During the massive, nationwide shift to online learning in March, many faculty members—including those at Hamilton College in New York—weren’t quite sure how students would respond.
They also weren’t sure how well their lessons and projects would translate to the virtual world of online classes.
For three professors at Hamilton College—who teach coding, sociology and theater—the results were beyond uplifting.
Students remained highly engaged and—since the college shifted to pass-fail grading—continued their work for the sheer joy of learning, says theater professor Mark Cryer.
More from UB: Here’s when and how colleges plan to start fall semester
“When they knew they weren’t going to fail, it really seemed to buffet them up to take risks and be really creative,” Cryer says. “I made a mental note to myself to try to figure out a way to incorporate that when we get back to regular business and grades because some of the stuff they did was quite impressive.”
Click on the links below to read about the experiences of Cryer and two of his colleagues:
- Yes, you can use origami to teach coding!
- How social justice inspires creativity in online learning
- For this theater class, the show must go on—even online
UB’s coronavirus page offers complete coverage of the impacts on higher ed.
