Moving courses online with little-to-no advance warning has presented myriad challenges to instructors and students alike. One particularly difficult aspect to recreate in a digital environment is discussions. In the webinar “Planning and Facilitating Quality Discussions,” experts Ludwika Goodson, Viji Sathy, and Flower Darby explored the advantages of an online setting and how to continue to have fruitful conversations in this forum.

This was the fourth installment of ACUE’s six-part series, Effective Online Instruction Webinars, presented in collaboration with the American Council on Education, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the National Association of System Heads, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and The Council of Independent Colleges.

Goodson noted that there are some benefits to holding discussions online. “You can see how students are thinking,” she said. She added that some of the more reluctant students are inclined to participate in this forum over an in-person one. She also advised setting up an online office and giving it a name that encourages students to frequent it, such as the “Jazz Lounge” or “Green Room,” as well as establishing a virtual study hall, where students can share difficulties and collaborate on solutions.

Goodson offered a series of principles for holding online discussions: communication guidelines; directions, questions, and challenges; wait time; and whether or not to grade. For example, in the first instance, she suggested that writing in all caps comes across as shouting.

Sathy, who teaches quantitative courses, noted that one challenge of transferring to an online format is keeping a peer-instruction component in place. To that end, she holds micro-discussions, in which students work together to solve a problem. She suggested including very specific prompts and providing structure so students are clear about what they should be doing.

“Students need to understand expectations,” she said. 

Sathy also advised setting up a discussion forum for students to post and answer questions. This, she said, is especially useful for quieter students and those who feel self-conscious about asking questions in class. Instructors can “like” correct or helpful responses they see from other students. 

“Think about access to questions,” Sathy added, explaining that if a student asks a question that others might have, the instructor should send the response to the entire class. 

Darby agrees that discussions need structure and advises offering “all the support and guidance we can give students” possible. 

Through online discussions, she opines, “we can interact with our students in the moment.” Her suggestions include exploring how students can relate to current events.

However, she cautions that online discussion don’t just happen naturally but require intentional thought and planning. Like her co-presenters, she encourages instructors to communicate clear expectations (“help students know exactly what you want them to do to foster success”), schedule strategically, and provide feedback. She suggests using rubrics or checklists to grade, such as Linda Nilson’s Specifications Grading approach.

In the question-and-answer portion of the webinar, many participants wondered how instructors can ensure that students are engaged, participating, and posing quality questions and answers.

Goodson commented that many LMSs allow instructors to see which students are participating and how often. As an instructor, she said you can also highlight what’s coming up in discussion and acknowledge what a student has said. “Ask another question to encourage deeper thinking,” she suggested. She also raised an example of a fashion design course, in which the instructor challenged students to search for their favorite design online and explain why they chose it, comparing it to the original examples. 

“Focus on ‘discussable’ questions,” Darby added. She encouraged her colleagues to ask students to write about themselves and how their experiences interact with course concepts. This, she said, promotes “natural engagement” and fosters more authentic engagement, along with academic integrity. “You can’t Google your own experience,” she remarked. “Focus on the relevance of what we’re asking students to do.”

“We should be clear about why we expect engagement,” Sathy added. “What students stand to gain.” 

“It’s important to consider all the ways students can participate.” For example, Sathy experiments with polling and repolling students after a discussion about the answers. She also makes poll questions available to students who aren’t able to participate synchronously and encourages students to text her with questions.

The presenters also discussed topics such as inclusivity and addressing hurtful comments and language in discussions. “ The instructor needs to create guidelines and remember that these comments are in writing,” Darby said. She suggested deleting particularly upsetting comments, as well as reaching out to the person who was targeted and the perpetrator.  “You need to make everyone feel safe.”

To watch the full webinar or read a transcript of the session, visit our Planning and Facilitating Quality Discussions resource page. You’ll also be able to access additional materials and join in the discussion. For faculty looking to delve further into online learning strategies, check out ACUE’s micro-credential courses.

Classroom instruction is challenging enough to transition to remote learning. But how can you recreate a virtual science lab?

That’s the concern that first came to mind for Idelisa Ayala, an associate professor at Broward College, when she first learned her college would transfer to a virtual learning environment in light of concerns over COVID-19.

“If I can be honest, my first instinct was complete panic,” Ayala explains. “I wasn’t worried about my lectures since I already use online components. My main concern was how we would handle our labs.”

She wasn’t alone.

Ayala, along with colleagues in Broward’s biological sciences department, including Vanessa Hormann and Lisa Burgess, assistant professors of biological sciences, got to work.

“I was grateful we had that week to regroup and make a plan,” Hormann says. “Our team pulled together to share resources, ideas and figure out the best way we could support our students and one another.”

“We had to think through how to mimic our labs online and find interactive activities that correlate with what we’re teaching,” Ayala says. Now, a typical virtual lab course for Ayala’s students involves meeting in Blackboard, a digital learning environment, where she can share her screen, interact with one another and provide activities to supplement the instruction.

For instance, for a biology class for non-science majors, Ayala had her students utilize a virtual microscope to examine slides, take screenshots of their findings and share with the class. For another class, she found a program where students can run pH scale simulations online. She’s found that she enjoys the challenge as much as her students.

“I had to play with these tools like I was a student myself in order to figure out how to make it work. Our team is finding digital resources and websites that we didn’t know existed before this, which is helping our teaching skills to evolve during this difficult time.”

By the Numbers

By March 23, Broward had transitioned 3,563 classes to remote learning, serving approximately 90,000 students and held more than 90 training sessions for 800+ faculty participants to assist in the transition to remote learning through the college’s Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning (CTEL) and Instructional Design teams. The science department alone transitioned 327 classes – including labs – serving 6,641 students.

Burgess, who, in addition to teaching, also serves as the college’s faculty facilitator for CTEL, says while the transition has come with challenges, it has also provided her additional time to reflect on her ability as an instructor.

“I’ve been able to implement a lot of the techniques I learned through ACUE – such as breaking the material down into small pieces and building relationships with my students,” she says.

Burgess shared some of these techniques during a recent webinar hosted by the American Federation of Teachers to explore effective practices for taking online subjects in the arts and sciences.

Hormann, who will complete the ACUE program in May, says she finds herself going through previous modules that relate specifically to online learning.

“We’re now in the third week of remote learning, and we’re getting into a groove,” Hormann says. “Through this crisis, we’re seeing not only our teaching styles evolve but also our students’ learning styles.”

About

Lisa Burgess is an ACUE-credentialed assistant professor of biological sciences at Broward College, where she also serves as the faculty facilitator for the college’s Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning. Burgess has a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Florida Atlantic University, and master’s degrees in pharmaceutical sciences and biological sciences from the University of Florida and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.

Vanessa Hormann is an assistant professor of biological sciences at Broward College. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biological sciences, as well as a Ph.D. in integrative biology, from Florida Atlantic University,

Idelisa Ayala is an ACUE-credentialed associate professor of biological sciences at Broward College. She has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico and a Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

You, the instructor, play an important role in shaping your students’ learning experience. As courses across the world move online in light of the coronavirus pandemic, prompting discussions and engaging and encouraging students become all the more challenging. How do you support your students and foster learning in a virtual setting?

Northern Arizona University’s Flower Darby, Delta State University’s April E. Mondy, and Grand View University’s Kevin Gannon set out to address this question in Managing Your Online Presence, the second in ACUE’s series of Effective Online Instruction seminars. In partnership with The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), The American Council on Education (ACE), The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), and The National Association of System Heads (NASH), the series addresses a variety of topics to help instructors effectively transition to remove learning environments. This webinar was moderated by Kim Middleton, academic director at ACUE.

Mondy stressed the need for effective communication during these tumultuous times. “We’re in survival mode,” she said. “Communication should be transparent, empathetic, proactive, and consistent.”

She also reminded participants of the importance of flexibility during periods of uncertainty. “We need to be flexible, patient, and understanding with students, and they need to be flexible, patient, and understanding with us.” 

To that end, she encouraged faculty to convey understanding and a willingness to work with, not against, their students. This, she said, includes anticipating and proactively addressing questions and concerns from students before they arise. It also means being consistent, such as sending emails and announcements at the same time every week. 

Darby, too, pointed to the need for communication. “Emphasize ‘one-to-many’ communication instead of one-to-one,” she said.

She presented the Community of Inquiry framework, noting three presences necessary, including cognitive, social, and teaching. The presences all intersect at deep learning and include such factors supporting discourse, setting climate, and selecting content. “Emotional presence should suffuse the whole thing,” she concluded. 

Darby urged faculty to ask students to share challenges they might be experiencing outside of class with them through a survey or other means. 

Gannon, too, believes check-ins and surveys can be effective. “It’s important to signal we’re aware that these are weird times for everybody,” he said.

He also proposed creating a “parking lot” to post items that may not come up in class discussions but need to be addressed. Via a discussion board or other channels, instructors can post topics, and students can ask questions. Gannon simply posed the prompt, “Got a question?” to encourage students to chime in.

Creating a low-to-no-stake space, he said, is essential, as is showing transparency and empathy.

During the Q&A portion, participants wondered how the experts might address a situation in which students weren’t willing to cut their instructor some slack. 

“Sometimes, students have a tendency to put us on a pedestal,” Mondy said. “They need to be reminded that this is something we’re all dealing with. Say, ‘I’m trying to be flexible with you, and I need you to be flexible with me.’”

“Our students may be communicating less skillfully than they usually would with us,” Gannon added. “Give them the benefit of the doubt.”

“The more we’re willing to be vulnerable and let students into our lives, the more forgiving they’ll be,” Darby suggested.

Other participants asked for suggestions on communicating with students who had limited technology access.

“Don’t compromise the integrity of their learning, but be more flexible at this time,” Mondy said. As an example, she told an anecdote about a student who was unable to complete an assignment because he only had access to a tablet, not a computer.

“Ask yourself, ‘Could I do this on my cell phone?’” Gannon proposed. “That helps you think of ways to create alternate means of completing assignments. Are there ways to limit materials we want them to access?”

“Most students have some kind of smartphone,” Darby said. “Offer ways to communicate, whether it’s one-to-one with you, in a small group, or to the whole class.”

“We need to work through challenges together,” said Mondy.

To ask a question, add your own thoughts, watch the webinar or read a transcript, or access plenty of online teaching and learning resources, visit the Managing Your Online Presence webinar page.

ACUE  launches a six-part Effective Online Instruction webinar series

When she’s not teaching her courses, Flower Darby teaches pilates at her local gym. Once, when she was running to class behind schedule, she noticed a woman standing outside of the studio carrying a yoga mat and looking a little apprehensive. The lights weren’t on, the music wasn’t playing, and she wasn’t sure if she was in the right place at the right time.

“I think many times when students click into our online classrooms, they might feel that same way,” said Darby. “The lights are not on. The music is not playing….But let’s think today about how we create that ongoing sense of welcoming, so every time a student clicks into your online learning environment, they feel welcome, supported, valued, and appreciated. They see the lights are on, they hear that music playing, and they know they’re in the right place at the right time.”

Higher education has been forced to make an extraordinary transition to online learning in a matter of days, and many dedicated faculty are searching for guidance on how to make this shift as seamless as possible. In collaboration with The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), The American Council on Education (ACE), The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), and The National Association of System Heads (NASH), ACUE is offering a series of six webinars featuring nationally recognized experts in online teaching and learning to discuss best practices for ensuring quality online instruction for student success.

Our first webinar, Welcoming Students to your Online Environment, featured Darby, director of Teaching for Student Success at Northern Arizona University and author of Small Teaching Online; Michael Wesch, professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University and author of “Teaching Without Walls: 10 Tips for Online Teaching;” and Kevin Gannon, director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and professor of History at Grand View University and author of Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto. Carmen Macharaschwili, regional academic director at ACUE, served as moderator.

Darby, Wesch, and Gannon engaged in a lively discussion, sharing how they strive to make students feel comfortable in an online learning environment. Wesch, for example, demonstrated how he uses a selfie-stick to hold his phone while teaching, walking through his home and pointing out his son and cat to humanize himself as an instructor. He urged fellow faculty to “find your why” and ask themselves “Who are my students? What do they need? What are their purposes?”

“Remember,” Wesch said. “It isn’t about you; it’s about your students. It’s about connecting.”

“Think about it from a student’s perspective,” Gannon agreed. He focused on how to invite students into online spaces, wondering, “What makes a space welcoming?” Pointing to a picture of the interactive children’s room at a museum in Washington, he noted that the layout is open and encourages people to play around. This, Gannon said, could serve as a guiding metaphor for online learning.

“Think of ways to curate the learning space,” he said. “What can they read, encounter, and engage with? The space has to be accessible.” Gannon’s suggestions included asking students to use actual photos instead of avatars and considering how to leverage audio and visual feedback rather than written for assignments. 

“What are we saying to our students even when we’re not saying anything at all?” he asked.

During the Q&A portion, many participants asked about personalizing learning when teaching a large group. Wesch noted that one way he tackles this challenge is by using “low-level” assignments to allow students to express themselves, such as having students attempt to break a habit over the course of 28 days. This, he said, “ties into a larger discussion about who we are as human beings.”

Participants also wondered what they should do when students are disengaging. 

Gannon urged instructors to use a “one size fits one” approach, such as reaching out to students personally and asking if they’re encountering problems and how the instructor can help. “Many students are not experienced online learners,” he noted, much as many faculty are not experienced online instructors.

To assist students with learning or access challenges, Darby reminded participants to “think about the complexities,” such as students who were sharing their computer with their family. “A lot of times, online students feel like they’re invisible,” she said, explaining the importance of discussing students’ needs based on their backgrounds and learning preferences.

Ultimately, the presenters agreed that despite the challenges, this transition would present plenty of opportunities. “Think about what the possibilities are,” Gannon said. “Think in different ways.”

Head over to our Welcoming Students to Your Online Environment resources page to watch a recording or read a full transcript of the webinar, join in the discussion, and discover more resources to help you transition your courses to an online environment, including the ACUE Online Teaching Toolkit.

Student mental health is a growing issue at colleges and universities. According to research, nearly 7 million students nationwide meet the criteria for a clinically significant mental health problem.

While most are not clinicians, faculty can play an essential role as helpers, supporting students through practical approaches. Now more than ever before, there is a pressing need to provide faculty with the tools and resources to support students in coping with mental health challenges.

ACUE and Active Minds, the nation’s premier nonprofit organization supporting mental health promotion and education for young adults, have partnered to release Creating a Culture of Caring: Practical Approaches for College and University Faculty to Support Student Wellbeing and Mental Health. This report will serve as an important resource, complementing institutional resources, for faculty.

The report offers four key recommendations for supporting students with mental health concerns:

1. Normalize the need for help

2. Actively listen with Validate, Appreciate, and Refer (V-A-R)

3. Embed courses with wellbeing practices

4. Practice self-care and seek resources when needed

For each recommendation, the report outlines steps for implementing the practice, examples, and more. By following these student- and faculty-informed recommendations, instructors can take appropriate action to support students’ wellbeing and academic success.

Download Report

Read Press Release

Broward College’s biological sciences professors get creative in response to COVID-19

Classroom instruction is challenging enough to transition to remote learning. But how can you recreate a virtual science lab?

That’s the concern that first came to mind for Idelisa Ayala, an associate professor at Broward College, when she first learned her college would transfer to a virtual learning environment in light of concerns over COVID-19.

“If I can be honest, my first instinct was complete panic,” Ayala explains. “I wasn’t worried about my lectures since I already use online components. My main concern was how we would handle our labs.”

She wasn’t alone.

Ayala, along with colleagues in Broward’s biological sciences department, including Vanessa Hormann and Lisa Burgess, assistant professors of biological sciences, got to work. 

“I was grateful we had that week to regroup and make a plan,” Hormann says. “Our team pulled together to share resources, ideas and figure out the best way we could support our students and one another.”

“We had to think through how to mimic our labs online and find interactive activities that correlate with what we’re teaching,” Ayala says. Now, a typical virtual lab course for Ayala’s students involves meeting in Blackboard, a digital learning environment, where she can share her screen, interact with one another and provide activities to supplement the instruction.

For instance, for a biology class for non-science majors, Ayala had her students utilize a virtual microscope to examine slides, take screenshots of their findings and share with the class. For another class, she found a program where students can run pH scale simulations online. She’s found that she enjoys the challenge as much as her students.

“I had to play with these tools like I was a student myself in order to figure out how to make it work. Our team is finding digital resources and websites that we didn’t know existed before this, which is helping our teaching skills to evolve during this difficult time.”

By the Numbers

By March 23, Broward had transitioned 3,563 classes to remote learning, serving approximately 90,000 students and held more than 90 training sessions for 800+ faculty participants to assist in the transition to remote learning through the college’s Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning (CTEL) and Instructional Design teams. The science department alone transitioned 327 classes – including labs – serving 6,641 students. 

Burgess, who, in addition to teaching, also serves as the college’s faculty facilitator for CTEL, says while the transition has come with challenges, it has also provided her additional time to reflect on her ability as an instructor.

“I’ve been able to implement a lot of the techniques I learned through ACUE – such as breaking the material down into small pieces and building relationships with my students,” she says.

Burgess shared some of these techniques during a recent webinar hosted by the American Federation of Teachers to explore effective practices for taking online subjects in the arts and sciences.

Hormann, who will complete the ACUE program in May, says she finds herself going through previous modules that relate specifically to online learning.

“We’re now in the third week of remote learning, and we’re getting into a groove,” Hormann says. “Through this crisis, we’re seeing not only our teaching styles evolve but also our students’ learning styles.”

Lisa Burgess is an ACUE-credentialed assistant professor of biological sciences at Broward College, where she also serves as the faculty facilitator for the college’s Center for Teaching Excellence and Learning. Burgess has a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Florida Atlantic University, and master’s degrees in pharmaceutical sciences and biological sciences from the University of Florida and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.

Vanessa Hormann is an assistant professor of biological sciences at Broward College. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biological sciences, as well as a Ph.D. in integrative biology, from Florida Atlantic University, 

Idelisa Ayala is an ACUE-credentialed associate professor of biological sciences at Broward College. She has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico and a Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

Resilient Faculty Series

We’re inspired—but in no way surprised—by the countless stories of faculty going above and beyond to help one another and ensure students keep learning.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be highlighting the extraordinary leadership of educators from every region in the country, to honor and celebrate the amazing work of #ResilientFaculty.

We want to hear from you! Send in your stories on social media with the hashtag #ResilientFaculty or tag @ACUE_HQ. You can also email us at [email protected]. Or, directly contact a member of the ACUE team.

The work of faculty and students—teaching and learning together—is the very essence of higher education. With dorms now vacant, stadiums and courts silent, libraries and parking lots empty, teaching and learning continues.

In the coming weeks, we’re honored to share stories of your colleagues nationwide, the #ResilientFaculty who are making an impact on higher education, and most notably students, that will far outlast this current crisis.

We kick off this series with our own version of “One Shining Moment,” the annual video montage of the NCAA basketball tournament, or “March Madness,” which captures the best moments of the tournament. We wanted to celebrate the extraordinary efforts of faculty over the past few weeks, but even more importantly we want to inspire you with a preview of the impactful stories to come.

Classrooms may be closed, but faculty ensure class is still in session. 

Call for Stories

We’re inspired—but in no way surprised—by the countless stories of faculty going above and beyond to help one another and ensure students keep learning.

At Cal Poly Pomona, instructional technology experts re-routed support calls to their personal phones to ensure uninterrupted support from “Studio 6,” their technology training lab. At San Antonio College, teaching and learning experts have trained over 1,300 faculty online in one week, working around the clock to support faculty across the Alamos Colleges district. At Broward College, ACUE-credentialed biology faculty are using virtual lab tools. And, virtual communities like the Online Learning Collective are being created by faculty for faculty to provide platforms for expertise, collaboration and collegiality that exemplifies the best of the professoriate.

 Over the coming weeks, we’ll be highlighting the extraordinary leadership of educators from every region in the country, to honor and celebrate the amazing work of #ResilientFaculty.

We want to hear from you! Send in your stories on social media with the hashtag #ResilientFaculty or tag @ACUE_HQ. You can also email us at [email protected]. Or, directly contact a member of the ACUE team.