In this episode, we discuss our experience with online teaching through the COVID-19 pandemic. We share our best practices, and lessons learned.

Here's the summary of our tips:

Tips:

  • Less is more, in terms of content and tech tools
  • More than just reduce content: put kindness and compassion for students first
  • Much more leniency with deadlines and evaluation strictness
  • Flexibility with office hour time, and accommodate student in different time zones
  • Be consistent in the way you compile your information
  • Present the same material in different sensorial ways
  • Reconsider your assessment methods
  • Stick to one didactic model
  • Have 3-5 learning objectives and keep those front and center
  • Invest time in your didactic skills
  • Ask your students, colleagues, and TAs for feedback
  • Make sure you got your tech tools working well: lighting, microphone, drawing tools

Here are some references for this episode:

  • From Eva's blog
    • Poll on tools for online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic
    • PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: Online resources for scientists
    • Explorations into Blended Flexible Learning
    • PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: challenges and opportunities for international researchers during COVID-19
  • From elsewhere on the internet
    • The 5Es instructional model of Catlin Tucker
    • A brief introduction to constructive alignment
    • More information on Bloom's taxonomy
    • Felder-Silverman model of learning styles for engineering students