings of collectivity and community.
Learn camera and lighting basics
Don’t let poor composition or bad light be a distraction to students. You should also find a quiet, comfortable place where you can teach.
Speed teach
One or two classes per semester, asking your students to each prepare a five minute lesson on an aspect of the course topic that they feel other students might not be aware of. By allowing your students to teach, it increases their agency.
Exploit the technology-at-hand
Encouraging students to utilize the technology we’ll be using throughout the semester, such as Zoom’s Chat window function, can be a way of stimulating class engagement. What if the class were to write a short story sequentially and collectively using the Chat window? Or what if you prepared a pre-recorded series of images that students might have to examine semiotically and describe as you play the images 5 seconds at a pop?
Zoom Breakout Rooms
Including short sessions using Zoom’s Breakout Rooms function after giving students a short prompt helps to foster a sense of community, agency and urgency
Take advantage of all the resources available
The following are helpful if class participation and attendance is part of the grading system: Canvas Student Access Report, Canvas Access Report for the Entire Class, andZoom Attendance Report.
By the way!
Don’t assume that students are all tech-savvy. They really aren’t, regardless of how much time they spend on their mobile phones. So, be sure to walk students through any technical steps the students may have to take.
Information gathered by Sunghee Ahn, Dennis Bacani, Ian Lynam, George Miller, Mariko Nagai and Makoto Negishi, April 2020. Images by George Miller. Art by Ian Lynam.
G.W. Miller III 