ZOOM on! First Day of School 2020 Style

Today is the first day of class for Fall Semester 2020. For the first time since 2002, I am not gearing up to teach a First Year Seminar class at WVWC. Always an exciting blend of nerves and excitement (for the students and for me), we would gather together to start something new.

Today, though, it is different. Classes are beginning without students actually being on campus. Teaching and learning will be done remotely for the time being.

Already today, I have seen both excitement and nervousness in action as students and faculty gather in a new way.  There will be many challenges along the way, but also some wonderful new opportunities.

It seems a bit strange to me today, as I realize that those classes I taught for years were actually also preparing the students for the current times. And, just maybe, preparing me as well for a time when everything in the world is shifting under our feet.

The first several years, I taught the seminar as a course called 10 Things Employers Want You to Learn in College: The Skills You Need to Succeed. Based on Bill Coplin’s book by the same name. It turned out that those were skills needed to be good students as well as to be successful after graduation. 

1. Establishing a Work Ethic  (Be Honest • Manage Your Time)
2. Developing Physical Skills (Stay Well • Look Good)
3. Communicating Verbally (Converse One-on-One • Present to Groups)
4. Communicating in Writing (Write Well • Edit and Proof)
5. Working Directly with People  (Build Good Relationships • Work in Teams • Teach Others)
6. Influencing People (Manage Efficiently • Lead Effectively)
7. Gathering Information  (Search the Web • Conduct Interviews • Use Surveys) 
8. Using Quantitative Tools  (Use Numbers • Use Surveys • Use Spreadsheet Programs)
9. Asking and Answering the Right Questions  (Pay attention to Detail • Apply Knowledge • Evaluate Actions and Policies)
10. Solving Problems  (Identify Problems • Develop Solutions • Launch Solutions)

In these days of COVID-19 and social upheaval, these are STILL some of the best, and most important things! 

• Work Ethic, for example, is very important when faced with the responsibility of learning (and teaching) via ZOOM. Time management is key! 
• Staying Well is certainly of importance during a pandemic, as is putting your best face forward in those little boxes on the screen.
• Communicating Verbally is not so different, really, whether you are in the same room or intentionally connecting from a distance. In fact, I have found over the last few months that it is actually harder for people to “Zone Out” in a virtual setting.
• Communicating in Writing is still very important as well. Since you are presenting yourself through your writing (syllabi and assignments alike), you really need to be able to be clear. Sloppy work will stand out even more than it already has for many years.
• Working Directly with People must be done intentionally, and with great attention to detail. Teaching remotely is not the first choice of many faculty members (with or without a pandemic). It causes them to have to reconsider each and every part of their courses. Students who are shy have told me that they actually prefer this opportunity to interact with others without the social pressure of an in-person environment.
• Influencing People is extremely relevant to the experiences of 2020. While this is always true in an election year, even more so with Virtual Conventions thrown into the mix. Being able to clearly communicate your views on all of the issues of our time has probably never been so important.
• Gathering Information seems like it should be very easy these days, but the sands are shifting all the time as to the best places and ways to do this. Being able to conduct interviews and survey people to find out information is helpful. My all-time favorite part of teaching this class through the years was to make sure that the students were aware of all of the library resources available to them through the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library – both in the building and online.
• Using Quantitative Tools in 2020 is amazingly relevant. People are throwing numbers around all over the place. Social Media (which wasn’t even a thing when I first started teaching this class) has made everyone think that they are experts. It is important to know what all of those numbers actually mean.
• Asking and Answering the Right Questions. Wow. This one is powerful.  Education and Health are both important. Which is more important? Can we do both? When to start? How to proceed?
• Solving Problems The world is in dire need of people who can develop this skill.

So, as classes begin today, I say to all who are facing new challenges (opportunities?) ZOOM ON! I salute you for all you are doing.