TEACHING BEST

PRACTICES AND WHAT TO

AVOID: SESSION A
ONLINE SYNCHRONOUS AND
ASYNCHRONOUS
EMRYS DONALDSON, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH @ JSU
SYNCHRONOUS CLASSES
CHALLENGES/OPPORTUNITIES IN THE
SYNCHRONOUS CLASSROOM

• Physical presence vs camera-as-mediator

• Teaching to the dreaded wall-of-black-boxes
• Small-group engagement
STRATEGIES FOR SYNCHRONOUS LEARNING

• Beginning-of-class individual activity

• Simulated presence
• Whole-class collaboration: whiteboards/Google Docs
• Small group activities: breakout rooms
 THE DREADED
GRID
• Options:
• Forcing/requiring
cameras on
• Encouraging a culture of
cameras on
• Accepting the silence

• Other strategies?

Source: Ryerson University’s T4T blog—https://t4t.blog.ryerson.ca/2020/09/15/tech-tips-to-feel-

connected-to-students-even-when-their-cameras-are-off/
ASYNCHRONOUS CLASSES
CHALLENGES/OPPORTUNITIES IN THE
ASYNCHRONOUS CLASSROOM

• Geospatial differences
• Time zone, regional culture/communication styles
• Natural disaster/infrastructure issues
• More older and/or “nontraditional” students
• More students balancing full-time work, family obligations, and
technological access issues
• Hard to create, balance, and maintain interpersonal connections
STRATEGIES FOR INTERPERSONAL
CONNECTION

• Instructor Introductions: YouTube or Kaltura video (ready on Day 1)

• What is your pedagogical mode?
• What’s your educational background and what are your academic interests?
• What are you hoping students learn/enjoy about the class?
• Example: https://youtu.be/g0H93QPII0Y
STRATEGIES FOR INTERPERSONAL
CONNECTION

• Student Introductions: FlipGrid video and/or Discussion Post

• Offering options for engagement
• Allowing students to “see” each other
• Student chat channel
• GroupMe, Discord, class Teams channel
STRATEGIES FOR
INTERPERSONAL
CONNECTION
• Weekly summary emails
• Reiterate major deadlines
• Remind students without regular Canvas access of
that week’s work
• Include (brief) seasonal notes, JSU event links, etc
— can be a place for occasional personal updates
(my Spring 2022 students LOVED getting a
picture of my new puppy)
STRATEGIES FOR HELPING STUDENTS
BALANCE OBLIGATIONS

• Time estimates
• Heads’ up if one week’s work will be substantially more than the last
• “Estimate this reading will take two hours to complete”
• Deadlines
• Clear late policies if applicable
• Clarify “hard” vs. “soft” deadlines
• Transparency about WHY “hard” deadlines
STRATEGIES FOR GEOSPATIAL DIFFERENCES

• Adjust late-night deadlines to account for Canvas calendar times

• Check in with students in regions experiencing natural disasters
• Clarify expectations around communication
 Emrys Donaldson, Assistant Professor of English
204 Stone Center
edonaldson@jsu.edu (email and Teams)
CONTACT cell: 802-373-4641

Link to this presentation, including speaker notes:

https://tinyurl.com/52xdxx5y