Teaching Remotely

I am writing a post here to help teachers deal with teaching remotely during a pandemic. I am currently taking a class at a community college in California. It was designed as an online class. On the surface, this looks like a very organized online class. There is a clearly defined syllabus with outcomes and expectations. There are video demonstrations that are either done by the teacher or linked. The rubric is very clear and telling us the teacher’s expectations and point value of each activity. Finally there is a discussion board for students to discuss and reflect on their learning.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Something is missing.

As a retired community college teacher, I should really enjoy this experience. But I am not.

I am somewhat frustrated because there is a lack of connection with the teacher. For example, I asked her a question in email and her response was to read the syllabus. So I went to the syllabus found the link I needed and it took me to a 404 error. I took a screenshot of that error and emailed it to her and no response. In the two weeks I have been in this class, there has not been on discussion post by her, and she has never asked anything about us. This lack of connection has me very frustrated. No wonder people drop out of online classes in droves. CONNECTION is a critical component. Remember this was a class that was designed to be online.

Most of you are teaching classes that were not designed to be online. I want to say that connecting with your students is more important than shoveling out content. So please connect with your students first and then decide what and how much content you want to deliver in these challenging times. Remember your students are either out of work and barely surviving with kids at home or they are in the service field (supermarket, fire, health) and working a lot. You are more important to them now. They need you. Thoughts? Comments? provocative insights? Leave your comments below.