We asked instructors from across the country to share how their course has changed since moving to remote teaching. Keep reading to find some great tips they’ve used to help their students succeed and find balance in an online environment.
How Has Going Online Changed the Way You Host Class?
Video has become an increasingly important tool for instructors. Many use Zoom or other video conferencing tools in place of class time, while others pre-record videos of their lectures.
“I use lecture videos instead of in person and in class lecture”
– Wisam Bukaita, Lawrence Tech University
Instructors have not only changed the delivery of their class lectures and materials, but also focused on making changes to their classroom dynamic and planning to adapt to remote teaching.
“I give more breaks during class.”
– Nicolas D. Peppes, St. Louis Community College
How Have You Adjusted Assignments for Your Online Class?
A commonality among all instructors is the use of email, online platforms and learning management systems to deliver and receive assignments from students. They’ve also used features like Show My Work in WebAssign to view students’ work for assignments and video conferencing for presentations.
One instructor also found that clarity in assignment instructions is increasing important in an online classroom.
“I build more redundancy into my assignments. Students might be looking in a different place for the instructions on the assignment, so I post links to the instructions to help them find the correct place.”
– Laura Dendinger, Wayne State College
Another instructor discovered a way to keep students on track – by adjusting the cadence of assignment due dates.
“I assign a week’s worth of assignments with the same due date (assign on Monday AM due Sunday PM).”
– Nancy Cowett, Northern Maine Community College
How Has Remote Teaching Changed the Way You Communicate with Students?
A great reminder during these challenging times is to begin student communication with empathy and understanding.
“I start every message asking how the student is doing. I took some of that for granted, but they have suffered a lot of losses and may need more compassion.”
– Laura Dendinger, Wayne State College
The need for communication is even more important outside of the classroom. Instructors shared that they’re communicating with students more than ever through email and video conferencing.
“I am checking up on my students more often to keep them on track for a successful completion of the semester. Some of them didn’t sign up for online and they need more help to deal with the different structure.”
– Marie Guest, North Florida College
Moving your course online is challenging and it can be hard to tell how well it’s working for your students.
“I seek constant feedback”
– Sinjini Mitra, California State University – Fullerton
How Do You Encourage Collaboration in an Online Class?
Most of our instructors said the same thing regarding student collaboration: promote and offer a channel where students can collaborate online.
“Incorporate more discussion. For my typical face to face courses, we now have a discussion board to replicate in-class discussion.”
– Brian Gerber, Cleveland State Community College
How Do You Manage a Work-Life Balance While Remote Teaching?
Teaching from home makes it difficult to separate work and home life. Instructors encourage incorporating short breaks throughout the day to get away from the computer and setting boundaries.
“Other than set office hours I have set just four time a day to check and respond to emails; it is important to separate work from the rest of your life.”
– Marie Guest, North Florida College
Looking for More Tips?
Transitioning to a virtual or hybrid course especially mid semester can be stressful – let us help! Keep in mind the following resources that are available to you.
- WebAssign Help for step-by-step how to’s and tutorials
- Follow us on social media for timely WebAssign best practices & tips
