Here we go again!

by Ben Dolan

It's the end of August, a new school year has started, and we continue to function under the shadow of coronavirus. I hope to continue sharing information on this blog to document how my teaching has evolved and how I continue to reach my students during the pandemic. The document I share below outlines my approach to teaching this semester and was sent to students prior to the first day of classes. 

My university has opted for in-person classes, but has limited the number of students that can be present in a classroom. My colleagues are taking a variety of approaches, including hybrid and hyflex, and my approach has developed as a result of my experiences last spring and though training and workshops I've attended over the last few years.

I'm crossing my fingers things go smoothly!

Special Course Considerations for Fall 2020

A message from Dr. Dolan concerning his courses this Fall:

Managing the COVID pandemic on a community scale necessitates some changes to how we live and learn. To help reduce the spread of contagious disease, the University of Findlay has implemented many safety and health protocols, which can be read on the University’s Start Safe & Stay Safe website. In addition to University requirements, my courses will follow additional practices that provide flexibility to learn while reducing our impact on the spread of coronavirus, as well as reducing our individual risk of contracting COVID-19. I also anticipate that during the semester, a small, yet significant proportion of us will need to stay home for large chunks of time to care for ourselves or for others.

My responsibility as a professor is to teach you the subject material and provide experiences that guide you to a deeper understanding of the problems and questions biologists seek to answer. I’d prefer to do that as I always have with face-to-face classes, field trips, and group activities, yet my concerns about COVID-19 compels me to think differently about how to teach. I have spent substantial time over the last several months reading about online teaching, as well as taking workshops in a variety of subjects to experience online learning from a students’ perspective. I am gaining a better understanding of how I can use technology and small-group tutorials to enhance your learning experience, while also keeping in mind the high cost of tuition and our role in coronavirus spread. My promise is that I will work hard to teach you how to think like a biologist and provide you the individual attention you expect as a student at UF.

For the upcoming semester, all lectures will follow a hybrid format that combines independent online learning with small-group tutorials. Course materials and assignments will be posted on Canvas on a weekly basis and will follow a predictable routine. You will work through activities on your own time and submit assignments on a weekly basis. Much of the work will be done independently, though some activities are planned for small groups. All courses could be completed entirely online if that becomes necessary as a response to coronavirus spread or for any other reason. This is a significant shift for me: I have always valued time in class with students for teaching and learning.

To augment online work and enhance your learning, you will meet with me on a weekly basis during a small group tutorial. Your tutorial will occur during one of our regularly schedules course times and they will be in-person or online, as the situation demands. The tutorial will be a back-and-forth discussion between you, your classmates, and me. I will help you understand difficult material, test the limits of your knowledge, and work with you to develop hypotheses for novel questions. I look forward to lively, engaging conversations, which will be guided by reflections, essays, or assignments that you prepare in advance. 

Lab courses and activities will be similarly modified. You will be assigned to a group of 2-3 students with whom you will work throughout the semester. If you are in a concurrent lecture and lab taught by me (e.g. BIOL331 and BIOL331L) your lab group will also be in your tutorial. To reduce touch-points among students, labs will be modified to reduce the amount of time in the laboratory. Labs may include 1-2 hours of independent preparatory work at home, followed by an hour in the laboratory. You may be assigned a specific start time within the regularly scheduled lab period, or you may be allowed to conduct the activity on your own time, particularly if it’s a field-based lab.

Special course considerations

BIOL150L

This lab will make use of prepared kits that can be used in the laboratory or at home. All lab instructors for this course intend to have you work in the laboratory, but materials can be taken home if necessary. Keep an eye out for announcements on Canvas about lab details.

BIOL298

This course meets only once weekly, making it more difficult to meet in small groups on a weekly basis. Instead of weekly meetings, the course will be divided into modules, and you will meet with me in a small group at least once per module. All assignments are due weekly, but they will be repeatable. Thus you could resubmit an already completed assignment after getting feedback in your tutorial. I will also be available for individual meetings by appointment. Students can complete this course entirely online if desired.

BIOL331 and BIOL331L

You will be assigned a group that will be used for lecture and lab activities. Labs will be conducted primarily on your own time, sometimes individually, sometimes with your group. A few labs will need to be done at the Rieck Center, and you will be responsible for your own transportation. If this is impractical for you, then we will modify the activities as needed. Several lab activities will last the entire semester and will conclude with a final presentation.

BIOL430

This course will include a service project that you can contribute to on your own time, either with your small group or independently. The service project will be on campus or at the Rieck Center, but if campus closes during the semester, I will modify the project for you to complete at home.