Transitioning to Online Learning — Let's Not Forget About the Support
Below is a message I sent to my students today. I share this because after spending a lot of time reframing my mind for online content this past week and scouring the internet for “how-tos” and “tips & tricks” for teaching online I realized the conversation revolving around this transition is 99% focused on the tools or technology that enables online learning. I couldn’t help but ask myself about the sense of community, mentorship, and support we as faculty provide to our students. I, for one, embrace the idea of being an advisor/mentor and count it as one of the major roles I am fortunate to play in student’s lives. Believe me, I can get nerdy about the tech—but let’s not forget about the support.
Thanks in part to this article on Inside Higher Ed for inspiring me.
A note about the state of things.
Everything is going online until, at minimum, April 8th (though I would not be surprised if the rest of the semester finished out remotely). Personally, I am someone with a history of respiratory issues—so I can't take any risks on this stuff.
So, what does all this look like?
First and foremost, I'm still here for you.
Academically, I am no one’s "official" advisor but I can be your sounding board for managing your class schedule, dealing with any other issues you might be having in your courses, etc...
Personally, and on a human level, I'm happy to help in any way I can. We are all in new situations and change is a part of life. I've lived a little bit more life than you have and I can leverage that to give some guidance should you need any. I also want to be clear, I'm at home with a 2-year old that I love more than anything in this world—but, I need someone to talk to me—about anything—anything at all...Really. Please.
You might start to realize you miss some things about the college environment that you didn't think you'd miss. Our sense of community is important. Feel free to exchange phone numbers, social media usernames, or create a class chat of some kind to keep in connection with each other. One of the values of face-to-face education is that sense of togetherness and going through things with other people. Don't lose that. (If this is something you want and you can't get over your social anxiety to get it started, let me know and I'll post something up to get the ball rolling)
This COVID-19 thing can be scary. Like, what happened with COVID-1 through COVID-18??? Did I miss something? (just kidding) Be diligent in your processing of information and where you get it from, misinformation is an unfortunate part of life these days.
Stay tuned for a separate message specific to your class on how things will proceed. Keep your chin up and your hands washed.
Best,
Professor Meacher
