With Virtual Instruction Looming, Faculty Prepare to Adjust Courses on the Fly
(Photo Allyson Frantz/The Gettysburgian)
By Katie Oglesby, Assistant News Editor
Gettysburg College has not yet decided whether classes will resume in person or online come March 23, but members of the faculty are preparing for the possibility of remote instruction. While the lack of personal interactions would upend one of the pillars of a residential liberal arts college, the faculty is drawing on lessons learned from the past several summers of online hybrid instruction and working to make the best of the situation.
At present, the college has honed in on three technology tools to serve as the basis for remote instruction: Zoom, Moodle, and Screencast-o-Matic. Zoom is a platform for video conferencing, Screencast-o-Matic allows professors to film their lectures, and Moodle is a learning management system where faculty can upload documents, slides, and other materials.
Eighty-five members of the faculty have already participated in training sessions to use the technology tools, and more training will be offered throughout next week, Director of Educational Technology Eric Remy said. From his perspective, most faculty members appear to be rolling up their sleeves to make the best of the situation.
“I have to say I’ve been impressed with the faculty response,” Remy said. “Folks are understanding of the extraordinary circumstances we’re in, those with experience have been chipping in to help those with less and even the most computer-phobic faculty have been enthusiastic despite the difficult and time consuming process ahead.”
Courses requiring specialized equipment or software remain a concern, but Remy said the college has already identified some contingencies. Stata, a program for statistical analysis, will make copies available for student download, while the college is working with companies to handle site licensed software such as SPSS, Matlab, and ArcGIS.
The library is also working to help make course material available online, navigating copyright issues, and making resources as accessible as possible. Research and Instruction Librarian Mallory Jallas pointed to a web page detailing what is available at the library while the coronavirus affects instruction.
The college is asking students to reach out to their faculty members directly if they have concerns about their personal technology or access situations, and faculty members are working to be flexible.
“With uncertain times ahead, the department faculty are working on developing remote learning skills, and trying to figure out what students may need,” said English Chairperson Kathryn Rhett. “For example, students may not have access to their textbooks, so we need to plan for that, by uploading texts to Moodle or other strategies.”
In addition to the logistical concerns associated with online classes, students may worry about whether they have the right materials and resources to do their homework remotely.
“Mostly, we’re figuring out how best to support our students during a disruptive and anxious time, and how to continue to teach our courses effectively!” said Rhett, who added that she is sympathetic to the disruption going to virtual instruction will cause students. “I’m most concerned about our students–their health, the disruption of their learning, and their housing/travel logistics and expenses.”
Some departments and courses could require extra innovation to provide remote instruction. While music lessons can be offered via Zoom, internet lag makes that impossible for music ensembles, Remy said.
No solution has been identified in studio art, and several professors in that department have not responded to a request for comment.
The Department of Theatre Arts has begun to develop strategies to deliver its courses virtually. Professor Christopher Kauffman is planning to adjust the current curriculum in his Advanced Acting course, which is geared towards stage acting, to teach students about acting for the camera.
He wrote to his students, “I am researching ways for you to be able to share your work with the rest of the class via video upload. I am confident that our work together so far this semester has created a firm foundation and vocabulary that will allow you to reference your peers’ work and note personal growth.”
Kauffman said he is working to frame any changes in a way that is consistent with ideals of the Gettysburg Curriculum and liberal arts education.
“I think the important thing to remember is that we will be working hard to uphold an educational experience which could immediately be thrown into a new format—it will take time and patience all around,” Kauffman wrote. “But your professors are dedicated to maintaining a meaningful educational environment in this time of crisis. There may be some new and different assignments, but the goals of the Gettysburg Curriculum (and the Theatre program in particular) will stay steadfast as we create ways to keep everyone engaged—including ourselves!”
Associate Professor of Political Science Yasemin Akbaba said that she sees some advantages in addition to the obvious disadvantages in remote instruction.
“There is nothing like being in the same classroom with your students,” she said. “Yet again, [an] online platform has some advantages. Students can follow the lecture in their own pace, i.e. pause when they need to. I can ask them to take five minutes to read a section from their textbook.”
All of these preparations are happening at a frenetic pace.
Visiting Assistant Professor of English Melissa Forbes described herself as “stressed but optimistic” and said that she will work to tailor her classes to the needs of her students, which she acknowledges could include unreliable internet, being in different time zones (for example, a student in her 8:00 a.m. ET class lives on the west coast, where it would be 5:00 a.m. if she were to hold a mandatory course meeting at the class’s regular time), and general anxiety about the virus and the changes.
“I have really great class dynamics this semester and I hate to lose the in-person rapport we have built, but a silver lining is that at least some of that rapport should transfer over into online spaces,” she said. “My students know me, I know them, and they know each other—we’re not starting from scratch. We already have a feel for each other. I think that will help keep things from feeling sterile.”
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