Tomorrow we start our spring 2021 semester. I am fortunate to be able to teach an online version of the BIT 480/580 Yeast Metabolic Engineering course with my significant other, Claire Gordy. We have planned the course to be asynchronous to provide flexibility and options to students who could benefit from this alternative. Several undergraduates enrolled, and we will do our best to create an online community and engage students, encouraging them to be self-regulated learners. This is a challenge for a course that relies heavily on lab and an open-ended project! We are trying to be simple, and have worked on a course map that will help us focus on key assignments for critical learning objectives. We are also trying new things: Panopto interactive videos and guided notes. As we frantically take turns taking care of the kids during this holiday while recording guideline videos and a course welcome, I sat with a sleeping toddler and read two reassuring posts on the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Dr. James M. Lang is one of my heroes. In a timely post, Lang presents a different view of the current situation both instructors and students face: the course as a retreat from a world of distractions. Lang reviews research from the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on “flow states” and describes how we may be able to design attention grabbing experiences for students that “prevent” the tug of some of the distractions we face. I listened to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi “Finding Flow” (audio)book last year and found the work to emphasize the balance of challenge and engagement in a variety of settings. The question: what conditions or questions help us reach a flow state may not have a common answer. Lang asks in the article: how can we create classes or experiences that value attention and counter distractions? Three important considerations are mentioned that made me think about the yeast course we are about to embark on: community, structure, and renewal. Lang states that attention is reciprocal, and community should be a top priority. Students should be recognized. We should expect students to give us some of their attention — hopefully as much as they can. Students should also feel our attention towards them: we can do this by communicating frequently and providing timely feedback. Structure should be evident to students and provide different modes of engagement. This also helps with UDL. James Lang mentions a last suggestion: renewal to break up the monotony and rekindle interest and attention. Lang’s recent book “Distracted” had several of his “signature attention activities” and is a great book to listen to (also listened to this audiobook last year and highly recommended it!). I love how Lang wraps these three suggestions around finding flow states and battling distractions, even mentioning the kindergarten sessions being taught by his wife next door. I can relate as today has been challenging: I’m typing this with a sleeping child on my lap.
In a second equally powerful, timely, and fun article, Flower Darby presents eight strategies to prevent teaching burnout. In a conversational and convincing style that I have come to expect from Darby, helpful suggestions for a better semester as an instructor are presented. These include: keep it simple, don’t teach the same way online as you do in person, balance synchronous and asynchronous (25/75% is what Darby suggests), hit pause/build in course breaks, schedule wisely, communicate strategically and sustainably, be candid with students, and streamline grading. I love the honesty and focus on equity (mentioning that often high tech is less equitable) and sustainability (what is reasonable for both students and instructors). We built in reflections during weeks with our institution designated wellness days. The goal is to pause the course to reflect on what we have learned and what has to be planned to accomplish the remaining goals. These breaks will also be an opportunity for us to catch up on feedback and to a start/stop/continue poll as suggested. Communicating sustainably is something that I want to focus on now after reading Karen Costa’s tips for sustainable educational videos. Our course schedule isn’t ideal: that is one of the many challenges of eight-week modules, and we will aim to be candid with students about this and experimenting with Panopto. Our course is asynchronous, yet we will use virtual hours to work with students and groups on assignments and capstone case study projects. I’m excited about the course. Lang and Darby helped a lot today by sharing their own struggles candidly and suggestions.
