Tips and Tricks for Effective Virtual Higher Education
Written by: Sabrina Panjwani & Annie Dai
2020 in a nutshell: a global pandemic, the new civil rights era, and a drastic shift to virtual education for over 16 million undergraduate students. Lecture halls have morphed into bedrooms, student centers are now chat rooms, and faces of peers have become words on a screen. In this unprecedented age of higher education, professors and students alike are struggling to adjust to these new norms.
To successfully modify your course to fit the new digital format, the following include some considerations to account for and our recommendations for constructing the ideal virtual learning environment:
Trust & Support your Students
As mentors, it is imperative now more than ever to remain empathetic during these trying times. As we move into this new era of education, an ongoing issue that becomes more prevalent is educational inequity. Every student has different technological resources available to them, which may drastically vary their learning progress and potential for accomplishments. Try to consistently check-in with your students in smaller capacities through breakout sessions on Zoom or individual emails to provide more personalized support.
Encourage Student Feedback
Feedback benefits both sides of the equation, as it can improve teaching and learning retention. Every student has a different learning style, and by personalizing your classroom through evaluation, your instructional methods will be more effective. Furthermore, it enables you to establish trust with your students as they see that you care for their learning, which can increase your reputation and ratings. To apply this approach to your classroom, utilize anonymous surveys at various checkpoints throughout your semester and consistently strive to adjust accordingly.
Use Additional Resources
In addition to Zoom lectures, connect with students in differing platforms:
Blackboard, Canvas, and Google Classroom serve as learning management systems for students and teachers alike where teachers can post and regulate assignments, discussions, and grades. Any of these applications are effective ways to supplement your course with online activities and assignments.
As for methods of direct interaction, online discussion forums allow students to engage with each other and ask questions relating to coursework under the supervision of teaching staff. They can help build a strong community within a class where students can answer each others’ questions, creating a more efficient teaching process. In addition, emails function both as a way to communicate important announcements and as a channel of direct communication between a student and a professor.
Reflect & Relax
Self-care is a key part of mental wellbeing. These are difficult and confusing times for everyone, so don’t hesitate to take time off periodically for yourself. By acknowledging your needs, it will help maintain balance between your personal and work life. A few examples of self-care activities include the following:
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and sustaining a balanced diet.
Practicing good personal hygiene habits.
Preserving your support system by consistently contacting your community of friends and family members.
Unwind with activities such as yoga, meditation, and taking walks.
Integrate Active and Collaborative Learning Methods Into Your Curriculum
With the transition to remote learning, students are deprived of their community that plays a critical role in how engaged they are in the classroom. An active learning approach transforms a passive curriculum to an interactive and dynamic experience that drives better engagement and learning outcomes. Integrating collaborative activities, such as case study exercises and thought-provoking discussions, sustains the vibrancy of peer interactions and increases students’ curiosity about learned concepts. Additionally, more material is retained in active and collaborative learning as it allows students to practice applying theories to relevant modern challenges using critical thinking.
Gamify Your Curriculum
Gamification is still a relatively new concept within the active learning realm. It takes elements used in games to drive engagement and apply them towards learning to drive outcomes. A research study reported in the Journal of Educational Psychology showed that games both motivated students to learn and improved learning outcomes. Competition and collaborative games, in particular, elicit greater interest and enjoyment and invoke a stronger mastery goal orientation.
In addition, McKinsey suggests that “Serious Games” or simulations that mimic the workplace are a key step forward in providing the skills that young people lack. To learn more about how Market Games incorporates an active and collaborative learning experience, click here.