She pointed to a paper on remote learning by the University of Illinois Springfield’s Karen Swan, who wrote, “In face-to-face classrooms, instructors and students can negotiate meaning in real time. In asynchronous learning, this kind of negotiation of meaning is not possible.”
Hockenbary encouraged teachers to focus on equity, student data privacy, consistency and clarity, and creating self-directed learners.
She shared that while these goals are important for in-person learning, they become critical during online learning. “You must be more thoughtful and strategic with online learning,” she said.
Consider How Access Impacts Engagement
When teaching in an online learning environment, teachers must think about access. “Typically, when we talk about equity, we don’t often talk about the quality of a student’s device,” Hockenbary said. “But they could have low processing speeds, which becomes a problem when asking them to do multiple things on their devices.”
She noted that student access to broadband is its own access issue. She said if students are not participating in class, teachers must find out where the breakdown in engagement is occurring, as it could be due to a lack of access, not a lack of interest.
KEEP READING: Schools and states continue seeking connectivity solutions for students.
Reduce Confusion with Consistency and Clarity
Using multiple digital tools can create another roadblock to student engagement online. Hockenbary encourages teachers to use no more than two digital home base tools or digital hubs for K–12 learning.
She added that the online learning environment makes it more important than ever for teachers to be clear and consistent. She said she encourages online teachers to create routines and to be consistent and organized in how they manage student materials.