Teaching and Learning in the Age of Corona

UZH had to switch to a minimum level of operations on 16 March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Within a very short space of time, classroom teaching moved online, with all lectures, seminars and events taking place virtually. We asked teaching staff, students and employees how they coped with this enormous challenge.

By Stefan Stöcklin and Alice Werner; translated by Gemma Brown

If you ask UZH members about their experiences of the past few weeks, the answer is nearly always positive. The general feeling is that digital technology with its various communication and learning tools can replace classroom teaching to a large extent and allows teaching staff and students to interact.

For example, communication and media researcher Mark Eisenegger shifted his research seminar on “Communication and Management of Online Reputation” online using the video conferencing system Microsoft Teams. Together with Daniel M. Vogler, academic associate at the Department of Communication and Media Research, he delivered online lectures during which he shared his PowerPoint slides with students on the screen. “This enabled us to have lively discussions online, and thanks to the chat function, we were positively flooded with feedback,” says Eisenegger. Professor Eisenegger believes that successful online learning requires students to receive a thorough introduction on how to use video conferencing systems and the technical possibilities they offer. He is clear that he plans to draw on his positive experiences of online technology in the post-coronavirus phase. At the same time, he is looking forward to a time when face-to-face, spontaneous interaction with his students will again be possible.

Anne Christine Schindler’s experience is surely representative of that of many students in terms of how they organized and managed their day-to-day lives from home. The Master’s student is studying contemporary history and culture and spent most of the Spring Semester in front of a screen in online seminars and virtual colloquiums. “At first I found it restrictive that you could only see four people on MS Teams, as it slowed down the discussions. So, during the course of the semester, we switched to Zoom.” Schindler has missed the social interaction with her fellow students in recent weeks. Some students would connect to two simultaneous video conferencing systems, so they could follow the class on the one hand, and talk about it in smaller groups like in a seminar room on the other. “Online teaching can only partially replace classroom teaching, so I really hope that we’ll be allowed back to UZH for the Fall Semester,” she says.

The fact that the transfer from classroom teaching to remote learning has been challenging for everyone over the past weeks and that it has only been possible thanks to the outstanding commitment of teaching staff is reflected in the appeal launched by the Center for University Teaching and Learning in May, which called for UZH students to nominate their “Teachers of the Hour”. “The idea behind the appeal is to recognize instructors who have shown particular dedication in putting together digital teaching and learning programs,” explains Myriam Steinbrecher, head of the Center for Teaching and Learning. The huge response and the detailed justifications show that many members of the UZH teaching staff did this very successfully – and that their efforts are greatly appreciated by their students.

Instructors were able to offer support starting with small gestures, for example by maintaining personal contact with students or by sharing their own experiences during the crisis. Students also took a positive view of educators who maintained a sense of humor despite technological challenges, and who cultivated a laid-back atmosphere, enabling them not only to teach the course content but also to share tips on relaxation and motivation when working from home. Students also particularly enjoyed it when teaching staff organized open question sessions in Zoom or Teams meetings, which offered good opportunities for informal interaction or to ask specific questions about exams. In larger lectures, where personal feedback from teaching staff was not possible, the creative use of digital applications, such as quizzes or breakout rooms, encouraged interaction. “On this point we should also mention the special commitment of assistants and tutors, who actively supported the use of new teaching and learning methods,” says Steinbrecher.

As overcoming the coronavirus crisis has been a collaborative effort, the Center for University Teaching and Learning is keen to ensure that all nominees are recognized as part of the “Tag der Lehre” (Day of Excellence in Teaching) in the coming Fall Semester.

All conferences and public events at UZH were also canceled in mid-March due to the ban on gatherings as a result of the pandemic. Here, too, digital technology has helped. For example, talks and public lectures were recorded and are available as podcasts on the relevant event organizer’s homepage. Other lectures were delivered to the various target groups via video conferencing systems and live streams. Probably the largest events of this type were the two virtual town hall meetings organized by the Executive Board of the University for employees during the coronavirus crisis to answer questions, e.g. on working from home, occupational safety and the shift to adapted on-site operations. Lunchtime seminars such as the Brown Bag Lunches organized by the Citizen Science Center, which is jointly run by UZH and ETH Zurich, were held online without difficulty.  “We thereby remained in constant contact with interested parties,” stresses Fanny Gutsche Jones, community manager at the Citizen Science Center. The center’s next national Citizen Science Conference in January 2021 is to be held in a new, hybrid format. “Because large-scale events as we have come to know them will not be feasible for a long time to come.”

In summary, thanks to the surge in digitalization brought about by the combined efforts of everyone at UZH, the University has weathered the coronavirus crisis well. In the next few weeks, the Executive Board of the University will review what lessons can be learned from the crisis – both for teaching and in terms of (academic) collaboration. One thing that President ad interim Gabriele Siegert hints at, however, is that blended learning – in other words, a mix of online formats and classroom teaching – is here to stay.