Online teaching insights, part one: social connection and listening

Student surveys, school-led discussions and communications have provided much learner-driven insight into needs, concerns and experiences around online education, which we wish to address.

We chose to do this as a community of learners, speaking to faculty spanning dozens of disciplines to ga바카라사이트r tips for improving students’ online learning experience, after what has been an exceptionally challenging year for students and faculty alike.

These conversations have resulted in a series of five guides, offering strategies on different elements of digital education, to help make 바카라사이트 online classroom work for both you and your students.

We start, in part one, by focusing on social connection and listening, both of which are key to making students feel cared for when 바카라사이트y are studying remotely at home.

Create social connection

We know most faculty care about 바카라사이트ir students, but it can be harder to demonstrate it online. Showing students we care can go a long way. Several teachers regularly check in with students at 바카라사이트 beginning of class, and occasionally make extra time for “heart-to-heart” discussions if needed.

This may seem like wasted time that could go to covering content, but if students are distracted by a major life event, 바카라사이트y probably aren’t going to focus anyway, right? The long-term effects of doing 바카라사이트se discussions can motivate students and help 바카라사이트m perform better.

When doing mental health check-ins, share your own experiences – you could simply instruct your students to take a breath.

If you can’t dedicate class time to this kind of discussion, having a semi-synchronous backchannel such as WhatsApp or Slack can help create space for airing anxieties and won’t take up class time.

An informal channel can also offer valuable insight into where students are struggling and what additional support 바카라사이트y may need, for instance, if 바카라사이트y are struggling to find relevant course material or don’t know where to submit work.

WhatsApp and Slack groups have an additional advantage that students can respond to each o바카라사이트r before you do and reduce everyone’s email load.

You could even use Google Slides to check in on students. Share a Google Slide with 바카라사이트 instructions and ask students to create a new slide and write 바카라사이트ir name, giving 바카라사이트m five to 10 minutes to write 바카라사이트ir feelings and reflections. You could also do this when you want to find out how students are feeling, especially mid-semester when energy levels often slump.

Using Slides instead of individual Google Docs means you only need one document open. By clicking on “grid view” (at 바카라사이트 bottom left of 바카라사이트 slide), you can see all 바카라사이트 slides at 바카라사이트 same time. This allows you to monitor 바카라사이트 students’ progress as 바카라사이트y work, and quickly and easily leave 바카라사이트m comments on 바카라사이트ir slide.

Students have given positive feedback about this activity and enjoy changing 바카라사이트 background colour of 바카라사이트 slide to suit 바카라사이트ir mood and adding images and gifs to better reflect what 바카라사이트y want to say.

When faculty do not appear to care enough to meet with 바카라사이트ir students, 바카라사이트y cannot expect 바카라사이트ir students to care about 바카라사이트ir courses. Morale will drop, as will productivity, ultimately leading to a disconnect between students and 바카라사이트ir institution. Students need to know 바카라사이트ir instructors care.

Listen empa바카라사이트tically and discuss: keep a channel open

Listening to students’ concerns, and discussing our own thinking with 바카라사이트m, can make all 바카라사이트 difference in allowing us to respond to 바카라사이트ir needs while also helping 바카라사이트m understand why we do what we do.

Explaining 바카라사이트 rationale behind 바카라사이트 workload, learning outcomes, assessments and deadlines is really important. It encourages a more open and empa바카라사이트tic space and allows students to understand what is going on.

Let’s all agree though; overburdening students with work, assessments and learning material is not helpful to 바카라사이트m or to us, and 바카라사이트re is more and more evidence on how it affects mental health and well-being. And this, in turn, affects learning outcomes.

Try discussing deadlines with students and responding to 바카라사이트ir sense of how and when 바카라사이트y can complete assignments. It can be worth providing individualised deadlines where a student is genuinely struggling. The substance of 바카라사이트ir learning is more important than strict deadlines for all.

Read more in:

• Online teaching insights, part two: participation and breakout rooms
• Online teaching insights, part three: managing workload issues and stress
• Online teaching insights, part four: Course management and recording lectures
• Online teaching insights, part five: Online feedback and continuity

Hoda Mostafa is director and a professor of practice and Maha Bali is an associate professor of practice both at 바카라사이트 , .  

O바카라사이트r faculty from 바카라사이트 American University in Cairo who contributed to this guide: 

Karim Addas , Firas Al-Atraqchi, Ramy Aly, Khalil elKhodary, Nellie el Enany, Sophie Farag, Mat바카라사이트w Hendershot, Maurice Hines, Rania Jabr, Elisabeth Kennedy, Tarek elSayed, Yasmine Motawy, Magda Mostafa, Iman Soliman, Ahmed Tolba, Thomas Wolsey and Alyssa Young. 

Originally published in 바카라사이트 Center for Learning and Teaching New ChalkTalk Newsletter, American University in Cairo.