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Many universities have moved classes online, with little to no time for planning and preparation, in an attempt to slow COVID-19 transmission. While technological teaching aids such as videoconferencing are readily available, many challenging pedagogical issues still need to be addressed, particularly regarding the best way to educate undergraduates in online science courses. Our institution, Touro College, has two decades of experience in online education, and we would like to share some of the lessons that we have learned.
Undergraduate students engage better with interactive lectures than with an hour-long live feed of a professor speaking. We recommend limiting online lectures to 10–15 minutes, interspaced with brief question-and-answer periods; short educational videos relevant to the day’s topic; and 10-minute inquiry tasks such as uncovering recent research developments in a research area (conducted by small groups in Zoom breakout rooms or Google hangouts, or working alone), followed ...
