This advice is for teaching remotely 300 level courses in the social sciences.
- Record lectures for students to watch at their leisure!
- Use class time for processing the materials with the class.
- Have small concept processing assignments based on the material due before class.
- Have the students share short processing assignments during class or in breakout groups.
- Once in a while, write the key points from discussion down on a sheet of paper with big markers and show it to the class now and then. At the very least, this makes them laugh.
- Map complex topics using concept mapping. My students taught themselves how to make their own from the cmap website. We shared them on Moodle.
- Keep having metacommentary patter each week to remind the students of the “arc” of the class and how the topic fits in.
- Find a lot of documentaries and short videos to give them visuals to look at on their own time — this not only imprints good information in their brain, but it gives the class a shared narrative to analyze, muse over, pick at, and return to again and again during the semester.
- END CLASS EARLY WHEN ALL WORK IS DONE — after all, with those recorded lectures, they’ve already done extra class time, correct?
- Invite in guest speakers! You’d be shocked at how many alumni are completely thrilled to come to class to talk about the topic. It’s amazing. And it’s a bit disconcerting how much the students LOVE having guests. But don’t worry — the students are getting a LOT of you (remember all the lectures you’re recording?). I’ve found that what the guests say seem to stick with them more than what I say. The change of person might make the students more alert. Or it feels more special, so they feel honored to have a guest there. Whatever. It aids learning!
- Model honesty. When I’ve spaced out partway through a student question, I admit it and ask for them to say it again. Now I hear them say it — the whole class will be silent and then someone will bravely say, ‘Wait, could you ask that again?” Hey, we’re all in this together.
- Remember, end class early and often! I’ve required them to watch hour-long documentaries and listen to 20 min lectures on their own time — use the in class time to process the material. Once you’re done, you’re done.
- My midterms were better than I’ve ever seen in 12 years of teaching this class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!