How to maintain instructional continuity, retention, active learning and authentic assessment in your online math class.

1. Tips for the Virtual Shift
of F2F Math Classes
By Fred Feldon
Co-Chair, Department of Mathematics
March 25, 2020

2. Maintain Instructional
Continuity
Your #1 priority: “Keeping your class on
schedule during disruptive times for
reasons such as inclement weather,
widespread illness, family emergencies,
or other unexpected events.”
Retrieved from Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA
https://foothill.edu/onlinelearning/instructional-continuity.html

3. Maintain Enrollment
Your #2 priority: Help students remain active
and enrolled despite interruptions caused by
COVID-19. Offer as much flexibility and as
many options as possible. There’s no one
answer, no one solution.

4. Deliver Content
Your #3 priority: Provide resources. But
limit your time and energy creating content.
Instructional material does NOT have to be
created by you. Spend more time engaging,
helping and inspiring students to learn how
to learn.

5. PatrickJMT
Content Is Everywhere!

6. Learning results from what
the student does and
thinks… Our job is to create
the conditions that prompt
students to do the work of
learning.”
-- Herbert Alexander Simon, 1916-2001

7. Regular and Effective
Contact
Your #4 priority: Communicate.
Communicate. Communicate. Even if you
don’t have a plan in place yet. Reach out to
your students and your colleagues. You’re
not alone.

8. Message from the DoE
“As of March 20, 2020, we are permitting accreditors with
suspended on-site classes due to COVID-19 to waive
additional Title IV and HEA distance education requirements…
In other words, instructors could use email and chat features
to provide instructional material and communicate, set up
conference calls, group conversations, email exchanges or
have students submit work electronically that the instructor
will evaluate.”
Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid at https://ifap.ed.gov/
electronic-announcements/030520Guidance4interruptionsrelated2CoronavirusCOVID19

9. A Few Tips
• Use a Tablet
Dell Latitude
Microsoft Surface
Lenova X1
iPad with Zoom App
See Video

10. A Few Tips (Cont’d)
• Or a document camera

11. A Few Tips (Cont’d)
• Students show work using their CMS or mobile scanning apps
Student Video ~ Instructor Video
Student Video

12. Professors use SnagIt to capture Embed
HTML code then paste into the body of a
Discussion Board message:

16. Include the Affective Domain
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Feelings
Emotions
Attitude
Behavior
Manual or
Physical Skills

17. fNIRS Significant Couplings at 5 sec shift (FDR q < 0.01)
Ref https://www.nature.com/articles/srep43293
Share Stories
“When a person listens to or relates to another person the
listener’s brain changes to mirror the other person’s brain. It’s
called neural coupling. When you show empathy students feel
trusted and valued. They engage at a higher level… They’ll
work their asses off to not disappoint you!”
Michelle Pacansky-Brock, August 23, 2019 https://
brocansky.com/2019/08/rigor-through-empathy.html

18. Include Non-Routine Questions
“Avoid the bulimic* method of education…”
*Overeating, followed by vomiting -- Dr. Stuart Firestein, 2013,
https://www.ted.com/talks/ stuart_firestein_the_pursuit_of_ignorance#t-876778

19. Sources for Non-Routine Problems That Stimulate Discussion
Books
Math Contests Grades 4-6, 7-8 and Algebra, by Conrad & Flegler, Math League Press
Math Contests High School, by Conrad & Flegler, Math League Press
Can You Solve My Problems? By Alex Bellos Math Puzzles Vol. 1, 2 and 3 by Presh Talwalkar
Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All, NCTM
The Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions, by Martin Gardner
What Students Abroad Are Expected To Know About Mathematics: Exams from France, Germany and Japan
Empowering Students by Promoting Active Learning in Mathematics, NCTM
Challenging Math Problems, by Terry Stickels
Websites
http://mathforum.org/problems_puzzles_landing.html http://blog.mrmeyer.com
http://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/resources/potw.php http://donsteward.blogspot.co.uk
http://www.mathleague.com https://ed.ted.com http://www.onetwoinfinity.ca
https://www.mathcounts.org/resources/problem-of-the-week
https://www.math.purdue.edu/pow https://mindyourdecisions.com
http://orion.math.iastate.edu/ehjohnst/PoW/PoW.html
http://www.numberphile.com http://www.openmiddle.com
http://www.sixtysymbols.com http://www.estimation180.com
http://mathmistakes.org https://twitter.com/ExploreMTBoS (Math Twitter Blogosphere)
http://www.sciencealert.com https://twitter.com/MathVault
http://www.iflscience.com http://wodb.ca (Which One Doesn’t Belong)
http://www.ted.com http://www.visualpatterns.org
http://www.smartereveryday.com http://mathquest.carroll.edu/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1_uAIS3r8Vu6JjXWvastJg (Mathologer)
Journals
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, NCTM
Mathematics Teacher, Monthly Calendar Problems, NCTM
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, Monthly Palette of Problems, NCTM
By Fred Feldon
Coastline College
https://bit.ly/2PiEKbk

20. Advantages of Synchronous Activities
Your course might contain amazing
instructional material. It’s not enough!

21. Advantages of Synchronous Activities
Synchronous times for students getting together can
replace face-to-face classes, with students required to
attend. They might push back in the beginning, but then
they end up enjoying it.

23. I scheduled a webinar but:
• No one had any questions
• No one showed up
• No one could agree on time/day
• They didn’t use their webcam
• Too many students had tech problems
• They came late/left early
• All I did was lecture; there was no interaction
• I don’t know what hardware/software to use
• I don’t know how to break students into groups
• I don’t know how to write mathematical
notation online

24. Up-Front Preparation:
Divide the webinar into thirds
• First third (10-15 min): Any questions,
comments or concerns? An ice-breaker (What
city are you in? What’s the best thing that
happened to you this week? Who or what is
your support system if you have trouble with the
Homework or Quizzes? What’s the worst/best
experience you’ve had with math?)
• Affective Domain topic

25. More at https://bit.ly/2QmHbWl

26. 25 Affective Domain “Quick” Discussion Prompts!
https://tinyurl.com/u3e9lcl

27. Up-Front Preparation (Cont’d):
• Second third (30-40 min): Interactively present and solve
problems from topics you KNOW students struggle with!
• Take attendance by asking a question to which everyone must
reply to in the Chat Box. Do that a few times.
• Use fun and collaborative strategies such as Kahoot, Two
Truths and a Lie, Breakout Groups, Polling, Professor Leaves
the Room then returns and calls on a student at random,
just as you do in the classroom.
• Ask questions, have students type answers in the Chat Box but
wait for your signal to hit Enter.

28. Up-Front Preparation (Cont’d):
• Second third (30-40 min): Interactively present and solve
problems from topics you KNOW students struggle with!
• Take attendance by asking a question to which everyone must
reply to in the Chat Box. Do that a few times.
• Use fun and collaborative strategies such as Kahoot, Two
Truths and a Lie, Breakout Groups, Polling, Professor Leaves
the Room then returns and calls on a student at random,
just as you do in the classroom.
• Ask questions, have students type answers in the Chat Box but
wait for your signal to hit Enter.

29. Up-Front Preparation (Cont’d):
• In Gallery View you can see everyone: thumbs up if you
understand, thumbs down if you don’t
• Post a discussion prompt: everyone must respond in the Chat
file for attendance taking
• Students can also type a response in the Chat box but wait for
your signal to hit Enter so they don’t copy
• Think, pair (in Breakout Groups), then
share-out with everyone
• Students use Sharpie pens to write down
their work then hold it up to the webcam
for everyone to see

30. Up-Front Preparation (Cont’d):
• Last third (5 min): Any questions?
• Closing remarks
• Highlight, summarize, motivate, encourage,
inspire!
• Offer to stay behind for one-on-one time (you
may continue, pause, or stop recording)
• Post URL link to the recording w captions & chat
text file

31. Students who miss watch the recording +
post a summary of what was discussed with
comments and feedback.

32. Sample College Algebra Weekly Webinar –
Spring 2020
https://tinyurl.com/s9am3x6

33. Kwik & EZ – Make
Videos With Your
Cell Phone!
• Use mobile video editing apps
such as BigVu or Clips
• Students log in during class time
• Asynchronous discussion follow up
• More ideas and advice on Twitter at
#CCCLearn and #KeepTeaching

34. Spring 2019 semester without
webinars 23.5% success
Fall 2019 semester with required
weekly webinars 68% success!
College Algebra with Support
Weekly Webinars and
The Bottom Line

35. Assessment Options
Giving up in-person paper and pencil exams proctored by a human was difficult. But necessary in
this crisis. Some options include:
• Open Canvas and Proctorio. Send students to MyMathLab for a test with infinite variation,
scramble question order and show work. Review every test for partial credit.
• Open Canvas and Proctorio. Students take a test you imported into Canvas from TestGen, Word,
Cengage, Webassign, etc.
• Hold Zoom meeting during scheduled exam. Email the test. They work on it while you watch the
class in Gallery View and listen to audio feeds, as if you were all in the same room. They show
work on paper then use a mobile scanning app to immediately send it to you for grading. Have
multiple forms of the test ready for alternate meetings.
• Hold individual Zoom meetings where students talk to you about their answers, show their work
and explain their thinking.
• Alternative methods of assessment such as projects, papers, student-created videos, peer
review assessments, etc.
• Be creative. There’s no one, right method for remote assessment. Adjust grading scale if
appropriate. Have more frequent, low-stakes assessments.
• Accept the inequity of remote assessments. Some students are honest, some will cheat. And it’s
easy to cheat. But this is a crisis. And there’s no evidence that surveillance improves outcomes.
Focus on instructional continuity, student retention and course completion.

36. Thank You!
ffeldon@coastline.edu