Faculty Find Online Teaching Not As Scary As Previously Thought

As we are well aware, NOVA has gone fully remote in the midst of the Coronavirus, known as the COVID-19 pandemic. All courses in progress were abruptly switched to online to finish out the spring semester. Many faculty members were unfamiliar with an online teaching format and viewed the sudden switch with some trepidation. However, many are finding teaching online is not nearly as daunting as they anticipated. In fact, many have reported things have gone well and 100 percent of their students have attended online. Perhaps, we all are feeling the need to be together, even if not in the same room. That’s okay. We will all get used to this “new normal,” and, meanwhile, we can keep each other going and remain safe at the same time.

Dr. Mihaela Chamberlin, associate professor of Chemistry at NOVA’s Annandale Campus found that even Chemistry courses can be taught online using Zoom and Canvas, the new online teaching and learning platform that NOVA began using this fall.

On Thursday, the day after NOVA went to a completely online learning structure, Chamberlin said she conducted her first online Zoom lecture. She said that all 21 enrolled students joined the lecture and she was able to use a stylus on her computer’s touch screen to note solutions directly on the PowerPoints. She was also able to record the class meeting.

“Students were able to ask questions. It was great!” she said. “This technology is fantastic!”

She also said that her Chemistry students have a great study tool in the online interactive textbook, which also contains many videos and interactive tools for students.

Taking things a step farther, Chamberlin’s colleagues, Piraba Swaminathan and Beth Shomber, with help of Lab staff Ingrid Guillen, and NOVA TV’s Gene Ertel, recorded videos, including lab experiments. To keep in touch with her colleagues, Chamberlin also organized a Zoom meeting with Annandale Chemistry faculty to discuss strategies for remote teaching.

Robyn Russo who teaches English at the Loudoun Campus said her experience has warmed her heart.

“My face-to-face ENG 112 class had its first online meeting last Wednesday,” she said. “We had scheduled conferences to talk about a draft of a major group process before the COVID-19 outbreak. I adapted it using Zoom, holding five separate Zoom meetings with each group, but honestly was not sure what to expect with the new technology and with students also obviously dealing with uncertainty, too. Every single one of my 26 students showed up and participated, and it was great to see how flexible they were. I think NOVA students are actually ahead of the curve at rolling with uncertainty.”

If you are a faculty member feeling skeptical or unsure of teaching online, take heart, there will be no better time where everyone is at the same place in the learning curve; no time where there will be so many resources available and people ready to answer your questions than right now. Ask your colleagues, your associate deans or the IT staff on your campus. For an excellent compilation of resources for online classes and step-by-step instructions, visit https://www.nvcc.edu/academic-technology/continuity/facultystaff.html.