Change online teaching approach after a week?

[Liquidambar]

For one of my classes, I feel like I mostly teach out of the textbook.  When we switched to online, my procedure for the class was the following:
1) Students read relevant section in book.
2) Students take short reading quiz that includes summarizing the reading and listing any questions they have about it.
3) Half a day later (after I have time to prepare some examples), we have a short Zoom class at our normal class time.  I do examples based on the questions they asked.  I encourage them to raise their virtual hands and ask any questions they have, but few students do.  This synchronous class session is recorded for students to watch later if they wish, but to my surprise more than half the class has been showing up in real time.
4) Students do homework problems on the material, which they turn in at a later date.

A student contacted me to say that learning from the book isn't working for her.  She says my in-person lectures pre-COVID were straightforward.  The short Zoom classes are helpful but not enough.  She wishes there were more video resources, and if there aren't any available online (there aren't), could I do more video lectures for the class?  She claims to have discussed this with her peers and to be speaking for a group of them.

What should I do?  I kind of don't blame the students for having trouble understanding the book.  I can't point to any particular thing about it that's unclear, but I have trouble reading it myself.

- One possibility is to poll the whole class and see what's working and what isn't.

- Another possibility is for me to pre-record a video lecture for each section.  (It would just be me writing on a piece of paper in front of a document camera for an hour, so no extra prep, only the recording time.  I already have lecture notes for everything.)  Their class prep could be to read the book OR watch the video.  Then our synchronous classes would probably be even shorter since I'd probably just answer questions, as I would have already worked enough examples.

- Another possibility is to switch the synchronous classes to full length lectures.

[Hegemony]

Why not hold real-time discussions on the Discussion Boards?  That is a lot easier for students, and the bonus is that there's a written record for students to refer back to.

[spork]

[. . .]

She claims to have discussed this with her peers and to be speaking for a group of them.

[. . . ]

98.5% chance this is a lie. Did the student take notes during your pre-COVID lectures? Was her performance above average?

The pre-recorded video lecture sounds like a good option. You could use the videos in the future and ditch the textbook, which would save students money. Essentially you'd be producing your own textbook in video form, which you could then potentially monetize. Also it wouldn't matter whether the campus was open or not, the course could still run regardless of a blizzard, pandemic, car trouble, etc.

Avoid synchronous livestream video lectures. Everyone's schedule is messed up, you could have students on different time zones, and you'll be totally dependent on technology functioning as you expect it to.

[downer]

I would not change my approach as a result of one student saying they are having difficulty. Students need to adjust to their new situations -- that's a life skill they need.

If the textbook is not working for the student, she should work harder. It's her responsibility to work it out for herself. It may take some time to adjust and it is good to allow for that in your assessment of student learning.

What I generally do is ask students to identify particular issues they are having problems with and then offer help on that. Put the onus on them to take responsibility for their learning. They want to be passive but if they are, then they are not really learning anyway.

[HigherEd7]

[. . .]

She claims to have discussed this with her peers and to be speaking for a group of them.

[. . . ]

Great point, I have international students in my class so it will be hard to do. I know a professor that is doing lectures and taking attendance in an online course to me it makes more sense just to go to a traditional online course. Some of these students just don't want to take the time to read they want you to spoon feed them. Trust me they are going to come up with all kinds of excuses!
98.5% chance this is a lie. Did the student take notes during your pre-COVID lectures? Was her performance above average?

The pre-recorded video lecture sounds like a good option. You could use the videos in the future and ditch the textbook, which would save students money. Essentially you'd be producing your own textbook in video form, which you could then potentially monetize. Also it wouldn't matter whether the campus was open or not, the course could still run regardless of a blizzard, pandemic, car trouble, etc.

Avoid synchronous livestream video lectures. Everyone's schedule is messed up, you could have students on different time zones, and you'll be totally dependent on technology functioning as you expect it to.

[polly_mer]

[. . .]

She claims to have discussed this with her peers and to be speaking for a group of them.

[. . . ]

98.5% chance this is a lie. Did the student take notes during your pre-COVID lectures? Was her performance above average?

The pre-recorded video lecture sounds like a good option. You could use the videos in the future and ditch the textbook, which would save students money. Essentially you'd be producing your own textbook in video form, which you could then potentially monetize. Also it wouldn't matter whether the campus was open or not, the course could still run regardless of a blizzard, pandemic, car trouble, etc.

Avoid synchronous livestream video lectures. Everyone's schedule is messed up, you could have students on different time zones, and you'll be totally dependent on technology functioning as you expect it to.

I wouldn't go as high as estimating on not talking to other students, but I would poll the class and then ensure that I followed up with the students who had been doing well up to this point to get their preferences.

What you describe, Liquidamber, is similar to what I did for some classes as the normal inverted classroom.  What I discovered upon changing institutions was that students flat out would not do the reading or other prework, even with grading attached, to have the necessary background to learn from in-class activities and lectures designed around filling gaps that are hard to get from the book alone.

Back out in the world here where we hire student interns and new graduates, someone who can't learn mostly from a combination of the book, internet, and direct questions to an expert will not succeed.  As downer wrote, "that's a life skill they need".  A good reason to pay for college classes is to have an expert available who will answer questions in a timely manner for an extended period on a given topic.

[Liquidambar]

Thanks for all the feedback.  This has been helpful to clarify my thinking.  I'm working on a survey to get a more representative picture of how well the class is working.

Why not hold real-time discussions on the Discussion Boards?  That is a lot easier for students, and the bonus is that there's a written record for students to refer back to.

We have to write a lot of mathematical symbols and diagrams, so the discussion boards aren't very convenient for that in real time.  I have discussion boards enabled and have encouraged students to ask questions on them, but nobody is using them.  They can also e-mail me questions, but they mostly don't.  Our student demographic is fairly privileged, so it seems that nobody has trouble accessing videos.  Just in case, I've structured things so the video sessions are supplemental explanations, not mandatory.

[. . .]

She claims to have discussed this with her peers and to be speaking for a group of them.

[. . . ]

98.5% chance this is a lie. Did the student take notes during your pre-COVID lectures? Was her performance above average?

This is an A- student who attended class regularly, so I have a positive impression of her.  Still, I should do a survey to find out how many students actually feel this way.

The pre-recorded video lecture sounds like a good option. You could use the videos in the future and ditch the textbook, which would save students money. Essentially you'd be producing your own textbook in video form, which you could then potentially monetize. Also it wouldn't matter whether the campus was open or not, the course could still run regardless of a blizzard, pandemic, car trouble, etc.

I think you grossly overestimate my video lecture quality.  Anyway, we wouldn't be able to ditch the textbook because it's the source of our homework assignments.  But if enough students want video lectures this semester, maybe I'll do it even though I'd never reuse them.

Avoid synchronous livestream video lectures. Everyone's schedule is messed up, you could have students on different time zones, and you'll be totally dependent on technology functioning as you expect it to.

They're all recorded for future viewing for the students who can't watch it live.

I would not change my approach as a result of one student saying they are having difficulty. Students need to adjust to their new situations -- that's a life skill they need.

If the textbook is not working for the student, she should work harder. It's her responsibility to work it out for herself. It may take some time to adjust and it is good to allow for that in your assessment of student learning.

What I generally do is ask students to identify particular issues they are having problems with and then offer help on that. Put the onus on them to take responsibility for their learning. They want to be passive but if they are, then they are not really learning anyway.

Thanks for the pep talk.  The real question is whether she can solve the homework problems.  It matters less whether she has warm fuzzy feelings of understanding after reading the book or watching a video.

What you describe, Liquidamber, is similar to what I did for some classes as the normal inverted classroom.  What I discovered upon changing institutions was that students flat out would not do the reading or other prework, even with grading attached, to have the necessary background to learn from in-class activities and lectures designed around filling gaps that are hard to get from the book alone.

Unfortunately it's not a proper inverted classroom.  I don't have time to develop activities for them, and we don't have the necessary technology for them to work together virtually.  I hope to do just two activities like that during the remainder of the semester.  Based on the reading quizzes, compliance with prepping for class seems to be high.

[doc700]

I teach a physics course which might be similar to your course.

I actually (by some miracle) had pre-recorded lectures from when I taught this class previously.  I have the students watch those prior to the class time then they fill in a short quiz/ask questions.  I also give them a worksheet to fill in while they watch the lecture -- basically the headers on my lecture notes with the problem statement that they can copy the notes into.

We are then doing live lectures on Zoom at the class time.  With Zoom we can do breakout rooms where they discuss with classmates and solve problems.  I think they like the interaction, particularly after sitting at home watching so many lectures.  The blackboard feature in Zoom is not easy to work with for equations and diagrams but otherwise the format is good.

I would say its going fine?  The students don't seem to prefer it over being on campus but they aren't complaining.  The problem set scores were very strong for at least the first week of the new system so I don't think there is a massive difference in learning or engagement...  Technically the live lecture is "optional" but 90% of the students have been showing up.

Sounds like what you are proposing so I wanted to give one vote that it has been working.  I do have the pre-recorded lectures though so this isn't more work for me than teaching live.

[zuzu_]

I say that the correct answer depends on how much time/mental energy you have right now. I do not think you are obligated to totally redo the course.

HOWEVER, I do think that short, pre-recorded video lectures that clarify/expand on the textbook are likely to come in handy in future classes that you may teach online, and can also be used for your brick-and-mortar classes when students are absent or in the event of future restrictions on class gatherings.

My advice is to keep them short (15 minutes or less). More short videos are better than fewer long videos. Don't ramble, and don't make the videos specific to this class (ex don't talk about COVID). Think of them as an investment to save you time and improve your classes in future semesters as well.

My other advice is put them on YouTube. They can be "unlisted" and you provide the direct link to students. YouTube is more stable for a variety of devices and browsers, and you are less likely to have issues with students unable to watch the video.

[downer]

I say that the correct answer depends on how much time/mental energy you have right now. I do not think you are obligated to totally redo the course.

HOWEVER, I do think that short, pre-recorded video lectures that clarify/expand on the textbook are likely to come in handy in future classes that you may teach online, and can also be used for your brick-and-mortar classes when students are absent or in the event of future restrictions on class gatherings.

My advice is to keep them short (15 minutes or less). More short videos are better than fewer long videos. Don't ramble, and don't make the videos specific to this class (ex don't talk about COVID). Think of them as an investment to save you time and improve your classes in future semesters as well.

My other advice is put them on YouTube. They can be "unlisted" and you provide the direct link to students. YouTube is more stable for a variety of devices and browsers, and you are less likely to have issues with students unable to watch the video.

I do the YouTube thing and it works well. I'd suggest uploading your videos under a different account than your regular Google account. It is easy to switch between them.  It gives students less ability to track down your personal life.

[mamselle]

Those are potentially useful for people on the Zoom thread also; I hadn't thought about a YouTube lecture account, very intriguing idea!

M.

[Liquidambar]

My class survey indicates strong interest in prerecorded video lectures (80% of students want them), so I guess I'll do that.  It is the single biggest change they want.

I'm glad I did the survey.  It confirmed that certain things are working.  Students feel like they have enough avenues to get the help they need (even though I think they're not asking enough questions!).  They like the structure that the reading quizzes provide, and the fact that I provide decent feedback on those.  I also see how I need to manage expectations.  Students feel like they now have to prepare for class and attend Zoom class, where previously they only had to attend class.  I need to downplay class "attendance," since I think the ones who already understand the material should probably skip it.

I teach a physics course which might be similar to your course.

[...]

We are then doing live lectures on Zoom at the class time.  With Zoom we can do breakout rooms where they discuss with classmates and solve problems.  I think they like the interaction, particularly after sitting at home watching so many lectures.  The blackboard feature in Zoom is not easy to work with for equations and diagrams but otherwise the format is good.

What kinds of problems are they realistically able to solve together in breakout rooms, given the technology limitations?  I was thinking I might do 1-2 really open-ended modeling exercises this way in a few weeks (there's a website with some ideas I can steal), but it doesn't feel like they could do this with their textbook problems.  Those are almost 100% paper-and-pencil calculations and graphing.

My advice is to keep them short (15 minutes or less). More short videos are better than fewer long videos. Don't ramble, and don't make the videos specific to this class (ex don't talk about COVID). Think of them as an investment to save you time and improve your classes in future semesters as well.

I agree that more short videos would be better (e.g., one example problem per video rather than 3 example problems in a 30 minute video), but it would take me longer to make.  I'll think about it.  I really don't think I'll ever use these videos again.  I'm using my phone camera as a document camera while I write on a piece of paper (complete with all the usual phone camera icon junk at the bottom of the screen).

My other advice is put them on YouTube. They can be "unlisted" and you provide the direct link to students. YouTube is more stable for a variety of devices and browsers, and you are less likely to have issues with students unable to watch the video.

Interesting.  I've been using Zoom and recording to the cloud.  If I record to my computer with Zoom, presumably I could upload that to YouTube.

[mamselle]

Trying to visualize, since it could save me some prep time: how do you use your phone and write at the same time?

Do you position the phone somehow, then write below it? Or do you hold the phone with one hand, and write with the other?

And what are you using to feed the phone's video to Zoom? Do you connect it as another invitee, then include its screen from the video as a shared screen?

Very interesting.

Right now I'm creating Power points with fly-in notes to build intervals and chord structures one-by-one: it would be soooooo much easier to just write them in real time!

M.

[Liquidambar]

Mamselle, it's a huge timesaver.  My phone is mounted in a stand above the page.  (It happens to be a soldering stand, but I've seen pics online of stands that people rigged by cutting a camera hole in a cardboard box.

My laptop starts the Zoom session, and the phone connects to it and shares its screen.  (The phone microphone and volume are turned off so I don't get disastrous feedback.)  Probably I could do it with just the phone, but I like watching on my laptop screen during the recording to make sure I'm writing on visible parts of the paper.

[mamselle]

Wow! OK, thanks!

M.