New Instructors Perspectives on Remote Teaching Methods

Abstract

With the swift transition to remote learning due to the spread of COVID-19, instructors have inconsistencies on how to deliver remote instructions for their classes. Instructors have had their own motivations to pursue a particular remote teaching approach. These motivations vary between personal preferences and class-driven factors. We surveyed 13 new instructors to learn their perspectives on teaching remote engineering classes from spring 2020 to fall 2020. The survey responses were then content-analyzed. The instructors were evenly split between choosing traditional lecturing versus choosing to flip their classes. The urge for a fast transition to online classes motivated some instructors to adapt a traditional lecturing style as it requires less time and effort to prepare. On the other hand, the nature of the topic being taught, efficient delivery, and alternative use of class time were the primary motivations for instructors to flip their classes. However, none of the surveyed instructors opted for asynchronous meetings. The most frequently reported challenge in a remote classroom was the lack of student interactivity. The results indicate that simple active learning approaches helped increase interactivity in electrical and computer engineering classes.