Dublin Core
Title
Francis Dorsey - Audio Reflection
Creator
Francis Dorsey
Date
5/7/2020
Rights
Format
mp3
Language
English
Sound Item Type Metadata
Transcription
Hello, my name is Dr. Francis Dorsey and I am a retired part-time Associate Professor in the Black Studies Program at Cleveland State University.
What were or are the most challenging parts of the transition?
Trying to adjust to the new technology for person who was retired and adjusting from face-to-face lecturing to lecture online in real-time, was indeed a real challenge for me. I wasn't used to talking to the camera on the computer, and it was indeed an adjustment that I had to make.
What were or are the most common needs expressed by students taking the class?
I think the most important thing or one of the main issues that the student said was that, they missed the direct face-to-face meeting, and the direct interaction and the immediate response from other students. They didn't have a chance to see their reactions or interact with the other students, and I think that was probably the most important thing in terms of the interaction, not only between me and the students, but also the interaction that they had with the other students. And so, we didn't have that face-to-face discussion, didn't have the opportunity to see their reactions to one another. I think that was the biggest challenge.
How do you respond to your students’ needs?
One of the things that I did was, I would stop the lecture at various points to make sure that they were comprehending, that they were understanding what was being said in the lecture. I allowed for them to respond in the chat room with questions that they may not understand based on the lecture. In other words, during the lecture I would always say to them, “If you don't understand something, send me a note in the chat.” And I would try to respond to it during the lecture. And if I couldn't respond to it during the lecture, I would make sure that I could respond to it at the end of the lecture. Or, I would take the opportunity to read all of the comments and criticisms that the students had and the next class, I would have an opportunity to respond to those specific points that they may not have been able to understand, or that may not have been cleared during the regular lecture.
What new teaching techniques and or tools have I tried?
I think the most important tool for me at this point, has been the chat room. It has been my life savior, because it is here where I can get feedback from the students, to what they do understand and/or what they do not understand. For example, every student at the end of each lecture, I asked them to let me know what it is that was clear in the lecture or what is it about the information that we learned today was beneficial or what wasn't beneficial. And everyone must respond in the chat room. They must give me feedback. I will review that feedback at the end of the class. Write down comments and criticisms that the students have made and at the beginning of the next class period, we will talk about their comments. What was good? What they didn't understand? Whether or not I was effective, and then we would have a discussion based on that.
The other good thing about the chat room is, the students will tell me what they have learned, or what information that they did not get, in terms of what they may have been taught or not been taught in classes that they had in the past. Whether or not it was in high school, and/or whether or not it was in other classes that they may have had at the university.
What new insights had you gained about teaching in general?
The biggest value is of learning and incorporating technology in my daily teaching activities. This is new for me. I was retired, came back just to teach this one class at Cleveland State University, to assist them in their on-going development at the university and within that department.
In some ways, I was a little bit afraid of the technology and what was being done. However, I've learned to embrace it. I've learned to try to incorporate it in terms of what I'm doing on a daily basis, and I like what I'm learning. I like what I'm doing. And not only has it made me a better instructor, but also with so many young people who are already aware of many of the new technologies, I think it has even helped them, in terms of my not being afraid of it, but rather it has helped the students because I've learned to embrace it. And I'm hoping I can learn even more about this online technology, so that I can benefit personally from it, with the hopes of utilizing the technology where my students can be even in a better position to learn.
Thank you
What were or are the most challenging parts of the transition?
Trying to adjust to the new technology for person who was retired and adjusting from face-to-face lecturing to lecture online in real-time, was indeed a real challenge for me. I wasn't used to talking to the camera on the computer, and it was indeed an adjustment that I had to make.
What were or are the most common needs expressed by students taking the class?
I think the most important thing or one of the main issues that the student said was that, they missed the direct face-to-face meeting, and the direct interaction and the immediate response from other students. They didn't have a chance to see their reactions or interact with the other students, and I think that was probably the most important thing in terms of the interaction, not only between me and the students, but also the interaction that they had with the other students. And so, we didn't have that face-to-face discussion, didn't have the opportunity to see their reactions to one another. I think that was the biggest challenge.
How do you respond to your students’ needs?
One of the things that I did was, I would stop the lecture at various points to make sure that they were comprehending, that they were understanding what was being said in the lecture. I allowed for them to respond in the chat room with questions that they may not understand based on the lecture. In other words, during the lecture I would always say to them, “If you don't understand something, send me a note in the chat.” And I would try to respond to it during the lecture. And if I couldn't respond to it during the lecture, I would make sure that I could respond to it at the end of the lecture. Or, I would take the opportunity to read all of the comments and criticisms that the students had and the next class, I would have an opportunity to respond to those specific points that they may not have been able to understand, or that may not have been cleared during the regular lecture.
What new teaching techniques and or tools have I tried?
I think the most important tool for me at this point, has been the chat room. It has been my life savior, because it is here where I can get feedback from the students, to what they do understand and/or what they do not understand. For example, every student at the end of each lecture, I asked them to let me know what it is that was clear in the lecture or what is it about the information that we learned today was beneficial or what wasn't beneficial. And everyone must respond in the chat room. They must give me feedback. I will review that feedback at the end of the class. Write down comments and criticisms that the students have made and at the beginning of the next class period, we will talk about their comments. What was good? What they didn't understand? Whether or not I was effective, and then we would have a discussion based on that.
The other good thing about the chat room is, the students will tell me what they have learned, or what information that they did not get, in terms of what they may have been taught or not been taught in classes that they had in the past. Whether or not it was in high school, and/or whether or not it was in other classes that they may have had at the university.
What new insights had you gained about teaching in general?
The biggest value is of learning and incorporating technology in my daily teaching activities. This is new for me. I was retired, came back just to teach this one class at Cleveland State University, to assist them in their on-going development at the university and within that department.
In some ways, I was a little bit afraid of the technology and what was being done. However, I've learned to embrace it. I've learned to try to incorporate it in terms of what I'm doing on a daily basis, and I like what I'm learning. I like what I'm doing. And not only has it made me a better instructor, but also with so many young people who are already aware of many of the new technologies, I think it has even helped them, in terms of my not being afraid of it, but rather it has helped the students because I've learned to embrace it. And I'm hoping I can learn even more about this online technology, so that I can benefit personally from it, with the hopes of utilizing the technology where my students can be even in a better position to learn.
Thank you
Original Format
Audio recording
Duration
6 minutes, 16 seconds