Given the levels of distraction many students and instructors are facing and the barriers to some more organic communication that can happen in the traditional classroom, many faculty found it necessary to communicate more frequently and transparently with their students.
Across Modalities
In-Person: Full Class
In-Person: Alternating Groups
Online Synchronous
Online Asynchronous
Across Modalities
- Share an agenda before class periods.
- Leverage Canvas: Have as much information as possible live in Canvas (Quizzes, Discussion Boards, Assignments, Zoom links etc.) to help students have a home base in the course and use Modules to clearly organize the course schedule for students. Organize Modules chronologically and by topic (e.g. Week #: Topic Title).
- Solicit anonymous feedback from students to learn more about their experience (mid-semester feedback or “exit tickets”).
In-Person: Full Class
- Talk about COVID classroom norms: Because it’s more difficult to read students’ faces and students might find it more difficult to speak up, spend time talking with students about the importance of speaking up if they have any questions and come up with methods students can use to stop you and interject when they need to in the socially-distanced environment.
In-Person: Alternating Groups
- Clarify expectations for students who are participating via Zoom: If remote students will be on Zoom in the class, be clear from the start about what they can expect from that experience in your class (how much they’ll be participating and how they should do so, etc).
- Talk about COVID classroom norms: Because it’s more difficult to read students’ faces and students might find it more difficult to speak up, spend time talking with students about the importance of speaking up if they have any questions and come up with methods students can use to stop you and interject when they need to in the socially-distanced environment.
Online Synchronous
- Clarify Zoom participation norms: Talk with students about your expectations for participation in Zoom. (How will you all be using the chat? Do you expect everyone to be muted by default? What are your expectations for video use?) While some instructors found that encouraging students to have their videos on ended up being an important step for community building and participation, some also recognized the myriad reasons students might have their videos off (joining from environments they don’t have complete control over, significant Zoom fatigue, etc.)
- If lecturing, intentionally create participatory moments: Build in opportunities (polls, invitations to contribute in the chat) for students to ask questions or offer comments.
- Prepare for technical glitches: Invite students to interrupt you to let you know if something isn’t being shared properly or if there’s any other technical breakdown on your end.
Online Asynchronous
- Design a predictable course and try to avoid relying on short notice announcements and quick updates.
- Weekly recaps: Use part of the weekly recap videos to remind students of upcoming deadlines.
- Hold regular, small group check-ins where you can see how students are faring and students can ask questions of you and each other.
- Set expectations for responsiveness: Set up systems so that students know how to reach out to you and that they can rely on you to respond to their queries.