Professors and Students Adjust to Online Instruction
With the move of traditional classes from face-to-face to online instruction due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bluefield College professors had to adapt their courses to the new platform. We reached out to professors from a variety of departments and asked them about their experiences with the transition to online instruction.
Moving to online classes meant that professors needed to change many elements of their classes. Dr. Emily Lambert, associate professor of biology, said that part of the change was learning new software and teaching her students how to use it.
“I had to reevaluate my course objectives and determine how to accomplish them using the new delivery modality,” Dr. Lambert said.
Several professors mentioned creating a series of mini-lectures to substitute for traditional in-class lectures. Additionally, professors are using many internet resources, including forums and YouTube videos.
“As we moved online, I reduced my assignments and lectures to the bare minimum. I created a series of mini-lectures for each lesson and filmed them so students could view them at their leisure. I also had a crash-course in Zoom.”
– Dr. Abigail Heiniger, Assistant Professor of English
Wendy Beavers, an assistant professor of history and instructional technology specialist, said that she has included internet resources in her classes through a program called Nearpod. Music professor Dr. Charles Priest said he’s relying more on email.
“So much of what I teach relies on our abilities to share musical notation and demonstrate musical examples with recordings or by playing them on a piano,” said Dr. Priest, associate professor and chair of the Department of Music. “While those things can be done via the internet, now’s not the time to add layers of complexity by introducing additional logins and passwords to remember. I’ve tried as much as possible to simplify the exchanges of information by relying on email and attached documents.”
Dr Tracey Stout, an associate professor of Christian studies, said that one of his classes, Honors Junior Seminar, had gotten to where the students were leading class for the rest of the semester. They are using Microsoft teams and discussion forums on MyBC to have their in-class discussions.
These changes to class format have come with hurdles and challenges. Shellie Brown, an assistant professor of education and director of the Teacher Education Program, said that the biggest hurdle for her has been balancing a quality learning experience with consideration for the challenges her students are facing outside of the virtual classroom.
“In education, we always talk about taking a holistic approach, which means that we are not only concerned about students’ academic progress, but also their emotional, social and physical development,” she said. “This situation has caused me to have to be much more aware and conscientious of my students’ emotional, social and physical well-being.”
“I’ve been a musician my whole life and have been involved in education nearly 20 years. By this point, I’ve built up a store of ‘Jedi mind tricks’ and teaching skills that are based on being face to face with students. I can’t use most of them in a virtual environment.”
– Dr. Charles Priest, Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Department
The biggest challenge for Dr. Lambert was transitioning her Microbiology wet lab to an online lab. The subject, she said, does not translate well online. Students need to be able to use their sense of touch and smell, Dr. Lambert explained, which cannot be easily done in an online format.
“Some students do not have textbooks, have had difficulty accessing ebooks, have difficulty related to internet issues and accessing e-learning, have had to take on added responsibilities at home due to effects of the pandemic, and have little to no experience with online courses.” said Dr. Kim Farmer, dean and professor of the School of Criminal Justice.
Not only are professors facing challenges with this transition, but so are the students. According to Beavers, the lack of structure that is normally provided in a traditional class setting means that students need to have better time management skills and discipline to navigate successfully.
“Students are stressed even more so than usual – not just about their present difficulties, but about the future and uncertainties related to all of the changes brought about by COVID-19 on their lives, careers, plans, etc., said Dr. Farmer.
These hurdles and challenges created by moving to online classes have led to creativity from both professors and students. Brown mentioned the creativity of her Science and Social Studies Methods students. As part of an activity in the class, they dress up as an historical character and present information from the character’s point of view. This, Brown said, serves as a way for them to make learning more engaging for their future students.
“My students had to do their role-playing presentations while dressed up via Zoom,” Brown said. “It worked out really well because they even used backgrounds through Zoom to add to their character portrayals, which was a neat addition.”
Melissa Linkous, an adjunct faculty member who teaches American Sign Language, said that her classes have been using social media a lot to communicate. Dr. Lambert brainstormed with her classes about how to do assignments virtually. Additionally, she said her students even got to participate in reevaluating the calculation of class grades.
“The students like having a say in these aspects of their course, and they end up being more vested knowing they made the decision to format a class in a certain way.” Dr. Lambert explained.
Does online preparation take more time? Beavers said that it takes her two to three times longer than it does to prepare for her in-class courses. She added that editing mini-lectures and previewing the videos she posts takes additional time.
“I think it seems like it takes more time, but probably in reality it is about the same,” said Walter Shroyer, professor of art. “I will find myself on the computer maybe 3-6 hours a day, but I also would be in class that long. For example, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I would have been in class for five hours. It just seems longer when you are sitting at a computer instead of walking around.”
According to professors, student feedback about the transition has been mixed.
“I think it is going to be up to each individual student as to what they take away from this situation,” said Charles Reese, professor of theatre. “Is it ideal? Obviously not. Can we redeem the time and make something positive from a bad situation? Yes, as long as we are willing to commit to doing what we can with the situation we are given.”
Brown added that some students are doing okay with the changes and just trying to keep busy, while others she thinks are struggling.
“This has been a traumatic event, like none of us have seen in our lifetimes,” she said, “and that definitely takes a toll on a person.”
Dr. Lambert said that students are telling her that they now have more assignments in the online environment than they would have had with classes remaining face-to-face.
“This has bogged them down,” Dr. Lambert said, “and being cooped up during stay-at-home orders is taking a toll on them mentally, making it hard to find motivation.”
When asked what advice they would give to students, some professors said it’s a good idea to start the day early and to have discipline, while others encouraged students to take advantage of available resources.
Dearest Students: Work a little bit every day on each class, ask questions of faculty directly when you need help, work on each class during scheduled hours you left behind if possible, don’t allow yourself to get behind, and take advantage of all resources at your disposal.
– Dr. Richard Farmer, Chair of and Assistent Professor of Psychology.
“Students have told me it’s hard to remember to wake up and come to class when they are in an online environment,” Dr. Heiniger said. “Others say they struggle to find the will to complete assignments. I think we underestimate how much good peer pressure students have on campus — friends to text them and remind them about classes and projects. Finding a way to recreate that by involving family members can really help.”
Dr. Stout added that he thinks it is important for students to stay active and to treat courses like a weekly course with regular Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday sessions.
“That helps keep the momentum of regular reading and participation going rather than trying to finish it all in a day,” Dr. Stout said. “Stay in touch and engaged. Email professors with any questions or just to check in.”
Dr. Lambert agreed that discipline is important, as well as prioritizing.
“Create a schedule and stick to it, just like you would if you had face-to-face classes,” she said. “Do what you can to prioritize school while still attending to the new responsibilities you are juggling during these unique circumstances. And finally, know some things have to give, and that’s okay.”
And while the challenges are obvious for both faculty and students, BC professors say they hope something good will come from the experience.
“It is my hope that we will come out of this experience feeling more consideration, respect and appreciation for one another and for life,” Brown said. “I hope that we have learned to be more grateful for the simple blessings that God provides us.”
Linkous said that she expects students and professors alike will appreciate more the personal interactions they once had in the classroom. Dr. Heiniger added that she believes the experience has better prepared students to work remotely, while others said they think the greatest benefit has been learning to adapt and to “appreciate and cherish even more those we love, the activities we love, and peaceful moments.”
“This entire situation is a learning experience by it’s very nature,” Dr. Richard Farmer said. “As faculty, we have learned flexibility, a renewal of our ‘student first’ mentality, and how to become more creative in times of crisis. We have been forced to think through our teaching priorities, in general, and for each individual course. And we have been challenged to listen to, be patient with, and show growing compassion for our student body. Above all, our faith has been tested, as we learn to trust God more fully during a very difficult time.”