Studio-based courses are about the process of observing, creating, critiquing, and refining over time. Students learn techniques and process, attempt them, compare what they have created to criteria, intent, or other works, and then refine or iterate. 

The 4 key elements for a studio-course include:

1. Observing a demonstration of a process or the creation of a product
2. Performing a process or create a product using appropriate materials or space
3. Comparing, critiquing, or observing drafts and final products
4. Refining, iterating, and revising to improve skills and observation

Observing and Performing a Process

Would you typically be present to observe students’ create some artifact of their learning and is this process an important part of your assessment? Or, would you typically demonstrate for your students the steps they will need to follow in creating an artifact of their learning? 

Since we are unable to come together in a studio space to demonstrate the process of learning, we will explore here some ideas and remote learning tools you and your students can use to share steps in a process, from beginning to completion. 

Asynchronous Sharing in Your Course

Process in ideal times might be something we think of as more continuous. If we are together in a studio environment, a fuller version of the process of creating a painting or drawing, for example, can be demonstrated and observed. In a remote setting, this process needs to be made a bit more concrete. What steps are essential and how will a student know what differentiates step one from step two? This relates to a concept known as threshold concepts, which is defined in the U of C’s guide as a “core idea that’s conceptually challenging for students, who struggle to grasp it—but once grasped, it radically transforms the students’ perception of the subject.”

If you are demonstrating a concept, you might consider using a tool such as Panotpo to record the whole or clearly differentiated parts of the process and post your video(s) in your course online so students can download and watch the video on their own time. 

Eportfolios for Documenting Process

If students are demonstrating a process, they can similarly record and upload their videos, photos, or other artifacts as they work through the process. You might consider setting a series of staggered deadlines to ensure you are able to provide students with formative feedback as they work through a process that might be new and difficult for them. To keep all of their work together and private, you can use an online portfolio tool (“eportfolio”), in which students post work that you are able to view on a continual basis. 

The advantage to using an eportfolio is, as stated, the artifacts posted are private so students feel more secure in posting artifacts of their learning they perhaps aren’t confident about yet, and you as the instructor are able to observe your students’ learning in progress rather than as a single artifact handed in at the end. A digital point of checkin like an online portfolio also avoids what I call the “sketchbook problem” that results from assigning a task that is meant to engage students in a learning process (keep a sketchbook all semester and add one drawing each week) that ultimately ends in a student spending several hours drawing and trying to layer aged-looking coffee stains in their sketchbook the night before it’s due. 

Eportolio.usask.ca or words.usask.ca are Usask supported tools students can use to create portfolios of work. Process pictures can be taken of studio art work and posted as in a portfolio. These can be shared with an instructor who is then able to provide feedback as work develops, submitted with final work, or shared for class critique. 

Comparisons, Master Studies, and Critiques

One of the bright spots of what we are experiencing in response to this pandemic is the unprecedented access we all currently have to online content and experiences. Use this to your and your students’ advantage. If you are asking your students to complete Master Studies, you can send them to galleries and museums virtually. Many galleries and museums now have very robust virtual exhibits, including the Virtual Museum, the Metis Museum, and this great list of virtual exhibits collected by The Guardian.

Synchronous Theatre Events

Theatres are also finding ways to perform in safe and relevant ways that can serve as an example of how to create active online events, livestream performances, and drop-in improv jams.

Digital Critiques and Exhibits

If your students have sufficient internet access, you can engage them in creating their own online exhibits. There are many tools that allow users to build their own 3D virtual art galleries. Two examples include Roomful and this list of five free and open source tools. 

If internet access is not so reliable, you can also set us critiques in your discussion forum. Students can post their work and comments on others, following feedback questions you can provide in advance that take “netiquette” into consideration. 

If you are still looking for solutions to the challenges you’ve identified in moving your studio-based course into the remote context, explore the fulsome “Z.O.M.B.I.E. Survival Guide for VCUarts,” which includes tips about expectations, strategies, apps, and even some templates for you to use. 

A good seminar is all about students thinking critically and deeply about ideas, and then building on the ideas of others. Face to face (F2F), that looks like a small group of students in discussion, lead by an instructor, TA, or even by another student or groups of students. In an online environment, seminars will work best if they occur asynchronously in the discussion boards in an LMS (Canvas, Blackboard).  If the group is small enough (think about a dozen students), some type of synchronous tool, like WebEX, can allow students to talk to each other at the same time. 

The 4 key elements for a seminar that need to be replicated during remote instruction include:

1. A prompt or text(s) that the student considers independently in advance
2. Guiding questions that require analysis, synthesize and/or evaluation of ideas
3. The opportunity to share personal thinking with a group
4. Ideas being developed, rejected, and refined over time based on everyone’s contributions

Giving students a prompt and guiding questions is best done in written form in remote instruction. Like F2F instruction, a rich prompt with lots to think about and some guiding questions that help students consider the prompt are essential.  In a F2F class, student often choose to respond more to certain questions than others as a class discussion progresses.  In a discussion board, you usually provide choice to accomplish the same thing, for example:  “Please select one of four discussion threads for this week.  Post a short initial response of 100 words or less.  Then read the comments of other students and select two to engage with.  Consider building on the ideas of others students, posing questions, or add resources related to the topic as a part of your response to others.”

Sharing Thinking Asynchronously (at different times) in Canvas or Blackboard
While some students are actually more comfortable is responding to online discussion boards, many do better if they have a sense of who they are speaking with and what is appropriate. Students need specific guidance and support for how to develop, reject, and refine ideas appropriately in your course. 

1. If you want students to share well, consider requiring an initial post where you and students introduce yourselves and share a picture.
2. Describe your expectations for norms in how everyone will behave online
3. Provide a lot of initial feedback about the quality of posting.  Consider giving samples of good and bad posts, and remember to clarify your marking criteria. Focus your expectations on the quality of comments, and set maximums for the amount you expect to reduce your marking load and keep the discussions high quality.
4. Someone will need to moderate the discussion. That includes posting the initial threads, reading what everyone posts all weeks and commenting to keep the discussion flowing.  Likely, the same person (you or a TA) will also be grading and providing private feedback to each student. Consider making the moderation of a discussion an assignment in your course. You can moderate the first few weeks to demonstrate what you want, and groups of students can moderate other weeks. It can increase engagement if done well, and definitely decreases your work load.

Sharing Thinking Synchronously in Web EX
If your class is small, you can still use a synchronous (the class meets at the same time) discussion. You should still start with introductions and need to explain how the sharing process will work. Teach everyone to mute when not speaking, and turn off their cameras if they have bandwidth issues. Use the chat so people can agree and add ideas as other people are speaking, and teach people to raise their hands or add emoticons in the participants window to help you know who wants to speak next.

Student Presentation Within the Seminar

If you usually have or would like to start using student presentations within your seminar, students this can be accomplished in several ways.

1. Have students use Panopto for student presentations
2. Have students record their presentation with their cell phones and upload them to Canvas or Blackboard.
3. If your class is small, have student deliver their presentations asynchronously through WebEx

Your “placement” may be a practicum course or may be work-place or community-based learning experiences built into a course.  In either the longer or shorter duration, these opportunities are valued by students as a means to improve skills and refine understanding by practicing and receiving feedback in a professional setting.  Also, students appreciate the chance to build their networks and resumes for their future careers.

Availability of placement partners?

In the remote context, we know that our usual partners may find themselves less able to take students on.  Even if they want a student, they may also need to reduce the number of people in their physical settings.  You may help your partners see possibilities by asking them about opportunities for remote-working for that student, or new projects that are entirely suitable and do not require regular or any physical presence by the student.

Tapping into student networks for placements?

Student situations may vary and affect options in ways you don’t expect.  Many students may not move to Saskatoon this fall.  But, they may be able to identify new opportunities for placements where they are living that actually work well.  This might even expand options significantly. Consider reaching out to the students in the course to ask them about their locations and ideas for placement options that fit the criteria you set out.  You can make use of the Survey Monkey tool, which is supported by USask.

Structures for success?

Ensure you and your partners can support, supervise, and assess students to an appropriate extent.  The nature of the support, supervision, and assessment will likely be different.  Consider how you can keep to the core principles you use during normal times and find technology enhanced approaches that may work adequately, just as well, or even better.

You may find the following resources useful:

• Tips for Onboarding Students Remotely (PDF)
• Tips For Supervising Students Remotely (PDF)

Back up plans?

Create contingency plans in case the experience is interrupted for any reason.  If there was an outbreak in the location of your student, or your student or their worksite needed to take quarantine measures, develop a plan for a reasonable response.  Having a plan for this kind of disruption will help you, your students, and your partners proceed more confidently.  And, it will also make you all feel equipped to make a good decision on the side of safety.

For more on student placements for remote learning see Preparing and Supporting Students in Remote-context Placements.

You already know how much your students value the learning opportunities that happen sometimes and are called the  “real-world.”   Our approaches to this need to be different in the remote context, but there are opportunities for expanded student learning too.  After all, skills for remote working and use of online tools for collaboration and communication are transferrable as 21^st century skills regardless.

How may individual student situations vary?

Reach out to your students involved in your practicum or community-based learning course.  Individual situations may vary and affect options in ways you don’t expect.  Many students may not move to Saskatoon this fall and it will be useful to know what their remote learning situation is. You can make use of SurveyMonkey, a tool at USask, for this purpose.

What preparation may help students? 

What do students need to know about technologies in use, about remote-working etiquette and norms, and about staying on track with their responsibilities in remote professional contexts. USask has assembled resources on remote-working, that you may find apply to your course and students’ contexts. CEWIL Canada, a Canadian organization devoted to work-integrated learning also has many resources.

If students will be physically present in a workplace or community setting during their placement, be aware of the PPE they may be expected to have and communicate that need to students.  Confirm that students will be able to access such equipment and any other safety training and protocols.

What supportive options can be offered?

Set up virtual options for students to communicate, collaborate, and present.  You may want to set up a regular Webex meeting for facilitated smaller groups discussions.

Identify new or expanded opportunities.  For example, how could videos, pre-existing virtual tours, or guest presenters allow for some of the learning you intended with the on-site learning?

Reviewing these core principles for experiential learning may help you take a step back and revisit and refine what makes sense for Fall 2020.  The constraint of remote learning may lead to some new, innovative ideas.

You can use Panopto to record your lectures with slides, with audio, so that students can hear you, and with video, so that students can see you while you speak. That system has lots and lots to offer. Note the links at the bottom of this post to get to extensive training resources.

To get started, you should break your previously prepared lectures into smaller sections (5-7 minutes) to record them that way.

Here is why:

1. Most important when you are getting started: if you have to, it’s quicker to re-record a 5-7 minute video than a 60-90 minute video.
2. In the future, you are more likely to make use of these shorter videos in your teaching. When people talk about the “flipped” teaching model during normal times, often what instructors do is have students watch the lecture on their own time, and the classroom time is used for more active learning in the group setting. You may decide the shorter videos you make now will allow you to take that kind of instructional step forward in the future.
3. Breaking your lectures up with discussion or thinking breaks for students is something you likely do in-person. You do that because:
   • you need the break and want to invite student questions to see how they are doing with what you are teaching
   • you recognize that your students need the opportunity to reset their attention
   • you know that students need help to separate out the key points and to see how they relate or group together, so you provide transitions and comments that make that clear
4. Students will watch recorded lectures more than once because they know it helps them learn and review. Title your lecture sections in a way that allows students to see the focus of the recording easily. Then, they can target what they review additional times. By the way, students really appreciate the chance to rewatch lectures in this way. It’s especially helpful for students and instructors who speak English as an additional language.

For more on Panopto see:

• Instructor How-to: Recording and Sharing Videos using Panopto 
• Panopto or narrated PowerPoint