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For questions or comments about the collection, email [email protected] How Faculty Members Can Support Students in Traumatic Times veryone is under stress trying to cope with the nov- members can help students cope. Professors, after all, el coronavirus pandemic, but students are especial- are on the front lines, even if that line is now a virtu- ly vulnerable: They’ve lost access to their friends, al one. Of course, some of the advice may need to be their campus communities, and the structure and adapted for a scenario that nobody envisioned, but the rhythm of the academic year. Seniors are mourning coming months are likely to offer plenty of opportu- Ethe traditions and rituals they will miss, and worrying nities to hone pivoting skills and demonstrate agility. about what comes next — assuming they can graduate. (And if you need help in making the online transtion, Many students have additional worries, including how check out another free Chronicle report, “Moving On- to help their families ﬁnancially and how to transition line Now.”) Our latest collection includes articles on to online education, sometimes in regions where access how to make online teaching more sensitive to stu- can’t be taken for granted. Above all, the virus continues dent concerns, how to spot potential mental-health is- to spread, and students worry that the health of loved sues, and more. As Georgia Tech’s Karen J. Head says, ones — or their own health —could be at risk. “integrating empathy and compassion into our cours- This special collection, available online and free, es is now a critical part of the work we must do.” We includes some of our strongest pieces on how faculty hope these resources will help.

In this special collection: Shock, Fear, and Fatalism 4 As coronavirus prompts colleges to close, students grapple with uncertainty.

10 Tips to Support Students in a Stressful Shift to Online Learning 8 Because professors play a key role in students’ retention, staying connected is crucial.

Let’s Add Compassion to Our Online Curriculum 12 Karen J. Head explains why it’s essential now to emphasize human interactions in teaching.

How to Help a Student in a Mental-Health Crisis 15 Faculty members aren’t counselors, but can still guide a struggling student, says David Gooblar.

How to Make Your Online Pivot Less Brutal 18 Kevin Gannon offers tips on navigating the strange new normal.

Linking Course Content to the World Around Us 21 Small changes in teaching can help students make connections, says James M. Lang.

Resources 25 The Chronicle’s Teaching newsletter discusses how to help students keep learning through a disruption.

Learning From Crisis 27 Read how colleges that have been through shootings, opioid deaths, and other crises have handled sensitive student concerns. Shock, Fear, and Fatalism As Coronavirus Prompts Colleges to Close, Students Grapple With Uncertainty

By ALEXANDER C. KAFKA

ffectively booted off campus in an ef- pus’s food pantry is open and stocked twice fort to contain coronavirus contagion, a week, which, she says, “we’re grateful for.” hundreds of thousands of college stu- So she’ll cope with the situation, week by dents are reacting with shock, uncer- week. And after law school or a doctorate in tainty, sadness, and, in some cases, history, when she’s a professor, she imagines Edevil-may-care fatalism. Even as they hur- she’ll look back at the Covid-19 pandemic as riedly arrange logistical details, the stress of a case study. an uncertain future is taking a toll. For Rachel P. Angle, a Georgetown senior “A lot of people are anxious because not from Middletown, Conn., studying govern- everyone can afford a flight home or a flight ment and living off campus, the academic to campus to pick up their stuff,” says Al- disruption should not be too drastic. But, ana Hendy, a Georgetown University ju- she says, “It’s my senior spring. There were nior studying international relations. She is so many things I was planning on doing, among the rapidly growing number of stu- and now that’s sort of thrown into flux.” Her dents nationwide who were urged not to re- grandparents had planned to go to D.C. for turn to campus after spring break as courses her graduation. shift online. Angle knows, however, that “there are a Hendy too is anxious, she says, but she is whole lot of people suffering a lot more from more confused as she sorts through uncer- this. I have a safe home to go to, parents who tainties concerning her living and academic are happy to take me in. It’s mostly just the arrangements. A low-income student from stress of uncertainty.” Bowie, Md., she says it would be better if she stayed on campus because her father suffers ‘UTTER PANDEMONIUM’ from chronic obstructive pulmonary dis- Not everyone is adjusting so philosophi- ease and diabetes, and is particularly vul- cally. Students are “definitely freaking out,” nerable to Covid-19, the illness caused by says a junior at Harvard, who asked not to be the new coronavirus. named for fear of reprisal by the university. Among the questions on her mind: What The week before spring break is academical- will happen to her work-study job in the ly hectic, so students were turning in prob- dean’s office at the School of Foreign Ser- lem sets and papers, then heading home, vice? How will her responsibilities as a when they learned their classes would move teaching assistant in a geography class online and they were to leave campus. In change with the new online format? some cases they zipped right back to Cam- But counterbalancing the uncertainties, bridge, Mass., to try to pack up, store, or ship she says, is support offered by the universi- their belongings. ty. It is helping defray low-income students’ “It’s utter pandemonium on campus right costs for shipping medication, books, and now,” the student says. “Everybody is party- other necessities, for example. And the cam- ing all day or incredibly stressed out about

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 4 #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() homework, or both. People really seem up- classes would be moved online. What was set and confused.” initially reported to be a protest against And they’re not exactly following the Cen- the university’s anti-virus measures was in ters for Disease Control and Prevention’s fact, the administration says, “one last large protocol, the student says, with parties out- gathering before spring break, and the size doors and in, “scorpion” punch bowls, and and behavior of the crowd required police to games of beer pong, “one of the least sterile take action.” More than 1,000 students gath- things to be doing right now.” ered in the streets, according to local news Similar seize-the-day mayhem broke out coverage, and when some students stood on at the University of Dayton, when it said its cars and the situation grew rowdier, the po-

Alana Hendy, a junior at Georgetown U., is now at her family’s home, in Bowie, Md. Speaking of her classmates, she says, “a lot of people are anxious because not everyone can afford a campus to pick up their stuff.”

JASON ANDREW FOR THE CHRONICLE lice launched “pepper balls,” which contain often. It’s a disconcerting time, she says, but irritants, into the crowd. “there’s a difference between healthy con- “Students are often accused of living in cern and fear. … Let’s make smart choices, a ‘campus bubble,’ immune to wider so- but let’s not be afraid.” cial concerns, so it doesn’t seem surprising Gregory Roper, a freshman at Rensse- that on some campuses there would be out- laer Polytechnic Institute, is more afraid breaks of partying,” says Mikita Brottman, for his grandparents than he is for himself. an author and psychoanalyst who teaches He was already visiting them, in Fairfield, literature at the Maryland Institute College Conn., during spring break, and “it looks of Arts. like I might be doing that for a while lon- “It’s hard for some students to take the vi- ger,” he says, now that the New York col- rus seriously. They’re often cynical about lege has announced that classes are going ‘media panics,’ and even if they do follow online and students must move off cam- the mainstream media,” she says, they feel pus. His parents are in Santa Clara County, that “this is a virus that targets ‘old people.’” Calif., which has a high concentration of “Beyond that,” Brottman says, “I think coronavirus cases. They’re considering go- the celebrating reflects both a feeling of di- ing somewhere safer, so he won’t be joining saster-inspired togetherness — and togeth- them at home for now. erness is part of the spring-break tradition A computer-science student, Roper says a anyway — along with a sense of social con- lot of his coursework was already online, but straint collapsing.” The partyers “are like the lab sessions in his biology class “are still the inhabitants of Prospero’s palace” in Ed- completely up in the air.” gar Allan Poe’s story “The Masque of the Reactions to the crisis among his friends, Red Death,” she says, “getting drunk while Roper says, “are very much a mix.” Some plague ravages the nation.” think fears are “sort of overinflated.” Oth- ers, particularly “friends with weak immune ‘STAY IN THE ROUTINE’ systems, are very scared.” The stress of uncertainty can be very un- nerving, says Alise G. Bartley, a clinical assistant professor in the department of counseling and director of the communi- “ Students are often ty-counseling center at Florida Gulf Coast accused of living in a University. The most constructive way to approach it is “to focus on what we do ‘campus bubble,’ immune know” staves off illness: wash hands, avoid high-density groups, get sufficient sleep, eat to wider social concerns, well, and exercise. so it doesn’t seem As students are yanked from their campus settings, it will be crucial for them to surprising that on some retain structure in their academic and personal lives, she says. They need to “stay in campuses there would be the routine and feel like there’s a purpose so outbreaks of partying.” that they don’t fall into depression.” If they’re used to Friday pizza night with friends, then they should have pizza night together online. Counselors, in person or in teletherapy In addition to fear, students are aggrieved sessions, need to push beyond vague rec- over losing life experiences like spring of se- ommendations to help students “opera- nior year, says Nicole Danforth, director of tionalize” good habits and a positive out- outpatient programs for child and adoles- look. Don’t just advise them to get exercise, cent psychiatry at Newton-Wellesley Hos- says Bartley. Talk through with them ex- pital, in Massachusetts. Acknowledge that actly what walking, jogging, or bike route grief, Danforth recommends, but challenge they’re going to take, for how long and how yourself “to limit how much you let your

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 6 #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() anxious brain take over.” nior studying psychology at Arizona The bachelor-of-fine-arts students of Jil- State University, have a front-row view lian Harris, an associate professor of dance of their peers’ anxieties. Even before the at Temple University, felt “a strong sense university announced that it was mov- of disappointment” that showcase perfor- ing classes online, Cahill says, a lot of mances of their senior choreography proj- students were “nervous and scared” and ects couldn’t proceed when Temple an- just not showing up. nounced courses would move online. But “everyone is trying to be creative,” producing instead online rehearsal-progress portfolios with written analyses, Harris says. “ There’s a difference On stage and in life, she says, “fortunately dancers are very good improvisers.” between healthy Technology will be a defining aspect of the concern and fear. Let’s mental-health challenge, Danforth says. A life behind blue screens can already be iso- make smart choices, but lating, she says, and we’re in danger of suc- cumbing further to that. But teletherapy op- let’s not be afraid.” tions are more sophisticated and plentiful than ever, and if Covid-19 leads to greater use and acceptance of them, she says, that is Active Minds meetings on campus saw a “a win for everybody.” surge in attendance — to groups of roughly Laura Horne experienced the trauma of 25 — and visits by administrators like ASU’s displacement herself as an undergraduate associate vice president for counseling and at Loyola University New Orleans after Hur- health services helped ease students’ wor- ricane Katrina struck, in 2005. Her family ries, Cahill says. lived in the city’s suburbs, and she couldn’t Information is key, but colleges “have to go home. She transferred to Louisiana acknowledge that we’re in uncharted ter- Tech University for a quarter, and though ritory here,” says Kevin Krueger, president she tried her best to keep up with friends of Naspa, an association of student-af- through Facebook, email, and phone calls, fairs administrators. “We don’t have a “a lot of students relocated to other schools playbook.” and never came back,” she says. But they’re writing one quickly as they “I had to somewhat mourn and be OK go along. Seventeen hundred partici- with letting that go for a time,” she says, pants signed up for a Naspa webinar, and “and engage with the new environment.” they’re sorting through best practices Many students this spring might also “go on housing and food for low-income stu- through a period of mourning, and that’s dents, provision of mental-health ser- normal,” says Horne, now the chief pro- vices, and, in the longer term, engaging gram officer for Active Minds, which sup- students in the online environment — not ports mental-health awareness and educa- just academically, but in critical services tion for students. like academic advising, orientation, ca- She offers coping tips for students on the reer services and job fairs, and campus Active Minds website, but “if what you are culture and Greek life. feeling seems like more than just a bad day,” As a new normal slowly forms for students, she writes, “seek help from a professional. … Krueger says, it’s also important to recog- If you need it, contact the Crisis Text Line by nize that fatigue is setting in among admin- texting ‘BRAVE’ to 741-741.” istrators, staff, and faculty: “There’s a toll that comes from being in a crisis mode in ‘UNCHARTED TERRITORY’ these situations.” • Active Minds chapter leaders across the country, like Stephanie Cahill, a se- Originally published March 12, 2020

#$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() 7 COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 10 Tips to Support Students in a Stressful Shift to Online Learning

By KELLY FIELD

hen Hurricane Katrina struck Staying connected to students and culti- the southeastern United States vating a sense of community are harder at in 2005, it forced widespread col- a distance than in a classroom. But those lege closures and scattered an es- goals are not impossible, says Perry, a fel- timated 100,000 students across low in the Metropolitan Policy Program at Wthe country. Brookings Institution. “People get married In the chaotic days that followed, Andre from online relationships,” he points out. Perry, then a professor at the University of It’s just that many faculty members aren’t New Orleans, lost touch with a number of his accustomed to interacting with students students. Many never returned to the campus. only virtually. Now, as colleges nationwide cancel classes Of course, the faculty can’t be solely and send students away, that disconnec- responsible for engagement and retention; tion is happening on a much larger scale, student success is, and must remain, an with what Perry worries will be devastating institution-wide eﬀort. But as professors results. He is urging faculty members whose institutions have closed to check in with their students often, even daily, during these critical ﬁrst weeks. “As someone who has been through the tragedy of Katrina, I can tell you that faculty have an obligation to reach out and connect with students,” he says. In times of disruption, when people’s ed- ucations and lives have been upended, he says, “relationships matter more than ever.” Decades of research show that relationships with professors play a key role in students’ retention. If such relationships weaken or lapse

entirely in the shift to online SHARON FARMER learning, thousands of stu- “As someone who has been through the tragedy of Katrina, I can tell you that faculty dents could ﬂounder, even have an obligation to reach out and connect with students,” says Andre Perry, a fel- drop out. low in the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings Institution.

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 8 #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() become the primary or even sole point of you, says Greene. contact for many students, their role in “We are in uncharted territory,” she says. meeting students’ emotional needs will “We can be collective in making decisions.” matter more than ever. “They have to deliver,” says Perry, “or we 3. Favor asynchronous approaches. Many may collectively lose thousands of students colleges that have moved classes online are across the country.” continuing to hold them at their regularly Following are 10 tips, drawn from ex- scheduled times. perts on the ground, to support students While that may provide consistency for at a time of crisis through the transition to students, it disadvantages those who have remote learning. to work, take care of family members, or share a computer. Requiring students to 1. Survey students about tools and plat- sign on at a particular time can compound forms. Find out which technologies they the stress of the switch to remote learning. have access to and are comfortable using, Those who don’t have internet access at says Gina Foster, director of the teaching home might have to find a coffee shop or and learning center at the John Jay College public library to log in (if any are even open of Criminal Justice, part of the City Univer- during the quarantine), and international sity of New York system. That’s not just for students will be dealing with a time differ- coursework, but also faculty-student and ence. Are you really going to ask a student peer-to-peer interaction. Students who are in Saudi Arabia to attend an online class at in similar circumstances can be grouped 2 a.m. local time? together, she says. “We absolutely can’t have synchronous When choosing among technologies, so- learning,” says Anthony Abraham Jack, an licit students’ opinions, says Tamara Daily, a assistant professor of education at Harvard professor of psychology at the University of University and author of The Privileged Mount Union, in Ohio. When she asked stu- Poor: How Elite Colleges Are Failing Disad- dents if they preferred a new platform over vantaged Students. the old, imperfect one, they picked the latter. If your administration insists on a syn- The message was: “Don’t throw anything chronous approach, find ways to accom- new at us,” she said. “I took that advice and modate students who can’t join at the given am going to stick with what’s familiar.” hour. Record your lecture so they can listen But if you do decide to try a new tech- later, then share their responses with the nology, and you aren’t sure it will work, be class the next time you meet, “so they still upfront about that, says Daily. “That way feel part of the community,” says Chris- they know we’re all in the same boat, and topher Heard, director of the Center for we’re going to figure it out together.” Teaching Excellence at Pepperdine Univer- sity, which transitioned to online learning 2. Co-construct your class. Giving stu- for several weeks following a 2018 wildfire. dents some control over their learning can “The key is to keep students feeling like a help combat feelings of helplessness in the class, rather than scattered individuals,” he current circumstances, says Jody Greene, says. associate vice provost for teaching and learning at the University of California at 4. Go low tech and mobile friendly. Be sen- Santa Cruz. sitive to students with limited data plans When making decisions about deadlines or weak Wi-Fi. Choose open textbooks for outstanding assignments, for example, that enable downloads over programs that or how to measure learning going forward, require constant connectivity, says Kaitlyn seek students’ input. That doesn’t mean re- Vitez, higher-education program director linquishing your decision-making author- for the Public Interest Research Groups. ity; you still have the final say. But making When assigning work, consider what it students partners in their education can be would be like to complete it on a mobile empowering for them and instructive for phone, because for some students, that will

#$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() 9 COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS about why you’re prioritizing certain things. “It improves student buy-in because they know content and delivery are purposeful,” she wrote. Don’t demand perfection of yourself, either. You won’t be able to recreate your classroom online, and you can’t build the model online course on the ﬂy. “Distance learning, when planned, can be really excellent. That’s not what this is,” wrote Young. “Thinking you can manage best practices in a day or a week will lead to feeling like you’ve failed.”

COURTESY OF ANTHONY ABRAHAM JACK And try, if you can, to approach “We are scared, too,” and it’s OK to let students know that, says Anthony Abra- this disruption as a learning ham Jack, an assistant professor of education at Harvard University. opportunity, says Carol B. Wilson, an English professor and coor- dinator of academic advising at be the only option. Wofford College. And be wary of commercial products that “The transition to online learning is offer temporary free access in exchange for stretching us,” she says. “My hope is to couch personal information, says Vitez. “Think some of it as growth — because it is growth.” about the student data-privacy consider- ations of any products you’re signing up for.” 6. Share your story. Telling students how your life has been disrupted by the 5. Temper your expectations. That goes for coronavirus, and inviting them to do the both your students and you. Everyone is same, can create a sense of togetherness dealing with a lot right now. and community, says Laura Horne, chief With students, be flexible with deadlines, program officer for Active Minds, a national offer alternatives if someone can’t complete organization that supports mental-health a particular assignment, and don’t assign awareness and education among students. high-stakes tests on a new platform. Be The message you’re sending is: “I don’t just sensitive to the additional responsibilities care about academics; I’m here for you as students may be expected to assume, like an individual,” she says. taking care of younger siblings. Jack suggests that faculty members treat “It’s really important not to make any- the first online meeting as a check-in. “This one’s life more difficult than it needs to is not business as usual,” they might con- be,” says Bri Rhodes, director of interna- vey, “there are new goals now, and this is tional-student advising at Mount Holyoke how we’ll manage, together,” he says. College. And be willing to be vulnerable. “We Let go of your lesson plans, too. Decide are scared, too,” Jack says, and it’s OK to what students really need to know, and let students know that. “We are people. prioritize that, says Amy Young, an associ- We are not automatons that are able to ate professor of communication at Pacific spew data and facts regardless of the cir- Lutheran University. “We have to strip it cumstances.” all the way down,” Young wrote in a widely circulated Facebook post. “This one is hard 7. Offer support and resources. Many of for me. But these are not normal circum- your students are dealing with depres- stances.” sion and anxiety right now. For students Young suggests talking to your students with existing mental-health conditions, or

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 10 #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() housing or food insecurity, those struggles archivist to document students’ experienc- could become acute. es with Covid-19. Those in her “History of Simply letting students know you’re there Psychology in Social Context” class record for them, even if you can’t meet in person, their reactions in a weekly diary, answering can provide a huge comfort, says Mariah prompts like, “Where were you when you Craven, a communications consultant for found out classes were going to be canceled? the National Foster Youth Institute. What were you thinking and feeling?” “If they’re struggling for any reason, they Approaching the pandemic this way, should know that their faculty member is a looking at its context and legacy, gives them safe person to talk to,” says Horne. a bit of distance to reflect, she says. That doesn’t mean faculty members have to double as counselors. Still, they can 9. Don’t forget about students with dis- show they care about students, she says: abilities. With the shift to online learning, “Lend a listening ear, connect them to some students will require different ac- resources, and report any concerns” to staff commodations than they had in the face- who can help. to-face class; others will need accommoda- With homeless students, in particular, tions for the first time. sharing resources can be more helpful than In the latter case, a professor may not asking if they are homeless, says Marcy Sti- even be aware that a student has a disabil- dum, who directs a program for homeless ity, says Kelly Hermann, vice president of and foster youth at Kennesaw State Uni- accessibility, equity, and inclusion at the versity, in Georgia. Some will deny it, and University of Phoenix. others will panic, thinking you’re going to So even if you included a note on your treat them differently. She suggests saying: syllabus telling students to contact disabil- “If you’re struggling with food or housing, ity services at the start of the semester if these are the resources.” they needed an accommodation, a remind- “A lot of students are alone, or feel alone, er could help ensure they get the services and you want to give them clear, concise, they need, she says. reliable information,” she says. While students’ needs will differ, a good place to start is captioning videos and 8. Create opportunities for students to making sure that any material you post on- process the moment. In William Horne’s line is in an accessible format for a screen first-year seminar at Villanova University, reader, says Kristie Orr, director of disabil- the reading assignment for the first class ity resources for Texas A&M University that went online was John Steinbeck’s and president of the Association on Higher Cannery Row, which features an influen- Education and Disability. za epidemic. It was pure coincidence, but “We encourage universal design, but at Horne used it to get students talking about this point, with everything going online so how that fictional outbreak compared to fast,” that probably isn’t realistic, Orr says. the current one. Traditional discussion wasn’t possible 10. Assign self-care, and model it. Start a in the online format, so Horne recorded a lecture with a mindful moment, or share video prompt and asked students to record a mediation exercise with your students, their responses. suggests Laura Horne, of Active Minds. “Some of them were frustrated because, Task them to do one thing a week to pri- in their words, ‘the university kicked them oritize themselves, and report back what off campus,’” said Horne, who is married to it was. Laura Horne, of Active Minds. “A few said And take care of yourself, too. Take a the closures were important, as part of a break, take a walk, practice self-compas- mitigation strategy.” sion. In this unprecedented moment, when Jean Giebenhain, a professor of psy- so much is uncertain, says Rhodes, of chology at the University of St. Thomas, in Mount Holyoke, “you need to show grace to Minnesota, is working with the university your students and yourself.” •

#$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() 11 COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS ADVICE Let’s Add Compassion to Our Online Courses By KAREN J. HEAD

JOYCE HESSELBERTH FOR THE CHRONICLE

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() s the coronavirus crisis escalates, reframe your teaching approach. You ab- faculty members across the coun- solutely should be thinking about con- try are rushing to retool their tinuing to meet learning objectives. How- courses online. Given the emo- ever, you should also be thinking about tional and psychological toll of the the new challenges your students are fac- Achanges brought on by the pandemic, in- ing. Their biggest obstacle is likely to be tegrating empathy and compassion into access, so creating a variety of pathways our courses is now a critical part of the for completing assignments is crucial. work we must do. Again, students’ lives have been upended, Many of us, but definitely most tradi- and they are struggling to deal with all tional-aged college students, are about these changes. Access isn’t just a question to face losses unlike any we have ever of getting online, and students’ distrac- encountered. Whether that is the loss of tion or lack of interaction does not neces- life of people close to us, the loss of our sarily mean they are trying to game the own good health, the loss of income, the situation. Make it a new habit to assume loss of opportunity, or the loss of security good intentions. in ways large and small, all of us will be changed by Covid-19. The accompanying sense of insecuri- “ You don’t have to build a ty should be a focus of course redevelop- ment as we move to remote delivery, be- trapdoor for your students cause we need first to focus on the human to fall through. It’s your part of this experience. Students may not have access. They may be distracted by job to point out there’s a sick relatives. They may be forced to work to help their families financially. They hole in the ﬂoor.” may have to look after younger siblings. They may not have a safe place to live off campus. They may be ill themselves. Once we have considered the emotion- As the virus spreads, faculty members al elements of this crisis, faculty mem- have been discussing how to build ac- bers have many practical issues to nego- countability into their courses, and this tiate. Generally speaking, I think we have concerns me because that should not be expectations of what we hope students our first priority. Long ago, as a new grad- will learn. But even in face-to-face cours- uate student, I opted to participate in a es, we do not always consider whether teaching mentoring program. In an ear- changes in our course design could work ly workshop about designing courses, I better for students. Instructors who have made a rookie observation based on what been trained to regularly reflect on and I thought mattered most. In a nutshell, revise their teaching methods are prob- I worried about not letting students “get ably having an easier time pivoting on- away with anything” and making sure line. Even so, courses that were not origi- I was being rigorous enough. I was too nally designed for online delivery cannot naïve to understand that being rigorous seamlessly move into that space. is not synonymous with making sure stu- That was a lesson I learned in 2012, dents are not cheating. What my mentor when I taught one of the first massive said to me came to define my pedagogical open online courses in composition. That strategies: “You don’t have to build a trap- MOOC adventure forced me to navigate door for your students to fall through. It’s the challenges of teaching first-year writ- your job to point out there’s a hole in the ing, with qualitative feedback, to 22,000 floor.” students on six continents. In the same If evaluating your students is your way that MOOCs were unfairly seen at starting point in this new process, please that time as representative of all dis-

#$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() 13 COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS tance education, it is now unfair to com- clear about when and how students can pare crisis-response remote delivery to interact with you now that you aren’t on well-designed distance education. I have campus? spent the past few days telling my col- Sometimes the smallest gestures mean leagues to stop trying to “replicate” their the most. It doesn’t take much effort to courses online, because that simply isn’t send encouraging messages, for exam- possible. ple. Because it’s midterm, you and your We have to revise our teaching goals, students have already formed a com- assignments, and practices. We need to munity. What are some of the personal be prepared to fail in ways we have nev- themes that have arisen? I once taught er imagined. Everyone will have to em- a creative-writing course in which frogs brace flexibility — a lesson our team of became a frequent reference point, so ev- 19 learned quickly when designing that eryone began sharing funny frog photos MOOC. Despite months of careful plan- and videos. Some might argue that such ning, there were many problems we did things had nothing to do with the course. not anticipate, and, more important, However, this kind of bonding has every- problems we could not solve. Individu- thing to do with making people feel that al instructors, too, will have unsolvable they are part of something bigger. That problems. Show yourselves some of the makes them feel supported, which, in same kindness you offer your students. turn, helps them be more successful. This will take some trial and error. Faculty members are undoubtedly feel- By definition, words like distance and ing overwhelmed by all this adaptation, remote are antonymous with connec- because the work is neither quick nor tion. Restoring as much of a connection easy. One thing I found remarkable while as possible, as soon as possible, is critical teaching the MOOC was how proactive to the continuity of your course. Do what students could be. For example, some stu- you can to replace face-to-face interac- dents translated course materials into tions with ones that emphasize our hu- other languages, without being asked or man relationships with students. While rewarded. So consider this: Can you allow teaching the MOOC, I felt a deep sense of students to offer suggestions about how loss for the personal connections I would the course might operate more effectively never have with these students. I had nev- for everyone? I encourage you to try this. er stopped to consider how much I valued Again, it is a way to strengthen the sense those connections, or how much they val- of community. ued their own connections with me. That Making education work for the next experience made me refocus on the hu- few months is going to involve many sac- man elements of my practice. rifices, but you may also have some joy- Some instructors will naturally be more ous and illuminating moments. If we all comfortable interacting personally with begin from a place of shared humanity, their students, but each of us needs to if we’re careful to point out trapdoors to approach reframing our courses in ways one another, we can continue to help our that acknowledge our shared human- students keep learning — and learning is, ity. Begin by asking how you can low- after all, the goal we have always had. • er stress for everyone. Can you dispense with coursework that is really more about Karen J. Head is an associate professor in the keeping students busy? Can you break School of Literature, Media, and Communi- complex concepts into smaller modules? cation at the Georgia Institute of Technolo- Would daily updates be helpful, or would gy. Her book Disrupt This! MOOCs and the weekly digests be better? Do students Promises of Technology (University Press of need multiple ways to complete assign- New England, 2017), describes her experience ments? Can you be transparent about teaching a MOOC and the attendant pres- your own struggles so students trust that sures on professors to embrace new technolo- you’re all in this together? Are you being gies in the STEM era.

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 14 #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() ADVICE How to Help a Student in a Mental-Health Crisis By DAVID GOOBLAR

#$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() 15 COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS ISTOCK This essay includes advice on how faculty mem- includes faculty members, since we are reg- bers in a traditional setting can help spot men- ular fixtures in their lives over an extended tal-health problems among students. Some of it period and are in a position to notice when may not apply to the new, online-only world that has only recently become a reality — professors something’s not right. can’t see students’ distress as readily, or simply It’s the noticing that is crucial, Schreier hand them the phone to call the counseling of- said. You don’t have to diagnose a mental ill- fice. But faculty members remain, as always, on ness; you just have to recognize that some- the (now digital) front lines in their students’ lives one is in distress. That’s not as difficult as it —and some may find new ways to adapt as the might seem. Distress might manifest itself coronavirus pandemic plays out. as a downturn in a student’s hygiene. A student suddenly might start missing class or s faculty members, because we see failing to turn in assignments. Or someone our students on a regular basis, we who is normally alert and engaged might often can tell if they are struggling now be falling asleep in class. emotionally. Yet we’re not men- Those signs don’t require a lot of training tal-health professionals. Most of us to spot — they just require you to be paying Adon’t have the training to know how to offer attention. If you feel that something is going support and guidance to students who are on with a student, Schreier said, you’re prob- suffering with mental-health issues. So how ably right. “You’re going to notice distress. should we help? We often have an intuitive sense of that.” Anxiety, in particular, seems to be on the Trust that intuition. rise among undergraduates. The most recent data from the American College Health Step No. 2: Ask. So once you’ve noticed their Association suggest a mental-health crisis distress, what do you do next? Schreier is on American college campuses. In its 2017 adamant on this point: Ask them about it. survey of 26,000 undergraduates, 40 per- “Lean in on your students,” he said. “Lean in cent said that at some point in the previous and ask them about themselves. Help them 12 months they had felt “so depressed that tell their story a little bit.” it was difficult to function,” 61 percent had That doesn’t require much more than experienced overwhelming anxiety, and talking with a student after class. You can nearly 13 percent had seriously considered say something like, “Hey, you seem a lit- suicide. Those are worrisome numbers, and tle off these days. Is everything OK?” You many faculty members see the fallout in our can send an email. You can ask a student to classrooms every day. come by your office. The idea is to show con- To find guidance, I spoke with Barry Sch- cern and give the student a chance to talk reier, director of counseling services at the about the problem. Maybe it’s the usual stuff University of Iowa, where I teach. He has been working in campus mental health for 27 years, and maintains that instructors You don’t have to have a significant role to play in helping students with their mental health. He recom- diagnose a mental illness; mended a three-step response. you just have to recognize Step No. 1: Notice. Only about 15 percent that someone is in of students who have killed themselves on a college campus had any interaction with distress. their institution’s counseling service. At the same time, research strongly suggests that those who do attempt or complete sui- — academic stress, interpersonal drama, cide are telling people before they do it. not enough sleep. But maybe it’s not. Many “If they’re not telling the counseling cen- of us have a natural inclination to explain ter, who are they telling?” Schreier asked. away irregularities. It’s probably nothing, we “They’re telling the people they know.” That tell ourselves. And a lot of the time it is noth-

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 16 #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() ing. But, Schreier said, we have to push past them know you understand that college that inclination and reach out to students. is stressful sometimes, that there are re- They may feel uncomfortable opening up sources available, that they are not alone. to us. That’s their right. But we have to give them the chance. But isn’t it risky to get so personal with Let students know you our students? Won’t students feel as if we’re overstepping our bounds? understand that college While acknowledging that instructors is stressful sometimes, need to stay within the limits of their faculty role — don’t, for example, invite a struggling that there are resources student to come stay at your house — Sch- reier maintains that the risks of inaction are available, that they are far greater than the risks of action: “What’s not alone. the worst that could happen? The student might tell you, ‘Bug off. I can’t believe you asked me that.’ But I’d rather that was the case than the student vanishes because I asked Schreier if students ever men- something terrible has happened and then tioned to the counseling staff any specific you sit, thinking, ‘Dammit, I knew some- things that instructors did that were help- thing wasn’t right.’” ful, and he had a ready answer. He’s heard In short: Go out on a limb, show your stu- over and over again that when a faculty dents you care, and inquire when you notice member starts class by asking students potential distress. how they are, even briefly, it makes a difference. “They hear it,” he said. “Wheth- Step No. 3: Refer. Keep a piece of paper in er they answer you or not, they heard that your office with the phone numbers of rel- you did it. It means you’ve thought about evant mental-health and student-services them. You weren’t just thinking about the offices on the campus. Bookmark your insti- job you have to deliver.” tution’s counseling center. Be ready to point None of these steps require a lot of time students in the right direction. If necessary, or planning. You don’t need to be an ex- you can even call the counseling service pert in mental health to be able to look yourself, and hand the phone to the student. out for your students. You don’t need to Or you can walk the student there. A little radically change your syllabus, your les- preparation — just knowing what resources son plans, or your pedagogical approach. exist and how to seek them — can go a long You just need to care about your students, way toward being able to help if such a situ- invest a little time in preparation, and do ation arises. something if you notice that something is Like many instructors, I include informa- off. As the human face of your institution, tion about campus mental-health resources you are in the best position to connect stu- on my syllabi, along with a brief paragraph dents to the help they need. • telling students about the many people working on the campus to help take care of David Gooblar, a former lecturer in the rhet- them. I tell students on the first day of class: oric department at the University of Iowa, is These people’s jobs are to help you; that’s now associate director of Temple Universi- what they are here to do. There’s no shame ty’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching. in taking advantage of resources created He writes about teaching for The Chronicle. with you in mind. His new book, The Missing Course: Every- Instructors can do that basic step — ac- thing They Never Taught You About College knowledging in advance that students Teaching, was published in August by Har- might need help, and letting them know vard University Press. where to get it — even when students don’t show signs of distress, Schreier said. Let Originally published December 17, 2018

#$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() 17 COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS ADVICE

GETTY IMAGES How to Make Your Online Pivot Less Brutal By KEVIN GANNON

ell, this is not the semester I or- mal House, with me and my teaching cen- dered. ter collectively serving as the Kevin Bacon My university, like dozens of character screaming, “ALL IS WELL,” be- others, has decided to enact a fore getting trampled. “social distancing” policy, ef- In actuality, there’s a sense of calm de- Wfective after spring break. Any gathering termination on my campus — that, while over a handful of people is discouraged, or this is a crappy hand we’ve been dealt, has been canceled. All of our face-to-face we’ll play it the best we can for our stu- and blended classes will be moved into a dents and their learning. The stark reality fully online environment. I knew we were is there’s not really a blueprint for any of heading to this point, but I’m not sure this: “moving online” at such a scale, with what I expected. Honestly, I’d silently been breakneck speed, and often with merely preparing myself for something like the hours’ worth of advance notice. (Maybe parade stampede scene at the end of Ani- that’s why that movie scene was playing in

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 18 #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() my head.) tion” to our suddenly online instruction. So what do we do? How do we “pivot on- There will be well-meaning colleagues (and line” and — to put it bluntly — not have Chronicle columnists like me) who deluge it suck? How do we ensure that our stu- you with advice — Zoom! YouTube! Discus- dents are getting at least a modicum of the sion boards! Facebook Live! Semaphore! — learning experiences that our institutions and it will begin to feel overwhelming. Don’t promised them? And how do we do so as a overload your own capacity, as this is hard faculty which, in many quarters, has little work that we’re doing right now. to no experience teaching in a fully online Good pedagogy requires: environment? I wish I had easy answers. Yet it’s not • Regular, eﬀective, and compassionate impossible (really). From my perspective, communication with students. as both a faculty developer and an online • Flexibility to adapt to changing circum- teacher at a university making this pivot, stances. here are some suggestions for navigating • Transparency in course materials, like this new, very weird, normal: tests, assignments, and activities.

It’s OK to not know what you’re doing. Be- All three serve you well in your regular cause, honestly, none of us fully do. When teaching, and all the more so now. As you you think about moving your courses online pivot to an online learning space, those in this particular context, it’s easy for your principles should guide your specific deci- thought process to go straight to “I can’t sions about course materials, assignments, even keep up with email; how the hell am I activities, and other nuts-and-bolts aspects supposed to teach online now?” of the course. But you’re not alone in this endeavor, and there is much collective wisdom in places Keep it as simple, and accessible, as you like Twitter and other social media as mem- can. A sudden move from in-person to bers of the higher-ed community have of- distance learning is disruptive enough — fered to share resources, communication there’s no need to add to it by introducing plans, and a variety of tips and tricks. complicated, unnecessary tools and proce- Particularly useful is the “Keep Teaching” dures. community hosted by Katie Linder, exec- Start with what you’ve already been do- utive director for program development at Kansas State University, and her colleagues at the university’s Global Campus. You can What works for you will “follow” several groups within the community, including a faculty group that is al- be the product of your ready a lively exchange of ideas and support. own pedagogy, choices, On the local level, if your institution has a teaching-and-learning center, that should experiences, and be your first stop as you begin to transition your course. proficiencies.

Good teaching is good teaching. I don’t mean to be flippant, but that is a general ing online as a regular part of your course: truth, regardless of the mode of instruction. email, maybe various functions of your There is a nearly infinite number of ways campus learning-management system (such in which a course can be moved from an as Canvas), and perhaps Zoom or Skype vid- in-person to an online experience, and what eo-chatting. Those are your foundation for works for you will be the product of your going forward. If you add new digital tools, own pedagogy, choices, experiences, and be sure to provide your students with guid- proficiencies. There will be tons of ed-tech ance (detailed screenshot instructions, brief vendors marketing themselves as the “solu- tutorial videos) as to how to use them.

#$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() 19 COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS But what if you don’t even regularly use will become primarily asynchronous, for your institution’s LMS? You probably will example, while others may preserve an el- have to start. Your students will likely expect ement of synchronicity via video-confer- the LMS to be the “location” for this new in- encing tools. carnation of your course. There’s no uniformity to what all this will So start by contacting your campus LMS look like. You will have to improvise and administrator, and see what you need to adjust on the fly, as will your students. Be do to at least get going with the basics. If patient with yourself, your colleagues, and your institution is anything like mine, the your students. Your newly online courses LMS works with your student-information will be most successful if you acknowledge software to automatically create and popu- and work within this reality. late sites for each course section offered. So you may already have a course site ready to Online doesn’t have to mean imperson- go. Then it’s a matter of working with col- al. Most important, remember that teach- leagues who have online-teaching experi- ing and learning are inherently social acts, ence (or teaching-center staff and instruc- that this is an eminently human enterprise. tional designers) to decide on the best way As Sean Michael Morris, a senior instructor for you to proceed. in learning, design, and technology at the Whatever the case, be mindful that not University of Colorado at Denver, has said: all of your students will have access to high- When it comes to online education, teach speed internet if they’re not on the campus, through the screen, not to the screen. and some will likely be using their phones Technology doesn’t teach; teachers teach. as their primary digital device. At the very There are lots of tech tools out there, and least, ensure that what you’re doing is mo- they can do some pretty cool things — but bile-friendly. they’re still just tools. Ask yourself: How can As the variance in internet availability you use those tools to remain present with demonstrates, accessibility becomes an your students within the course? even more crucial consideration when we The best tool for a particular task isn’t move courses fully online. Captions, tran- always the newest, flashiest, or most scripts, and descriptive text should accom- elaborate one. Maybe email is the best pany media materials as much as possible, tool for you and students to chat. May- for example. The campus teaching cen- be it’s a WordPress blog or the discussion ter and disability-services office are go- board on your college’s LMS. Maybe it’s to sources for advice and support in this video-conferencing. area, and have a crucial role to play in any Your own experiences and proficiencies online pivot. will figure into your decisions, but so, too, should the tech capabilities of your students. Expect turbulence, change your flight plan Because the best tool is the one everyone accordingly. These are not the circumstanc- can use. Regardless of medium, remember- es any of us imagined teaching in when the ing to be human and allowing your students year began, and it’s useful to acknowledge to do the same is essential. that to both yourself and your students. Rec- I hope that the above principles provide ognize that it’s not a matter of if, but rather some useful guideposts for your efforts in when, you will need to rethink things like these unusual and trying circumstances. It grading, due dates, assignment design, and may be inaccurate to claim, as Kevin Bacon class participation. For a lot of us, a re-ex- did so frantically, that “all is well,” but if we amination of what we think we mean by commit to the important principles behind “rigor” is also in order. our work, perhaps it will be soon. • Online learning does not mean dumb- ing-down material. But it does mean that Kevin Gannon is a professor of history at your course material — as well as the ways Grand View University and director of its Cen- your students engage with it and learn ter for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. from it — will look different. Some courses His Twitter handle is @TheTattooedProf.

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 20 #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() ADVICE Small Changes in Teaching: Making Connections 3 ways that faculty members can help students link course content to the world around them

By JAMES M. LANG

DRAFTER123 stepped out into the backyard at 10 p.m. minds in discrete, isolated places. Connec- on a cold, crisp evening. While the dog tions that seem obvious to us may never took care of his business, my eyes wan- occur to them. New information and expe- dered up to the night sky and my mind riences do not automatically slot into the drifted to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem places where we (as the experts) might ex- I“Frost at Midnight”: “I was reared/In the pect them to go. And while we can help by great city, pent ’mid cloisters dim,/And saw giving students suggestions for how to or- nought lovely but the sky and stars.” I had ganize their knowledge and make connec- just taught the poem in my British-litera- tions, true learning occurs when students ture survey, and Coleridge’s depiction of the make new connections on their own. stars as a city-dweller’s lifeline to the natural world struck me with fresh intensity. The next morning I climbed onto the el- Small connections liptical in my basement for my thrice-weekly torture session, and started watching the between course material second episode of Run, a short-lived Brit- ish television series depicting life among and everyday life pop up London’s tough underclass. As I watched a all the time, in almost heartbreaking story about the fate of a recent immigrant to the city, I made a mental any course I teach in note to recommend the show to my survey students when we read Zadie Smith’s short my field. story “The Waiter’s Wife” later in the semester. Small connections between course mate- If we want students to develop expertise rial and everyday life pop up all the time, in in our fields, then, we have to help them almost any course I teach in my field. That thicken up the connections — from the first probably happens regularly to you, too, both week of the semester to the fifth, from the with your classes and your research proj- last course they took in our discipline to ects. When we are deeply embedded in our this one, from the course material to their intellectual pursuits, the world seems to ori- lives outside of class. The more connections ent itself around them. New connections they can create, the more they can begin to form continually. Reading the news, watch- formulate their own ideas and gain a wider ing our screens, talking with peers or our view of our fields. children — all of those things become mo- In this series on small teaching changes ments of potential connections with our dis- we can make to improve student learning, I ciplinary passions. wrote first about the moments before class That phenomenon, according to research starts and about the fi rst five minutes of class. in teaching and learning, is what separates Now let’s look at three easy ways that facul- you (an expert in your field) from your stu- ty can help students develop thicker webs of dents (novice learners in your field). connection with our course material. As the authors of How Learning Works argue, “One important way experts’ and nov- The commonplace book. One of the earli- ices’ knowledge organizations differ is the est methods that readers and scholars used number or density of connections among to create connections among the things the concepts, facts, and skills they know.” they knew was the commonplace book. A Experts have thick tapestries weaving to- unique combination of diary and scrapbook, gether all of the many things they know. commonplace books served as a reposito- New experiences are threaded easily into ry in which people could record passages that tapestry, continually expanding and re- from their favorite books, treasured quota- shaping it. tions and epigrams, inspirational Bible vers- By contrast, new learners tend to have in- es, recipes, thoughts, and almost anything formation, ideas, or skills lodged in their else that the person wanted to preserve or

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 22 #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() remember. They were such a useful and nections — and they might not get made at popular item that the English philosopher all — unless you ask for them. John Locke wrote a guidebook for commonplace-book writers. Social-media connections. If you don’t have Commonplace books can serve the same time in class for Connection Ten, try bump- function for students today as they did for ing the activity to social media. I have exper- people hundreds of years ago — helping imented with Twitter for this purpose in the them retain and connect what they know past, but you could also use Facebook, Ins- and what they are learning. You can ask stu- tagram, other social-media sites, or even the dents to use good old-fashioned notebooks discussion boards of your virtual learning or whatever digital platform you prefer (such environment. I like social media for this be- as Evernote). The random juxtapositions cause, as we all know too well, students have that happen when people keep common- their phones with them everywhere. Pop- place books not only helps with retention ping onto a course-specific social-media site and connection, but it can also spur creative to post something — or using a course-spe- thinking as students see course topics inter- cific hashtag on Twitter or Instagram — can secting with other ideas in new and original be done instantly when the connection oc- ways. curs to them. You could ask students to keep common- Build in a low-stakes assignment like this place books on their own time, but see if you throughout the semester, or offer it as an can reserve 10 minutes at the end of class participation option for quieter students. As- once or twice a week for a “Connection Ten” sign them to post one or two links a week to — 10 minutes in which students can make a connection they have observed or discov- entries in a course commonplace book, ei- ered. An economist might use Instagram to ther paper or electronic. Ask them to: ask students to post pictures of commerce in action from their daily lives; an environ- • Write down the most important thing mental scientist might ask students to post they learned that day, and why it matters to a class Facebook page their images and to them or to society. observations of interactions between the • List one way in which the day’s course natural and built environment of the cam- content manifests itself on campus or in pus; a mathematician might require stu- their home lives. dents to Tweet when they see math in ac- • Identify a television show, film, or book tion on television or film. (For more ideas, that somehow illustrates a course con- you can listen here to a great podcast about cept from class. the use of Twitter in college and university • Describe how today’s course material courses.) connects to last week’s. Make this a regular, low-stakes activity The more connections (i.e., collect their commonplace books once or twice a semester and give them a partici- they can create, the pation grade). Instead of ending class by trying to rush in one last point while students more they can begin to are packing up, use commonplace books to formulate their own ideas engage students directly one last time before the semester ends. and gain a wider view of If you have a few extra minutes, invite a handful of students to share their ideas. our fields. You will find yourself surprised — as I have many times in these conversations — at the fascinating connections that students make Here, too, set aside up to 10 minutes in between your course material and the world class once a week, throw the social-media around them. But you won’t hear those con- feed on the screen, and ask three or four stu-

#$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() 23 COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS dents to tell you what they posted. Having dents’ ideas and spend 10 minutes spelling them articulate the reasoning behind their out what the argument might look like. To posts helps deepen the connection for them. have a look at the messy but densely inter- connected weave of authors and concepts in The minute thesis. A dozen years ago I be- a British-literature course after playing the gan using an in-class exercise at the end of minute thesis, and another from a faculty the semester to help students see connec- development workshop, you can view two tions across the various works we had read. I samples on my blog. wrote the names of the seven novels we had read on the board in a single column. In a second column I wrote a list of themes from Reading the news, the books. I handed a marker to a student in the front watching our screens, row and asked her to walk up to the board and circle a single theme, and then draw talking with peers or our lines connecting that theme to two differ- children — all of those ent novels. Then I asked students to spend a minute thinking about a thesis that would things become moments explain how those two novels both connected to that theme. A brief silence ensued, and of potential connections then a tentative hand was raised and a ten- with our disciplinary tative student made a tentative statement. I praised the remark and asked for another passions. idea. More hands raised, more confidently, and more ideas emerged. After five or 10 minutes, I stopped the discussion and handed Deep knowledge is connected knowledge; the marker to another student, asking him to we have that as faculty members, and we circle a new theme and connect it to two dif- want it for our students. With an investment ferent novels, and the process began anew. of just a few minutes every class period, or Over the course of a class period, students even just one class period a week, you can created dozens of brief thesis statements help students see the stars of your course that connected the novels and themes in content in an entirely new light. • new and interesting ways. Later, many of the students took ideas they had expressed in James M. Lang is a professor of English and that class and developed them into their fi- director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching nal papers. Excellence at Assumption College in Worces- I use this brief little connection-build- ter, Mass. He is the author of Small Teach- ing activity in the final week of every class I ing: Everyday Lessons From the Science of teach now. The potential variations in how Learning. Follow him on Twitter at @Lan- you might conduct it are endless: Use three gOnCourse. columns instead of two. Have students create the columns. Selecting one of the stu- Originally published February 8, 2016

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 24 #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() RESOURCES How to Help Students Keep Learning Through a Disruption

By BECKIE SUPIANO

The following is from a recent issue of Teaching, a weekly newsletter from a team of Chronicle journalists. Sign up here to get it in your inbox on Thursdays. Below you’ll ﬁnd advice that colleges are giving students on how to keep learning during the coronavirus disruption, and links on ﬁnding the silver lining in social distancing.

his is shaping up to be a difficult — the library, say, or a coffee shop — and semester for students. Many will “see if you can recreate that at home. Maybe unexpectedly be completing some it’s studying in a chair, rather than on your or all of their coursework remote- bed or couch, or moving to a new spot when ly. They may have been encour- you change tasks. If you feel you need back- agedT or told to leave campus — which, ground noise, consider a white noise app.” for residential students, means much The guide also offers suggestions for stay- more than not being in the classroom. ing in touch with professors, classmates, and And, of course, they’re grappling with friends and family during what could be an the same broader uncertainty that the isolating time. rest of us are. Other guides, like this one from St. Jo- How can students keep learning at a seph’s College, in New York, and this one time like this? from Virginia Commonwealth University, A number of colleges have compiled emphasize the tools available to help stu- guides. Some make a point of acknowl- dents work remotely — and what to do if ac- edging the stress that students are un- cessing them is a challenge. Virginia Com- der, both in general and when it comes monwealth’s guide describes how students to their classes. “With so many things can purchase or check out a laptop. It also changing in your courses, you might be makes a point of directing students to other reliving that first-week-of-class confusion campus resources, including their academic at finals-week pace,” says a resource from adviser and counseling services. It reminds the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor’s students that there’s lots of misinformation Center for Academic Innovation. about Covid-19 floating around, and en- Michigan’s guide encourages students courages them to get their news on the topic to organize what they need to do for each from the university’s website. course, make a schedule, and avoid mul- Supporting students, of course, is about titasking. “Your study habits may need to more than mechanics. The tone of these change,” it emphasizes near the top. Stu- kinds of messages matters a lot. Virginia dents might consider the sort of environ- Commonwealth emphasizes that it “aims to ment in which they usually prefer to study approach all aspects of academic continuity

#$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() 25 COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS with ﬂexibility, care, compassion, kindness, we ‘pivot online’ and — to put it bluntly — creativity, and positivity.” not have it suck?” Michigan ends its guide with a reminder that the situation won’t last forever. “If Covid NOT ALONE has disrupted your travel plans, ended a For many of us, this period has been an lab experiment you were excited about, or adjustment, with reduced human contact for any reason feels like it came at the worst and disrupted routines. In times like these, possible time, remember: this is temporary. there can be some comfort in witnessing ex- You’ll ﬁnd your way when it settles down. amples of the triumph of the human spirit. You’ll get back on track, and things will get Or, perhaps, the penguin spirit. back to normal. We don’t know when, but it Mary Wessel Walker, an executive assis- will happen. Until then, take a deep breath, tant in the Jean & Samuel Frankel Center for do your best, get some rest, and wash your Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan hands.” at Ann Arbor — and my lifelong friend — Are you conducting or preparing for emer- shared a couple of videos that have been go- gency online teaching? What kinds of ques- ing around about how folks are making the tions and concerns have you heard from most of life in quarantine. Enjoy. students, and how are you responding? Let me know, at [email protected], • From Italy and your example may be included in a fu- • From Chicago ture newsletter. Thanks for reading Teaching. If you have SUPPORT FOR INSTRUCTORS suggestions or ideas, please feel free to email By this point, professors who’ve been us: [email protected], beckie.su- called upon to shift quickly to remote in- [email protected], or beth.mcmurtrie@ struction may feel awash in suggestions chronicle.com. — and outright sales pitches from ed-tech vendors. Love the Teaching newsletter? Recommend For anyone looking for a place to start, I’d it to a friend. Want to learn more about The suggest the Chronicle advice piece (see page Chronicle’s coverage of teaching and learn- 18) from Kevin Gannon, a professor of his- ing? Read this. Have questions about the tory at Grand View University and direc- newsletter? Read this FAQ. Past issues are tor of its Center for Excellence in Teaching available here. and Learning. Gannon works through a response to this pressing question: “How do Originally published March 19,2020

COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS 26 #$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() Learning From Crisis

Although nothing could have prepared colleges for an event on the scale of the coronavirus pandemic, past crises in academe — natural disasters, racist violence, campus shootings, and opioid deaths, among others — may oﬀer some guidance on how faculty members and their colleges can support students during extraordinary times. Following are excerpts from Chronicle articles that examine how institutions have coped.

How to Lead in a Crisis who contacted me with questions such as, When are the white supremacists coming Scott Cowen served as president of Tulane back? When they come back, what measures University during Hurricane Katrina. does the university have in place to guaran- eeping in touch via technology is criti- tee the safety of my child? cal. Videoconferencing and messaging I felt as if I was a part of a community of Ktools and apps, as well as social media, individuals and institutions addressing play a big role in bringing a campus clos- these issues. I did not feel isolated. The his- er together in times like these. The college tory department decided, for example, to leadership has to establish a rhythm of have a series of conversations and forums communication that responds to the dif- related to matters of race and social jus- ferent needs of various stakeholder groups tice. The forums ranged from conversations in terms of frequency, format, and channel about the history of racism on Grounds, of communication. And while community- black-student protest, and anti-Semitism to wide communication from the top is es- matters of racism related to fraternities and sential, institutions should also ensure that sororities. The idea was to provide a space groups within the larger campus commu- for intellectual engagement, for healing, and nity — such as individual programs, clubs, also for students to get answers to questions and student organizations — remain in that they had. close dialogue and ﬁnd ways to still pursue Originally published August 9, 2018 their interests and plans. Originally published March 16, 2020 What to Say After a Student Dies Catherine Shea Sanger is interim director of A UVa Historian Talks About the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Yale- Charlottesville’s White-Supremacist NUS College, a liberal-arts college in Singa- Rally a Year Later pore established in 2011 by Yale University Claudrena Harold, a professor of African and the National University of Singapore. She American and African studies and history is also a lecturer at the college. at the University of Virginia, spoke to The n these moments of grief and bewilder- Chronicle about the campus climate at her ment, faculty members are left wondering institution on the anniversary of a deadly Ihow to proceed on a more intimate scale: event. What should I say in class today? Should ne of my primary concerns going back I acknowledge what happened? Should I to Grounds [a term used at UVa in the give everyone an extension? Should I cancel Oplace of “campus”] in August was the class? safety of my students. There were students Here is some language you might use as returning who had real concerns. There a starting point: “In light of our communi- were parents of African American students ty loss I wanted to conﬁrm that I do plan on

#$% &$'()*&+% (, $*-$%' %./&0#*() 27 COPING WITH CORONAVIRUS holding class tomorrow. Some of you might wonders how things might have been differ- have apprehensions or discomfort about ent if, on that July afternoon, there had been coming to class. I will, too. While recogniz- a place where he could have gone to sit and ing that possibility, my recommendation is feel, even for just that moment, a little less that if you can, you do come. Learning to- alone. gether is what we are here to do, and I be- Originally published October 6, 2018 lieve we will be able to move forward better if we do so together. If during class you feel you need to take a break please do so — you Coping With Trauma: can step out, have a water, walk around What a Psychologist Learned at the courtyard, come back, and that is per- Virginia Tech Could Help Northern fectly fine. And of course, if you are feeling Illinois very overwhelmed and need to take a break from classes, I understand but do ask that Russell T. Jones, a psychologist at you contact your [academic dean, residen- Virginia Tech who studied people’s responses tial-hall director, or other support staff] and after the 2007 shootings there, discussed what copy me so I know that you are getting ap- he learned from that tragedy, and what propriate care. If you have individual con- another university could expect after cerns about attendance or anything else, experiencing a mass shooting. please let me know.” he first thing is to provide safety and Originally published October 24, 2017 stability on campus,” he said. Then “Tcomes the job of letting students know that help is available. ‘We’re Going to Do This’ “At Virginia Tech, we had two counselors available in each classroom right away,” he How a determined mother helped a said. “Our counseling center was open 24 community college, devastated by opioids, hours a day. And we gave out pamphlets ex- plaining normal reactions of distress follow- After Anne Seaman’s son, Stuart Moseley, died ing frightening events.” of an overdose, she worked to help other stu- It’s essential, Mr. Jones said, to create a dents avoid a similar fate. culture “where kids know it is OK to share n an August afternoon, Anne stands in their stories, their feelings, their thoughts. a small, rectangular room in a build- This can happen in dorm rooms, in coffee- Oing on campus and digs around in a houses, in churches.” And, of course, with toolbox. It is three days before the fall term mental-health providers. This culture, Mr. begins and just over a year since Stuart’s Jones said, helps provide the crucial sense of death. social support. The college has named the room the Re- The administration also needs to speak with set, envisioned as a gathering place for stu- professors. “You must make sure they are even dents who are in recovery or who want to be. more sensitive to students’ needs during this Above all, it’s meant to ease the isolation felt distressing time,” he said. “If a student begins by students struggling to get out from under missing classes, that could be a sign of trouble. addiction. There will be a volunteer or facul- Professors need to call the student’s adviser, ty member in the room at all times. and start reaching out.” Stuart wanted to get better, and Anne Originally published February 19, 2008

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