BY DEE ANDREWS

In History, we often talk about the 5 “C’s” of historical thinking: context, complexity, change, causality, and contingency. That last — the BIG unexpected event – you may have noticed is what we’re going through right now.

So that led me to think of a similar scheme for what we’re facing in our courses at this time: how to get students through without sacrificing quality or expectations, not to mention the body of learning that we hope our students will take from our courses, and that they deserve to have.

So here it is. It may sound like a series of commands, but that’s not the intention. What I’m aiming for is more like an acceptance of a state of instructional being to get our students through this thing, as simple as that. Hence all the -ing words.

The 5 C’s for Teaching Online in a Pandemic

Consistency: Making a plan that focuses specifically on how students can move through the course successfully for the rest of the semester, and sticking to it (this may entail converting large assignments into a series of small ones for a step-by-step process).

Clarity: Being sure all expectations are clear, in a revised syllabus sent directly to students, not just posted on Blackboard; and showing exactly what students need to do to receive a CR grade.

Certainty: But being sure to USE Blackboard! (word is a lot of faculty don’t? Say What?): grading assignments as quickly as possible; making sure grades – and the percentage of course requirements completed — are clearly posted week by week; and assuring students you are available on email.

Communication: Reminding students of upcoming assignments; and letting them know when their grades are posted, and precisely when they can reach you on email.

Compassion: Reaching out right away to students having difficulty, or contacting Students Services to do so; and remembering that we have no idea how their circumstances may have changed, including whether or not they have access to course materials (and if they don’t, well then there’s the matter of substituting new ones: or new assignments).

In sum: We need to be flexible, but not to the point of incoherence. The flexibility should be coming from our side of things, not demanded of our students.

Dee Andrews is Professor Emerita of History and continues to teach early American history at California State University, East Bay.  This piece was written for colleagues on that campus and circulated by the university’s academic affairs office.