From YouTube-hosted lectures to gamifying the classroom, The Learning Curve is a series showcasing how course instructors in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies are embracing the online learning environment with creative approaches to teaching remotely.
In the latest instalment, Tsvetanka Karagyozova, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, tells us about the creative measures she鈥檚 taking to keep economics students studying kilometers apart connected to the classroom and each other.
How are you embracing remote teaching?
This term I am part of a team of five economics professors led by Professor Gordana Colby, our course coordinator, who teach a newly redesigned course. Lectures are delivered asynchronously by the most experienced member of our team, Professor Avi Cohen, and each large section of the class is divided into three smaller groups for weekly 45-minute synchronous, instructor-led seminars.
The goal of these seminars is to give students a taste of economics in action rather than reiterate the material covered in the pre-recorded lectures. One of my favourite active learning activities that I employ in my classroom are online experiments. I鈥檝e substituted the in-class games I would typically run with , a leading experimental economist at the University of Virginia. These online games offer students a chance to gain hands-on experience of how actual markets reach equilibrium, how changes in demand and supply affect the equilibrium price and quantity, and the way price controls affect the market.
These online experiments have students in my classroom really engaged and excited about the course material. It鈥檚 been fascinating to witness the activity in our virtual market and read the chat messages students exchange over Zoom.
How has the online learning environment changed your teaching style?
Fostering聽a sense of belonging is very challenging in the current global pandemic, particularly for international students who were not able to travel to Canada.聽With聽the聽Department of Economics聽being聽home to聽the largest number of聽international聽students in the Faculty,聽I鈥檝e聽made聽an聽effort to reach out to them and convey the message that they鈥檙e聽an integral part of聽the聽91亚色 community.聽
As an icebreaker at the beginning of the term, I聽played our cheery聽鈥淲elcome to 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Economics鈥澛爒ideo聽鈥斅燼聽production聽which聽shares聽nuggets of wisdom from current聽students聽and alumni聽to聽first-years.聽It聽was wonderful to play the video on the first day of classes and to see聽all聽the messages of appreciation flood the Zoom chat.聽
While the video was predominantly intended to welcome our聽incoming聽students,聽it was also an opportunity to reach out to聽current聽students and alumni, send a message of support and聽enable them to contribute to our community聽in a meaningful way. I hope the project聽contributes聽to building聽intergenerational links among our students聽which, further down the road, can facilitate students鈥櫬爐ransition from聽an聽academic to聽a聽professional life.聽聽
What has been the biggest challenge of remote teaching?
Engaging students in a large classroom is challenging, especially in an online format. In the absence of visual cues to gauge their understanding of the topic, I鈥檓 using tools such as Zoom polls, reactions, chat messages and a classroom response system to both engage students with the material and solicit feedback.
奥丑补迟鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;something new that you鈥檝e learned from your experiences teaching remotely?
Teaching online courses has made me understand how much some of our students appreciate the flexibility that online instruction offers to them. Last summer, when many of my international students were learning from their home country (some with significant time differences), lecture recordings became essential for my classes. My students often expressed how much they enjoyed being able to watch the recorded lectures from the comfort of their home and at their convenience.