The February 2021 DOLCE “Fostering Engagement in Remote Learning” Video Recording is Now Available!

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

Thanks to all of you who joined us for our DOLCE (Discussing Online Learning and Collaborative Education) on February 5, 2021. At this event, we heard from two faculty speakers, Sunaina Maira, Professor of Asian American Studies, and Hooman Rashtian, Assistant Professor of Teaching in Electrical and Computer Engineering, about their pedagogical practices related to fostering student engagement. Then Dr. Margaret Merrill, Senior Instructional Design Consultant, shared the ATS Roadshow initiative, an opportunity for faculty in individual programs and departments to benefit from targeted instructional design presentations and consultations. The video recording of the event is available now.

In her presentation about fostering engagement in remote classes, Professor Maira  shared how in her large introductory courses and smaller upper-division courses she uses micro-communities to foster effective learning while being mindful of Zoom fatigue and of other possible related drawbacks of online teaching and learning, such as possible delays to student academic progress, social isolation, and student dis-engagement. During the presentation, faculty participants shared their own concerns about keeping students motivated.

Dr. Maira addresses such challenges with a number of strategies, including introducing herself and TAs to the students, checking in with the students on a regular basis, and inviting biweekly feedback from students through Canvas. She also keeps students engaged through peer support and reading group activities. Group presentations also provide a space and opportunity for students to collaborate productively and to present their findings to the class.

After Dr. Maira’s presentation, Dr. Hooman Rashtian discussed the advantages and challenges of adopting a project-based learning approach in his remotely-taught classes. Dr. Rashtian’s Project Based Learning approach requires his Engineering students to work with project kits to apply their knowledge to the creation of robots that “hear” and “dance” to music. Although the remotely-taught lab sessions provided all involved extra challenges, the results proved the success of the approach. Dr. Rashtian deployed Teaching Assistants and undergraduate Student Assistants (SA) during classes to support students, especially in breakout room activities, ensuring that peers learn both from teaching their peers and from welcoming lessons and advice from those peers.

Finally, Margaret Merrill, PhD, a Senior Instructional Design Consultant with Academic Technology Services, shared how departments and faculty can benefit from presentations and consultations offered by instructional designers during their regular faculty meetings.

As you may know by now, at ATS we also organize and host DOLCE (Discussing Online Learning and Collaborative Education, on the first Friday of every month) and Faculty Forums (on the third Friday of the month). Our next Faculty Forum, on bringing our research into the classroom, will take place on February 19, 2021. Please join us at this event by registering via this link.

If you have questions about Instructional Design at UC Davis, please contact our ATS senior instructional designers at instructionaldesign@ucdavis.edu.

Best regards,

Dr. Andy Jones

Academic Associate Director, Academic Technology Services

Editor in Chief of The Wheel: The Instructional Technology Blog of UC Davis

University of California, Davis