1) Be flexible. I planned to use a virtual dissection app & it was abandoned by students within the first 2 weeks. So we abandoned it too, instead of forcing it, & started to make more in-house images for students (which was what they said they wanted).
2) Regular, small, self-directed group sessions (keeping groups consistent) are important for learning & bonding. Students said they formed lasting relationships via Zoom, & would even forget they have never met. Have them work on a workbook or case studies.
2A) Let them work together away from instructors. I won’t speak for others (@LizAgostoPhD @Drewboo830 @megan_fagalde) but when students realized I joined their breakout room, lively conversations abt content often came to halt. Who wants to be watched by instructors all the time?
3) Students said they still learned to appreciate individual anatomical variation when taught online, which is contrary to popular belief among anatomists. It can be taught via images and/or videos on different donors, or on themselves (i.e. who doesn’t have a palmaris longus?).
4) Related to 👆, students said they had to actually learn relationships of structures instead of memorizing how they look (YAY). They didn’t have opportunity to see structures on 20 different donors in lab before exams, so they really need to prepare for what it may look like.
5) Use your time to create (useful) new content. If you only have time to re-record a 2020 version of the same lecture recorded in 2019 OR record a brand-new video on a donor or model, make the new video and post it with last year's lecture. There's only so much we can do.
6) Take advantage of discussion boards for Q's that are usually asked during live lectures. I started an FAQ board where students could ask questions & instructors could post answers for everyone to see. Saved us from emailing same answer 50 times, & students used & enjoyed it.
7) While I think most everyone would prefer to be in person, focus on the silver linings. There are clear benefits the students see to learning virtually: saving time on commuting for one, which allows more time for studying or leisure activities.
8) Take advantage of radiological imaging. Why use pictures of bones when you can just show them on radiographs, which is more clinically applicable anyway? @Radiopaedia has been my savior.
9) If you are 100% online, make plans to do something in person (e.g. brief in-person lab experiences), if possible, even after course is over. Students will want some lab time, & you will want to at least meet in person. I personally feel like we’ve all survived it together.
10) Don’t write this year off as the “COVID year” with the intention of never doing any of this again. I started with that mindset, only to learn quickly that I will be taking a lot of the things I did this year into my course in the future when, hopefully, we’re back in person.
And two last (but I feel most important) thoughts: 1) appreciate the students: their ability to adapt, ability to forgive, and willingness to learn. And 2) appreciate the other instructors/TAs/support staff. Sweet mother of pearl, I honestly would've quit in June without them.
