I think this summarizes my online teaching experience extremely well.

I had prepared myself for my role as the facilitator for my online discussion. I had read all the articles, pulled the main points to review, and developed questions to encourage discussion. I had the idea in my head that for every question I asked, all 15 students would raise their hands and have great answers. Then other students would discuss what the first had answered. Boy, was I wrong.

I logged on Carmen Connect around 7:30 p.m. and was met by the instructor by 7:40. She and I got on the same page as far as how the 30 minutes would go. Soon enough, students started logging on and suddenly, the nerves set in. I did not know what to expect. I knew that I had lots of material prepared, and wanted to give students plenty of opportunities to participate.

I introduced myself to the students and began to briefly review the material. I had my notes by my side in case I got flustered and needed a reminder. I discussed my first topic and provided the students with a scenario, and asked how they would handle it. After no one raised their hand to answer, I read that students had not heard the question. When I repeated the question, one student gave an answer, but no one could hear her. This issue continued through the night. I kept pausing to make sure students could hear me when I expected responses but did not get them. Students could not get their webcams to work, could not hear me at times, and could not hear each other at times. Toward the end, we broke out into groups with a multi-part question for students to answer. I thought I could hop between rooms and guide them in the right direction. Unfortunately, I was placed in one breakout group with a couple of undergrad students and one of my classmates. I guided them in the right direction, but was unable to help all of the groups.

I picture many students (and myself) looking like this at times:

The session had positives and negatives. I think I focused more on the negatives because I was so bummed that it did not go exactly how it was planned. I think one of my weaknesses in this session was being unable to go with the flow. I felt that there were topics I had to get to so that I could ask the questions, but did not quite know how to respond when it was not going to plan. I think this is an important lesson for teaching online, because things ARE going to happen. We just have to work with them. I do think that I was well prepared for the session and provided a brief review of the material without boring the students. I focused on main points, and then gave students a chance to provide their insights based on their new knowledge.

Online teaching is a new challenge. It was my first time in the ‘role’ of the instructor, so it felt like a lot of pressure. I am not sure that online teaching is for me after this activity. I like to be in control of situations, and I think that is easier in person than online. Some things are just beyond our control, so we just have to..

In large lectures, there is very little verbal communication between the instructor and the students. Although dental hygiene classes are often around 30 people, some people may still not want to speak up and ask questions. The muddiest point and one minute papers are ways for students to reflect on the material presented, without speaking out loud.

I do not want my students to feel like this:

Bogged down with questions. Not understanding new material. Not being comfortable enough to ask for clarification or expansion.

As stated in one of the UNC Center for Faculty Excellence paper, the minute paper is an active learning technique. It takes very little time, but allows for the instructor to evaluate their effectiveness and make changes if need be. In the same way, the muddiest point is designed to evaluate what parts of the lecture may have been unclear.

Another section of UNC’s article discusses the best times to engage students. Students are often more willing to pay attention and participate in the first ten minutes and the last five to ten minutes. It is best to present new information at the beginning of the class. This supports my idea of beginning classes with short lectures, presenting new material, and closing by reviewing material from the class.

In my classroom, I would combine the one minute paper and muddiest point. I may allow students to have about 5 minutes to free write, and give them prompts. I may ask them to point out 3 key facts from the new material, connect new material to previous knowledge, list 2 topics from the last week that remain unclear, etc. These writing activities will be great ways for me to possibly identify a common topic that needs to be further explained, or can help me identify what a particular student may need a little one-on-one attention.

The down side to writing activities.. I can think of a few. This is a completely self-guided activity, and involves a lot of thought on the student’s part. As an instructor, I can only take as much from the activity as the students give to me. If students do not put effort into the activity, it could hinder my evaluation of my whether I am being an effective instructor or not.

I know as a student, I was always anxious to get out of class as soon as I could. I would be afraid students could not see the benefit of these activities. However, as an instructor, I am confident that I could explain how it will help them and myself. I think after they receive feedback from the first one and realize it helps them, they will be more willing to put effort into it. One of the writing prompts could even involve what they like about the class and what they would change.

Student writing activities can help both students and instructors identify strengths and weaknesses. I will know if my activities are effective based on what students write and how they reflect their knowledge on exams and in clinic. I will feel successful if there is a common muddy point among many students in one lesson, and by the next activity, they can point out key facts of the same point. It is all about student learning.

So this is what I picture as a typical classroom:

A large, cold room with rows of tables and everyone facing toward one person in the front of the room.

However, I was lucky to have one of my favorite undergraduate courses here:

The Gateway Film Center. Located on the south end of the OSU campus, the theater is known for cheap movies, serving food and alcohol during movies, and being connected to one of the area’s most popular night spots.

It was Autumn quarter 2010, my first quarter of freshman year at Ohio State. I was extremely confused when I saw on my syllabus that the class location for my Psychology 100 course was film room 3. I was SURE I was on my way to the wrong place on the first day. When I got there, everyone was asking each other, ‘Are you here for Psych 100?’. Indeed, we were all confused but in the right place. Dr. Chowdhury, or Monali as we called her, was an incredible instructor. She made me want to go to class because it was always fun. Psychology was a topic I quickly became interested in, so I enjoyed lecture. Her PowerPoint slides, videos, and discussion questions were projected on the movie screen, as we sat back in the comfy reclining seats. If we forgot breakfast, we could go to the concession area and find a nice muffin or hot sandwich.

“Good teachers do not merely ‘deliver content’ to students, but wake them up, throw them on their feet, and pull the chair away.” (Brown, 2010)

From this first line in the UNC Effective Lecturing article, I know that this is what the presenter did, and this is what needs to be done in the classroom. I think lecture is the foundation and the basis of knowledge in any classroom. The basics have to be presented, and then active learning can occur. I do not think it can be completely removed from any classroom. In my classroom, I picture myself beginning most courses reviewing any assignments to be completed prior to the session first. A short lecture will follow with new material and a discussion of new concepts that may need further explanation. The key is to keep it short, about 20 minutes.. Maybe 30 depending on the topic. Following a short break (5-10 minutes) if the class period is long, this is the time to “pull the chair away”. It is time to engage students in activities and step into the facilitator role, rather than a lecturer. I think it especially important in dental hygiene to follow the guideline in the UNC article about linking old information to new. Dental hygiene all ties together, so I think students can discover these ties in the discussion/activity time.