Education Unbounded: Spring 2021

BY AMBER RASMUSSEN

There is nothing quite like the feeling of going back to school— fresh, new notebooks and pencils, the joy of old friends reuniting, the possibility of new friendships emerging, and the seemingly endless opportunity to learn and grow. For colleges and universities throughout the world, however, going back to school looked different this year. In spring 2020, with the sudden outbreak of COVID-19, institutions were challenged to adapt their classroom experiences from in-person, face-toface instruction to virtual, distanced learning. For many, this transition has not been easy. Attempting to engage students in an online format requires a new level of creativity and innovation. It requires ample research and commitment to the well-being of students, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to online instruction.

Despite these difficulties, the professors and instructors at Point University have dedicated the last ten months to going above and beyond the typical call of teaching to create new, exciting and innovative educational opportunities for their students. Many of them quickly learned that it was going to require more than a PowerPoint presentation and a recorded lecture to provide their students with the high-quality Christian education Point is known for. They have attended training and seminars, developed new strategies, and altered their approaches to teaching in order to engage students and to help them grow in their knowledge and understanding of the concepts taught in each course.

One such innovator is Dr. Greg Moffatt ’88, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and professor of counseling psychology. When online instruction began last spring, Moffatt became completely invested in adapting his

classes so that they were the best they could possibly be. He recognized that a new modality required new behaviors from both students and faculty. Through this process, Moffatt has had to reassess how he thought about and presented the information for his students.

“We’re coming up with new ways to do what we’ve always done,” says Moffatt. “It’s fun to see it working and not be afraid to change things up.”

Moffatt has reformatted his classes significantly, from eliminating in-class tests to shortening classes and reducing the amount of information that is handed to students. He says his aim is for his students to engage with the content and work together to understand it for themselves.

He wondered if there was a better way to present content in class, and he found that there was. Now, when students take a test in Moffatt’s classes, the test is not the majority of the grade, which relieves some of the pressure many students feel when taking a test that can often negatively affect their test scores. Instead, his tests are designed for students to use their books and find the information themselves. The test is open online for an entire week, and students can take the test multiple times. He has found that this system has resulted in students looking at the content more often than if they were studying for an in-person test, and because they are not under the intense pressure of in-class test-taking, they often understand and retain the concepts much better.

Moffatt has also changed his approach to communicating with students. Interestingly, Moffatt says that he has been surprised by how he is interacting with his students in different ways. Of

course, his on-campus interactions with them are limited, but Zoom allows for more one-on-one time between Moffatt and his students. He is online and available to his students every day, and he says his personal goal is to respond to a student’s email before they have the chance to close their laptop. If a student is failing one of his classes, he or she is required to meet with Moffatt at least once a week. This allows him to build relationships with his students in different ways than if he were on campus with them.

“I’m giving myself to my students in a new way now. I want them to know I’m here,” he says.

Other, more hands-on fields have had their own struggles in adapting their in-person content to the virtual classroom. Some courses, such as math, are more difficult to present and teach online. Tammy Burch, who teaches several levels of math at the University, has experienced the difficulty of battling online applications that enable students to correctly finish homework without actually understanding the material.

She has found it more frustrating than she expected to encourage the students to put in the work to understand what she is teaching. Often, students would not watch her lectures and would immediately attempt to complete the homework, which was obviously unsuccessful. After several different adaptations to her courses, Burch believes she has found a model that is working for her and her students. This new model requires a one-on-one Zoom meeting with Burch in which the student is given three surprise problems and must explain how to solve them. Credit is given for getting the correct answer, but the majority of the credit comes from the correct explanation of the problem and its solution.

“I feel that this showed the students they actually do have to learn the material to be successful in the class,” Burch says.

Burch is not alone in her struggle to engage her students online in these more hands-on courses. Teaching future educators has also presented its fair share of challenges. Several of Point’s education classes and requirements to graduate are classroom and lab-based, meaning if K-12 schools are closed, students cannot meet the necessary requirements. Fortunately, the schools in the local West Point, Valley and Lanett communities returned to in-person classes for fall 2020; however, many of the education program’s online students are located all across the country. For those living in states with more restrictions for schools, it has been difficult to get the practice they need.

To address this problem, Dr. Lacey Southerland, professor of education and department chair for the child and youth development program, reached out to the community of Point education alumni. Several of them have generously lent their virtual classrooms for these online students to complete their practicum experiences and graduate from Point.

One of the most difficult aspects of online teaching for Southerland has been the lack of relational connections with students. The students’ ability to mute themselves and turn off their cameras during Zoom classes caused the energy level to plummet. To help address this problem, Southerland began implementing the breakout rooms feature on Zoom, which allows students to meet and discuss in smaller groups. Even still, this new system does not compare to being in person.

Southerland has found other ways to pique her students’ interest and create a sense of community in her classes. One creative way is through the implementation of a “bitmoji” character in her course creation. A bitmoji is a customizable cartoon character that Southerland places all throughout her classes. Other features online have made it easier for students to upload videos and to collaborate on documents together, even from a distance.

Still others have stepped outside their comfort zones to incorporate new technology into their classrooms and make their style of teaching more efficient. Wye Huxford ’73, dean of the College of Biblical Studies and Ministry and professor of New Testament and theology, saw the transition to online learning as an opportunity to rethink what content in his classes was essential to students. In his long history of teaching and his passion for the subjects he teaches, he finds that even in a typical semester, he is not able to say everything he wants to — there is simply not enough time. In his virtual classes, however, he has had to be disciplined in determining which content is truly foundational for the course.

“In one of my classes,” says Huxford, “there is this infamous project. When we went online, I decided that I was going to keep it, even in the new format. The projects last fall were as good or better than any other class before, and that was when I realized that I don’t have to teach them everything I know for them to succeed.”

Huxford has had to make adjustments to how he physically teaches, as well. Last fall, he was teaching Greek, but found that he struggled to demonstrate to students the precise way in which to write out the Greek alphabet. After researching, Huxford discovered an app that would transform his phone into a digital overhead projector, which then displays on his computer screen for his class to see. He has been able to transfer this method of teaching to several of his other classes, as well, and he has found that with a small amount of research and flexibility, he can adapt his classes to be just as effective as if they were meeting in person.

While each professor agreed that they would prefer to be in the classroom, face-to-face with their students — able to see their smiles, hear their laughter and witness the moment when they begin to finally understand a new concept — they have all been surprised by this opportunity to break outside of the box and create something new. They all agreed that the students have made it all worth the effort, a heartfelt sentiment expressed by Dr. Joshua Rice, instructor of biblical studies and ministry. “Overall,” Rice says, “I have experienced a greater confidence in the resilience of our students — a heightened respect for them — and I am proud of their initiative and ability to make a way.”