Teaching

Facilitators

Cynthia Ryan, University of Alabama Birmingham (Friday, September 11th, 1-2pmET)

Raquel Robvais, Louisiana State University (Friday, September 11th, 5-6pmET)

Hub Description

The COVID-19 pandemic and the urgency for more engaged attention issues of racial injustice has necessitated widespread changes to teaching in higher education. Members of the RHM community have found responsive and inventive ways to reimagine our courses and pedagogies and to facilitate student learning, as evidenced by the recently publicized examples of Jordyn Jack’s History of Writing class in which students wrote primary-source journals about their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic , Cynthia Ryan’s Writing and Medicine course in which students grappled with the “complexity of this virus and its potential to affect us divergently”, and Lisa DeTora’s Literature and Medicine course in which students wrote essays about the power of empathy, among other topics. What these courses show is RHM’s dexterity to adapt to current events within the context of our courses, while still grounding students in the traditions of the field. The focus of this discussion hub is to share innovative ideas and practices in our pedagogy and curriculum development. 

Generative questions

  • What innovative approaches are you currently using in teaching (either in content or approach) in courses related to RHM?
  • How can we ensure a diverse and anti-racist curriculum in RHM related courses?
  • What would we consider as primary outcomes for an RHM course(s) or program (such as a minor or a certificate)?
  • How would we frame the importance of courses or programs for students, internal stakeholders and external stakeholders ?

Discussion Hub Synthesis

The synthesis below was created from notes taken during the two hubs, from the Zoom chats, and (when available) the live captioning. Thank you to Justiss Burry for the work on creating this synthesis.

Main Takeaways

  • Students and instructors are constructed differently during this time, and points to our positionality.
  • We have to be aware of what’s happening with COVID and know that it will change the ways that we interact with our departments, institutions, and students.
  • Compassion is key, especially right now.
  • Students are grateful and we are going out of our way to help them and we are playing a pivotal role despite not being on the front line in keeping things going.
  • RHM is interested in publishing pedagogical work so keep this in mind and consider how to contribute to the body of knowledge.
  • Assignments must engage students in the current work of the world.
  • COVID does not affect all students equally, so we need to be aware of how these times may affect those who are disproportionately affected.

COVID

  • Challenges to teaching during COVID
    • We all wear very many hats that have to be flexible at this time.
    • Depression among students will affect the work they do and both our and their positionalities.
    • Attrition rates affect the teaching and learning environment.
    • We have to remember to shift from academic roles to more compassionate interactions with students.
  • Technological issues tend to divide not only generations, but also with access and learning.
  • Teaching during this time is also exhaustive being on screen all of the time – for both teachers and students.
  • Students want to be engaged in current material, and there is a spot for us to show them as RHM scholars how our work can support them.
  • Flexibility is key for helping students during this time.
  • Sociopolitical implications are a part of COVID work and it’s likely not going away, so ask students to think about the intersectionality of voting and the pandemic.
  • COVID fatigue is a real thing in the classroom.

Anti-Racism

  • Anti-racism needs to be a part of the structure of our courses, and include the medical disparities that are not distributed evenly.
  • Understanding the power structures in our classrooms are imperative to fostering a positive and helpful learning environment.
  • It’s good to have some productive discomfort when discussing issues such as race in the classroom as it asks students to think.
  • As educators we have to be willing to our students and their perspectives.

Future Considerations

  • How do we continue to give students an effective outlet for expressing their work and student-ness that is conducive and helpful?
  • What are some ways we can mitigate COVID fatigue?
  • Where do ethics fit into our current teaching practices around assignments for students, assessment, and grades?
  • Is COVID fatigue a privileged positionality to have?
  • How do we get unstuck in the ways that we think about teaching and RHM?