There is no one proper way to teach online. Every person will experiment and develop a toolkit that best suits them, the course material and their students.
It’s a world of experimentation, really, as new tools and apps come out seemingly every day.
But rather than each of us stumbling around, we can learn about what our colleagues have done and we can share our knowledge, including what we tried … and failed.
Here are a few things we suggest you avoid:
Group projects
It can be difficult for students to effectively communicate amongst themselves remotely, especially when students aren’t in the same country.
Exams via Canvas
Shorter quizzes seem to work fine online but full exams and longer tests become cumbersome very quickly, especially when faculty obsess over the idea of cheating. Create a similar but different assessment tool, like a take home quiz/exam, video recording, or a series of mini reflection papers, etc.
The sage on the stage
Lecturing is even more boring online than it is in person. No one enjoys anyone talking too much, even the teacher.
Deadly slides
Boring PowerPoint slides become even more deadly online. Spice that stuff up! Add images and art, maybe graphs and charts. More importantly, present concepts without details, thus forcing students to listen to you. Then, have a slide with the full definition. And then ask students to apply the concepts, thus experiencing deep learning.
Asking general questions to no one in particular
If you throw a question at a group of people online, they will all sit there quietly rather than step all over each other. Rather, ask students to comment in the chat, maybe wave their hand or direct questions to specific students.
Requiring students turn their cameras on.
When students have their cameras on during class, it simulates a classroom environment. It incentivizes them to stay engaged and focused. We can’t force them to turn their cameras on, however, as some students have poor Internet connections and others don’t have computers with built-in cameras. Some students prefer to maintain their privacy, and they deserve that right.
Memory tests
Students should have memorized stuff in high school or earlier. Memorization is not what college is about. College is about applied learning, taking the concepts and being able to use them in conversation, debates, papers, and presentations. We want deep, meaningful learning, not rote memorization.
Too many changes
You can email students details of changes and post an announcement, maybe even update the Canvas page. But students will still get confused when you start making a lot of changes. They are inundated with emails and messages and information, especially when they are doing so much learning online. Rather than meandering, stick to your syllabus, at least with posted deadlines and assignment details.
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 