This page is an effort by ODU-AAUP to share practical strategies for teaching in an evolving instructional environment. It responds to three growing concerns among faculty: (1) the potential loss of quality when courses are compressed from 16 to 8 weeks, (2) the ways in which student use of AI can diminish the learning process, and (3) the dehumanization that can occur when courses are overly standardized or “canned.”
What follows are short, actionable ideas contributed by faculty—either drawn from their own teaching practices or curated from resources they have found useful.
Dr. Michelle Pacansky-Brock and Humanizing Online Courses
This first entry, to get the ball rolling, comes from an AAUP member concerned about the loss of personal connection in courses where faculty are told in advance how content should be delivered and where instructional materials are standardized.
In her search for solutions, she came across the work of Michelle Pacansky-Brock.
Pacansky-Brock emphasizes that teaching—especially online—should not be reduced to the efficient delivery of content. Instead, learning is grounded in relationships between instructors and students. I think most professors can agree with this statement.
Dr. Pacansky-Brock’s insights are thoughtful and grounded in the scholarship of teaching and learning, as well as years of experience working with diverse student populations in online environments.
For ODU-AAUP members looking for practical ways to preserve human connection in an era of templates, standardization, and compressed delivery, her work is worth exploring.
A good place to start is her guide: “The How and Why to Humanize Your Class”
Members interested in browsing more of her work can visit: brocansky.com
If you have ideas that address the loss of quality in compressed courses, the ways student use of AI can diminish learning, or how standardized courses dehumanize the educational experience, please submit them to oduaaup@protonmail.com .
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