Pitt Turner, Mathematics Instructor, Sierra College

This site provides examples of instructional resources created in the Humanizing Online STEM Academy, a professional development program funded by the California Education Learning Lab and administered by the Foothill DeAnza Community College District.

Reflections

Where I was.

Before COVID-19 compelled us to become online educators, I had always taught in person and had very little interest in teaching in the online modality. I felt that online was void of interaction. That it was not possible to get to know your students as you get to know them in on-ground courses. I also did not utilize tech in my on-ground pedagogy, aside from the infamous TI-84s, and was a bit resistant to include any kind of online tools as my feeling was that this would take away from the academic experience of the students. In the days after the pandemic, online courses became the norm and, having taught several to date, I had become more comfortable with online teaching...but still felt there was more I could be doing to bring students together.

Where I am.

Having just completed this Humanizing course, I am starting to see how the concept of humanizing an online course might have been what I was looking for, that there are elements of online tools that can be used to engage my students. I discovered that just by creating shorter, warmer videos welcoming students to the week, and engaging assignments that students will begin to feel more connected to their peers and instructor. Moreover, brief lecture videos and bumper videos serve to simplify the delivery of course content.

Where I am going.

Moving forward, I will definitely utilize what I've learned to revamp all my courses, whether they're online or in-person. The idea of "humanizing" has prompted me to re-evaluate my teaching philosophy, my engagement with students, and the delivery of course content. My courses will become more personalized, aiming to enhance the faculty presence in the online experience for my students. Additionally, I will focus on bringing students' voices into the classroom by involving them in activities and discussions that emphasize sharing their thoughts rather than just the answers.

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	View My Liquid Syllabus!	Liquid Syllabus This Liquid Syllabus, truly a student's first introduction to the course and their instructor, is a friendly overview on what the course is about and how I am there to help them through it all. There are several elements including a welcome video, a list of expectations for both the student and myself, my teaching philosophy, a first week's success kit, and several resources on where to get help. The hope is that a student should be able to get connected to the course, instructor, and resources before the course begins.

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		Course Card This Course Card, the first thing they see for this course when logging into Canvas, hints at an important strategy when working with quadratics. It shows this process in a clean and accessible way - in a way that makes the math look doable.

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		Homepage This Homepage, where a student is taken once they click on the course card, is aimed at humanizing the course's content. This page is not overburdened with information but rather it is laid out in a simplistic way. Students will first see a course description, quickly followed by my introduction. The hope is that by putting myself up top, that students will know that I'm present and, just as importantly, that I am there to help them through the course.

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		Getting to Know You Survey This Getting to Know You Survey, a survey designed to let students introduce themselves to me, contains several questions that will help me to better know who each student is. Questions begin fairly typically, such as asking for their preferred name, major, and academic goals. Then move to questions that demonstrate my want to help them and to give them an opportunity to ask me a question: What are some of the challenges or concerns that you anticipate or face in taking this online course? You made it to the last question!! For this part, I'd like to give you an opportunity to ask me a question. So, what would you like to know about me?

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		Ice Breaker This Ice Breaker, an activity designed to be a first contact for everyone meeting their classmates, is designed to highlight the students and their values. By speaking about what they value, and connecting it to an object they share, students will begin to get more comfortable with their classmates. They are asked to submit a video reflecting on their values and identify a physical item that is important to them. I made the first post and chose a family card game to share. The hope is that students engage in the discussion and listen to their peers' comments, selecting two comments that connect with them in some way and replied in a video.

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		Bumper Video This Bumper Video, a brief 1 to 3-minute video that serves as an instructional aid, focuses on the definition of the derivative. This definition is a foundational component of any calculus course and is very visual in nature, but very algebraic in rigor. The video describes the idea behind the definition and recaps the limit definition. The hope is the video can clarify a bit more as to the nature of this definition.

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		Microlecture This Microlecture, a short and focused video presentation of a specific topic, focuses on basic algebraic operations on rational expressions. This is a skill that comes up over and over again in all levels of math. The video is just under 9 minutes and acts as a brief introduction to the topic (or as a refresher for any student revisiting this topic). The hope is to make this video available so students can watch a few examples that demonstrate how to organize the steps to work through these types of operations.

This Humanizing STEM Showcase site by Pitt Turner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License