The Reluctant Online Educator: How Covid-19 Changed the Landscape of one School of Social Work

In March 2020, Covid-19 brought face-to-face instruction to a screeching halt, and academic institutions were forced to transition to emergency remote teaching. This shift required instructors who had limited online teaching experience to quickly convert their courses online and teach remotely. These instructors required guidance not only in understanding online pedagogy but, more importantly, how to develop online learning spaces that are inclusive and safe for students who are experiencing trauma. The pandemic left students sheltering at home, some in unsafe environments, while others were displaced due to travel restrictions (Martel, 2020). While most universities have an infrastructure to support online teaching and learning, the abrupt transition did not allow time to follow these protocols. 

Under normal circumstances, many universities provide resources in the form of instructional designers and course release to faculty developing and teaching online courses (Meyer & Barefield, 2010). While the Center for Teaching and Learning did their best to support faculty across the university, the School of Social Work capitalized on their existing online learning infrastructure and created frameworks and procedures to support the transition to emergency remote teaching. While the unit did not have a designated administrator overseeing online efforts for the school, there was an existing online program with established policies and procedures which facilitated the provision of training, daily workshops, and individual and group consultations. 

These training opportunities were based on the Community of Inquiry framework, which focuses on designing online courses that facilitate cognitive, teaching, and social presences (Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007). Developing online courses requires that the instructional design incorporates the goals of the profession, which include exemplifying the professional behaviors and values of social work, particularly given the current context. Support for faculty centered around strategies for creating instructor presence, which is a crucial component to creating online learning communities that creates a space of trust and open dialogue (Garrison, Cleveland-Innes, & Fung, 2010). 

Furthermore, faculty were given the opportunity to participate in the online faculty training provided in the existing online program. This four-week training provides a blend of both asynchronous and synchronous learning opportunities and teaches participants the importance of quality instructional design, course construction, and management which contributes to students' positive learning experiences (Sutton, 2017). More specifically, how to facilitate their online course effectively, create an engaging online learning environment, review existing technologies such as VoiceThread and Panopto are discussed.

This effort was designed and executed through a trauma-informed teaching lens. Fallot and Harris (2001) identify five areas of focus and consideration for trauma-informed teaching. These include the insurance of safety, establishing trustworthiness, maximizing choice, prioritizing empowerment, and providing a collaborative learning environment. Participants were informed of ways to use tech tools to implement trauma-informed practices such as structured and responsive communication via both VoiceThreads and email. 

Discussion Questions 

Each participant will be asked to post their video or audio responses to the following questions and respond to one other participant's posting.

1. Describe what administrative support your institution or department provided to faculty during the transition to online learning?

2. How did you, or would you move forward, to guide faculty and administrators to teach remotely from a trauma-informed lens? 

3. What administrative structures, policies, or approaches (i.e. trainings, teaching assistants) implemented during Covid-19, would be beneficial to your institution long term?

Guidelines:

1. Create a 2-4 minute video or audio VoiceThread recording

2. Respond to one participant's posting

What will attendees learn?

The presenters will share the successes and challenges of utilizing and developing a trauma-informed administrative training infrastructure that supports faculty teaching online. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore their own experiences supporting emergency remote learning during Covid-19, as well as discuss what elements would benefit their institution or unit going forward. Additionally, a review of the scholarly literature from the fields of social work, higher education, and distance learning will be explored. This presentation will help attendees explore the lessons learned regarding the administrative support needs at their respective institutions. 

                                                                                                              Selected References

Carello, J., & Butler, L.D. (2015). Practicing what we teach: Trauma-Informed Educational Practice. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 35(3), 262-278.

Garrison, D. R., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Fung, T. S. (2010). Exploring causal relationships among teaching, cognitive and social presence: Student perceptions of the community of inquiry framework. The Internet and Higher Education, 13(1), 31–36. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2009.10.002

Garrison, D. R., & Arbaugh, J. B. (2007). Researching the community of inquiry framework: Review, issues, and future directions. The Internet and Higher Education, 10(3), 157–172. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2007.04.001

Harris, M., & Fallot, R. D. (Eds.). (2001). Using trauma theory to design service systems. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass