Strategies in Meeting Student’s Needs (Content Overload)

Emergency remote instruction is not the same as online learning:  Faculty

preparing to teach a formal online course can spend six months or more designing
it. We had two weeks to prepare for remote instruction at CLU. Rather than seeking
to create the ideal online course experience for students, keep your focus on
simple, “good enough” solutions. 

Please note that that folks who are dealing with illness, xenophobia, racism, economic distress,
homophobia, childcare, classism, loneliness, & other stressors start off at a different point in their
readiness to learn or to teach. Students have lost their jobs… Exercise grace.

Low tech can be the best solution: It can be tempting to try to reproduce the in-
class experience by primarily utilizing synchronous platforms, such as Zoom, but
getting all your students online at the same time can be a challenge (some students
may lack internet access, some may not have a quiet place to participate from,
some may be in a remote time zone, etc.). Mixing asynchronous approaches with
occasional targeted synchronous discussions can often be a more effective way to
engage students. 

Revisit your goals: Take a step back to revisit what you see as the most
fundamental goals for your course, and give yourself permission to set aside the
elements that are lower on your priority list. COVID-19 is forcing us to adapt to less-
than-ideal teaching conditions, and so we may have to rethink our educational
ideals in the face of it. Decide what’s most important to you and let that guide your
decisions.

ADDRESSING ANXIETY & FOSTERING MENTAL

HEALTH  
Teaching and learning environments are always impacted by the crises that occur in
the wider world. As COVID-19 causes anxiety for many people, and as faculty and
students experience upheaval to their usual routines, there are steps instructors can
take to care for themselves and support students as they manage their anxiety and
re-engage with their learning.
 Acknowledge the crisis: During crises or in the aftermath of tragedy, some
data suggests that students appreciate a response from the instructor
(Huston & DiPietro 2007). Acknowledgements of shared humanity – in the
case through a shared sense of anxiety and concern – can help all of us
reclaim an important sense of compassion and solidarity in a time of anxiety
and isolation. Instructors who do want to explicitly acknowledge the crisis and
the toll it might be taking on students have a number of options: it can be as
brief as a sentence or two recognizing the anxiety that many are
experiencing in light of the virus and outlining available support mechanisms,
or a lesson plan devoted to looking at the crisis through the lens of your
discipline.

If you do decide to hold a conversation with students about COVID-19, you

might consider the following factors:

 Timing: Depending on how long you want to spend on the

conversation, you might frame the invitation to your students
differently. You might frame a brief Q&A where students can ask
questions about what this will mean for their experience in your class,
or you might have a longer conversation where students share
concerns and healthy coping mechanisms.

 Structure: Providing structure to a discussion can not only give

students time to gather their thoughts, but it can also signal that you
thought ahead about this discussion and genuinely want to hear from
your students. You might start by being open – to whatever extent
feels comfortable and appropriate to you – about your own experience
of this current moment to model vulnerability to your students, or you
might give students a chance to write briefly and/or talk with another
classmate before opening up discussion with the whole group.


 Value commitments: While it is important to give students the
opportunity to voice their experience, it might be worthwhile to think
about any value commitments you might want to make as you close
out this discussion. While events such as this require instructors to
offer concrete supports to students, they are also opportunities to
 model and share the convictions that motivate each person’s teaching,
research, and life. In this instance, for example, you might feel it’s
important to acknowledge and reject the xenophobic and orientalist
rhetoric that has promulgated around this crisis, or stake a claim for
media literacy and responsible engagement in the public sphere by
encouraging students to seek out and share legitimate governmental
and journalistic resources.


 Student Agency: As you end the conversation, it can be useful for the
group to work together to identify some steps everyone can proactively
take to contribute to public health. Having a sense of agency in the
midst of the crisis can help students – and instructors – recognize their
resilience and agency at a time when they may not have a strong
sense of either.
 Reach out to students: As students return home, they may experience
different challenges to their learning (a noisy house with quarantined siblings,
limited access to technology, an increase in psychological distress, etc.).
Creating a information-finding survey not dissimilar to what you might offer at
the beginning of term might be appropriate at this juncture. Asking students
to confidentially submit responses to an open-ended question like,
“Given our new learning context, is there anything you would like me to
know?,” gives you a chance to see your students in their context, and, if
appropriate, to strategize with students around pedagogical solutions.

If you know some of your students might be especially suffering at the

moment – international students who might be worried about family
members, students who have shared with you that they or someone they love
is immunocompromised, etc. – it is appropriate to invitationally reach out to
those students to let them know that you are thinking of them and are a
resource for them. If you don’t feel comfortable serving as an immediate
resource to students, you can send links to the university offices that are
equipped to serve students in that capacity.
 Offer accommodations: Stress makes it more difficult to focus, and more
difficult to encode memories, making learning especially challenging during
 periods of acute stress. Offering some flexibility in due dates can be a way of
acknowledging the effects of stress on learning. You might also reconsider
how much you want to share with your students; you may find sharing slides,
lecture notes, reading questions, etc. feels more appropriate under these
conditions than it would in an undisrupted course.

As students return home, some will experience an increase in stress related

to any number of things (food scarcity, caretaking responsibilities, an unsafe
environment). Given that significant stress, students will find it more difficult
to navigate bureaucracies and effectively advocate for themselves. Being as
transparent as possible with students by providing easy, centralized access
to all necessary materials, and by providing clear pathways for students to
communicate with you will be a significant help to all of your students.

As you communicate with your students, you may find out that some of your
students won’t have reliable access to technology or the internet. Having
more knowledge of your students’ circumstances can inform the pedagogical
decisions you make. Posting lecture notes as well as a recording, for
instance, might enable students to engage with course content without over-
taxing an unreliable internet service, and more flexible deadlines might be
appropriate as some students will only have occasional and/or unpredictable
access to course materials.
 Provide Resources: Opening the door on a difficult, emotionally-laden topic
without closing it with references to concrete resources that students can
seek out for further support can cause more harm than good. You can always
point students to BC resources that will continue to support students
remotely. (For more information from colleagues in student affairs about
resources available to students and faculty, see our page on Supporting
Students: What Student Affairs Wants Faculty to Know .)
 Take care of yourself: As you are supporting your students through this
crisis and associated transitions, it is critical that you also claim time to care
for yourself: to take breaks when you are sick, to place boundaries around
when you’ll respond to student missives, to connect with your own support
systems. This isn’t only necessary for self-preservation, especially for faculty
whose marginalized position in the academy often results in them taking on a
 disproportionate amount of student support work, but can also model healthy
behaviors for students.

I think some of the key things people have been struggling with have been
how do we support each other through this difficult challenge/crisis (and some
faculty have made their own support groups within departments.

One important thing I felt my institution tried to emphasize was moving online
with equity in mind and trying to reduce learner anxiety.

we recommend that faculty not rely too heavily on synchronous

videoconferencing so as not to disadvantage students whose internet
infrastructure is poorer, or who use a shared device at home, or who have
other family members who need the internet bandwidth for other things.

Flexibility:

I think equitable access to students will require more flexibility than we

anticipate, with everything from attendance to deadlines to modalities of
communication. It's not just about communication here, but affect, which is
more needed than ever when we are being advised to apply social distancing.
Which changes are “forever" -- permanent changes in the teaching and
learning landscape? Which seem more likely to revert to pre-coronavirus
approaches, as a new normal in higher education emerges?

Many of our students immediately lost jobs and incomes and were thrust into
poverty almost overnight. Many of them don’t have Wi-Fi access, and some of
our teaching lecturers don’t, either. As more students and faculty and staff
become sick, it’s clearly going to shake our plans yet again. Basically, I think
what’s emerging for best practice is that there is no best practice for this yet,
and it’s imperative that we all remain flexible and listen to the human beings in
our colleges when they tell us what they need both in order to learn and, more
importantly, in order to survive.

Consistent communication with students

Department Peer Mentors

In addition to the professional development opportunities for faculty, we want to assign
faculty mentors with experience in online course delivery to support faculty who have no
such experience. Your department chair is developing a list of faculty who would like
assistance from a mentor, and a list of qualified faculty who can serve as mentors. If
you need or want mentoring to ease your transition to online teaching and learning,
please make sure that your department chair is aware of that.

Mentors will have online teaching experience and, wherever possible, will have
completed Quality Matters training. Faculty mentors will coach up to five colleagues.
Faculty mentors will be paid $250 per faculty mentee or, in some cases that will require
a greater commitment, may be assigned to co-teach a course. If you feel that you can
serve as a mentor to some of your colleagues, please let your department chair
know.

In general we expect the faculty mentors to do the following:

1) Serve as an available resource (via email, chat, phone, video conferencing),

checking in at least once a week with mentees.

2) Add themselves to the Bb course sections for each mentee. This allows the mentor to
troubleshoot and support the transition to a virtual teaching and learning environment.

3) Talk through with each mentee such topics as how to load course materials, use the
grade book, use discussion board and email features to ensure faculty-to-student and
student-to-student engagement.

4) Support transitions to learning assessments that work in a virtual environment and

without the option of testing in ACC’s Testing Centers.

5) Offer suggestions and support for recording lectures for upload, using Google Meet,
crafting assignments that reflect application of course concepts, etc.

Determine your priorities

Consider what can be realistically accomplished in the course. Can you keep
everything on your original syllabus? Which activities can be most easily
adapted online? Is it possible to prioritize certain activities or assignments
over others? Keep in mind that the transition to remote learning may have an
impact on which activities/assignments are most appropriate for your course.

Be clear, concise, and comprehensive

It is more difficult to ad lib a class session while teaching remotely. Prepare
sessions beforehand to ensure logical flow, clear instructions, and accurate
placement of content. Class will be much smoother with organization
beforehand. 

Establish a clear mode of communication with students

Whether through Canvas/Courseworks or email, ensure students all have
access to and are aware of this communication method.

Have a back-up plan

Have a backup plan in case of technical difficulties. Consider moving
classroom discussion to a written discussion thread on Courseworks.

Have a solid outline/lesson plan with activities and backups

Consider making anything you intend to present to students available; it can
be helpful for students to have access to course materials independently
(power points, audio, video, web sites etc.).  

Identify options to provide student feedback/evaluation digitally

Think about how your methods for providing student feedback and grades
could be moved to a digital space like email or Canvas (if they are not already
digital). Consider office hours virtually through Zoom according to a schedule,
by appointment, or both.

Provide a manageable amount of content

It’s important to consider how much work is reasonable to expect of students
while at the same time ensuring that you’re covering the necessary content.

Provide a variety of learning activities

Consider which types of activities are appropriate and how you might offer
different types of assignments to make the course more interesting and
engaging for the students.  Don’t try too many types of activities in one
session, in order to minimize the chance of technical problems and confusion.

Avoid making last-minute changes

Making changes can have unintended consequences such as inconsistent
information. This can create confusion for the students and it may be more
difficult for you to recognize their confusion online. It may also take more time
for you to explain things.

Setting the Tone for Students

Smoothly transition from in-person to online classrooms by circulating
expectations prior to class
You might consider preparing students for what class sessions will look like,
what technology you’re using, and what they should do in the event of
problems via email prior to the first online class session. You can also
encourage students to find a quiet space in which to participate where they
won’t be interrupted and where background noise and/or images won’t distract
other people if they are asked to contribute.
Clarify online classroom expectations and roles through community
agreements
If learning in an online environment is new for you and for your students,
consider having a discussion with students about how to translate your
classroom norms from the face-to-face classroom into your online space.
 
By building these community agreements collaboratively with your students,
you and your students will be more invested in using the online classroom as
a shared space. Topics to address include use of microphones, webcams,
and chat features; protocols for interacting and engaging during online
activities; and ways to seek help with technology.

Define learning objectives and participation

Communicating learning objectives to students helps to keep them focused on
what they are learning, and will help you and your instructional team
determine what is most important to do synchronously online. Use your
objectives to consider what should or can only be done when your class is
meeting and what might be movable to out-of-class videos, homework, or
activities. Similarly, defining what participation looks like will help your
students make progress towards these learning objectives, and allow for you
to give feedback on engagement.

Consider creating opportunities for students to interact informally

This can be done quickly through icebreakers or activities that students can
do as they enter the online classroom right before class or as class begins.
These bits of small talk or fun can go a long way in helping build community
over distances and reduce feelings of isolation.

Start small, collect feedback, and reflect

Teaching online is likely a new experience for you and your students, and will
certainly not be without its challenges. Do not feel you need to use all the
tools at once, as that would most likely be overwhelming for everyone.
Instead, introduce tools and activities slowly to give you and your students
practice. Encourage your students to provide feedback on their experience to
help you to reflect, revise, and try again next class.

Share campus resources

Some students may feel vulnerable and/or stressed given the recent updates
regarding COVID-19. Be mindful that an event of this magnitude that impacts
the entire campus can have a substantial impact on students and their
capacity to engage in coursework. Instructors may need to adjust academic
assignments and examinations accordingly. If students express concerns or
request accommodations, we advise that you refer them to campus resources
like the Deans Office, Furman Counseling Center, Primary Care Health
Services, or the CARDS office.

Tips for Zoom

Adapted from The University of Iowa’s Office of Teaching, Learning &

Technology

Set ground rules for Zoom via email before class

A sample email* that can be edited to your preferences:
 “Our class will meet online through the Zoom. We will adopt the same rules
and norms as in a physical classroom (take notes; participate by asking and
answering questions; wear classroom-ready clothing). For everyone’s benefit,
join the course in a quiet place. Turn on your video. Mute your microphone
unless you are speaking. You may want to test your microphone and web
camera prior to class and make sure that your video background is
appropriate. Consider closing browser tabs not required for the course to
minimize distractions. This form of learning will be somewhat new to all of us,
and success will depend on the same commitment we all bring to the physical
classroom.”
 
*Adapted from Harvard University’s Best Practices for Online Pedagogy

Create a clear lesson plan and class outline

Creating a class outline that signals to your instructional team and to your
students what technology, tools, or platforms they will be expected to use as
part of class is also a good practice. This helps signpost to students what is
coming up, and transparency about technology use gives them an opportunity
to prepare so that they are ready to engage once the activities begin. 
Define teaching roles and make the roles clear to students
If you have an instructional team (e.g. co-instructors or TAs), determine the
roles that you will play during class. Two such roles include the instructor who
leads the class (providing the main voice and being the person on camera
throughout the learning experience) and the instructor who supports the lead
instructor (helping to answer questions on chat, to set up any online tools
(e.g., breakout rooms, polls), and to assist with troubleshooting if students
have any problems). 
 
If you use breakout rooms, the supporting instructor or TAs can also help
facilitate small group discussion. Making these roles clear to students is
helpful so that they can engage the appropriate person if they need help. 

Encourage students and TAs to log into Zoom prior to meeting time
Students can set up their headsets, camera and microphones and to ensure
that they are working properly

Set expectations for screen & video sharing

Let students know who is allowed to and/or responsible for the shared
content.

Encourage community through Zoom

Consider requiring students to turn on video as part of their participation in the
online course to encourage enhanced presence and engagement in the class.
Students may also feel more attentive knowing they are visible on Zoom.

Remind students to check their video background

Remind students to be sure that their background is appropriate while sharing
video, along with how their image is displayed to the rest of the class.

Establish how students will request to speak

Explain how you want students to request an opportunity to speak. For
example, raise hands or submit a question via chat box.

Actively facilitate the discussion

It may be more difficult to read students’ body language over Zoom and
students may inadvertently speak at the same. Students less inclined to
participate in class may also have more difficulty speaking in online
discussions. Consider diligently pausing and asking if anyone else has more
thoughts before jumping to the next topic.
Establish text chat rules
Set ground rules for use of text chat. Discourage "side conversations" that will
distract students from the ongoing conversation. Explain what is and isn't
appropriate for them to post.

Hold 1:1 meetings with students

Schedule meetings with students that you would normally meet face-to-face
with by using a Zoom meeting.

Hold exam review sessions

Open a Zoom session for student led discussion or instructor led review, and
allow students to enter as necessary.

Adjust online exams for students’ accommodation

You can adjust specific students’ accommodations so that they are able to
receive their extended time. We recommend that you cross-reference the
information in the AIM Faculty Portal as you’re setting this up.

Consider students’ accommodations when planning take-home exams

Consider whether students who are ill or have a disability may need additional
time to complete take home exams. Have a plan for extension requests. If
you’ve set a time limit on Canvas for turning in an assignment, be sure to
communicate with students who have extension accommodations regarding
how they can turn in the assignment with their extended deadline.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR REMOTE LABS

Science labs are often either integrated as components of larger lecture courses
(lab sections) or comprise the entirety of smaller lab courses.  In both scenarios it is
worth defining what the labs are meant to achieve before selecting an online
alternative. Below are three possible scenarios based on the focus of the labs. 
Since your labs are likely a combination of these scenarios then you could likewise
combine these recommendations keeping in mind the appropriate level of time
commitment for the combined activities. 
If the focus is on learning techniques and their application to specific experimental
situations, consider asking your students to engage in online simulations that may
cover at least portions of, if not the entirety of a protocol. 

 Harvard’s LabXchange has just released a suite of lab simulations with

assessments that focus on basic molecular biology
techniques; MERLOT offers a collection of virtual labs in a variety of science
disciplines; PHET offers interactive simulations that allow students to vary
parameters; and many textbooks also provide interactive lab-based
resources.
 You might consider having your students watch videos of experiments; you
can ask your students to first make predictions and then discuss the results.
The Journal of Visualized Experiments offers thousands of videos of
experiments, including many designed for students .
If the focus is on interpreting experimental data, consider extracting datasets from
the published literature that are aligned with the experiments students would have
encountered in lab and develop problem sets that focus on the interpretation of the
data.  One could also combine the experimental protocols with interspersed
questions that explore the reasons behind specific steps so that students gain
deeper intuition into why certain procedures are performed. In place of actually
performing the experiment, students can gain a critique-based understanding of the
method followed by data interpretation.
 One type of question you may want to ask students involves providing them
with a random sequence of steps involved in the experimental methodology,
and asking them to put them in the correct logical order. This requires
students to critically understand why each step has to come before the next
in a protocol. You can also provide students with a blank step, which they
would need to fill in for themselves once they identify what step is
missing. An example of such a question from LabXchange can be found
here  (click on “Design” on the right-hand side).
If the focus is on project-based lab research, as is often the case in lab courses,
your students have already been working on their projects since the start of the
term.  Furthermore, there is usually a capstone assignment in the form of a final
paper, grant application and/or poster that describes their work, both with context
and future directions defined.  Consider asking your students to switch to the
capstone assignment now with an emphasis on interpreting the data they have
already gathered or if they have not generated their own data yet, focus on having
them predict their experimental outcomes and design the next experimental steps in
detail.  Divide up the rest of the semester into draft submissions of sections of the
capstone that will allow you to provide formative feedback and enable your students
to experience experimental design, further hypothesis building, and predictive data
analysis. This approach aligns especially well with a written capstone styled like a
grant application.
The above recommendations combine what resources are available to support
virtual lab exercises with assignments that combine data interpretation with the
experience of experimental design, hypothesis building, and self-reflexive critiques
of the methods and outcomes that students develop.

ADDITIONAL STEM-SPECIFIC RESOURCES:

 Science/Labs : Online science simulations, lab resources, and other media
that may be useful.
 Science lab resources from Harvard : Open to users anywhere, this page has
a combo of strategy tips and links to lab resources
 Online Lab Toolkit from Penn State
 National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
 Arizona State University’s virtual field trips
 Various video labs from NC State: Chemistry , GeoForAll
 JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) : All science video content is free
through June 15. 
 Biology: Includes links to some open-source data sets as well as more
general tips on teaching biology online suddenly
 Biology labs: Introductory biology lab material from JoVE, free through 15
June 2020.
 Biology: Core textbook from JoVE, free through 15 June 2020
 iBiology  provides access to 100s of talks by scientists
 ChemCollective’s virtual labs
 Ecology and Environmental Science Materials for Teaching Online:
Crowdsourced document
 Geology : 2-D and 3-D fossils, courtesy of the University of Michigan’s
Museum of Paleontology
 Geosciences : A crowd-sourced spreadsheet covering online lectures, online
labs and field trips, guest lecturers, online resources
 Math: The Association of Mathematics Educators facebook page is one place
where people are sharing ideas.
 Math: The Mathematical Association of America’s “Guide to Evidence-Based
Instructional Practices in Undergraduate Mathematics” has a section on on-
line assessment (pp. 78-82)
 Psychology: the American Psychological Association maintains an Online
Psychology Laboratory, in which  students can engage in experiments, or
analyze available data. See also the Teaching of Psychology Idea eXchange
(ToPIX) , developed by APA’s Division 2, the Society for the Teaching of
Psychology  (STP).
 Social Psychology : Core textbook from JoVE, available free through 15 June
2020