Last semester was considered a trial run as many instructors scrambled trying to adapt to the new remote environment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. While WSU Vancouver settles in for another online semester, The VanCougar asks professors what they have learned from virtual instruction.
Professor Michael LeVan, Communication
“I learned students can do excellent work online despite all of the crushing pressure and anxiety on them. I learned that having some grace and empathy goes a long way, and I don’t want to forget that when we aren’t in a pandemic. It’s important, especially online, to touch in with my classes frequently and to give them a solid structure and routine that they can count on. … As for changing from fall to spring, I think I learned some lessons about a few types of assignments that didn’t have the kind of payoffs I hoped for. But I always try to fine-tune my courses by updating content and trying new types of tools or assignments.”
Professor Will Luers, Digital Technology and Culture
“I would say there is much about online classes that are better for students studying coding, because my pre-recorded lectures and demos of web design can be followed at the student’s own pace. … I do miss the personal contact before and after class, or the community feel during collaborative projects in class. I try to make up for this with Zoom workshops and one-on-one meetings and that can work, but Zoom is better with small groups I think. … There is a balance that I am looking for that may continue when we go back to the classroom.”
(Emily Baumann / The VanCougar)
Professor Ron Pimentel, Business and Marketing
“I have learned that many things can be accomplished remotely and to utilize more of the capabilities of Blackboard. However, I have also learned how inadequate Blackboard is and have switched to Canvas LMS earlier than I would have otherwise. It is more difficult to motivate students without meeting in person, but most students can adapt to change very well. Going forward, I will probably use Canvas more than I did before the pandemic, and I will also value contact with students more.”
Professor Leonard Reed, Communication
“Nothing, in my view, replaces in-person teaching: three-dimensional people in a common space with the myriad awarenesses of body language, speech inflection and shared environmental experience. By contrast, the two-dimensional experience of engaging folks remotely on a screen is stripped of rich contextual information, in-home backgrounds notwithstanding, requiring the teacher and student more effort at communicating energy and purpose. … I find it helps to talk briefly in every class about the strain and weirdness of navigating life during a pandemic, not to mention college classes, often at home with struggling family or friends. … As for changes, I’m going shorter and faster on frequent writing assignments, to keep engagement up and to administer more frequent and short true or false quizzes, this to ensure the class progresses at roughly the same pace and to protect outliers against drifting.”
Olivia is a senior studying English at WSU Vancouver.