Creativity, Communication, and Compassion
By: Elan Justice Pavlinich
Tags: Pedagogy, Online, Distance Learning, Teaching, Student Centered Learning

The final assignment for each of my classes is a collaborative project: during the last two weeks of the semester, students gather into groups of four, develop a research paper and short visual presentation, then deliver it to their peers in the style of a professional conference.

When the Coronavirus struck, my university moved all of our classes online.

What were we to do?

Stay the course.

Students still had to collaborate to complete the assignment, but now they would be doing so online.

Some of my students responded with anxiety and fear. I too was feeling anxious and afraid. We were navigating uncharted waters. We needed some basic principles to guide us through the conclusion of an unpredictable semester.

Together, as co-learners, we developed our own:

Creativity

Because we were each adapting to these unforeseen circumstances, we had to work with unfamiliar tools and draw upon our own skills.

Communication

Because we had been robbed of our immediate contact, we had to reclaim and maintain strong channels of communication.

Compassion

Understanding helps to ease some of the difficulties. I trusted my students, so I didn’t require explanations. Their personal lives had just been uprooted.

As Vicki Vanbrocklin observes in her contribution to this issue, instructors ought to meet students where they are at, and aim to lift them up.

In some cases it is simply too much to expect students to have access to digital platforms outside of their institution. Others cannot accommodate a home office. So part of my compassion extends to being lenient about my modes of communication.

I identify my students as developing professionals. I am therefore transparent about my methods and expectations.

As we transitioned to distance learning, I forewarned my students that they wouldn’t be able to disappear behind their screens. In fact, they would now be evaluated more closely. Without the in-person classroom dynamic, individual efforts are far more evident.

But there are benefits to online classes! My goal was to make our new digital mode more efficient for their specific needs.

Earlier, I had conducted a midterm survey, in which I asked students to anonymously comment on the course design, among other elements of their experiences. If something is not working, I can make alterations well before the semester is over.

A fair number of students were struggling with assignment deadlines. So, going forward with digital classes, I released the full week of course content early. Classes were asynchronous to accommodate any scheduling obstacles caused by the pandemic.

As long as students were communicating with me and meeting deadlines then they were free to determine their own pace.

I explained that our new digital learning environment is an opportunity.

This is the chance for each of us to develop our digital literacies.

We used our immediate social circumstances to discuss reputable sources, how to spot COVID-19 misinformation, and best research practices.

As we developed writing projects, students were not limited to the standard Word document written in 12-point Times New Roman font with one-inch margins. Instead, they were encouraged to enhance their multimodal writing skills by using font, color, and layout to reach their audiences and serve a rhetorical purpose.

We got creative.

Working online gives students an opportunity to explore other digital platforms and construct projects in new an innovative ways. Students integrated static and moving images along with alt text and captions to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.

Situating their skills development within broader goals beyond our class, I reminded students of the importance of digital literacies for the evolving job market and professional expectations.

Immersing ourselves in digital resources and digital design is not a hindrance; rather, if we embrace this and use it to our advantage, we can develop digital portfolios that demonstrate our exceptional skills as competent candidates within a difficult job market and among highly selective graduate schools.

Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

It can be difficult to sustain positive energy, particularly over a distance. Absences increased, even online. As Juan Basualdo observes, students’ expressions of anxiety require some interpretation and redirection towards productive ends.

I was invested in every student completing the semester with a sense of confidence in their own abilities to overcome challenges. But now my students were mostly living in isolation — robbed of part of their academic experience.

How could I restore some of this?

I am familiar with feelings of isolation and depression. I went to graduate school. What saved me was getting out of my own head and focusing more on other people by participating in positive interactions. So my first goal was to get students communicating.

Each of my updates included a comment section. I encouraged students to share anything, even if it didn’t relate to the course.

How are you making quarantine comfortable? Have you discovered any media or resources that overlap with our discussions?

The comment section is visible to all participants, so I also invited students to email me privately, or to schedule a live video chat.

Additionally, before we started discussing the final collaborative project, I assigned students to their teams and encouraged each individual to reach out to at least two other team members. I asked them to discuss how they were coping with the pandemic and to share any insights about completing the final project comfortably.

Communication fosters a stronger community among distance learners.

Students need networks of support. We cannot assume that they find this in their domestic settings. By fostering interactions among students, I gave them opportunities to share things with peers that they might not feel comfortable expressing in the context of our digital classroom.

Periodically, I reminded students that attitude and approach are important.

Compassion will get us through this together.

I am invested in seeing each student succeed.

It is easy to dwell on all of the negative consequences of the Coronavirus outbreak, but don’t let these circumstances cause defeat,

I told them.

Mistakes are inevitable. In fact, they are necessary for learning and adaptation.

Of course we were going to experience some friction as we transitioned to online courses.

But resilience and a commitment to learning are key virtues to working through these obstacles.

All of my syllabi include a list of resources to aid students through their academic career. But those extra notes and resources can be forgotten during a busy semester — or a global pandemic.

I reminded students about some of the on-campus facilities that are there to serve their needs. For example, our campus was fortunate enough to have a food pantry that was still accessible during the stay-at-home order. This service is necessary for all of our food-insecure students, including those who cannot easily reach grocery stores or shelter with family.

I shared additional tools that I found beneficial. For example, the World Health Organization created a series of easy-to-read PDFs that targeted key aspects of living in quarantine, including mental health, physical activities, healthy eating, and avoiding substance abuse.

I reminded students of other tools we had reviewed over the course of our semester, including apps for measuring and increasing productivity, such as a writing timer, and other apps for wellbeing, such as Clear Fear.

At the end of the semester, I felt a pang of sadness because I would never get to wish the students well in person.

Nevertheless, our goal was to focus on the positive outcomes of our experiences.

They had just completed a semester of higher education while adjusting to the obstacles of a global pandemic. Their written reports and collaborative efforts exceeded expectations — not only because they met the criteria for a decent grade — but also because they infused their projects with distinct creative innovations.

I knew that these innovations would serve their personal and professional interests.

In my final correspondence, I invited them to share with me pride in their accomplishments and to use this experience as evidence of their professionalism during difficult times.