“You cannot create experience. You must undergo it.”
– Albert Camus, Carnets
Valuable learning experiences are based on difficult challenges, and even failures. When a campus must close, whether to avoid spreading illnesses or due to weather events, institutions and individuals will be tested in their resilience, patience, and creativity to overcome.
Yet these crises are also times to learn and grow. I’ve been astonished at how much creative work, sharing, and support the education community has generated during the last few weeks, especially the wisdom shared by those who have lived through campus closures before.
Related content: Adapting to online learning in a pinch
In this third post on teaching continuity plans, I’m sharing three key ideas that can help an institution learn their way forward, AFTER a crisis.
Evaluate in order to improve
Right now, most educational institutions facing campus closures are focused on helping their teachers, staff, and students adapt to remote teaching and learning. This is the critical task. But how will you know if your efforts worked?
As an administrator, what does a successful response to closure look like? As a teacher, how will you know if your students gained as much this semester as in others?
Jared works to help teachers design effective blended and online learning so that all students can have great experiences in education. He believes in applying research to design, and encourages real-world practice, openness, and simplicity. Jared has also helped institutions plan for education challenges through grassroots, faculty-driven initiatives (such as open education projects), and top-level leadership plans (such as the growth of online and hybrid offerings).
Jared is co-author of Essentials for Blended Learning: A Standards-Based Guide.
- Blended learning will reshape the future of learning - June 16, 2020
- Our nationwide crash course in online learning is underway - June 10, 2020
- Adapting to online learning in a pinch (Part 3) - April 15, 2020