Opinion: Professors and technology
The global pandemic has presented problems for both professors and students using technology . (Graphic designed by Lauren Salsman)
By Lauren Salsman | Staff writer
Professors should be required to show proficiency in the programs necessary to teach their classes.
For professors who conduct remote instruction, this would mean proving that they are familiar enough with the basic functions of Cisco, WebEx or Microsoft Teams and can conduct basic troubleshooting to allow them to instruct classes without recurring issues. It would mean completing training for D2L, the LMS platform used by Augusta University, for all professors.
We are now ten months into the coronavirus pandemic. The patience and flexibility that has been demanded of students over the last three semesters is wearing thin.
Students, professors and faculty are all in a similar situation and have all been thrust into having to learn and use technology that we weren’t familiar with prior to the onset of the pandemic. This means that professors are learning to teach in a new way, and many students are learning to learn in a new way. Student success or failure here is documented through the grades they receive and unless professors are held accountable to their own shortcomings, then their failure is also documented through student grades.
“I am in one class that has been split, so half of our lectures take place over WebEx. So far, there have been issues every single class period. Either the microphone isn’t turned on, or the camera is off,” said one AU student who asked to remain anonymous. “If you are online, you end up missing demonstrations and any work that is shown off screen. Since none of these lectures are being recorded, I’m worried about what I’m missing when I’m not in class.”
According to several professors in departments throughout AU, several classes were made available to university faculty over the summer but they were not mandatory to attend.
Students have one week to make a decision before they are able to drop a class without penalty. Since most classes are hybrid, that means that many students only have one in person class and one remote class to make a decision about the entire semester.
Students who choose to look past technical difficulties of a first online lecture may be unknowingly setting themselves up for failure because of factors that are completely outside of their control.
When a student struggles academically with a class, it is their responsibility to seek help. If they don’t, then they suffer the consequences of that decision. If a student struggles with a class because of a professor’s failure to understand how to use and troubleshoot the available technology, then that student has very little in the way of resources and still must bear the consequences.
Teaching in 2021 in the midst of a global pandemic means being able to effectively use technology or developing a curriculum that does not rely on technology at all. Professors who choose to use programs that they do not understand do so to the detriment of their student's success, and causes an additional level of stress in a time when so much is already incredibly uncertain.
Contact Lauren Salsman at LSALSMAN@augusta.edu.
