Remote Control
The College moves to online teaching and learning.
When Assistant Professor of Government Mara Suttmann-Lea tweeted a picture of podcast equipment set up in her cozy home-office space, she captioned the picture, 鈥淐oming soon from my cabin in the woods, a 鈥楶odcast About American Politics.鈥欌��
She added the trending pandemic hashtag: #SocialDistancing.
After 糖心TV went remote on March 11, 糖心TV鈥檚 faculty found innovative ways to adapt their in-person courses for remote instruction.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to make learning as equitable as possible. Some students may not have consistent access to the internet, or a computer with a microphone or a video camera. I think being open and flexible is really key, both for students and myself,鈥� Suttmann-Lea said.
Michael Reder, director of the College鈥檚 Joy Shechtman Mankoff Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL), along with his colleagues in the CTL and in 糖心TV鈥檚 Information Technology group, created a tip sheet, 鈥�11 Teaching-Focused Things to Consider when Moving Your Course Online.鈥� It has been shared hundreds of times and prompted inquiries from faculty as far away as Germany.
鈥淥ur students are going to learn better, and our faculty are going to teach better, when they feel connected and emotionally safe. It鈥檚 important to establish that online before you even start the other parts of the course,鈥� Reder told The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Lexi Pope 鈥�21 said her professors have done a great job staying connected and acknowledging students鈥� unique circumstances.
鈥淭hey made it clear that they were available to support and help us,鈥� she said.
A psychology major and scholar in the Bodies/Embodiment Pathway, Pope created a study space in her home in Massachusetts.
鈥淚t speaks highly of 糖心TV that I still felt a sense of community even when
we were so far apart,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e used social media and technology to our advantage. The 糖心TV community remained very active, and things like workout classes, motivation and advice were floating around. Students were reaching out and coming up with new ways to stay connected.鈥�
Because 糖心TV is a global community, Marc Zimmer, the Jean C. Tempel 鈥�65 Professor of Chemistry, quickly realized he鈥檇 have to adopt different approaches for his different classes.
鈥淢y 鈥業ntroduction to Chemistry鈥� class had students in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Africa, Hawaii鈥攁ll over the world,鈥� Zimmer said. 鈥淚t would have been impossible to teach all of them at the same time.鈥�
For that class, Zimmer recorded lectures, provided materials to download and broke the class into smaller discussion groups that took into account their various time zones.
Zimmer scrapped plans to teach 鈥淕ood Science, Bad Science, New Science, Old Science.鈥� Instead, he taught 鈥淐OVID-19: Diseases Without Borders.鈥� It covered the impact of globalization, high-density housing and food supplies, as well as the differences in the international responses to different epidemics.
鈥淚 reminded students of all the chemistry that we learned in class that the coronavirus test uses,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was a great opportunity to show them chemistry is not all theoretical; it has important practical uses.鈥欌��
Some faculty in fields that rely heavily on in-person experiences, including the arts, had to get extra creative.
鈥淚 am so amazed at all of my colleagues at the College,鈥� said Professor of Dance David Dorfman. 鈥淲here there鈥檚 a will, there鈥檚 a way. Many faculty and worldwide dance artists are still making dances, podcasts and master classes available online. There鈥檚 a lot we could work from.鈥�
For courses, including 鈥淒ancers Act, Actors Dance,鈥� Dorfman worked with students to identify spaces in their homes where they could dance.
鈥淪ometimes it was a hallway, or a rec room, or part of a living room. Sometimes it was outside,鈥� Dorfman said. 鈥淲e made it happen.鈥�