By: Parker Nicholls, Master\u2019s Student (Music & Culture)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>Students and teachers in higher education have been required to transition from face-to-face learning to online learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic and active quarantine measures. With little time to prepare and properly transition their pedagogies and learning outcomes to the online environment, teachers are struggling to provide an efficient, meaningful, and engaging higher education for incoming university students (G\u00fcner 2021). Teachers require reliable support from their institutions, an abundance of technical resources, and time for collaboration with colleagues in order to deliver a sufficient learning experience for their students (Cutri et al<\/em> 2020; Kang & Zhang 2020). The overarching stress of a global health crisis, combined with social distancing and online education, causes students to feel anxious, sad, bitter, and ultimately disengaged and unmotivated during the first year of their university education (G\u00fcner 2021, 155-156; Naylor & Nyanjom 2020, 8).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To counter the negative effects of online higher education in a time of crisis, professors and teaching assistants must reorient their pedagogies around care and patience to foster a sense of belonging for first-year students in the virtual classroom.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For first-year students especially, motivation and engagement are the two crucial factors that determine how well students are able to learn and find meaning in their educational development (Kang & Zhang 2020, 1-2). Despite the technological learning potential and creative teaching opportunities that online higher education has to offer, the significant lack of interaction between students and teachers is detrimental (Greenhow & Galvin 2020, 514). I contend that to feel motivated and thus properly engage in their higher education, first-year students must possess a sense of meaning that can only be acquired by feeling as if they belong in the classroom. Fostering a sense of belonging and creating chances for meaningful interaction is difficult for teachers who generally feel unprepared for online teaching (Scherer et al<\/em> 2021, 1).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In addition, it is important to note that online higher education during a global health crisis is markedly different from \u201cconventional online course transitioning and teaching\u201d (Cutri et al<\/em> 2020, 524). A recent study found that there was a significant correlation between teacher readiness and support from their institutions during the transition from face-to-face to online teaching (Naylor & Nyanjom 2020, 7). Institutional support includes time for preplanning synchronous classes, reliable and easily accessible technical support, mentoring, and training for the required software and hardware (4). Of course, a teacher\u2019s access to reliable support is determined by the budget, willingness, and effort of their respective institution. A lack of institutional support and the related feelings of unpreparedness results in teachers feeling disempowered, isolated, vulnerable, ashamed, stressed, and frustrated (8-12). Such negative emotions are visible to students and affect their ability to learn, potentially reinforcing bad academic practices such as procrastination and even plagiarism (Kang & Zhang 2020, 2).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The student participants in a recent study done by Anderson et al<\/em> acknowledged that \u201cteachers communicate their feelings about teaching in different ways\u201d and that an enthusiastic attitude for learning is a marker of good teaching (2020, 5-7). Establishing a casual, more personal online teaching environment where students are exposed to the humanity of their teacher can help foster their growth as learners (8-9). Caring is a reflexive exercise for teachers. During times of crisis and uncertainty, it is imperative that educators take the time to temporarily dismantle the height of their authority status.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For example, using Zoom\u2019s audio-share function I played some music from my Spotify playlist while students slowly entered the virtual workshop I was hosting. In doing so, I exposed my personality by sharing the privacy of my music taste as I attempted to form a comfortable, ambient atmosphere with my music selection (see: Toop 2019). Without undermining my own authority in the classroom, I was able to communicate my passion for the course material to students in an entertaining yet authentic manner (Anderson et al 2020, 6). Exposing one\u2019s humanity in a position of authority is a vulnerable activity and practicing a teaching method that gravitates towards such a non-hierarchical classroom structure is not ideal for many teachers. Therefore, a caring and enthusiastic pedagogy requires patience, commitment, effective communication, and clarity (McDowell 2012). As teachers compete with the cacophony of social media notifications and digital distractions, it is essential that they implement the appropriate strategies to ensure that students are engaged, motivated, and feel a sense of belonging in the virtual classroom.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Attempting to replicate the \u201csuperior and preferred mode\u201d of face-to-face teaching is simply not possible with online higher education and can result in a cycle of frustration for teachers and students if engagement is low (Naylor & Nyanjom 2020, 9). Three alternate strategies that help to foster a sense of belonging for students include: Implementing a recurring, forum-based online discussion assignment (Kang & Zhang 2020); Establishing a backchannel for casual interaction via academic social media (Greenhow & Galvin 2020); and offering personalized feedback on assignments instead of standardized, ready-made comments and rubrics. Forum-based online discussion assignments follow the necessary trend of \u2018equalizing\u2019 students and teachers because the exercise is more student-centered than teacher-centered (Kang & Zhang 2020, 9). Researchers found that this approach improved presentation and other academic skills, promoted initiative with positive peer pressure and competition, and helped to disperse the weight of course grades based on student responses (1-3). Using academic social media platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Slack helps students connect to their teachers and one another in a familiar social space consisting of personalized profiles, the sharing of interests and hobbies, and collaborative content creation that relates to the course (Greenhow & Galvin 2020, 517-519). Finally, by providing thoughtful and constructive feedback on assignments, teachers communicate a meaningful sense of personalized care and attention to the student (Anderson et al<\/em> 2020, 7-8).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In conclusion, virtual classrooms that promote interaction through discussion forums and social media help keep students engaged and motivated in their learning. Furthermore, by practicing care, patience, and enthusiasm teachers have the potential to inspire positive emotions in their students and foster a sense of belonging during a challenging, socially distant time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anderson, Vivienne, Rafaela Rabello, Rob Wass, Clinton Golding, Ana Rangi, & Esmay Eteuati. 2020. \u201cGood teaching as care in higher education.\u201d Higher Education <\/em>79, no. 1 (January): 1-15. http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1007\/s10734-019-00392-6<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cutri, Ramona M., Juanjo Mena, & Erin Feinauer Whiting. 2020. \u201cFaculty readiness for online teaching: transitioning to online teaching during COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d European Journal of Teacher Education <\/em>43, no. 4 (August): 523-541. https:\/\/doi-org.proxy.library.carleton.ca\/10.1080\/02619768.2020.1815702<\/a> .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Greenhow, Christine, & Sarah Galvin. 2020. \u201cTeaching with social media: evidence-based strategies for making remote higher education less remote.\u201d Information and Learning Sciences <\/em>121, no. 7\/8 (May): 513-524. https:\/\/doi-org.proxy.library.carleton.ca\/10.1108\/ILS-04-2020-0138<\/a> .<\/p>\n <\/p>\n G\u00fcner, Halim. 2021. \u201cExamining of the Emotional Mood about Their Online Education of First-Year Students Beginning Their University Education with Distance Education Because of COVID-19.\u201d Higher Education Studies <\/em>11, no. 1 (February): 148-159. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5539\/hes.v11n1p148<\/a> .<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Kang, Xiaowei, & Wen Zhang. 2020. \u201cAn experimental case study on forum-based online teaching to improve student\u2019s engagement and motivation in higher education.\u201d Interactive Learning Environments<\/em> (August): 1-12. https:\/\/doi-org.proxy.library.carleton.ca\/10.1080\/10494820.2020.1817758<\/a> .<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n McDowell, Liz. 2012. \u201cNon-hierarchical structurers: could it work for you?\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, July 2, 2012. https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/voluntary-sector-network\/2012\/jul\/02\/charities-non-hierarchical-structures<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Naylor, Dawn, & Julie Nyanjom. 2020. \u201cEducator\u2019s emotions involved in the transition to online teaching in higher education.\u201d Higher Education Research & Development<\/em> (September): 1-14. https:\/\/doi-org.proxy.library.carleton.ca\/10.1080\/07294360.2020.1811645<\/a> .<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Scherer, Ronny, Sarah K. Howard, Jo Tondeur, & Fazilat Siddiq. 2021. \u201cProfiling teachers\u2019 readiness for online teaching and learning in higher education: Who\u2019s ready?\u201d Computers in Human Behaviour <\/em>118, no. 1 (May): 1-16. https:\/\/doi-org.proxy.library.carleton.ca\/10.1016\/j.chb.2020.106675<\/a> .<\/p>\n