Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

D Y S O N Y E A R I N R E V I E W • 2 0 1 9 – 2 0 2 0 12 Academic advising For Dyson's team of academic advisors, providing students with the same level of service and engagement they would have received in person was paramount. To that end, leveraging technology and responding to feedback were critical. When remote learning began, advisors created automatic email replies to ensure that students quickly received important information such as upcoming deadlines or COVID-19 information. On the New York City campus, they also conducted group sessions via the Zoom virtual conferencing platform and launched a live chat to efficiently provide answers to quick questions. In addition, each student who participated received a satisfaction survey, which enabled advisors to monitor and refine service to best respond to student needs. "I am very proud of the adaptability, hard work, dedication, and commitment of the advising team," Heather Calchera, assistant dean, Student Advising said. "Our jobs can be challenging, but also very rewarding. It was a pleasure to witness our students thriving despite these stressful times." Art It doesn't get much more hands-on than a studio art class, so Eve Laramée, a professor in the art department and director of the Center for the Arts, Society and Ecology, was somewhat surprised to find that the transition to remote learning was fairly seamless. Laramée used a full range of tools including Blackboard, email, online videos, video tutorials, films, and LinkedIn Learning, while also giving some instruction during class time and holding remote office hours on her regular schedule. "Students submitted photographs of works in progress so I could provide ongoing feedback, and then uploaded finished works in the form of photographs to Blackboard, or emailed them to me, or both," Laramée said. "This provided regular structure, and that helped keep things feeling 'normal.'" Most importantly, she remained conscious of the many challenges facing students as a result of the unexpected changes, including limited access to technology. This meant more frequent communication with those needing extra support, allowances for students who returned to homes abroad, and suggestions for alternative materials for those without their regular art supplies. Moreover, Laramée encouraged her students to use their art as a way to de-stress and to process their reactions to the pandemic. She also modified assignments, giving students the option to address COVID-19 in their work. "The assignments, and the students' responses, were all about meaningfulness, because that's what art is, creating meaning for culture and society," Laramée said. Biology Professor Marcy Kelly, PhD, chair of the biology department in New York City, replaced her traditional instruction with a blend of online tasks and shorter meetings via Zoom, which included breakout time for students to meet in smaller virtual groups. Online assignments and review were organized around digital supplements to course textbooks, as well as a series of videos that she curated. She also created a to-do list for each week and gave students options for working on group assignments. If it was not practical for them to work via Zoom, they could choose to collaborate through shared files. "I don't think [synchronous instruction—requiring students to meet together at a specific time for a set duration—] is a great idea," Kelly said. "Literature suggests that doing the typical lecture style isn't really pedagogically ideal online." Like Kelly, Antonio Herrera, PhD, also focused on meeting students' diverse needs. A lecturer in the biology department on the New York City campus, he had one big objective for his lab class of mostly first-year students: "to make them feel like they just left lab," Herrera said. That meant finding new ways for them to work together and connect, as they normally would in person. To enable opportunities for remote interaction, Herrera also used the breakout room functionality on the Zoom platform, but instead of limiting students to working with their previous lab partners, he randomly assigned them to virtual groups. This allowed students who might not have associated in person to meet and collaborate, and Herrera said students seemed to appreciate the approach. Herrera and his students also explored resources available through JoVE, the Journal of Visual Experimentation. Content made accessible during the pandemic has included high- quality video of experiments and lab techniques. "Many things that I thought were impossible to conduct remotely in a lab became a reality," biology major Khaela Gardner '23 said. As much as they hoped schoolwork could provide a diversion from the stress and anxiety caused by the coronavirus, both Herrera and Kelly also engaged students by focusing on the pandemic. Kelly set up a viewing party featuring the 2011 film Contagion, by Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic), and students in Herrera's Biology and Contemporary Society lab course created an array of four COVID-19 infographics designed to clearly present information underlying several aspects of the pandemic. "The goal was to give them the opportunity to do some- thing about COVID-19," Herrera said. Communication Studies When it comes to his students' well-being, Melvin Williams, PhD, an assistant professor in the communication studies department, led by example. "I called the New York COVID-19 mental health hotline, told my students about the experience, and urged them to do the same, if needed," Williams said. "I wanted them to know that we can, and will, heal together." Williams, who did have previous experience teaching hybrid courses mixing face-to-face and online instruction, started by hosting a Zoom meeting to find out what his students needed and wanted out of the unexpected remote experience. Conversation included a frank discussion of students' new normal, and he acknowledged the grief that many were feeling over the loss of those moments that define the college experience, such as senior year memories, honor society inductions, and social gatherings. In providing remote coursework, including recorded lectures, Williams said he felt empowered to expand his own

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