HOW ONE INSTRUCTOR DIGITALLY ENGAGED THE CLASSROOM

Coco & Kula

How one instructor

Digitally engaged the CLASSROOM

by Josh Mendoza

It doesn’t seem like long ago that the pandemic first commenced. In March 2020, when countries like China and Italy were already in lockdown, I was taking in-person, part-time courses and one of my instructors told us that it was highly unlikely that classes were going to be affected. Little did we know then that only a few short weeks later classes would transition fully online.

It was a difficult year for students, but some of us found ways to make the most out of our virtual academics. Whether that’s cooking up a Fresh Prep meal while listening to the lecture, or embracing Zoom fashion trends of dress shirts and boxers while doing presentations, we adapted to the situation around us.

Not only have students had to get creative during the pandemic. Instructors have also been forced to innovate due to teaching remotely. BCIT Marketing instructor, Geoffrey Bird, was kind enough to chat with me about how he successfully kept students engaged while teaching remotely during the pandemic.

Q A

When the pandemic first hit, what was your action plan in transitioning your lectures to remote learning? How did it initially turn out?

I feel that as instructors, we had to change and adapt fairly quickly. All the systems were there so we did not have to re-invent. There were definitely hiccups with my lectures though—things got locked up, my screen froze, and it took quite a bit of practice. Teaching online was something I was reluctant to do, but it woke me up into thinking that it is actually possible to do this! It must have been a tough year for instructors as well. Who has been your inspiration to keep teaching and to keep doing what you’re doing? Why?

I learned a lot from my colleagues. Colleagues brought a lot of personal experience and knowledge to it that kept me motivated and kept me going. Early on we would have department or faculty sessions and I had questions like ‘How do I collect attendance on Zoom?’ I benefitted from listening to what other instructors were doing in their classes.

I’m also a big follower of media. I think just seeing how so many media hosts and performers had to do the same transition that we were doing, and watching them still engage and retain an audience made it feel like I can also do the same with my students and keep them learning as well. Even watching Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers as they work from home during the lockdown made me feel like Yeah I can do this at home too! I think there is a sense of how they were still able to communicate and engage an audience, it seemed to me that I didn’t feel alone in that endeavor because everybody else was doing it.

Steve Jobs once said, “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity—not as a threat.” Even though the past two years were full of challenges, instructors like Geoffrey were able to use these changes as an opportunity to engage students in a meaningful way. I for one am grateful for their innovation.

Q A

What are some innovative tactics you’ve used to engage with students who felt distracted, discouraged, or Zoom fatigued from remote learning?

Zoom has built-in polls, and I started to incorporate those more and more. I found that there was a high level of engagement in those areas. It helped me see where students were at and what they were doing and how they digest the content. I’ve also had a lot of gameplay involved in my classes, it took some finessing to make it work online, but students seem to engage with the team and set game competitions!

We also just got a new puppy; we had another miniature golden doodle, Coco. Having a pandemic puppy meant that there was always a puppy as part of the household, and I was able to bring Coco in and create some engagement. There is a sense of personal connection, as students will be able to see some parts of my home to a degree, including my puppies and other family members that would have walked in. A lot of people put a divider between home and their work but I just let it naturally evolve and didn’t separate it too much, as it is possible to still be somewhat intimate through that dialogue.

Q A

Geoffrey Bird