Starting as a new tutor during the COVID-19 pandemic has had its challenges; how exactly do I teach? How do I use Zoom? What on earth is Canvas? Through the support of my colleagues in the School of Nursing and the LX.lab, I eventually worked out how to do my job.
Making a connection with students as a new tutor
Something that surprised me along the way was the connection that I forged with my students in the new online world of teaching. Each week I’d start the Zoom tutorial 10 minutes early and each week I’d have the same students log in early and chat until the class started. I enjoyed sharing an interesting event that happened in my clinical job each week and even how I’d personally been coping with lockdown, hoping to create a more personal connection with my students. I thought that everything had been going well because I had a lot of students saying “thank you” at the end of each session, but I hadn’t realised how well it had been going until practical nursing classes were being organised.
I had students ask me on numerous occasions what days I’ll be teaching and exactly what class I’ll be in so they could enrol in the same one as me. This was really humbling. To think that even with all the challenges that comes with the delivery of online education you can still connect with students and make a difference, not only to their knowledge base but also to how they feel within the class. It’s easy to tick a box and think “great, I’ve delivered the content and I’ve done my job” but this has shown me that there’s so much more to teaching then just meeting the learning objectives.
I’ve also been fortunate enough to teach a handful of face-to-face classes, so nursing students can continue to go out on their clinical placements. This week I told my students I was impressed with how well they’d conducted a practical skill, one student replied to me and said “well, we had a good teacher”. That comment brought me so much joy. Reflecting on it now, I’ve realised that the satisfaction of connecting with my students and receiving comments like that reinforces the student’s satisfaction with my delivery of content and their experience within my class. This has been the greatest joy of my job.
If you’re a new tutor, here are a few things that have worked well for me throughout the session.
1. Connect with students before providing content
At the start of my first tutorial, I spent 5 minutes introducing myself, explaining my educational background, my clinical experience and even sharing relevant photos of myself throughout my university years to show the students that I was once in the same position as them. Following this I communicated my role and made it clear what they could expect from me, as well as how to get in contact with me outside of the tutorial.
2. Provide an opportunity for students to connect with one another
Allocate time for students to socialise, such as starting the Zoom meeting early to provide time for relaxed conversation. I also used the first 5-10 minutes of the class for icebreakers. The topics I used for icebreakers were what I’d consider to be useful information. I’d ask everyone to share their nicknames with the class, funny or not, for a light-hearted approach for the start of tutorial. I’ve also asked the students to share where they’ll be attending clinical placements as an icebreaker to help students find common ground and even connect with people that may share the same placement facility.
3. Encouraging participation
To encourage participation online, I reminded my students that the class was a safe and judgement free space and to have a go. Throughout the delivery of content, I’d regularly ask questions to encourage students to engage, as well as taking time before changing topics to clarify anything that may not have made sense. I gave my students options as to how they participated. If they weren’t comfortable using their microphone to answer or ask a question, they could simply type it in the chat box. We also structured group interactions by using breakout groups each week, as well as using fun online activities such as Kahoot.
As a new tutor, starting out can be daunting. Being approachable, and making an effort to connect with your students can really help to break the ice and enrich the experience for all involved.
Feature image by Andy Roberts.