During the pandemic, about 90 percent of higher education faculty used digital pedagogy for at least two entire semesters. Some of these practices should be retained as colleges and universities return to more normal operations and face-to-face classes.
Throughout the pandemic, faculty members across the country and around the world learned more about how to utilize the digital environment, according to Dr. Laura Niesen de Abruna, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Association of Chief Academic Officers, during a session titled “Core Value Changes Among Faculty Needed in the Post-Pandemic Era” during of the REMOTE Connected Faculty Summit, sponsored by Arizona State University. Dr. de Abruna was joined by Cagla Demirduzen, Ph.D. and student in the School of Politics and Global Studies at ASU.
“Faculty have been reserved about the quality about the quality of online and digital instruction for decades and some of that inertia has been overcome when they pivoted to that new environment and found that it’s equal in quality to face-to-face instruction,” de Abruna said. Other positive outcomes of the pandemic include:
- No more snow days, since institutions don’t have to close for inclement weather;
- Study abroad programs can be enhanced since students can be in both places simultaneously through video conferencing;
- Through consortium agreements, uncommonly taught courses can be offered to students at other campuses.
- Faculty members have learned how to engage students online and many developed a more sophisticated sense of how and when digital instruction can work at a residential or community college.
- Institutions discovered the importance of investing in top quality Internet, video conferencing and faculty development.
- Colleges and universities realized the need for a key administrator who has the authority, vision and commitment to lead the faculty toward best uses of digital pedagogy.
De Abruna outlined four major lessons learned for pedagogy that all relate to connectedness and engagement.
1. Students had the most trouble staying engaged during remote instruction of any type.
2. Students missed the social interaction with peers who helped them learn in classrooms.
3. Students in remote classrooms felt less connected and missed a sense of belonging.
4. Institutions need to be more focused on student orientation in terms of technical knowledge, self-discipline and time management when students are learning remotely.
De Abruna surveyed 183 faculty members at York College in late April-early May and discovered that they had discovered new tools that are helpful and that they will pull forward into future teaching – and also discovered that they weren’t using tools they already had to their fullest extent. “It’s not about the tools, but it’s more about the evidence-based teaching practices we’ve known for several decade are effective in engaging students. We have practiced how to do that in the face-to-face classroom, and now we have to pull it forward when it’s in the digital classroom or when we’re using digital tools in the face-to-face classroom,” she explained. “So, what is more important is faculty presence. And more work is needed to keep students engaged as they tend to disconnect when faced with a screen.”
In addition, de Abruna noted that faculty need more organization of courses in a digital environment. “The lack of organization is clearer when students are accessing you through a screen.”
Additional lessons to carry forward include:
- Modules or chunks of learning must be tightly put together to link activities to learning outcomes.
- There should be more emphasis on discussion, in-class demonstrations, information sharing and project work.
- Faculty needs to be more flexible and understanding of students’ family challenges.
- Institutions can use data from learning management systems or software to get early warnings about student disengagement.
- Professors should more liberally send reminder emails since announcements aren’t repeated in class.
- Feedback from students is more important than ever in a virtual environment.
- To guide student reading, use more detailed discussion questions and notes.
- Stay away from the traditional lecture format in a remote environment.
- Have students work on assignments in class to help them stay engaged.
- Take time to reflect on whether or not assigned learning activities are accomplishing the stated goals.
- Use Zoom for individual meetings and advising appointments.
- Record classes for future viewing.
- Take full advantage of learning management systems for grading and syllabus.
- Improve remote access to computer labs to enable students to use software on their personal computers.
For more articles from the REMOTE summit go to:
Online Learning Plays Major Role in Accelerating Career Credentials
Strategies for Educators to Thrive in Post-Pandemic Teaching
Preparing for the Unprepared: Strategies for Equitable, Inclusive Education
The Future of Admissions Presents Challenges and Opportunities
6 Evidence-Based Techniques for Hybrid Teaching
Lessons Learned From the Pandemic Will Forever Shape Higher Education
Higher Education Faculty at the Helm of Equality and Inclusion