Active Learning While Socially Distant

[polly_mer]

For those who haven't seen it: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/2020/06/active-learning-in-hybrid-and-socially-distanced-classrooms/

This is a follow-up with details to https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/05/27/will-active-learning-be-possible-if-colleges-have-physically

My first thought is Vanderbilt has resources that aren't available elsewhere even under normal conditions.

[marshwiggle]

For those who haven't seen it: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/2020/06/active-learning-in-hybrid-and-socially-distanced-classrooms/

This is a follow-up with details to https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/05/27/will-active-learning-be-possible-if-colleges-have-physically

My first thought is Vanderbilt has resources that aren't available elsewhere even under normal conditions.

From the second article:

Administrators at most campuses that have announced decisions to physically reopen their campuses (some with larger caveats than others) have asserted both that in-person learning (a) is superior to virtual learning and (b) can be done effectively and safely in classrooms that ensure physical distancing. Many faculty members agree with the first premise but are uncertain about the second, out of concern for their students and for themselves.

This is partly a tautology; if teaching is going to be done synchronously, in some sort of hybrid format, so that there is no way to leverage the advantages of virtual learning, then yes, in-person will be "superior".

For places that embrace virtual learning, it will be interesting to see the stats that come out of this, becuase there will certainly be some institutions, programs, and courses that will see it as a win.

[Biologist_]

Following this spring term, I would say that Zoom breakout rooms work quite well for think-pair-share questions and problem solving sessions with student groups. I am quite comfortable with the prospect of a fully online lecture this fall in flipped classroom mode. I think it would be a lot harder to adapt to some of the hybrid or flex models that people are discussing.

For places that embrace virtual learning, it will be interesting to see the stats that come out of this, becuase there will certainly be some institutions, programs, and courses that will see it as a win.

For my classes, I don't expect that any stats will come out of it because I cannot possibly assess learning the same way that I have in the past. I could survey student attitudes or perceptions of learning, but I don't have a mechanism for testing their actual learning to compare to past classes.

[mamselle]

I'm more impressed with breakout rooms than I expected to be, at least for small groups( of 8-10-12-ish each.

I haven't used them to teach with yet, but attended a musical group's workshop last week and enjoyed our shared task....("write lyrics to this haiku-based hymn tune") under a leader who was well-organized and did a nicely graded prep for the final task itself.

I'm finding overall that familiarity with the software's options and limitations, and continued application of good, basic teaching principles can have decent results.

M.

[Morden]

We have to use Google Meet for classes--no breakout rooms although you can do a really clunky work-around of having multiple Google Meet spaces open at once so students leave one meeting and go to another. I wish we had breakout rooms.