{"id":14745,"date":"2019-03-01T13:20:22","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T13:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=14745"},"modified":"2023-07-06T16:16:15","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T16:16:15","slug":"snow-lessons-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned","title":{"rendered":"Snow day lessons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"snow<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Maria Lamarca Anderson
\nNeither snow and ice nor lack of heat nor suspended campus operations could stay the University of Washington Bothell faculty from supporting the success of their students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike K-12 schools, the university doesn\u2019t have the option to go beyond the scheduled last day of the quarter \u2014 and yet students still need to learn all the material on course syllabi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when it appeared the forecast of a major snowstorm (or two) might result in cancelled classes for several days starting Feb. 4, faculty began making arrangements to ensure students would not fall behind. They adjusted lesson plans and rescheduled midterm exams. Some even adjusted content and pedagogy so that they could conduct class remotely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experimenting with new tools <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur department has very few hybrid or online classes so for many faculty, this was a new situation,\u201d said Jennifer McLoud-Mann, professor and chair of the Division of Engineering and Mathematics in the School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM<\/a>). \u201cThey knew little about the software they were about to use.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A number of faculty turned to Panopto to record lectures at home. Using the cameras on their computers, they filmed themselves talking while simultaneously illustrating concepts on pieces of paper, a far cry from the large, erasable whiteboards they use in the classroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using Panopto required certain equipment, and those who hadn\u2019t used the software before were at somewhat of a disadvantage, said McLoud-Mann. \u201cBut that didn\u2019t stop them. Emails flew back and forth about what people needed and who might be able to help,\u201d she said. \u201cIn the end, they made their way to each other\u2019s houses to pick up and drop off equipment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t expect their students to travel in those conditions, yet they didn\u2019t hesitate to put themselves out there,\u201d she said. \u201cI truly appreciate their determination.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thinking on their feet <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Nicole
Nicole Hoover teaching from home. courtesy photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, Feb. 7, Nicole Hoover, a lecturer in STEM who teaches calculus and pre-calculus, sent her students home with a packet of work \u201cjust in case\u201d and told them she would videotape the accompanying lecture and post it online. At that point they\u2019d already missed two days of class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI decided to print it out because I knew some of them didn\u2019t have the capability at home,\u201d she said. \u201cPlus, what if they lost power?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It turned out that it was Hoover herself who had to work without electricity as she prepared her video lecture. She had been without power since the night before, and her laptop battery was running low. And it was just 56 degrees in her house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undaunted, Hoover found a roll of butcher paper from her daughter\u2019s school activities and enlisted her help writing out math problems that aligned with the paper packet she had given her students. She then used an old easel to demonstrate the calculations as her laptop camera recorded her entire lecture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, she had to upload the video so students could access it online. \u201cI used the hotspot on my husband\u2019s phone to upload,\u201d said Hoover. \u201cI was nervous that the battery for either the phone or the laptop would drain before it was complete.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A mathematician, she could not help but turn the situation into another math challenge, plotting a graph of the upload and the corresponding battery percentage. The video finished processing at 17 and 15 percent of the battery life for the phone and computer, respectively. \u201cIt just made it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there was still more to be done. She used the last of the battery power to post instructions for her students to watch the video, follow along with the examples in their packets, and email her any questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virtually in the same room <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Butcher
Handy butcher paper scroll. courtesy photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The next day, power restored, Hoover was able to check on her students\u2019 progress online. Fewer than half had yet to watch the video. Knowing it would be difficult for them to catch up if they didn\u2019t stay on top of the snow-day assignment, she posted another announcement reminding them about an upcoming quiz. In the end, most of the students watched the video and successfully worked through the math problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt actually worked better to have this particular topic \u2014 chain rule \u2014 on video,\u201d Hoover said. \u201cIt helped some to be able to watch it more than once.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for her own learning, Hoover said, \u201cthe situation forced me to learn new tools that I didn\u2019t have time for before. It\u2019s comforting to know that if I get sick and can\u2019t come to class, I can still teach.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gavin Doyle, a lecturer in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (IAS)<\/a>, and Charity Lovitt, a lecturer in STEM, co-teach \u201cAtoms in Art and Culture.\u201d They decided to hold class on Feb. 12 at its usual time using Zoom, a videoconferencing tool that neither of them had used extensively \u2014 and Doyle was without electricity until 30 minutes before class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of the lesson, almost all of their 44 students were able to log in, some sharing the same computer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the virtual classroom environment, the two faculty took turns lecturing, then created breakout \u201crooms\u201d for student discussion groups. As online host of the space, Lovitt could go back and forth between the rooms to monitor and guide discussions. The students could ask questions through a group chat feature and shared their work using virtual whiteboards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Household
Household products for chemistry experiment. courtesy photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lovitt also managed to conduct a chemistry experiment for students from her home using common household products. She gave the students formulas and tasked them with determining if the experiment would work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lessons learned <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a learning experience for both our students \u2014 who were introduced to the concepts we’d planned to discuss and were challenged to work collaboratively in virtual groups \u2014 and for us,\u201d Doyle said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had to figure out quickly how to do online polls, chat streams, videos, uploads and small group discussions,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen all was said and done, there were things we could do differently, but overall we\u2019re pleased with how it all worked out for our students.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on the success of the Feb. 12 virtual class, Doyle and Lovitt held another on Feb. 14, the seventh day of suspended operations. The classes were recorded so students could watch the videos if they couldn\u2019t log in during class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For her part, Assistant Professor Shannon Cram was scheduled to be in Eastern Washington for a meeting the week of Feb. 11 so her IAS students were already prepared to come to class as usual and proceed without her. Because of the snow, she wasn\u2019t able to get to her out-of-town meeting but wanted to communicate with her students and be available if they had any questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living in rural Duvall, she was without power for stretches at a time. She began her days walking a mile in the snow just to get cell service and find out if classes were canceled that week. She would then go home, make contingency plans, and then walk back later to send group announcements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted them to know my status,\u201d said Cram. \u201cI didn\u2019t want them to feel ignored. I also wanted to tell them to be cautious, especially if they chose to drive. Some of them couldn\u2019t afford to miss work so they were out on the roads.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stronger going forward <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

McLoud-Mann said that faculty did all they could ensure their students could continue learning and not miss assignments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey scheduled makeup exams, offered remote sessions and held online office hours,\u201d she said. \u201cThey spun a tough situation into an opportunity to learn.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while the threat of snow may be gone, the lessons learned are still making a difference in how some faculty approach the challenge of teaching. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s made them excited about wanting to collaborate more,\u201d she said. \u201cThere have been many discussions since about how they\u2019re going to share best practices and continue learning from one another.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neither snow and ice nor suspended campus operations could stay the University of Washington Bothell faculty from supporting students online during the February snow storm. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[228,202,229,204],"tags":[367],"school":[],"class_list":["post-14745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-administration","category-campus-news","category-faculty","category-students","tag-snow"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":null,"link_2":null,"link_3":null,"link_4":null,"link_5":null},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":null,"button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nSnow day lessons - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Snow day lessons - News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Neither snow and ice nor suspended campus operations could stay the University of Washington Bothell faculty from supporting students online during the February snow storm.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-01T13:20:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-06T16:16:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Snow day lessons\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-01T13:20:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-06T16:16:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned\"},\"wordCount\":1350,\"keywords\":[\"snow\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Administration\",\"Campus News\",\"Faculty\",\"Students\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned\",\"name\":\"Snow day lessons - News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-01T13:20:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-06T16:16:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Snow day lessons\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/\",\"name\":\"News\",\"description\":\"Just another UW Bothell site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/author\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Snow day lessons - News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Snow day lessons - News","og_description":"Neither snow and ice nor suspended campus operations could stay the University of Washington Bothell faculty from supporting students online during the February snow storm.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned","og_site_name":"News","article_published_time":"2019-03-01T13:20:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-07-06T16:16:15+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Snow day lessons","datePublished":"2019-03-01T13:20:22+00:00","dateModified":"2023-07-06T16:16:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned"},"wordCount":1350,"keywords":["snow"],"articleSection":["Administration","Campus News","Faculty","Students"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned","url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned","name":"Snow day lessons - News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-03-01T13:20:22+00:00","dateModified":"2023-07-06T16:16:15+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/01\/snow-lessons-learned#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Snow day lessons"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/","name":"News","description":"Just another UW Bothell site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/author"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14745"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27543,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14745\/revisions\/27543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14745"},{"taxonomy":"school","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/school?post=14745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}