Moving online recontextualizes how we engage with our students and help foster a positive learning environment. The following document considers ways we can listen to our students and offer space for peers to connect with each other on intellectual and social levels.
Consider inviting your students to share with you (by survey, email, etc.). . .
How they want to interact with the course—
- where and how they plan to complete coursework
- how they plan to participate in your course
- modes of interaction/participation that are more difficult or intimidating to them
How they use technology—
- technologies they can access
- whether they have access to a microphone and webcam
- access to reliable internet, streaming services, and software (such as word processing)
What concerns they have—
- what constraints they may be under, such as sharing devices or work space
- whether they are able to freely be heard or seen without interference/constraints
- other questions, updates, or information they would like to share with you
What they want to learn and do—
- How they respond to the course objectives
- Excitements and/or apprehensions about the class
- How the course relates to their personal, academic, or professional lives
Consider fostering social interactions between student peers. . .
In the Syllabus—
- Information/bio about you and your enthusiasm for the class
- Prompt or link for students to write and share introductions
- Creative icebreaker prompts (for images, stories, videos)
On Baruch Outlook Webmail—
- Weekly emails of encouragement, course overviews, or session follow-ups
- Conversation starters from readings, news headlines, or course themes
- Calls to share amusing content or real-world connections
On Blackboard—
- Discussion board posts for responding to (and then replying to peers)
- Random or Humor discussion board sections
- FAQ or Student-to-Student/Student-Facilitated discussion board sections
On Blogs@Baruch—
- Low-stakes student blog posts: reading or content reflections, real-world connections
- Weekly instructor posts: course recaps, real-world connections, closer looks
- A Random or Humor post category or section
On VOCAT—
- Low-stakes video posts
- Video peer-to-peer responses
- Collaborative analysis of videos in groups
On Zoom—
- Breakout rooms for small-group discussions/activities (or arranged among students)
- “Downtime” sessions: shared workspace with a collaborative playlist or student “DJs”
- Regular Zoom office hour(s)
On a shared Google Doc—
- Sharing a single Google Doc for students to write weekly updates (casual to scholastic)
- Using opening class time to review and comment on Google Doc updates
- Assigning collaborative activities to be completed on a Google Doc or in Google Slides
On a Slack.com Workspace—
- Slack channels for different topics (#Assignments, #Syllabus, #Questions, etc.)
- #Random or #Humor channels for students to share fun content
- #MakesMeThinkOf or #AtLarge channels for sharing real-world connections