The new school year is well underway, yet I feel I am chasing ghosts of past teaching. I am fondly recalling the physical energy that students bring to lecture halls and college classrooms. I am remembering how easily I could read the faces in front of me and pivot instruction to meet their needs. I am longing to say “take out a piece of paper and pen” rather than “log onto your device.” Luckily, at home, I still get to be physically present with my student and we get to use low-tech tools for our educational activities. But my colleagues have not been so lucky.
So many questions remain about what this school year will look like and how faculty should prepare. Will faculty teach on-campus classes or online classes? Should faculty create different versions of their classes depending on whether they come back to campus or not? How can faculty effectively manage to design, teach, and assess their classes in such uncertain environments? Faculty need to remember that face-to-face and online instruction do not need to be mutually exclusive, since both modalities should offer students an authentic, engaging learning experience. Educators only need to prepare one version of their course, which can seamlessly move from one setting to another. This is called fluid instruction.
Fluid instruction is the practice of providing consistent and continuous instruction whether in traditional or virtual learning environments (https://powerupedu.com/who-we-are). The idea is for educators to build curriculum and instruction in a way that classes can seamlessly move in and out of the lessons regardless of the format or location in which they are being provided. So whether a hurricane floods a campus, a terrorist act shutters a region, or a pandemic lockdowns a country (I have experience with all three), educators and students can continue high quality learning and instruction with littler interruption.
To craft such dynamic experiences, faculty need to be familiar with the principles of student learning that apply to all classes, particularly as those principles relate to class activities and assessments. Faculty also need to be familiar with the foundations of information visualization that apply to the presentation of information in class and online, the standards for instructional technology that apply to the design of materials in class and online, and strategies for effectively utilizing campus learning platforms and online applications. This is A LOT to ask of those still trying to catch their collective breath.
As such, fluid instruction can only occur if faculty and students have access to technology and are comfortable using the technology. Access and comfort require administrative support, professional development, technological investment, and patience. Unfortunately, these are things in short supply on college campuses. I can only hope that the tensions that have been festering between administrators and faculty will ease, so that the true purpose of college can once again be realized.
At the end of the day, college is about learning to think. It’s about seeing yourself as part of the world, learning a deeper understanding, and connecting to the world around you.
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