“This is an open secret – I had never taught online,” said Dr. Rebecca Weller, associate professor of Modern Art History at California State University, Bakersfield, joking that it was ironic due to what she’d become known for on campus in the 2020 climate.
Since March, office staff and professors alike have had to adjust and navigate the virtual world of Zoom and other online resources. Between meetings and turning in assignments, it’s safe to say everyone has had to learn a new way of life.
Dr. Weller understood this and did what she could to assist with the best online practices for both asynchronous and synchronous teaching.
Earlier this year, Dr. Weller took on the role of the Faculty Teaching and Learning Center (FTLC), also known to the other professors, as ‘the TLC.’ She has been an art history instructor since 2003 and officially became a tenured professor of art history in 2016.
“Being that I’m an art historian, I store my notes digitally in the form of PowerPoints,” she explained.
In March, her department was asked to quickly start putting workshops together for Blackboard, Canvas and Zoom, when the transition to online classes took place. It was very technology-heavy, as that’s what people needed most.
Just a couple months later, the Provost’s Office asked Dr. Weller to put together professional development programming.
“Which I was really keen on, because that’s the type of program I wanted to enroll in and that’s when the Teaching Online with Proficiency Series (TOPS) came about,” she added.
Her PowerPoint notes had grown longer, so she divided the information from her personal archives into five separate PowerPoints by topics, including strategies for humanizing online course, how to facilitate community through discussion boards and collaboration as well technology tips for navigating how to grade in an online class.
“We really have to rethink our role as an instructor,” said Dr. Weller.
That was her starting point.
There were three sessions throughout the summer offered in late June, mid-July and early August. More than 300 faculty members attended. There were also 85 faculty members that attended off-campus programming through the Chancellor’s Office.
Dr. Weller said the idea was to make it participation heavy, so it wasn’t just her speaking.
“The best professional development isn’t one-sided. You want to hear some of the amazing experiences some of the participants already had and also problem solve together,” she said. “It was amazing because it was so collaborative.”
Many of the professors have had a positive response, including those who were seasoned professors, said that they’ve “had a sense of reconnecting with the craft of teaching.”
“We’re able to harness the best of what we do and just give it a tech twist, as opposed to being completely overwhelmed,” she said of the apps and new things that are out there to try.
“Focus on what it is that is really great teaching and also being mindful of equity, access for all of our students,” said Dr. Weller.
Faculty have had many discussions about the best approach for students.
Dr. Weller has received a lot of positive feedback. Many during the summer were encouraging messages from fellow professors who felt more confident about what was to come.
Now that classes have started, she’s received more specific messages, asking about techniques and approaches she mentioned. She has continued to be a support system to others during this time.
The approach was to look at fall 2020 as the lemons that educators were handed and asked what the thing was a couple years from now, they’d be most proud of.
“What is the equivalent of ‘you know what, I made lemonade?’” Dr. Weller asked.
Some professors mentioned keeping up the retention rates and for others, it was establishing that sense of community within their classes.
One professor even confessed to “falling in love with teaching again” despite the challenges.
While the transition from classroom to Zoom is still relatively fresh, Dr. Weller hasn’t had much time to slow down and appreciate or observe the effects of it just yet.
But, what was her number one takeaway from all of this?
“Just communicate with your students – don’t fall out of touch with them,” she said.
Through all of the workshops about equity, she’s attended, they’ve encouraged professors to “be intrusive” with their students. It’s important to reach out if they disappear from Zoom or asynchronous classes.
Reaching out to the students just might make all the difference.
Although Dr. Weller has found many positives from the online situation, she can’t wait to be back in the classroom when it’s safe to do so.
The TLC is going to continue additional workshops throughout the fall semester – tips and best practices as they come up, like Zoom fatigue – adapting some of the original content to real world practice.
“I look forward to continuing these conversations,” said Dr. Weller.
Presentations from summer sessions are still available on the TOPS website. For more information or questions, Dr. Rebecca Weller can be contacted at rweller@csub.edu.
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