maximizing student engagement

[Bootsie]

If a university prides itself in faculty-student and student-student engagement, which of the following scenarios do you think will promote that the most?:

A)  Students and faculty meet within four walls or under a tent.  Students are spaced at least 6 feet from each other--walking into class single file, sit masked, and leave the class single file.  The faculty member is the last into the room and remains within an 8 foot protected space at the front of the room.  The faculty member teaches while masked.  There are some students who are attending via computer screen.  Assume that it is a math-based class, where in addition to lecturing a professor needs to work out problems.  In order to hold 30 students the space will need to be about 1400 square feet.  The professor will be wearing a mask; a microphone will be needed so that students who are spread across the room can hear and so that students who are attending remotely can hear.  I will be impractical for each student to have a mic; students will need to speak loudly and clearly enough for their voices to be heard across a large room, while they are masked to ask questions or to participate in a discussion.  Any group or team work in the classroom will need to be done as students remain six feet apart.  To minimize contact, the faculty member is the last to leave the classroom.

B) Classes are held synchronously via ZOOM.  No one is in the same location.  Students can be broken into team rooms for discussions.  Faculty have some document camera or tablet on which they can work problems.  Small group meetings are allowed on campus if individuals are masked and remain socially distanced.

 

[regentrude]

Hands down option A.

My experience both as a presenter and as participant is that it is much harder to keep an attention span if you are on Zoom all day (even for one class it's hard; keep in mind they have 3-5 classes each day). The students are much more easily distracted when they are on their computers; being in a classroom in person where they are captive audience makes it so much easier for them to remain focused on the lecture. It also allows the instructor to see whether they understand - you observe body language and eyes, even if they are masked - and can clarify or reiterate. In my experience, students are more reluctant to ask questions on a Zoom session than in person.

In my classes, students need to work problems (which involved lots of equations and drawings) and work together. They don't have the hardware to do that remote - they would all need tablets with stylus plus software to work on the same problem together. I don't know how it will work in person with distancing, but I know we cannot make it work efficiently via Zoom. 

For class discussions in humanities classes, I have not found Zoom to be particularly good (I was taking a  class last semester as a student). The discussion was more lively when it was face to face; most students did not have their video on in the Zoom class, and raising your hand with the icon is cumbersome. Besides, the instructor only sees 25 students at one time, for any larger class you need to switch screens. Not practical while you are lecturing.
 

ETA: I forsee that chances are extremely slim that I will be able to teach my large lectures (140 per section) in person because there aren't rooms big enough except for perhaps the concert hall. For our accompanying problem solving sessions (35) and my small class (was 60, now 30), it would greatly improve the quality if we could be in person. Btw, I don't see what the issue is about students having to speak loudly - they already have to do that when they have class in a large lecture hall. 

Edited June 26, 2020 by regentrude

[Bootsie]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

Hands down option A.

My experience both as a presenter and as participant is that it is much harder to keep an attention span if you are on Zoom all day (even for one class it's hard; keep in mind they have 3-5 classes each day). The students are much more easily distracted when they are on their computers; being in a classroom in person where they are captive audience makes it so much easier for them to remain focused on the lecture. It also allows the instructor to see whether they understand - you observe body language and eyes, even if they are masked - and can clarify or reiterate. In my experience, students are more reluctant to ask questions on a Zoom session than in person.

In my classes, students need to work problems (which involved lots of equations and drawings) and work together. They don't have the hardware to do that remote - they would all need tablets with stylus plus software to work on the same problem together. I don't know how it will work in person with distancing, but I know we cannot make it work efficiently via Zoom. 

For class discussions in humanities classes, I have not found Zoom to be particularly good (I was taking a  class last semester as a student). The discussion was more lively when it was face to face; most students did not have their video on in the Zoom class, and raising your hand with the icon is cumbersome. Besides, the instructor only sees 25 students at one time, for any larger class you need to switch screens. Not practical while you are lecturing.
 

ETA: I forsee that chances are extremely slim that I will be able to teach my large lectures (140 per section) in person because there aren't rooms big enough except for perhaps the concert hall. For our accompanying problem solving sessions (35) and my small class (was 60, now 30), it would greatly improve the quality if we could be in person. Btw, I don't see what the issue is about students having to speak loudly - they already have to do that when they have class in a large lecture hall. 

If you were in the classroom teaching, but still had to manage all of the Zoom issues for a group of students who are online, do you think that would be better than doing it all online?  If you need to make sure that they are participating in the discussions, ask questions and see everything you are writing on the board?  What percentage of the students would need to be in the classroom that would make the room better than being on ZOOM?  

I have taught in a 300 person lecture hall before with acoustics designed to pick up student questions throughout the room--some rooms did better than other.  I worry about the same size room when it is not specifically designed for that (like a banquet hall or football stadium) and student voices are muffled by masks.  At least there will not be side conversations going on.  

[regentrude]

12 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

If you were in the classroom teaching, but still had to manage all of the Zoom issues for a group of students who are online, do you think that would be better than doing it all online?  If you need to make sure that they are participating in the discussions, ask questions and see everything you are writing on the board?  What percentage of the students would need to be in the classroom that would make the room better than being on ZOOM?  

For the students who can be present, the live lecture will be so much better than Zoom, no matter what their percentage is, that it will be worth it. For one of my classes, I teach multiple sections; the online students will be in their separate section, and have lectures asynchronous as videos. 

For the smaller class, if I have to have students online and live, I will probably record lectures for asynchronous consumption and offer an asynchronous way for students to complete interactive activities, like I did it last semester. An interactive discussion session with both live and Zoom simultaneously is impossible, IMO. But anything that gives at least some students a live experience is creating so much better learning for them that it will be worth it. The online experience is inferior no matter what; at least some of them could get an actual education.

Edited June 26, 2020 by regentrude

[Bootsie]

4 hours ago, regentrude said:

For the students who can be present, the live lecture will be so much better than Zoom, no matter what their percentage is, that it will be worth it. For one of my classes, I teach multiple sections; the online students will be in their separate section, and have lectures asynchronous as videos. 

For the smaller class, if I have to have students online and live, I will probably record lectures for asynchronous consumption and offer an asynchronous way for students to complete interactive activities, like I did it last semester. An interactive discussion session with both live and Zoom simultaneously is impossible, IMO. But anything that gives at least some students a live experience is creating so much better learning for them that it will be worth it. The online experience is inferior no matter what; at least some of them could get an actual education.

We are not able to separate our live students and remote students into different sections and if we have in-person students, the university is pushing for any student who wants to be remote to be allowed to do so in a synchronous manner (which the faculty are agreeing that in many situations will be impossible).  

Have you attempted lecturing wearing a mask?  If so, did you tape it?  How was the sound?  

[regentrude]

8 hours ago, Bootsie said:

Have you attempted lecturing wearing a mask?  If so, did you tape it?  How was the sound?  

No, have not. Our uni will require face shields and not masks for faculty while teaching, so that hearing disabled students can read lips.

[Wheres Toto]

I'm looking into a combination face shield and cloth drape that is supposed to be more effective than just a face shield.  Picture a face shield but with a loose cloth draped around the bottom so that particles aren't able to get around the edges of the shield.  Mouth and nose are still visible, but particles coming around the edge are caught by the cloth.   I've seen face shields on visors that also look better than some of the other methods. 

[8filltheheart]

16 hours ago, Bootsie said:

If a university prides itself in faculty-student and student-student engagement, which of the following scenarios do you think will promote that the most?:

A)  Students and faculty meet within four walls or under a tent.  Students are spaced at least 6 feet from each other--walking into class single file, sit masked, and leave the class single file.  The faculty member is the last into the room and remains within an 8 foot protected space at the front of the room.  The faculty member teaches while masked.  There are some students who are attending via computer screen.  Assume that it is a math-based class, where in addition to lecturing a professor needs to work out problems.  In order to hold 30 students the space will need to be about 1400 square feet.  The professor will be wearing a mask; a microphone will be needed so that students who are spread across the room can hear and so that students who are attending remotely can hear.  I will be impractical for each student to have a mic; students will need to speak loudly and clearly enough for their voices to be heard across a large room, while they are masked to ask questions or to participate in a discussion.  Any group or team work in the classroom will need to be done as students remain six feet apart.  To minimize contact, the faculty member is the last to leave the classroom.

B) Classes are held synchronously via ZOOM.  No one is in the same location.  Students can be broken into team rooms for discussions.  Faculty have some document camera or tablet on which they can work problems.  Small group meetings are allowed on campus if individuals are masked and remain socially distanced.

 

As a non-teacher, my answer is B.  My kids and I have been attending Mass, both daily and on Sundays, for over a month now.  All of us share 1 common perspective---wearing masks is highly distracting.   All of us feel on edge enough by them that we observe other people's behaviors in a way we never used to. People fidget with their masks constantly, pulling them out, pulling them down, repositioning them.  All of us get headaches after wearing our masks for an hr or so.   IF students are going to have to speak loudly bc of wearing their masks, if they have been wearing the mask for a while, the mask will be moist, and speaking loudly with moist masks......yeah......

Neither situation is going to equal normal in classroom experience.  My dd had a couple of really awful online classes, but she also had a couple of really good ones.  She has also been meeting with a small bible study group and that small group has been wonderful.  I think small group meetings online can work well if participants want to be engaged.  (I think the latter part is the key.)

Dd is part of virtual Russian CLS.  The students have been divided into very small classes (6-7 students per professor), discussion groups, conversation partners, etc.  If it would be at all helpful, I can share her feedback of the positive and negatives of the various formats in few weeks.

[regentrude]

2 hours ago, 8FillTheHeart said:

I think small group meetings online can work well if participants want to be engaged.  (I think the latter part is the key.)

Dd is part of virtual Russian CLS.  The students have been divided into very small classes (6-7 students per professor), discussion groups, conversation partners, etc. 

Is the professor participating in the group during that time, or is the professor required to divide her time among 20 small groups simultaneously, or are the students mostly on their own? 
Are these always so small classes, or does the professor now have to teach more sections?

Edited June 27, 2020 by regentrude

[8filltheheart]

Just now, regentrude said:

Is the professor participating in the group during that time, or is the professor required to divide her time among 20 small groups simultaneously, or are the students mostly on their own? 

I'll have to ask her.  What they are doing is not feasible for a large public. 1:6 student ratio wouldn't equate to 20 small groups, maybe 2 or 3. I didnt dig into details that far with her. 

[Bootsie]

3 hours ago, regentrude said:

No, have not. Our uni will require face shields and not masks for faculty while teaching, so that hearing disabled students can read lips.

We had a heated faculty senate meeting this week.  The nursing faculty say shields do not provide as much protection.  Some of the preliminary work that has been done by the tech people indicated that the sound is more muffled by the shields than by masks.