Online Teaching Strategies, Ideas, and Tools Planned for Fall: Evaluation Report from SITT 2020
Fei Xue and Larissa Saco, Graduate Student Researchers for Academic Technology Series, are the authors of this blog post.
Introduction
The Summer Institute on Teaching and Technology (SITT) experienced its highest participation to date - over 200 participants attended live webinars, watched pre-recorded faculty talks and interviews, and participated in discussions about teaching with technology this past July at SITT 2020. Because this was our first-ever virtual SITT, the planning committee thought it especially important to survey participants for feedback on SITT’s format, website, and programming. Thanks to the 34 attendees who participated in the survey, we have new insights to share with you.
One topic in particular that we want to highlight was the respondents’ thoughts on the following question: What strategies, ideas, or tools discussed do you plan to use in your teaching?
This question is important to consider as we prepare for another round of virtual teaching this fall, and we want to share both instructors’ plans and resources to support implementation of those plans.
Analysis & Resources
The top strategies, ideas, or tools that faculty plan to integrate into their teaching are found in the categories of Group Collaboration and addressing Student Needs, followed by Communication, Student Engagement, Wellness, and Equity. To further support you in integrating these ideas in your teaching, we suggest checking out the following SITT recordings and resources.
Group Collaboration responses include: structured and student-centered group assignments, group reflection activities, and student group creation to encourage participation. To learn more about facilitating group collaboration, check out the SITT 2020 faculty talks Getting Students to Think Together from Afar and Engaging Students and Building Community in Virtual Office Hours.
Student Needs responses include: surveys about students’ learning styles, technological challenges, and course expectations and feedback; links and videos about resources for studying and support; and instructor presence and engagement in discussions. To find out more about how to address these student needs with teaching and technology, check out the SITT 2020 faculty talks Effective Instructor Presence in Online Courses and Getting to Know Students and Creating Community during Remote Instruction.
Other themes include faculty intentions to take advantage of multiple Communication and Student Engagement tools (e.g., polls, surveys, discussion forums, virtual office hours), and to promote Wellness and Equity in their courses. A selection of SITT 2020 resources on Communication, Student Engagement, Wellness, and Equity are listed below for your consideration:
- Pedagogical Variance Across Courses: Feedback from Student Engagement, Learning, and Surveys
- Regular Emotional Self-Reflection Reduces Stress, Increases Engagement and Improves Academic Performance
- Instructional Choices and Modifications: Video, Assessment, and Engagement
- Rapid Development of an Online Seminar: Student Strategies for Successful Remote Learning
- Strategies for Designing Equitable Online Learning Environments
Conclusion
We are pleased that faculty plan to implement these important technological and pedagogical practices! If you have questions on teaching with technology or would like to request a consultation, please contact the instructional designers at Academic Technology Services (instructionaldesign@ucdavis.edu).