By: Lindsay Cox
With COVID-19, students and faculty have both had to adjust to holding classes in a new way for the safety of the community. Julie Weishar, Department Chair of Fine and Applied Arts and the Interim Chair for Social Sciences and Human Services, said, “We have planned this semester so we can do as much in person as needed and do as much as we can remotely as well.” Parkland has given faculty a lot of different tools, such as offering hybrid courses, where faculty can offer class in person, as well as online when required. There is also a virtual option where there is a particular day and meeting time for students to meet with their professor online.
“The virtual option is so that the students can still see the instructor synchronously, but remotely. We’ve always had the online option, so these kinds of tools have made for a pretty smooth transition. The instructors have done a lot of work to retool their classes, so we can have those kinds of flexible options,” Weishar said.
The classes that seem to present most difficulty are the ones that are primarily hands-on. Weishar explained that these classes need as much time meeting in person as possible, saying, “I think that this option provides that flexibility, so those that need it can really be there and get it done.” Faculty must be innovative and creative since the rooms are limited as Parkland tries to practice social distancing. The room capacities are smaller, requiring professors to divide their students in a way that they can safely meet and still have enough time in the classroom before the next set of students arrive. This can be challenging for the professor to go through class with one group and then redo the class for the second group to make sure that all the students remain on the same page.
Dr. Aaron Geiger, part-time faculty member and advisor to the Prospectus, currently teaches a hybrid communication class that requires students to have computer lab time for their research and writing projects. Originally set to meet twice a week, Geiger surveyed his students and determined that meeting once a week in person was sufficient to achieve their goals. Weishar signed off on the change to a hybrid format, and the students achieve many of their goals online with one another and with their instructor. “They’re also normally hitting their beats to drum up news stories, but with the pandemic chugging along as strong as ever, I want them to conduct their inquiries and interviews remotely,” Geiger said. “We all have to adapt as best we can and put safety first.”
“What I’m hearing from students and faculty is that they have learned some things that they are really going to take with them,” Weishar said. “During this time, they have learned things that really work well for learning and teaching. Previously, we never really had to test the boundaries of video chatting or having an entire class on Zoom. Everyone is learning what we can do with that.”
Weishar offered an example of how the music chamber singers at Parkland are meeting virtually. Singing online seems very challenging, but somehow they manage to practice all their parts and to put it all together virtually. This is huge in terms of innovation. The class piano course, too, can go to the lab with their laptops with the instructor and do their work or they can do it from the comfort of their own homes. “It’s kind of cool that you can get education from anywhere that you are,” Weishar said.
One of the benefits of this transition is that some faculty are recording their lectures. When it is posted, students can watch it at their own pace. If they miss something they can easily go back and watch it again. This will be helpful for students to make sure that they understand the content thoroughly and makes it easier for them to send their professors any questions that they may have on the subject. When taking notes, you do the best you can, but you might miss something, and this is a great way to make sure that doesn’t happen. Students can go back anytime they need to get information or a concept. That’s not saying that taking classes virtually isn’t a lot more work.
One of the drawbacks is everything needs to be read. Even something like a structured conversation via discussion board. There are pros that you can take your time and really think about your response, whereas in a classroom everything is oral and spontaneous. There are more things to read and more assignments to complete, which can be hard.
Another drawback is having to constantly wear a mask on campus, which can be uncomfortable. Julie joked, “I don’t know about you, but this is certainly not what I would continue doing a minute longer than I absolutely had to.”
Not being able to gather has really affected everyone. The entire theater was shut down and lost an entire season. “That was an entire season of not being able to go and enjoy a great theatrical production. Those are real losses,” Weishar lamented.
The art gallery is also closed for in-person experiences, but they are open virtually. “And that’s wonderful,” Julie said, “but it’s hard to replace the in-person experience. That’s been a little bit of a challenge for me.” The art gallery is going to do virtual exhibitions. The theatre is going to do some labs in the classrooms, so theater is happening and being recorded. “We’re not sure how widely we can share the productions once they are recorded. It all depends on rights and royalties. The upside is that students will have portfolio pieces, and everyone will get to do and practice their craft. That’s the best,” Weishar stated.
There are challenges, but the faculty are exhibiting a can-do attitude and a willingness to learn from these new challenges. Geiger condensed his lectures into more critical information, and put the more accessible material online in PDF and Word documents for the students to learn at their own pace. “The real marrow of the material – the lecture, the part professors love and what students are really paying for – cannot be replicated easily, and I’ve had to learn how to tighten up two days of lectures into 30-45 minutes,” Geiger said. “I’ve become better at conveying what matters most and trusting the students to figure out how to apply this information with the supplemental materials online and so far they’ve been rock stars.”
Weishar reflected on her experiences during the pandemic: “It’s been the challenge of re-tooling and really thinking about the classes are reimagining how can I do this is a different way. That takes a lot of work, a lot of effort, and energy. I think it can also be kind of exciting, too. Faculty must split their time and work remotely. Parkland wants to reduce the number of total people on campus at any one time. Working from home and doing everything electronically is challenging. Teams and Zoom is being utilized to the fullest capacity,” she said.
