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Abstract

n-class presentation assignment into an online presentation assignment. Don’t stress about it. They are still learning. But they have potentially even more freedom now. This assignment can be a power-point, a poster, a blog, some memes, they can have fun with it. The requirements are still there, they have to do what they have to do, but my goal in online teaching right now is to have as less stress as possible and as much fun as we can with whatever we have to do. I think this is being appreciated. I hope so.</p><p id="ee2f"><b>3. Keep In Touch</b> Respond to their emails. Do Weekly if not bi-weekly announcements. Check in. But do not go overboard. Again, this is about balancing stress and time and realizing the situation as a crisis and not something that should demand more work from you for the same pay, which in the case of my fellow adjunct sisters and brothers, is very little pay. We are stressed all the time about it, and now, there’s this bonus stress of being judged unfairly in a pandemic for not having the perfect online course, perhaps. Who knows. I have heard some things. Folks are worried. There’s pressure. But I hold that we are all doing the best we can, student and teacher alike, and that communication is key. Not really zoom or video, again, I do not feel it is necessary and it brings this added layer of oddness and strain to people who might be doing zoom for other things or who might not have the technology to zoom. Who knows.</p><p id="0f5d">But what I do know, and do believe is that learning can be a lovely thing when it is words on a screen or page and silence. When it is reading and connection. When it is on one’s own time, with of course, due dates, sure. When it is something that feels like online engagement and connection and not dread and chaos.</p><p id="e202"><b>4. Expectations are Not Necessary </b>This means lower it. This means get real. This means, as a meme online told me, if you are grading harshly in this pandemic that means you are grading privilege. Aka those that can afford to do what it takes to get all of their work in, with all boxes checked, with all effort rewarded. It is a bit of a mess right now. In my own classes students show up sometimes, and sometimes they miss. They always email me when they miss and the excuses are often heartbreaking. Work, work hours, people sick, someone in the national guard on COVID-19 duty. They are busy. They are coping. They are in this new thing just like we are. So, go easy.</p><p id="e2dd">No don’t hand out all A’s for folks who are not showing up, but check in, comment with care, and be sure you are communicating with them about what is going on with assignments, grades, and the course.</p><p id="84ce"><b>5. Be Cool </b>This goes along with all of it, but be cool. It is insane right now. No joke. The semester started off one way, and went a totally unexpected route halfway in. Many students and teachers are also homeschooling our own kids, and teaching online, and also dealing with little help from the system — as in wow we could use a bigger and better safety net, we could use that Canada style 2,000 a month for the duration, we could use health care, we could use one less source of worry and panic in this, right? So, be coo

Options

l. Assign things that are fun. Help where you can. Don’t knock yourself out with extra work. Stay in touch with your class. Grade with compassion and care, comments and second chances, and just be cool.</p><p id="d5f5">We are only all in this together if we understand that whatever it is we are in, we cannot assume anyone has it close to ‘normal’ in any way. We do not know what our students are struggling with unless we ask, or they tell us, and they do not know what we are struggling with unless we are honest, real, and keep it cool and low key in the virtual classroom.</p><p id="621c">Fun assignments that draw upon things that matter to student’s lives help. Weekly announcements that help them prepare for the week ahead, that wrap up the last week, and that give them a chance to check in, this helps. And being cool about grades, late work, second chances, and real down to Earth communication, well this helps too.</p><p id="a4a7">Best of luck out there.</p><p id="c6f1">©<a href="https://medium.com/@jennyjustice">Jenny Justice.</a> All Rights Reserved.</p><p id="01a8"><b><i>Jenny Justice</i></b><i>, Poet. Author of Love in the Time of Climate Change and Reveal. You can read more of her poetry at<a href="https://medium.com/justice-poetic"> Justice Poetic.</a></i> <i>Sign up for her newsletter <a href="https://jennyjustice.substack.com/p/coming-soon?r=2jhb2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=copy">here</a></i>.</p><div id="53a2" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/writing-for-money-d164acdec232"> <div> <div> <h2>Writing For Money</h2> <div><h3>Some Thoughts on Paying the Bills With Your Creativity and Passion</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*grBiLCcwI8SB2iTi)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="cbd6" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/an-introduction-to-sociology-7059b2a550de"> <div> <div> <h2>An Introduction to Sociology</h2> <div><h3>Speaking Truth To Power</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*_PKHv8OOT3WV6LUp)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="d787" class="link-block"> <a href="https://link.medium.com/Z6Xx7RkYdY"> <div> <div> <h2>Working in Fear: Being an Adjunct in American Higher Education</h2> <div><h3>Working in Fear: Being an Adjunct in American Higher Education</h3></div> <div><p> Working in Fear: Being an Adjunct in American Higher Educationlink.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*6BwKdDFkihZlmdY0)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Online Teaching in a Pandemic

To File Under: Just 2020 Things

Have you heard we are in a pandemic? And somehow that despite this horrific reality many of us are expected to just keep on keeping on business as usual nothing to see here?

In virtually speaking with a lot of professors and instructors about online teaching during this pandemic a tragic theme keeps popping up. Namely that of expecting perfection and double the work for the same or sometimes, less pay.

I am going to be honest, I am living in a bit of fear about my student evaluations. Granted I have been in contact with them, we are doing the best we can, and we all agreed we would not zoom or do anything that was too labor intensive because so many of them are stressed enough, and yes, I am also stressed enough.

But it seems wild. Wild as in stuff happening all over the place. Wild as in various ecosystems of things taking off. Wild as in hunting and gathering for survival.

Zoom and all of these video and voice tools, and really any fancy bells and whistles have never been part of my online teaching world. I have certifications in online teaching. I have been online teaching for a long, long, long, long too long time. I feel like I am 16 but apparently I am 40. I have been teaching online for over 15 years.

So, here are some of my tips and tricks, if it matters, when it comes to Online Teaching in a Pandemic, 2020 style:

Discussion Forums are Grades Now Take your assignments. Make them discussions. Post them in discussion forums. Have students reply to at least two peers. Make this all graded. Why? If it is not graded, very few will do it. Sadly. The Online teaching world is about points and grades. Not about depth of interest and passion for the subject. Yes that can come, and it is delightful when you see it. But in my experience, assigning anything without giving points for it is just asking for that assignment to be blown off as optional.

2. Be Creative AF Discussion forums are spaces for creation, yes. Assign things that matter and that spark interest. They have the weekly readings, so integrate this all into something relevant to discuss. Draw upon current events. Post videos or documentaries. Use blogs and memes. Ask them to search for something relevant from a few specific news sites, usually I assign the New York Times, NPR, The Guardian, or Reuters.

I also have had to transform an in-class presentation assignment into an online presentation assignment. Don’t stress about it. They are still learning. But they have potentially even more freedom now. This assignment can be a power-point, a poster, a blog, some memes, they can have fun with it. The requirements are still there, they have to do what they have to do, but my goal in online teaching right now is to have as less stress as possible and as much fun as we can with whatever we have to do. I think this is being appreciated. I hope so.

3. Keep In Touch Respond to their emails. Do Weekly if not bi-weekly announcements. Check in. But do not go overboard. Again, this is about balancing stress and time and realizing the situation as a crisis and not something that should demand more work from you for the same pay, which in the case of my fellow adjunct sisters and brothers, is very little pay. We are stressed all the time about it, and now, there’s this bonus stress of being judged unfairly in a pandemic for not having the perfect online course, perhaps. Who knows. I have heard some things. Folks are worried. There’s pressure. But I hold that we are all doing the best we can, student and teacher alike, and that communication is key. Not really zoom or video, again, I do not feel it is necessary and it brings this added layer of oddness and strain to people who might be doing zoom for other things or who might not have the technology to zoom. Who knows.

But what I do know, and do believe is that learning can be a lovely thing when it is words on a screen or page and silence. When it is reading and connection. When it is on one’s own time, with of course, due dates, sure. When it is something that feels like online engagement and connection and not dread and chaos.

4. Expectations are Not Necessary This means lower it. This means get real. This means, as a meme online told me, if you are grading harshly in this pandemic that means you are grading privilege. Aka those that can afford to do what it takes to get all of their work in, with all boxes checked, with all effort rewarded. It is a bit of a mess right now. In my own classes students show up sometimes, and sometimes they miss. They always email me when they miss and the excuses are often heartbreaking. Work, work hours, people sick, someone in the national guard on COVID-19 duty. They are busy. They are coping. They are in this new thing just like we are. So, go easy.

No don’t hand out all A’s for folks who are not showing up, but check in, comment with care, and be sure you are communicating with them about what is going on with assignments, grades, and the course.

5. Be Cool This goes along with all of it, but be cool. It is insane right now. No joke. The semester started off one way, and went a totally unexpected route halfway in. Many students and teachers are also homeschooling our own kids, and teaching online, and also dealing with little help from the system — as in wow we could use a bigger and better safety net, we could use that Canada style 2,000 a month for the duration, we could use health care, we could use one less source of worry and panic in this, right? So, be cool. Assign things that are fun. Help where you can. Don’t knock yourself out with extra work. Stay in touch with your class. Grade with compassion and care, comments and second chances, and just be cool.

We are only all in this together if we understand that whatever it is we are in, we cannot assume anyone has it close to ‘normal’ in any way. We do not know what our students are struggling with unless we ask, or they tell us, and they do not know what we are struggling with unless we are honest, real, and keep it cool and low key in the virtual classroom.

Fun assignments that draw upon things that matter to student’s lives help. Weekly announcements that help them prepare for the week ahead, that wrap up the last week, and that give them a chance to check in, this helps. And being cool about grades, late work, second chances, and real down to Earth communication, well this helps too.

Best of luck out there.

Jenny Justice, Poet. Author of Love in the Time of Climate Change and Reveal. You can read more of her poetry at Justice Poetic. Sign up for her newsletter here.