LYNCHBURG — When the college year began, there’s no way Motlow College instructors could have imagined that by April they’d be teaching 100 percent online. But that’s exactly what happened.
In mid-March, college officials decided to close all campuses due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. This meant the conversion of dozens of classes and student services to online-only in just a matter of days. Instructors got innovative in teaching and getting students acclimated to a virtual academic environment.
For example, Motlow Assistant English Professor Andrea Green leveraged the resources built into D2L Brightspace – Motlow’s online learning management system – to provide comprehensive online instruction. Green teaches through the use of discussion boards, quizzes, digital rubrics, calendar tools, checklists, announcements, and videos she has recorded.
Green showed off her online savvy at a recent Motlow best practices event. She demonstrated how her students know what is due when it is due and how to access it. The technology allows her to framework lessons as she threads resources, such as her videos, and activities throughout the course via hyperlinks.
“Motlow recently purchased the Kaltura Video Platform for use with the D2L system that allows me to interact with students in a more engaging fashion,” said Green. “Kaltura allows me to mimic what I do in an on-ground setting. My Kaltura videos have garnered a lot of positive feedback from students.”
Library goes online
While the decision to close campuses forced 100 percent online classrooms, it simultaneously required areas of the College that provide critical services to students, such as libraries and student success, to migrate to a 100 percent virtual environment. Motlow librarians are now teaching Information Literacy via Zoom. Student are also staying digitally connected to the library through LibGuides, which provides free access to textbooks, instructional videos, and a database of magazine, journal, and newspaper articles as well as other information from reliable sources. Student can also register for classes and access their Graduation Planning System (GPS).
Students also have access to their completion coaches. Motlow Completion Coaches are essential to individual student success, as proven by statistics that show Motlow at the top of retention and graduation rates in Tennessee. The Motlow Student Success department is offering group academic advising sessions via Zoom. There are regularly scheduled advising sessions for STEM and non-STEM students, with session registration online from the LibGuides Student Online Resources webpage. •
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