My COVID Teaching Set-Up

For the past couple of weeks, I have been refining my teaching set up during the ongoing “you-know-what.” At my small liberal arts college in upstate NY, we are trying to be all things to all people. If students want to stay home and take classes virtually (the Virtuals as I affectionally call them), they can. If they want to be in class, no problem. If they want to take courses that are online and in class, well, we can accommodate that as well. And to make things even more exciting and fun, students can change their minds at any time during the semester and we will adapt to quarantine, sudden health issues, or the unexpected discovery of life on Mars. You never know. Whatever happens, we've got you covered.

Like most smaller colleges, we don't have the resources (read money) to provide streaming and a high tech infrastructure to make these accommodations seamless. Faculty have at their disposal the googles to help us accomplish this feat, and that's about it. If you are one of the lucky ones, your college has invested in a Zoom account (the free version doesn’t cut it). Either way, for us nerds, this semester allows us to rise to the occasion and geek out.

I realize your mileage may vary, but here is my set up for fall 2020.

Computer: Our classrooms are all connected with run-of-the-mill PCs, vintage 1923. That doesn't work for me. I'm rocking a newer Macbook Pro 13in with an i7 processor and a 500gig SSD. It packs a punch and is capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound.

Software: Installed on the Macbook Pro is Keynote for presentations and Zoom for talking to the Virtuals. I also use Screenflow, a screen capturing software for making screencasts. I'll save that for another post.

CMS: Our college uses Moodle, an open-source CMS or Course Management System - think free version of Blackboard. Moodle is clunky and not particularly "delightful" to use, but it gets the job done, for the most part. Moodle is where I store documents from syllabi to readings and assignment prompts. I also collect materials from students on Moodle. Beyond that, I do my best to stay away from it.

Communication: Communication with students during this “you-know-what” is key to helping them have a “normal” experience as a college student. I can't overestimate the importance of a solid communication workflow. And for communication, e-mail doesn't cut it. These days, our email inboxes are overflowing with so many useless messages that it makes it hard to get through the clutter. Instead, I use Slack as my primary communication hub for all my classes. Slack is an awesome tool for group/team communication, individual communication, discussions, and water cooler chit-chat. Slack’s app integration provides easy access to many other tools from Google Drive and Dropbox to Doodle and Simple Poll. Slack is head and shoulders above any other communication hub I’ve used — including Google Classroom (meh!). For backup communication (did I mention that communication is key?), I use Remind a texting system that communicates directly with students in their messaging app.

Assessment: For exams, quizzes and the like (I am a history professor), I use Socrative. With Socrative, professors can give students (both the classroom students and the Virtuals) exams or quizzes which they can take on their computers or smartphones either at an appointed time or asynchronously. A free tip for assessment: stress less about cheating. An over obsession with cheating will not solve the problem (cheaters will cheat) and it will create an environment of law enforcement rather than a relational environment conducive to education. Just take a deep breath and, as Queen Elsa says, "Let it Go."

Hardware: In addition to my Macbook pro, I use a Bluetooth microphone headset, the LG Tone Ultra Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Neckband. My wishlist: Apple Airpods Pro. This headset allows me to communicate via Zoom while moving around in the classroom. For video, I use a Logitech high def webcam hooked up to a tripod in the class. Make sure your webcam can hook into a tripod. This set up allows the Virtuals to be in class (visually if they choose) even if they are at home. I usually set the tripod in front of the class so that they can see students. Another option is to put the tripod in the back of the class facing the front. You achieve this either with a long USB cable (not recommended) or by staging a student in the back row with the webcam, logged into Zoom. Finally, I use a Bluetooth speaker --the Anker Soundcore--connected to my Macbook Pro. This set up allows for clear communication in the class and the battery life on this speaker is outstanding.

My setup requires carrying a few extra supplies to the classroom and a few additional minutes for set up. If you attempt something like this, give yourself plenty of time to get things up and running. The students will really appreciate the effort. And it helps to make “You-know-what” a bit more tolerable.

Now it's time to geek out!