Building Community: History

Start of the Semester

To build community in a remote learning environment, I’m planning to incorporate several new activities as well as a few methods I’ve employed before: 

  1. Create a welcome video to introduce students to the course format and expectations, provide an overview of the Moodle page, and to give them a sense of my personality and teaching style.
  2. Use several icebreakers in the first weeks of class, each tailored to meet different objects. For instance, I’ll probably use my already tested “1 thing in common, 1 difference” small group icebreaker to allow students to become comfortable with each other, as well as an adaptation of the “This I Believe” short essay to foster a discussion about the course aims. I could see that kind of essay being particularly helpful to provoke a conversation about individual learning methods and student anxieties about adapting to college. I.e., something along the lines of: “Write about one thing you’ve learned in your life that has stayed with you. What was it about that learning experience that made that lesson resonate? What do you need to foster that kind of transformative learning in this class, or in college more generally?”
  3. Use Name Coach both for myself and for the students. I’ll link my own name’s pronunciation to my email and to the Moodle page, and will create a small stakes assignment asking the students to use Name Coach and to upload their pronunciation with a short introduction to Moodle. 
Embedded Within the Course

 Of the various methods discussed, two particularly jumped out at me: 

  1. The creation of accountability groups as a framework for promoting engagement with each other and as a peer-to-peer resource throughout the course. These groups will later function as cohorts for peer review sessions and when providing peer feedback on assignments.
  2. I’ll aim to sign-on to each class 5-10 minutes early so that I can welcome each student into the session and chat a bit with them before turning to business. I’ll also try to linger after every class for another 10 minutes to answer any remaining questions or just to talk with them how they’re doing and adjusting. I like the idea of bringing in music during the “welcome” time, although I worry they will think all of my choices are lame! 
How These Strategies Will Support my Teaching in a Remote Environment 

This module has really driven home to me how challenging it will be to engage students and keep them invested in an online-only course. It’s especially important for me to be attentive to these challenges since I’m teaching a first-year seminar, which is designed to promote a sense of belonging among those new to campus. On the other hand, given that one of the aims of the FYS program is to enable more explicit discussions about college expectations and adjustment, this course is uniquely suited for these kinds of conversations. 

I’m hopeful that these strategies will give students several low stakes opportunities get to know each other and to begin to feel comfortable with me. I’m particularly persuaded by the value of the welcome video and the accountability groups for promoting trust and a sense of belonging in the course. One of my main goals for my first-year seminar is to help students overcome (or to at least acknowledge) the perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and sense of isolation that I so often see when I advise or teach first years. I believe that these strategies will begin to create the kind of welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that’s necessary for those kinds of conversations.