Perspective Chapter: Effective Techniques for Getting and Keeping Students Engaged in a COVID-19 Environment

Abstract

This chapter offers various techniques that have been used to get and keep students engaged in their learning, given the current state of the world. Based on a wide range of continuing education courses, it will describe ways in which to instruct students, regardless of whether the format is in-person, online, or hybrid. Interactive activities, such as Kahoot!, JeoParody, Family Feud, Quizlet, Quizziz, and Poll Everywhere will be discussed. While recognizing that each student and class is unique, the strategies suggested can set the foundation for promoting an educational environment, stricken by the pandemic, that fully embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion.

1. Introduction

The most recent pandemic, COVID-19, “posed formidable challenges, and these challenges will probably have long-term effects on education at all levels” ([1], p. 120). Although some institutions had already been onboard with offering a variety of online programs, several others were thrusted into unknown and little-known territories, due to the enormity of the coronavirus. The resulting situations varied, based on the institution’s resources, the instructors’ training and levels of competency, and whether or not students were able to connect with their instructors and classmates to be able to stay engaged, which often became a sink-or-swim type of thing. Many lessons were learned by instructors, students, and institutions of the dos and don’ts of working in online environments, also referred to as Zoom university, which, according to universal design for learning (UDL), includes moving “toward a people-with-mobile-devices mind-set” ([2], p. 79). Based on those lessons learned, this chapter seeks to offer strategies that have worked for this particular instructor, while acknowledging that each institution, each course, each semester, and each student is different and what may work during a particular semester with a particular set of students for a particular course at a particular institution may not work in even a slightly different institution, course, semester, or with a different set of students. However, after reviewing these techniques, it is this instructor’s hope that other instructors may be able to tweak what is in this chapter and successfully apply this knowledge in their own online environment, while learning about “which strategies work best with which types of students or classes” ([3], p. 164). Additionally, it is also this instructor’s hope that other ideas will be sparked, in order to create and maintain the best type of online learning as possible, for both students and instructors.

2. Background

As an instructor in a higher education setting during a pandemic, I am constantly searching for ways to improve my craft. This research not only brings to the forefront strategies that I have personally used but also highlights techniques my colleagues around the world have, as well. As we are now in the process of being in a post-pandemic world, it is important not to completely do away with or forget about things that were implemented over the last few years.

3. Motivation

In my research, I have taken notes about how different instructors have adjusted to the COVID-19 pandemic inside and outside of the typical face-to-face instruction. Additionally, I understand the importance of professional development courses to improve my pedagogical approaches. As a current assistant professor on the tenure track, my teaching and how I relate to my students is constantly being evaluated by my students themselves, my administrators, and my peers. Being a perfectionist and being that teaching is my passion, I strive for the absolute best in the work that I do and appreciate the constructive feedback I receive from all of the above.

4. Methodology

This research was conducted using different research databases, including Google Scholar, Proquest, and EBSCOHost. Key terms that were researched, included: COVID-19, online teaching, higher education, and pedagogical practices. Below is the literature review that resulted from my searches.

5. Literature review

Throughout the literature, various authors discuss techniques for online learning during the pandemic. Different themes were explored for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies. While several terms were used to describe online learning during this time, e-learning and distance learning tended to be the most frequently used. The feedback can be very positive for moving forward and as one author suggested, most students want to continue online learning in the future ([4], p. 1). Engagement seemed to be the overarching area for students and teachers in a COVID-19 world. I briefly discuss the ways found in the literature for how instructors have implemented engagement tactics.

5.1 A sense of community

The pandemic can be very isolating. Students are longing for a sense of community during this time. In order for students to feel connected, while socially distant, instructors must establish a foundation in which students can not only communicate and connect with one another but also with their professors. One author suggested that “a good connection communication network of all students and lecturers is a major aspect that must be considered in lectures” ([5], p. 1). Active learning goes along with a sense of community because the more students tend to feel connected, the more active their learning will become. This can be through teachers offering additional office hours, creating a GroupMe chat for their classes, or having a discussion forum for students to post any questions they may have. Even the platforms, Zoom and Moodle, can help to establish positive communication between instructors and students ([6], p. 1). Building a sense of community should be created at the beginning of the semester and maintained throughout.

5.2 Social media

Another area of engagement is the use of social media, as it can “enhance online education by: widening the context for learning beyond the class to larger networked publics; introducing a hybridization of expertise (e.g., past learners, practicing professionals); mixing different types of information and resources; and re-shaping instructors’ roles as facilitators” ([7], p. 514). Social media was found to be an effective tool for information exchange, collaboration, and cooperation ([8], p. 9), especially those platforms that could be easily integrated into learning management systems ([9], p. 219).

5.3 Gamification

Gamification was another huge area. One author noted that “the number of students attending regular classes increased to about 20%, and students were always willing to participate in the proposed activities” ([10], p. 66). That same author reiterated the vitality of having a variety of “large group, small group, and individual work experiences ([10], p. 64). Using games, such as Quizizz and Kahoot! help to promote “better engagement” and a “positive learning experience” ([11], p. 18).

5.4 Mental health

Taking into account the mental health of students and the instructor was also seen as crucial. “The economic uncertainty, racial injustice crisis, and political turmoil that occurred alongside the pandemic in the United States affected different people and different communities in different ways” ([12], p. 152). Hence, the need for compassionate pedagogy, which allows “students to share experiences and provide support for one another” ([12], p. 153). This theme also goes back to building a sense of community, because, as White states, “compassionate teachers should not only get to know their students but also share some aspects of themselves”. Additionally, it is an instructor’s responsibility to “regularly ask students about their mental health and teach motivation and achievement in academics” ([13], p. 6). Furthermore, adopting a trauma-informed approach to instruction can provide “a sense of stability, agency, and connection to the university and one another” ([14], p. 177). This can be accomplished through check-ins at least once during each class session. Once instructors build rapport and get to know their students a little more, they become better equipped to sense when a student may need someone to talk to or resources to access.

6. My own pedagogical strategies

6.1 Setting goals and carrying them out

Throughout the pandemic, I have participated in many different professional development courses, in which I was able to take some techniques from each, further developing each, into my own style, in order to assist my students with their learning. Some of those courses included: Introduction to Teaching Online (ITO), Getting Ready for Quality Matters (GRQM), African American Studies Initiative Summer Institute, Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), Teaching Online for Faculty, Advanced Online Student Engagement, Texas Distance Learning Association (TXDLA) Digital Accessibility Certification: Faculty Track, Community of Practice: Digital Inclusion, Broadening Global Learning Opportunities Building Academic Leaders (B-Global): A Quality Enhancement Plan, and the Career Course Program. Completing these courses helped me to not only learn about the type of students I could encounter but also assisted with me assigning them a wide range of assignments. Some of which have worked well and some either need tweaking or need to be greatly revamped.

One assignment I have used began as a first-day, in-class assignment, simply titled, “Goals.” During my in-person classes, pre-pandemic, I would have all my students draft a 2-page paper on their goals for the semester, for the class, and for their profession. Once my courses were switched to online, I decided to keep this assignment, but convert it into a discussion post video. That way, students would be able to view their posts and their classmates’ posts, include a written or audio response and build rapport with one another. This assignment is now titled, “Introduction and Goals Presentation.” It is typically due during the first or second week of the semester. Additionally, there is a “Closing and Achievements Presentation,” which is a follow-up to their “Introduction and Goals Presentation.” Students discuss what goals they achieved and their overall opinion of the course and the semester. While I tend to be a little more lenient in my grading of the “Introduction and Goals Presentation,” I tell my students that the “Closing and Achievements Presentation” will be critiqued in more depth, given that they have had the entire semester to evaluate their own learning and my instruction. Both assignments help to keep the student accountable while allowing them to learn about their classmates and various topics that have been covered or that they want to learn more about. These two assignments are now assigned to each of my courses at the beginning and end of the semester, regardless of whether or not I teach a multiple-part course. When students are taking more than one course with me, I inform them to do a different video for each course, although some have attempted to upload the presentation multiple times. Outside of reviewing my student opinion surveys (SOS), I also review the presentation videos as assessment tools for my teaching. This assists me helping to get and keep my students more engaged throughout the semester and during future semesters.

As stated previously, it is best to tweak assignments based on the needs of students. Although I have assigned the above assignments in only paper and video formats, students also could complete them as vision boards, collages, songs that they create, or even short films. The possibilities are endless and should allow students to think deeply about goals, not only for the class they are currently in but also for overall life goals. It is also important to introduce the goals portion using the Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely (SMART) method or in another style to which students can relate. Lastly, it may also be an excellent idea to model the type of presentation that would receive a high score. So, in addition to using a grading rubric, I tend to create my own presentation to share with my students or show them good and bad examples of previous students’ submissions, keeping their identifying information confidential.

6.2 Interactive activities and gamification

As a competitive person, my personality tends to come through in the way I teach. I expect the best from my students and often insert myself into competitions among my classes. One way I do so is through the incorporation of games. I have found that is one way to make learning fun. As making learning fun is a key component of my teaching philosophy, I believe that I should do everything I can to make, what may often be considered as “dry” topics, interesting. When I was a college student myself, I remember very few instructors playing games in our classes. I strive to do so, in order to reach those students who may come from different majors or who may see learning as unidimensional. Some activities that I have played with my classes are: Kahoot!, JeoParody, Family Feud, Quizlet, Quizziz, and Poll Everywhere.

The interactive activities I play with my classes are used to supplement the lectures for students to connect more thoroughly with the material. When meeting online with my classes, I do not lecture full-time. If I lecture, then it may only be for a few minutes, going over a few PowerPoint slides. The majority of our meeting time will be discussion and interactive activities. Therefore, in order to use class time wisely, I make sure I plan out exactly what I want to do with my classes and the time frame in which to do it. However, I am aware that sometimes, no matter how excited I am about what I have scheduled, I must still be open to throwing it all out of the window to address whatever issues may arise with my students or our institution. This has never been more needed than throughout the pandemic, as it can be extremely difficult, if not close to impossible, to teach a group of students, ignoring the current situation of the world and how it is affecting individuals. Using an activity like Poll Everywhere can allow an opportunity for students to express themselves anonymously, given that the right questions are posed. With Poll Everywhere, students can answer multiple-choice questions, create a word cloud with their answers, give open-ended feedback, and engage in several other ways, without the fear of being judged for saying or writing the “wrong” thing. I often use Poll Everywhere to do beginning, middle, and end check-ins.

For review sessions, although I have played Family Feud, Quizizz, and Quizlet, in my courses, I have had the most success with Kahoot! and JeoParody, which is a play on the Jeopardy game. I tend to offer an extra incentives for the top competitors, such as extra points added to exam scores, the opportunity to bypass a low-stakes assignment or points added to students’ final grades. I have asked students to create their own questions for review sessions to send to me. Once they do that, I will compile them into a study guide and choose the best questions to include in Kahoot! Students tend to get excited when they encounter their own questions or similar ones while playing. In the end, the top three players receive whatever the extra incentive, which keeps them interested in participating.

When playing JeoParody on Zoom, students use the chat box to enter in their answers in the form of a question to the given prompt. Whoever types in the correct answer first is allocated the points and has control of the board at that point. Although some students may have difficulty coming up with the correct responses during the timeframe, I still offer extra credit for the final JeoParody. Each student can send me their response directly in the chat box. I usually inquire about something that does not necessarily have a right or wrong answer, but that is based on the students’ own viewpoints, such as their favorite or least favorite topic during the course or from the chapter being reviewed.

6.3 Social media as a friend

Although many instructors may cringe at the notion of integrating social media into the classroom, the truth is if you can use it to catch students’ attention, they may learn more about what you are teaching than through strictly lecturing. In today’s college environment, most students tend to be married to their phones. I come from the standpoint of, since that is the case, why not use that to get them to explore other avenues of the digital world? The activities mentioned previously, Kahoot! and Poll Everywhere, allow students to use their phones to participate.

As a participant in the Career Course Program for the 2022–2023 school year, one of my courses will have a career designation, in which I will include activities in my syllabus to assist students with thinking about and learning more about the career paths they are interested in going down. Before I was a part of the program, I had included low-stakes assignments or assignments that are only worth a few points toward their final grades. These included developing cover letters for their resumes and letter of recommendation for them to give their references to tweak, put on letterhead, and sign for them. These assignments came in handy, as I would often have students come back to me, once they completed my course, and ask for a letter of recommendation or to edit their cover letter or resume. At that point, I would tell them to refer back to the assignment we had during our course, update it, then send it back to me for feedback. Sometimes my students do not realize that those assignments were for those particular instances when they would need them, when on the job market. I tend to delight in the fact that some of them were able to directly apply those skills right after the completion of my course.

One assignment that I plan to implement in the future is another low-stakes assignment in which they create or revise their LinkedIn pages. One of the main questions my students ask is, how to get a job in their field. One of my first questions for them is, do they have a LinkedIn profile and what do their social media pages convey to employers? With this assignment, I plan to introduce the assignment by discussing what LinkedIn is and sharing my own profile, as well as, the profiles of some of my colleagues, with their permission. I will then expect students to do their own research and access other profile pages of the individuals who hold the types of jobs and careers they would like to achieve. While this assignment is currently in the works, I believe that it will help students become more aware of their online presence, or lack thereof, resulting in them either wanting to clean it up a bit, before graduating and being on the job market, or establishing a greater presence to make themselves more marketable. As I have experienced being recruited to apply for jobs based on my LinkedIn profile alone, I want my students to be able to experience the same, at least as a starting point in their field of choice.

Furthermore, I encourage my students to research podcasts in their field, I show YouTube videos related to my courses, and I challenge them to share relevant news on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to share with the class. For those with current businesses, I also ask them to share, in order to connect with others and grow their clientele base. I find that students enjoy connecting with one another via social media, which sometimes makes it a bit easier to work on group projects together, outside of class, since this allows them to better understand one another’s interests and passions. Also, this helps to add creativity to students’ group projects because they may come up with ideas from videos they have seen on YouTube or TikTok to illustrate their viewpoints. Utilizing such videos can be useful for teaching and learning ([15], p. 1). I dedicate points in each of my grading rubrics for creativity and count the incorporation of social media as a miscellaneous area, which is greatly welcomed.

6.4 Guest speakers

Guest speakers are such a blessing to my students and me. Not only do they allow a bit of a break from having to prepare activities for my classes to do, but they also give students an opportunity to break from traditional tasks to focus on hearing the experiences of another professional. With the pandemic, it has been a bit easier to schedule speakers via the Zoom platform, as I am not limited to colleagues in the area, but I also have more colleagues willing to present to my classes in different cities and states. For example, a professor at another Historically Black College and University (HBCU) that I connected with at a social work conference was hosting a study abroad program in Ghana. I invited her as a guest speaker to my classes and found that many students’ interests were piqued by her presentation, with some reaching out to inquire about how they could attend that program.

One such instance in which having a guest speaker helped tremendously, was when I tested positive for COVID-19 the second week of the fall 2022 semester. As I scrambled to figure out what to do about my classes that week, while self-isolating, I decided to reach out to one of my social work colleagues, to see if she could assist. Although I had all in-person courses at the time, she accepted my invitation to be a guest speaker, virtually, for all three of my courses. My colleague was a huge help, as she shared some of her experiences in the field with my students, allowing them to ask questions and learn from a social worker who holds licenses in multiple states. She contributed to my students being more engaged and being able to meet in a safe learning environment.

Asking previous students who have graduated to return as guest speakers helps current students feel a bit more comfortable asking questions that only alumni of their institution may be able to answer. Just to know that not only did that individual graduate from their university but also is thriving in their field, can be incredibly inspiring to those students who may feel they have a long way to go. I have had a few different graduates as guest speakers for my classes and I could tell the difference between those speakers who had that connection and those who did not. My students tended to be much more engaged and willing to inquire about the next steps to take, following graduation. They seemed more eager to connect outside of my classes, as well, via social media.

In my summer internship seminar classes, students are required to find guest speakers themselves, either within or outside of their agencies. This helps them to step outside of their comfort zones and establish rapport with those in their field and similar fields. They realize that finding guest speakers is not always easy, as it often comes down to more than just who they want to present. They must also consider one’s timeframe, fee, relevance, availability, and accessibility. I ask my students to have a backup plan, or another guest speaker lined up, just in case the one they chose is not able to make it. This is also like a mini group project, as those placed at the same agency must collaborate to pick a speaker, then present them with a thank-you gift afterward. Students further learn how to plan ahead, value other professionals’ time and efforts, and maintain working relationships. They may also have to answer their potential guest speakers’ questions about what exactly to discuss and for how long, how many students are in the course, and what format the class is in. If the person has never used an online platform, such as Zoom, then students may have to offer a short training on how to navigate it. Moreover, students have to briefly introduce their guest speakers by giving their audience some information about their academic and professional backgrounds. Students tend to learn a lot about themselves, as well as others, throughout the process of choosing and scheduling guest speakers with their classmates.

6.5 Group presentations

Most students that I have encountered do not exactly jump for joy at the thought of having to complete group presentations. However, I always express the significance of learning how to work together effectively, as it allows “students to connect with one another to build a strong sense of community” ([16], p. 52). Although many complain throughout the process, they learn lessons from being grouped with different people that they can use as examples when interviewing for jobs. In addition, “it is suggested that social presence, as well as group cohesion among students and between students and instructors, can serve as a protective factor to ensure continued productive motivation for teaching and learning while facing the challenges that are experienced during such times” ([17], p. 35). Ultimately, it is yet another way for students to stay engaged while discovering characteristics of their work ethic and their classmates.

Since transitioning to a COVID-19 environment, I have learned that group presentations may become a little trickier to maneuver. While having to social distance, the importance of connecting outside of the typical face-to-face setting is even more crucial. I have found that many students will divide up the work, based on the different parts of the assignment, complete their parts, and not be concerned about the assignment, as a whole. I try to get my students to shy away from only worrying about “their” part, as it is a collaborative effort, in which each individual member should know, not just “their” part, but “every” part. Honestly, I have not had much success in this area. However, in my grading rubric, I allocate credit for group cohesion and being able to work out any issues ahead of time themselves, as adults, without having to inform the instructor of every single issue.

I usually reserve time for group presentations during the middle to the end of the course. So, I lecture during the beginning to the middle of the semester, then use the rest of the course for students to illustrate what they have learned and how what they have learned can be applied to our field. During my lectures, I try to model how and what I would like presentations to be set up. This includes setting up early before class time, preparing handouts or links for the audience, sending any information that will be presented to the instructor a few days in advance to receive feedback, and including an interactive activity, such as Kahoot!, Poll Everywhere, or JeoParody.

Grading presentations can be very tedious. I start by reviewing a hard copy beforehand, filling in pertinent information, such as group names, presentation date, and titles. Then, during the actual presentation, I enter points. I require groups to upload their presentations, at least an hour before the start of class time, in which they present. This gives me time to print them out, review them, and write down potential questions and comments. Following the end of a group presenting, I ask questions and provide feedback, both verbally and via email, within a day or two.

Furthermore, I require at least one meeting, based on the group’s availability, which all group members must attend. During that meeting, I review the instructions, go over the group’s outline for their topic, answer any questions that may arise, and offer them guidance for getting started and progressing. I reiterate reaching out ahead of time if there is something they are finding challenging. While some groups may not take the meeting as seriously as they should, the ones who do usually earn higher scores and get more out of the assignment.

Group presentations, when completed with much effort and without procrastination, can build a sense of pride within the instructor and the students. They showcase active learning and give students opportunities to highlight what they believe are vital subjects. Throughout presentation time, I learn so much about what drives my students and what their passions are. It also helps me to modify the setup for group presentations from semester to semester, honing what is expected of students, based on new standards that have been set during each course.

6.6 Pedagogy challenge

During fall 2022, instructors were challenged, by the dean, to include an activity in their courses during the first week of classes, in order to have a positive impact on enrollment and retention. The focus of the challenge was “belonging,” as “our need to belong influences everything we hear and is fundamental to our well-being” ([18], p. 173). We were tasked with putting into effect the teaching tips and lessons that the guest speakers at our college’s mini conference presented on. We were to ask our students about the best and worst classes they had attended, what made those classes stand out in their memories, and how they made them feel. We also had to ask them to write down the characteristics of those classes and how the instructors and students made them positive or negative experiences. Lastly, we were to have group discussions about what they wrote and develop a list of qualities, for both faculty and students, that we would like to see in our class that semester. Once completed, we were to submit a letter detailing the use of the Pedagogy Challenge Activity, providing three examples of how insights from the activity were used to adjust teaching strategies, and providing two letters of support from students enrolled in our courses., in order to be nominated for the Pedagogy Challenge Teaching Award, for which two awards were available.

At first, I was unsure if I would even participate in this activity. I already had my schedule planned for each session throughout the week. However, I think that was part of the challenge. Although I had already prepared what I wanted to do, this activity taught me that sometimes you may have to throw out what you have planned, rearrange some tasks, and prioritize the needs of the students more. When I decided to give it a shot, I was pleasantly surprised by how much my students had to share, particularly about their worst classes. Most of the time, it is difficult to get students to feel comfortable enough to share, especially during the beginning of the semester. But that activity helped many to feel like they were in a safe space with an instructor who actually cared about getting to know them and making their semester in their course the best experience possible. Even students who had not taken any of my classes before wrote that they felt like it was going to be a great semester for them because of my approach, which reinforced why I should have completed that activity in the first place. When students discussed their worst classes, most stated how they felt the instructor did not care about their learning, was hard to contact for additional assistance, or how they were tested on, which was different from what was discussed during lectures. For the best classes, most mentioned the opposite. They wrote that they felt that their opinions mattered, there were multiple opportunities to earn good grades, the instructor was easy to get in contact with, and the classes were engaging. It helped to put into perspective things that I, as an instructor, sometimes do and do not do, and made me more aware of things students find helpful with which I should continue.

The Pedagogy Challenge was not just something to do in the first week and then forget about it. I found that throughout the semester, I had to review the characteristics my students wanted to see implemented in my courses. I tried my best to encompass all of the traits they mentioned they wanted to see in their instructor. Moreover, accountability went both ways, as I reminded my students what was discussed during the first week and what they had pledged to do. Ideally, this is an excellent activity that should be tried out by all instructors, as a starting point for their classes. It sets the tone and can show instructors how to make their courses more student-centered, by hearing students’ voices and giving them choices. It opens the door for further discussions about what different students want to learn and how they learn best, making it easier for instructors to get to know their students better.

6.7 Miscellaneous

While I have highlighted six major areas for getting and keeping students engaged, there are several others I have also implemented from semester to semester. One assignment that serves as another foundation to develop rapport with students is a questionnaire that asks about, not only what they know about the course topic so far, what they want to learn, and their passions, but also about what challenges they may currently be experiencing or that they foresee that may hinder them from completing their assignments on time. Being aware of what students are facing outside of the classroom can prepare instructors to make adjustments as they see fit. I tell my students that whenever there is an adjustment made, I always try to make sure that it is in their favor. The questionnaire is also a low-stakes assignment, in which I have received positive feedback on.

Meeting with my students one-on-one, each semester, is what I strive to do, as well. For the larger classes, this is usually accomplished through my group presentation meetings. I appreciate being able to meet, either in-person or virtually, with students in my smaller classes because I am able to spend more time addressing their needs. I know meeting with a professor, one-on-one, can sometimes be intimidating, whether it is virtual or in-person. So, I try to be transparent and let them know, ahead of time, what exactly we will discuss for them to be able to prepare. I encourage them to come to the meeting with their own agenda for questions they want to inquire about. This helps to break the ice and make it more student-led.

Also, for smaller classes, I tend to have more individual assignments. Instead of group presentations, I may have individuals present on different sections or chapters of the textbook. I still encourage interactive activities between the presenter and the audience. When only one student is presenting, I require the presentations to be shorter in the timeframe. For one of my classes, students were to present on a chapter section for five minutes, include an interactive activity, create potential exam questions and multiple-choice answers from which I could develop my own, and use only one slide. This was challenging for some, as they had been used to presenting for more than five minutes, using multiple slides, and having someone else presenting with them. However, when students adhered to the guidelines, it helped me to be able to evaluate whether or not they really understood the material enough to be able to teach it to others.

From semester to semester, I frequently ask my colleagues for assistance with executing different assignments, getting some of their ideas of what to do in certain classes, and seeing if and how we can combine our courses for guest speakers or programs. This shows my students that working collaboratively is crucial as a college student and college instructor, since we are all “involved in a collective effort to help each other learn” ([19], p. 364). Furthermore, at the beginning of each semester, there is a library instruction day, in which a librarian either attends my classes or I take my classes to the library. Although some look at library instruction day as a free day and some students state that they have already participated in it multiple times for previous classes, there is always something new they can learn how to do.

Given all of the above techniques described, I try to stay as open as possible to making changes, trying out new strategies, and putting pauses on others until I find a better way to execute them. As teaching is my passion, my overall goal is to use my passion to demonstrate to my students how learning can be fun, engaging, and relevant. In a COVID-19 environment, all three are incredibly important and should serve as a basis for instruction.

7. Discussion

As this chapter took a look at teaching strategies during the pandemic implemented by both this instructor and others around the world, the significance of blended learning can not be stressed enough. In today’s society, there must be multiple forms of teaching and engagement, in order to assist students with diverse needs in a post-COVID-19 environment. In particular, “online teaching and learning has been adopted and accepted as a new normal which enforces self-learning and adaptive learning” ([20], p. 88). Instructors must constantly look for new and improved ways to reach their audience, incorporating material from within and outside their textbooks and incorporating how students view the current state of the world.

8. Conclusions

This chapter took a glimpse at several tactics for teaching in a pandemic. For each strategy, I have highlighted how and why I have used it and what the result has been thus far. I have emphasized the need for these techniques to be adjusted, based on one’s own teaching style and students’ needs. It is my sincere hope that this chapter has helped to spark ideas for additional teaching methods and that readers improve upon the methods already discussed.

Acknowledgments

As an assistant professor of social work, I acknowledge my institution, Prairie View A&M University, as a key factor in how and why I am able to do such research.

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Thanks

Thanks to IntechOpen for the opportunity to be included in this book.