Friday Fragments, Jan. 8th
Pandemic impacts on grades, research on camera use, Spoon Theory, and talking to students about civic unrest.
What I’m reading/watching…
InsideHigherEd reports survey results of 14,000 undergraduates show that the Pandemic Negatively Affected Grades This Fall:
About 85 percent of respondents said the pandemic had a negative effect on their performance. Another 9 percent said the pandemic didn't affect their performance, and about 5 percent said the pandemic had a positive influence on their performance.
Researchers at Cornell University used student surveys in their remote synchronous biology classes to address students’ use of cameras, and share their accepted paper, Why students do not turn on their video cameras during online classes and an equitable and inclusive plan to encourage them to do so.
[S]ome students revealed to us that social norms also play a role in camera use. This information was used to develop strategies to encourage –without requiring– camera use while promoting equity and inclusion. Broadly, these strategies are to not require camera use, explicitly encourage usage while establishing norms, address potential distractions, engage students with active learning, and understand your students’ challenges through surveys. While the demographics and needs of students vary by course and institution, our recommendations will likely be directly helpful to many instructors and also serve as a model for gathering data to develop strategies more tailored for other student populations.
It’s impossible to ignore the fact that, on top of the ongoing and increasing concerns around the pandemic’s impacts on our students, this week in America was a doozy. I shared some resources for negotiating challenging conversations with our students & colleagues just before the November election, and it seems that these might be just as relevant now.
Randi Weingarten (American Federation of Teachers union president) shared an extensive Twitter thread of resources for educators that might also helpful:
If you’re interested in incorporating lessons or activities to explain spoon theory and what it's like to live with a chronic illness/disability, SpoonTheory has a nice list on their webpage. I’m far from an expert in this area, and have found reading about spoon theory to be helpful in developing my own understanding and empathy.
Happy reading!