Pictured Above; USF St. Petersburg Art History Professor Sheramy Bundrick said she had to overcome a “camera phobia” for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Courtesy of USFSP
By Alexendra Davis
USF St. Petersburg professors had no choice but to teach online during the pandemic and though it was a challenging experience, everyone made it through relatively unscathed.
For some students, it was adjusting from one or two online classes, to five or more. Students faced technical issues, scheduling and time management concerns as well as the overall exhaustion from staring at screens.
Professors are facing the same difficulties, while also trying to engage dozens of students, grade assignments, record lectures and still be expected to maintain their high standards of teaching.
When the university increased the amount of courses taught on campus, some professors went back to school and are relearning how to teach their classes in a hybrid setting.
“Remote learning was a piece of cake to get used to when compared to hybrid learning,” Criminology Professor Dawn Cecil said. “Preparing for the hybrid class I did not know how many students would come to class… making it difficult to actually prepare.”
Art History Professor Sheramy Bundrick had never taught online before spring 2020.
“I have had a lot of tech to learn, as well as best practices for online teaching and learning,” Bundrick said. “I also had to overcome a camera phobia.”
Professors agreed that the university has done its best to make sure they were not left fending for themselves and offered training classes, as well in-person meetings to make sure technology was functional.
”Microsoft Teams has helped a lot,” Graphic Arts Professor David Watts said. “We didn’t have a remote client as strong as this before… We also have great access to IT and learning technology staff. If I feel I need a new solution for a course delivery problem, I have no issues talking to them about what changes I could make and how to implement it.”
Bundrick said that USF St. Petersburg provided the resources she needed and she was grateful for the assistance in making the transition.
“I’ve gotten a lot of help in the classroom this semester to get the hang of live streaming,” Bundrick said.
With remote and hybrid learning came altering the class to fit that model. While the professors said they were still able to teach everything necessary, some of the elements were drastically changed, like exams and group work.
“I am confident I can teach all the necessary information that I would in an in-person class; however, the class I am teaching… covers some really timely and critical issues that benefit from discussion,” Cecil, who teaches a senior seminar on inequalities and crime said. “I designed this course to be discussion heavy… I think it remains to be seen whether I will be successful at this.”
Bundrick felt that her connection with students was most heavily affected by having to teach remote and expressed how glad she was to be in the classroom again.
The professors found that their students were being flexible with the new situation, patient with their instructors and were doing their best to keep up with workloads, yet instructors still have concerns.
“Based on my experiences from last semester and the first couple of weeks of this semester, I think many students are burnt out,” Cecil said. “People are staring at their screens and in virtual meetings all the time, not to mention being worried about finances, health, et cetera. These things are exhausting and impact their engagement.”
Cecil said “some [students] are working harder than before, while simultaneously there are others who are just not engaged and not willing to put in the needed work.”
Overall, the professors were pleased with the way the school is handling the pandemic, and are thankful that they were allowed to design their current class structure and have the continued support of administrators and IT.
Bundrick offered advice to her fellow instructors as they too learn to adjust to the remote and hybrid working environment.
“Be patient with yourself,” Bundrick said. “You are going to get things wrong, and it’s okay. You can fix it. You are doing your best.”
Cecil had some advice for students on getting through the remainder of the semester.
“Be willing to engage with the professor and the other students in the class,” she said. “Do the best you can to prepare for the class, so you can contribute. And, if issues do arise, communicate with your professor early on.”
