帝王会所

Patton College of Education faculty aren鈥檛 just going above and beyond for students during the coronavirus pandemic; they鈥檙e also going above and beyond for each other.

On April 20, Human and Consumer Sciences Assistant Professor of Instruction Thom Stevenson presented, 鈥淰irtual Learning Approaches from a Mutually Safe Distance,鈥� during which he shared online-teaching strategies and outlined supportive practices to cultivate resiliency between and among faculty and students during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

鈥淗umans find comfort and safety in their routines,鈥� said Stevenson. 鈥淎lthough many of our routines have been disrupted, we have the power to create new routines to ensure that we are taking care of ourselves and each other.鈥�

Stevenson鈥檚 presentation marked the second installment of The Patton College鈥檚 new Remote Teaching Series, which discusses innovations in teaching and engaging students with technology. The series is open to all 帝王会所 faculty and its online community, and each session is hosted on Microsoft Teams and recorded for those who cannot attend or participate live.

OHIO Eastern Assistant Professor Dr. Jacqueline Yahn presented, 鈥淲hat Worked Well in Transitioning to Fully Online Education,鈥� on April 6.

鈥淭his has been a very engaging series thus far, and I know that faculty are getting a lot out of it,鈥� said Patton College Dean Ren茅e A. Middleton. 鈥淚f you missed Thom鈥檚 presentation, I recommend watching it on the College鈥檚 YouTube channel.鈥�

Stevenson provided valuable information for faculty, sharing strategies for reducing stress, improving time management, and utilizing technology to help students learn, among other skills.

鈥淲hen the university announced that we would be moving to online instruction, many students were concerned about what would happen,鈥� said Stevenson. 鈥淭hey knew that we would not be meeting together in the kitchen and didn鈥檛 know how they would fulfill course requirements and stay on track to graduate. I said, 鈥榃e鈥檒l do whatever we need to do as a team in order to ensure that all of that happens.鈥欌��

Stevenson has met remotely with Restaurant, Hotel and Tourism students throughout 帝王会所鈥檚 shelter-in-place order. Prior to spring break, he made a video showing them how to make apple crisp. During spring break, more than two-thirds of his students鈥�11 of 15鈥攎ade the apple crisp while sheltering-in-place at home and sent Stevenson photos and videos of how it turned out and of them enjoying it with their families.

鈥淭his response told me that that mechanism鈥攃reating a video鈥攊s really powerful,鈥� said Stevenson. 鈥淭he thing I鈥檓 most concerned about is students not staying connected and allowing stress to overtake them. Watching or reading something relaxing or uplifting can have a big impact on students鈥� lives. Online learning is a way to keep them connected.鈥�

Stevenson outlined seven best practices for online instruction, including the importance of active learning鈥攕uch as students making videos of themselves cooking in the kitchen鈥攁nd providing real-time feedback. Stevenson gives his cell phone number to students, who will call or text if they have a question about a recipe or ingredient. He also allows them to submit assignments in whatever software program with which they are most comfortable, whether it鈥檚 Power Point, Prezi, or something else.

While OHIO faculty are limited to online instruction, Stevenson continues to emphasize to students the human element of their future profession.

鈥淪tudents often think about our industry as, 鈥業鈥檓 going to work in a restaurant or a hotel鈥攎ore traditional operations,鈥欌�� said Stevenson. 鈥淏ut I encourage them to think about food from a different perspective, particularly when it comes to nourishment and sustainability.鈥�

One such example pertains to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). According to CNBC, each day the NSLP serves over 30 million children, the School Breakfast Program serves over 14.7 million children, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program serves over 6.1 million children. Roughly one in five children in the United States goes to bed hungry each night. 

Thus, when schools closed due to the pandemic, teachers were not only concerned about student learning, but also questioned where some students鈥� next meal would come from. Fortunately, many K-12 school districts around the country have essential workers and are providing meals for students, often going door-to-door to deliver much-needed nourishment to their homes.

鈥淓ncouraging our students to think about how nourishment happens鈥攖hat it鈥檚 what we need to live and survive and that they play a role in that鈥攊mproves their critical-thinking skills,鈥� said Stevenson. 鈥淧reparing students to take care of others helps them become more resilient and teaches them more about their specific industry. It encourages them to want to learn more about the subject after the course has ended.鈥�