Larkin Powell injected a bit of humor — and some seriously questionable ventriloquist skills — in his prep for remote teaching.
Through a series of light-hearted, 90(ish)-second videos, the interim associate dean and professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, outlined best practices for teaching online and how to readily organize related materials.
“As a faculty member, I saw the large number of long emails that were starting to overflow my inbox — all sent with the best intentions to help people make this historically unique, simultaneous leap to remote teaching,” Powell said. “I thought some quick videos, aimed at the most basic topics, might be useful to my colleagues.
“And, to be honest, the videos helped me sort things out as well.”
The “1.5-Minute Teaching” videos launched March 19 with an overview of how to use backward design to restructure lesson plans. Other topics include transitioning lab courses online and best practices for exams. The series even took a "formal" turn on March 26 as Powell donned a tie for a graduate student welcome back message.
Powell has also spent the last two weeks working directly with colleagues, finalizing plans to serve as a guest lecturer.
“I think we have a good plan for those,” Powell said. “It has been fairly inspiring to watch the general calmness of my colleagues during the past two weeks.”
Read the rest of the features on online instruction done right at Nebraska Today.
Troy Fedderson | University Communication