God and Nature Summer 2020
New Strategies of Mentorship in the Online Environment DUE TO the COVID-19 Pandemic |
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By Effat Zeidan
March 2020 marked a transitional period for virtual instruction in my profession: a time when instructional goals were no longer the sole focus of our teaching. The pandemic has been and still is a major challenge in the lives of many people we know, especially the students we serve in the virtual environment. It has become an agent of stress, lack of focus, and lack of motivation for many students we interact with on a daily basis, not to mention the stress it brings to ourselves and every human being in this world. This has imposed a greater need to shift our strategies in communicating and touching the lives of those we serve in the online classroom.
The COVID-19 pandemic and all the challenges that came along with it brought a significant need for building a collective and supportive environment for the virtual student. My role as an instructor in the virtual classroom is constantly shifting to a more proactive one, whereby I strongly focus on engaging with my students on a personal level in my weekly videos and emails. I find that I am called at this time more than ever to ease my students’ stress and increase my prayers for them through the virtual link we have built together. I frequently reach out to my students simply to touch base and pray for them in a short recording, to check on them, and to encourage them to send me special prayer requests. I believe these are ways to better serve our community and focus on our most powerful tool, prayer, in the difficult time we are living in.
With the shift that came about in my classes, my students seemed to be more open about sharing their daily struggles with me and requesting prayers for themselves and their loved ones. This feedback encouraged me to adopt a more personalized approach in my instruction and be more gracious to these dedicated and hardworking students, who are trying their best during a time when making a living can be a struggle for some of them.
One student left me a note saying, I would like to take a special moment to simply say "THANK YOU" for your encouragement, support and most importantly your prayers during the last 8 weeks. Another student sent me an email to express her gratitude: Professor, it has been a trying 8 weeks, but I made it. Thank you again for all of your continued support. I was so stricken with illness and anxiety with all that is happening in the world today, I almost gave up. However, I have realized this is all designed by our Creator as a test of our faith. I enjoyed learning in this class and I especially enjoyed the different Lab Assignments.
I believe a small encouraging note or prayer can have a great impact on people’s lives these days. Therefore, I encourage the spread of grace to our community, to those struggling to keep their families safe, and mostly to the frontline workers who are trying their best to keep us all safe and healthy.
After all, there is no doubt that we all have had to shift our styles in living, socializing, and carrying out our professions due to COVID-19; however, it is important to remember that there are also many positive, encouraging behaviors emerging as a result of this crisis.
Effat Zeidan received a Bachelors in Chemistry at the American University of Beirut. She was then blessed with the opportunity to pursue her Doctorate degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro joining Dr. Sandros’ research lab. She has contributed articles to the Journal of Nanomedicine, Nature, and JoVE. She began her career as a distance educator through the California Baptist University (CBU)-Online and Professional Studies team. She is currently a program director of general education and assistant professor of science and math at CBU. Her focus is on improving the quality of online science and math education through the introduction of practical learning tools and motivational learning strategies.
March 2020 marked a transitional period for virtual instruction in my profession: a time when instructional goals were no longer the sole focus of our teaching. The pandemic has been and still is a major challenge in the lives of many people we know, especially the students we serve in the virtual environment. It has become an agent of stress, lack of focus, and lack of motivation for many students we interact with on a daily basis, not to mention the stress it brings to ourselves and every human being in this world. This has imposed a greater need to shift our strategies in communicating and touching the lives of those we serve in the online classroom.
The COVID-19 pandemic and all the challenges that came along with it brought a significant need for building a collective and supportive environment for the virtual student. My role as an instructor in the virtual classroom is constantly shifting to a more proactive one, whereby I strongly focus on engaging with my students on a personal level in my weekly videos and emails. I find that I am called at this time more than ever to ease my students’ stress and increase my prayers for them through the virtual link we have built together. I frequently reach out to my students simply to touch base and pray for them in a short recording, to check on them, and to encourage them to send me special prayer requests. I believe these are ways to better serve our community and focus on our most powerful tool, prayer, in the difficult time we are living in.
With the shift that came about in my classes, my students seemed to be more open about sharing their daily struggles with me and requesting prayers for themselves and their loved ones. This feedback encouraged me to adopt a more personalized approach in my instruction and be more gracious to these dedicated and hardworking students, who are trying their best during a time when making a living can be a struggle for some of them.
One student left me a note saying, I would like to take a special moment to simply say "THANK YOU" for your encouragement, support and most importantly your prayers during the last 8 weeks. Another student sent me an email to express her gratitude: Professor, it has been a trying 8 weeks, but I made it. Thank you again for all of your continued support. I was so stricken with illness and anxiety with all that is happening in the world today, I almost gave up. However, I have realized this is all designed by our Creator as a test of our faith. I enjoyed learning in this class and I especially enjoyed the different Lab Assignments.
I believe a small encouraging note or prayer can have a great impact on people’s lives these days. Therefore, I encourage the spread of grace to our community, to those struggling to keep their families safe, and mostly to the frontline workers who are trying their best to keep us all safe and healthy.
After all, there is no doubt that we all have had to shift our styles in living, socializing, and carrying out our professions due to COVID-19; however, it is important to remember that there are also many positive, encouraging behaviors emerging as a result of this crisis.
Effat Zeidan received a Bachelors in Chemistry at the American University of Beirut. She was then blessed with the opportunity to pursue her Doctorate degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro joining Dr. Sandros’ research lab. She has contributed articles to the Journal of Nanomedicine, Nature, and JoVE. She began her career as a distance educator through the California Baptist University (CBU)-Online and Professional Studies team. She is currently a program director of general education and assistant professor of science and math at CBU. Her focus is on improving the quality of online science and math education through the introduction of practical learning tools and motivational learning strategies.