Feb. 17 ALCoP to focus on “What did we learn from teaching in 2020?”

The Feb. 17 meeting of Purdue’s Active Learning Community of Practice (ALCoP) will offer participants a virtual and supportive place for instructors from across Purdue’s curriculum to collectively debrief their experiences teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. All staff and instructors from all Purdue campuses are welcome to join 2-3 pm ET by registering for access to the WebEx meeting.

A panel of instructors will briefly share their work with introductory courses, clinical and lab courses, and large classes. They include:

  • Linda Haynes, assistant director of Introductory Composition, Department of English, mentors and trains new ENGL 106 instructors, some of whom teach remotely (synchronous) and others who teach hybrid sections. She will reflect on the fall semester 106 classroom structure compared to the new spring semester model, and on her own experience teaching ENGL 304 as a remote synchronous course.
  • Ann L. Loomis, clinical assistant professor, School of Nursing, will share her insight from teaching sections of NURS 108 Introduction to Nursing and NURS 218 Health Assessment and Essentials of Nursing Practice I.
  • Lindsay Hamm, continuing lecturer, Sociology Department, has been teaching large sections of SOC 220 Social Problems, and Cornerstone sections of SLCA 102 Transformative Texts, Critical Thinking and Communication II: Modern World, every semester under Protect Purdue protocols. She will talk about her experiences in teaching hybrid and online sections.

Then, the discussion will open to all attendees to address the overall question of: What did we learn in 2020 about “pandemic pedagogy” and how is that affecting spring 2021? This session provides instructors the opportunity to discuss questions such as:

  • What did you change about your instruction from pre-COVID semesters?
  • What seems to be working, and what is still a work-in-progress?
  • How are students engaging with your courses, and how is that changing since last year?
  • What has surprised you about teaching and learning during a pandemic?

“Our goal is to provide a space where instructors can be with peers from across the curriculum to reflect on the hard work they have put into teaching in this unusual and challenging framework,” explained Dr. Susan Modlin, clinical assistant professor in the School of Nursing, and ALCoP Faculty Facilitator. “Most instructors also became learners as they figured out how to teach and connect with students in new ways. So ‘What have we learned?’ is an important question.”

Instructors and staff interested in the Feb. 17 session or subsequent sessions of ALCoP on Thursday, March 18, or Tuesday, April 13, should register for access to the WebEx meetings. Questions regarding ALCoP or other resources for instructors may be emailed to InnovativeLearningTeam@Purdue.edu.

The Active Learning Community of Practice is a program of Innovative Learning, Purdue West Lafayette’s hub approach to connect instructors to the resources they need to engage students, develop courses in any instructional modality, and enhance learning across the University. Members include the Center for Instructional Excellence, Libraries and the School of Information Studies, Purdue Online and Teaching and Learning Technologies. To learn more, visit www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning.