Teaching in the Time of COVID Distance education champions served as the first line of support for faculty new to online instruction. By Venita Jenkins
When the impacts of COVID-19 required universities across the nation to shift to remote teaching, several Seahawks stepped up in a big way. On March 23, 2020, UNCW classes shifted from in-person instruction to online/alternate instruction to help stem the potential spread of COVID-19. About 2,000 face-to-face undergraduate courses and 11,500 undergraduate students moved to remote instruction for the remainder of the spring semester. Teaching and learning took place on multiple platforms, including Zoom. Thirty-two individuals known for being leaders in online teaching were recruited by the Office of Distance Education and eLearning to serve as Distance Education Champions, helping to ensure the colleges had the support they needed during the transition to remote teaching.
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The “DE Champions” program was part of a four-layer support model during the transition, said Amy Ostrom, director of the Office of Distance Education and eLearning, which manages and funds the program in collaboration with the Center for Teaching Excellence. “We were concerned about the number of people who were going to have to transition in such a hurry,” said Ostrom. “We were building a community, and wanted to make sure people had access to the support that they needed in the moments that they needed it.” Diana Ashe, English professor and CTE director, first pitched the idea of DE Champions as a means to address academic continuity. Not only do the champions advise faculty, they also provide insights on how to best engage students online.
