Online Teaching and Learning gets an A

By Donna Lindell, Program Coordinator

When we first heard we’d have to move all of our course content online and start teaching from our kitchen/living rooms/home offices because of the pandemic, I chose to approach it as an opportunity, rather than a challenge. A few of our faculty have now taught two full semesters (Summer and Fall) online and a few of us just the Fall. For the Fall, it was the first time we’d never met any of the students face-to-face. We would only get to know them as little squares through Zoom.

The verdict? In my opinion, it went great. Sure we’ll need to tweak and adjust a bit, but we do that all the time anyways, whether in person or online. What was the secret to our success? Here’s my take:

1. The students. This year, the group of students entering the program in Fall 2020 individually had each decided to go all-in on their education. They came in with a positive attitude, embraced the change, and adjusted. They made friends with each other, collaborated in groups and showed up — all online. One student even logged in from the Philippines with a 13 hour time difference! Another from Cameroon! Always showed up, ready to learn.
2. The faculty. All of us (we are a small and mighty team), also went into this with a glass-half-full attitude. No grumbles, no blame. We brought the same high quality content, commitment to the profession and the student and did what we do best. We just delivered it differently.
3. Slack. Very early on we introduced students to the Slack app and every professor and every student was on that app. It allowed for instant announcements, Zoom link reminders and quick questions from students to faculty. Students didn’t have to track us down on campus if they had a question or issue, they could send us a quick DM and get a reply. Slack allowed students to form a community and it is also where they collaborated on group assignments. One student even initiated a #homework_assignments channel to support each other with reminders and tips.
4. Respect. When you are working from home, boundaries can be an issue. But students respected that faculty needed time with their family and weren’t messaging at all hours or over the weekend. I think that created a space for us to recharge for the next day and/or week.
5. Consistency. As faculty, we agreed to present our course content in more or less the same format via the College’s eCentennial portal. So while chat, questions and reminders lived on Slack, all course content, assignments, due dates and Zoom recordings lived on eCentennial and were presented consistently across courses.
6. Focus. Say what you will about distractions at home — and they are real — from roosters crowing in the Philippines, to siblings, kids or pets demanding attention, there are also a LOT of obstacles to learning that are removed with online learning. Hard to be late for class with no commute. Can’t blame the weather or the subway for not getting to campus on time. Feeling under the weather? Log on and listen, camera off.
7. Asynchronous vs. Synchronous. We kept live Zoom classes short and engaging and asynchronous classes were designed to review content, do the readings and/or work on an assignment related to the taught content. The result was less time passively listening and more time engaging and doing. When that can happen, learning is deeper and, I think, more rewarding.
8. Guest speakers: PR industry professionals really engaged this year…and it was, in my opinion, easier than ever. All they had to do was Zoom in. (Thank you to all who lent their time and wisdom to our class).

If I ask the students to add their perspective, I think they would agree with the above and maybe add one or two others. Were there downfalls? Well sure. Here’s a few:

1. I can’t hear anyone laughing at my jokes. Sure I see them chortling but it’s not the same when I can’t hear them.
2. I find the share screen tricky sometimes as it takes away my class from view. I know many are using two monitors and that might be something I try in the New Year.
3. I have no idea how tall anyone is….I just found out, in our last class of the semester, that S. is un-tall and K. is very tall. But I would never know unless they revealed that. But does that really matter anyways? There’s something democratic when everyone lives in the same size square on screen. Everyone sees everyone’s faces and no one is left at the back of the classroom starring at the back of heads.

I can live with these and I think as we go for round two, there will be more things we learn to like and I suspect, more things we won’t. I have to say, I also like that we get to peek into other parts of the world. When J. calls in from Jamaica, we get a glimpse of the sunshine and heat, a nice view when I just have to turn my head to the left and see the snow on the ground.

Oh! And I finally get to bring my dog to work!