CROSSING THE BRIDGE
FROM EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING TO QUALITY ONLINE LEARNING
By Christine Voelker You are AMAZING. When asked, you stepped up and made the quick shift to remote learning. Think about your biggest accomplishment during this time. If you cited BASIC SURVIVAL, you are not alone. That accomplishment alone is worth celebrating.
MEETING THE CHALLENGE When you first heard about the move to remote teaching, you may have felt a little excitement over the challenge it would bring. Like the beginning of the school year, there was anticipation. However, for many, that feeling quickly dissipated as reality set in. Teaching well, in what to many was a new type of classroom, felt different and unfamiliar. And it wasn’t easy. Honestly, it was unsettling — going from feeling comfortable one minute to uncomfortable the next. And it was all caused by a situation that was out of your control. Despite the challenge, you did the best you could with the constraints you had. But for 46
many, the magic wasn’t there. Why? Because online classes are not the same as face-to-face classes. Teaching online also isn’t the same. What happened this spring, though, wasn’t online learning. It was emergency remote instruction or pandemic pedagogy. But there is good news. You can take what you learned this spring — both the good and the bad — and build on that. You can move forward to success and cross the bridge to quality online learning. Start with Remote Success — develop what worked well and incorporate lessons learned Focus on Foundational Design — improve and ensure alignment Elevate Engagement — design presence, interaction and engagement into your course Incorporate Online Policies and Practices — include unique considerations for online learning
The American Consortium for Equity in Education
