Innovation through COVID-19

Video developed thanks to Innovating through COVID-19 funding program that is initiated to encourage the sharing and use of innovative practices in online teaching and student services.

Transitioning from face-to-face practical studio-style visual design classes to the alternative delivery method (online learning) while providing support to students through advising and personal development. Achieving full transition in two weeks for a six-week delivery and one-week final evaluation.

Each of the three courses I am teaching, as well as the two independent studies and one four-student internship, required critical restructuring of the curriculum and reimaging delivery of learning outcomes. The redesign was achieved by:

1. Dividing each three-hour class meeting into three one-hour sessions via Zoom by ordering each class into three smaller groups.

2. Class meetings were held during the regular times, with group one always meeting during the first hour, group two meetings during the second hour, and group three meetings during the third hour.

3. At the beginning of each session in Zoom, I would share my screen outlining what we will be reviewing during a particular meeting, current week, and announcing goals for the following week. For class management, we use D2L with content divided per week and day, providing context for students to progress on goals during a particular project.

4. After the introduction, each student would present progress on a particular project by sharing his/her screen and the current status of the layout in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, or AfterEffects based on the class and project in question.

5. Upon each presentation, the student would receive constructive feedback from the instructor and classmates. To verbal delivery, alternative methods would be to provide input via the Chat and Reaction functions in Zoom.

6. All project was submitted via uploading files for evaluation to D2L where it was evaluated by providing detailed written feedback with each grade for the student to review and apply changes to their work for resubmission at the end of the semester for a possibility of receiving a higher grade. Each final submission of a project was paired with an all-class Zoom meeting where each student presented their final form to the whole class.

7. At the end of the semester, all students would submit all their work for the semester through the format of the Final Portfolio, including reworked projects for regrading.

The impact on students, based on one-on-one meetings and end-of-the-semester anonymous surveys, was very positive. Students appreciated the organized and transparent delivery of information via D2L and Zoom, consistency in meeting times and formats, and they felt valued and supported, although the class was conducted remotely.

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