TRANSFORMATION OF THE OS CLASSROOM
Reshaping Student Engagement
BY PROFESSOR SARA SODERSTROM
It ’ s still surreal to think back to March 11 , 2020 - the last day I taught in person classes . Many OS students were wrapping up a negotiation exercise when the email from President Schlissel came through noting that we ’ d be moving to remote instruction , effective immediately . I ’ m still in awe of everyone making that transition . Students welcomed my 5-year old into various Zoom classes as the distinction between home and work evaporated . I am really looking forward to being back in the classroom in the fall , but I also think it ’ s important to reflect on some of my lessons learned the past year with remote teaching .
First , the importance of centering compassion was evident in each of my classes . The past year highlighted even more how much many students are balancing and navigating across their lives . I had incredible GSIs who were very supportive in helping me redesign aspects of class to be more flexible and more accessible to students . Second , the remote space pushed me to develop a greater variety of ways to engage with students and shape class participation . I loved seeing discussions emerge in chat , learning more about students through reflections , and building realworld applications into class from student experiences . Even in the remote year , coming to our various class “ Zoom rooms ” became a highlight of every week for me . Students ’ compassion to me , and my engagement with them , helped make this difficult time better .
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