PhDiary #6 Teaching During the PhD: Online vs In-Person
Most students will have the opportunity to teach during their PhD. The experience can look very different from Arts and Humanities departments to STEM. As a History student, I got to lead undergraduate seminars, set reading and mark assessments.
Starting my PhD, I expected to one day be sat at the front of the classroom leading interesting and thoughtful discussions. Little did I know that a pandemic was right around the corner and my first experience of teaching would be online. Having now also taught in-person, I thought it would be interesting to compare the two and see which one is better (from a PhD student’s perspective).
Online has a lot of benefits
Although it was a last minute scramble for academics to get their notes and lectures online, it meant that lots of students didn’t have to delay their education during the peak of the pandemic. From a student perspective I know many were thankful for our weekly meets because it meant they could talk to people other than their housemates.
For me, it meant I didn’t have to leave the comfort of my own home. Nor did I have to drag an epic stack of books to and from campus. As soon as the Google Meet call ended, there was no delay in getting back to my own work. Only a few steps to the kettle and my books were already open and ready to go. I didn’t have to worry about whether I forgot something important.
Names being automatically on screen was also a big help. I could avoid the awkward point and hesitate as if to say ‘you child’ like a Victorian school teacher.
But it was also extremely awkward
While the work-from-home-life seemed glamorous at first, it certainly had its drawbacks. By the second week, all of my students refused to turn their cameras on. Even if they were sat in bed in their pyjamas, I would have preferred that than the blank abyss of floating initials in front of me. Not having to memorise names felt like a lousy trade for not even knowing what everyone looked like.
Breakout rooms also made it harder for me to monitor their discussions. As soon as I dropped in on their group everyone went silent. Since I hadn’t been able to overhear their conversation beforehand, reengaging them wasn’t particularly easy.
I didn’t enjoy teaching online. It was awkward and a slog to get ideas flowing – but it was better than nothing. So, when the opportunity to teach came around the next year, I was excited to learn it would be in-person. I’d be teaching the same module but with different challenges. Now a few weeks in, the difference between online and in-person seminars is stark.
In-person added a lot more pressure
Going from blank blobs on a screen to twelve faces staring at me at once added a different kind of pressure. I’d done conferences before so while speaking in front of people isn’t my cup of tea, I know I can handle it. However, this was very different.
In a conference, you’re talking about your own research. You know the topic like the back of your hand. When you’re teaching someone else’s module, you don’t. While you’re not expected to be an expert, I think undergraduate students believe you know more than you probably do. The trick is making sure you don’t show your nerves with your body-language or facial expressions, something that’s a lot easier to do when you’re behind a screen.
But the payoff was worth it
One of the best pieces of advice I received from a lecturer was to run as many icebreakers as possible in the first seminar. Everybody groans when they hear the word ‘icebreaker’, but by the end of the session we were all comfortable with each other – something that was sorely missing from online seminars.
We might still be learning each other’s names but just being in the same room seems to have helped communication. Spontaneous ideas are more likely to be voiced, I don’t have to waste time struggling to organise breakout rooms and I can actually get to know my students when they turn up a few minutes early.
I’m glad I’ve experienced teaching in both formats. While I found in-person teaching much more enjoyable, there’s definitely still a place for online seminars. Students pay a lot of money for a university education, so when physical seminars might not be possible it’s nice to know they don’t have to miss out. All I ask is that please, please turn your camera on!
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