Fontbonne Faculty Get Creative with Online Learning

When Fontbonne moved classes online in March, faculty quickly adapted to the new distance learning environment. Previous assignments were reimagined for an online context as instructors got creative with their syllabi.

Teaching (and Learning) from Home

Work by Fine Arts instructor Tony Borchardt

Tony Borchardt, an instructor in the Fine Arts department, found himself faced with the challenge of teaching ceramics students wheel throwing techniques online. Although he had been encouraged by friends to film his process in the past, he never wanted to before COVID-19. Now, with a class of students who couldn’t stand beside him in the ceramics studio, he realized it was time to learn a new skill — video production.

“It was an area I never thought I would get into,” says Borchardt. “I started by creating weekly assignments that focused on videos I made. I created many new and updated PowerPoints to get the information needed to my students, and this was a big benefit to really refocus on the information in the PowerPoints to make sure they had all the details and not just a shortened rendition.”

In the Math and Computer Science Department, instructor Lauren Miller began spitting out screencasts for her algebra and statistics courses at an astonishing rate. Just since the advent of COVID-19, she has produced over 100 concise, engaging instructional videos on her YouTube channel.

“I wanted to be able to continue to support my students,” Miller says. “These videos are a great tool that can be used by my students for online or in-person classes.”

Family and Consumer Sciences instructor Dena French also had to rethink her approach to the dietetics internship class.

Refashioned T-shirt by a student in Ruth Adikorley’s fashion merchandising class

“Normally, I would serve as a facilitator for the internship by introducing them to their site preceptors and grading their projects,” says French. “However, with limited site availability due to the COVID-19 pandemic I am also providing alternative and simulation projects that are designed to provide experiences similar to those they would obtain at sites. These include case studies for clinical experience, newsletters and social media posts for community experience and creating a menu for a home meal service and consumer waste study for food service management experience.”

Ruth Adikorley’s fashion merchandising classes also had to find new ways to learn about apparel construction, production and evaluation. Since most of the students didn’t have sewing machines at home, she created a project that could be completed with limited equipment.

“I gave a refashioned project in my sewing class that required students to use a T-shirt and transform it into another garment using three other materials,” Adikorley says. “It was so interesting to see the final results!”

Staying Connected

Knowing the importance of maintaining a connection with students, many faculty members have also been holding virtual office hours and advising sessions.

“It really helped me to be able to see their faces, and for them to see mine,” says Mary Beth Ohlms, a professor in Family and Consumer Sciences.

In addition to virtual office hours and advising appointments, Ohlms gave students the opportunity to practice their final presentations with her over Zoom before they presented to the class. Five of her students took advantage of the offer, and she helped walk them through logging in and sharing their screen, answering any questions they had along the way.

“Two of those were non-traditional students with less technology experience,” Ohlms says. “They did a wonderful job — I was so proud of them.”

Asynchronous Learning

Some classes chose to move to an asynchronous format, where they watch lectures and complete assignments on their own time, while others decided to continue with synchronous learning — simply transitioning from an in-person classroom to a virtual one.

Instructor James Fortney’s gender communication class was scheduled to meet one night a week, and when classes moved online, they decided to shift to an asynchronous approach. Fortney held office hours during the regularly scheduled class time and used discussion boards to facilitate interaction between students.

“Online discussion boards are a wonderful conversion option for face-to-face discussions, particularly in communication courses,” he says. “It was exciting to see every student contribute original ideas to each week’s discussion and then react to posts made by other students.”

In Lisa Oliverio’s English classes, all of the coursework shifted to videos, screencasts and PowerPoints. She also hosted optional weekly meetings via Zoom, allowing students to check in, discuss readings and assignments and enjoy each other’s company.

“My central focus in transitioning courses online was to create a space for community and a sense of normalcy in a moment when we are isolated and experiencing chaos,” Oliverio says. “In recognition of the rapid changes many students are experiencing, my key goal was flexibility.”

Moving Forward

While the transition to online learning wasn’t always easy, Fontbonne’s faculty rose to the challenge.

“I learned that even a professor who is retiring in one year can adapt and teach online,” Ohlms says. “I feel like I worked harder because I didn’t want to let my students down. I wanted them to have a true Fontbonne experience.”

Even though teaching online was a new experience for many faculty members, they knew what mattered most: staying organized, building community, communicating frequently and teaching compassionately.

“I don’t feel we lost anything by moving our courses online,” says instructor James Fortney. “This experience has made me much more open to teaching communication courses online in the future.”

Meet the Faculty

In between making videos, hosting Zoom sessions and grading assignments, our faculty have found some pretty interesting ways to make use of their time in quarantine. Find out what a few of them have been up to below!