Teaching with Tech During Pandemic

This week I would like to share a few lessons learned from a recent Educause survey of 8,392 undergraduate students from 54 institutions across the US. Campus Technology has summarized the findings in an April 2021 article entitled, "Mistakes Instructors Have Made Teaching with Technology in the Pandemic." Educause asked respondents to recall the most and least effective uses of technology in their best course — the one in which they felt they learned the most. The report explained, students' worst technology experiences fell into three categories:

• explicit technology issues;

• instructors' failed attempts to use technology; and

• poor course management and pedagogical choices.

Here are instructor practices cited by students as their worst experiences:

1. The use of unofficial platforms and too many external applications or sites;

2. A lack of instruction for breakout rooms and discussion boards;

3. Unsatisfactory administration, proctoring and collection of exams;

4. Not anticipating tech limitations, accommodating disabilities or meeting the needs of all students;

5. Use of long lectures with massive slide decks;

6. Lack of instructor engagement, communication and feedback;

7. Lack of tech support and refusal to accept tech issues as excuses for late work;

8. Assignments with little scaffolding or connections to learning outcomes;

9. Underdeveloped class plans and agendas;

10. Attempts to replicate F2F experiences in online learning environments;

11. Instituting mandated camera-on policies;

12. Imposing strict deadlines with severe penalties for late work;

13. Failing to maintain the pages within the LMS;

14. Refusing to accommodate and/or belittling students with disabilities; and

15. Lack of clarity in the processes for completing and submitting assignments.

Educause made recommendations to improve teaching and learning:

• Invest in hybrid, which should no longer be viewed as an exception, an inconvenience, or supplemental revenue stream. Students are going to expect a variety of options in their learning experiences, and institutions should "invest in the design of hybrid courses and the people who support them."

• Connect faculty with instructional designers.

• Put students at the center of teaching.