Why An ‘Online Flex’ Model Makes Sense for Universities During the Pandemic

By Len Jessup

On most Friday afternoons during the pandemic, Professor Kathy Pezdek has been holding extra meetups with the graduate students in her research group.

Under normal, pre-pandemic situations, she usually meets with them every other Friday. Once every couple weeks was enough.

But 2020 is different; and Pezdek decided she had to do much more.

“Holding extra zoom meetings has been a really effective way to just keep all of the research projects moving along,” said Pezdek, whose group proudly sports special t-shirts as a sign of solidarity in these tough times. “It’s about maintaining a feeling of community and making sure everyone keeps focused on their research, which is critical to their doctoral training. Checking in with them much more often has been a way to make up for the fact that we can’t get together in person.”

Pezdek isn’t the only one who’s pursuing a different approach here at Claremont Graduate University.

Flexibility in a Time of Crisis

The burden of the pandemic continues to change the way that higher education does business. This summer, most universities and colleges played a waiting game with public health agencies, hoping for a last-minute return to normal for the fall.

By July, at CGU, we knew this probably wouldn't happen. We gave up on that optimistic scenario and pursued a hybrid “online flex” model instead. It’s been very successful.

What does “online flex” mean? It gives our faculty and students the support and latitude to conduct classes and other meetings when and how they can.

The model we created largely moved courses online while also offering flexibility in three ways:

·     class schedules and meetings: They have the ability to schedule classes and other class meetings conveniently and dynamically when needed.

·     modality: Faculty for the most part ported over their courses into Canvas as our Learning Management System, and then use Zoom, Calendly, Poll Everywhere, RPNow, Qualtrics and other support tools.

·     provisions for on-campus activities: in addition to essential staff, faculty and students are allowed to campus when they need access to critical assets, such as an art studio, a rare musical instrument, or an expensive piece of research equipment. They must do so under strict safety protocols.

We made sure that our model would align perfectly with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health requirements for higher education. The procedures put into place for fall operations also align well with state and federal health guidelines.

Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences Professor Kathy Pezdek (top, left corner) is meeting more often with student researchers to help keep up their momentum.

Some Faculty Examples

Thanks to this model, we’ve been able to do our part to prevent the spread of the virus and still keep a focus on our students and their academic experiences at CGU.

So what does the flex model look like in action? I asked some of our faculty to share what they’re doing. Here are some examples:

·     Social distancing actually translates into more virtual contact. Institute of Mathematical Sciences Director Allon Percus has replaced his long commute to campus with an increased weekly volume of one-on-one zoom meetings with students. “This year, thanks to technology, I can be ‘on campus’ every day with my students,” he says. In addition to Allon, we’ve heard the same thing from many of his colleagues, including Pezdek (mentioned above), Professor Lori Anne Ferrell in the School of Arts & Humanities, Professor M. Gloria González-Morales in DBOS, University Professor Robert Klitgaard in the Division of Politics & Economics, and many others who helped contribute to this piece.

·     Students don’t have to be in-person to have a sense of personal and intellectual community.  That’s what Cultural Studies Chair Eve Oishi says. She and her colleagues in our School of Arts & Humanities have been offering a number of ongoing events and activities to keep students connected, including bi-monthly “town hall” meetings with Dean Lori Anne Ferrell, department-specific lunch meetings online, and a weekly virtual Humanities Forum with guest speakers. They’ve also hosted several virtual meet-ups between incoming students and current students to provide new students with grad school survival tips. (I wish I’d had that when I was starting grad school!)

·     Flipping the classroom is a good way to boost interactions. Like many faculty, our Associate Dean and International Studies Professor Melissa Rogers has "flipped the classroom" to do interactive segments she calls "Interview the Professor" during synchronous time; she’s also provided annotated lectures asynchronously. Rogers is open to experimenting on other formats—like live-blogging a documentary—to find the best ways to maximize the academic experiences of her students. This willingness to innovate is the key to successfully emerging from the quarantine.

·     More notes and recorded previews are a necessity.  Like Rogers, University Professor Stephen Gilliland is creating more documentation and support in the absence of in-person instruction. Things that could be glossed over easily during an in-person class don’t always work in a virtual one. So, for Gilliland’s doctoral classes, in which students typically read 4-5 papers each week, he’s recording a 15-20-minute weekly overview that guides students through the key aspects of their assignments. They can still reach out individually, of course, but by taking the time to offer video highlights in advance, he’s helping them to get more out of the readings.

·     More proactive advising is a necessity, too. Public Policy Field Chair Heather Campbell is doing something she calls “made-to-order advising.” She’s not waiting for students to come to her—which is what you see in the traditional model—but is going to students’ records and contacting them with customized advising statements. In addition, her students often find an informal “how are you doing?” email from her in their inboxes these days.

·     Don’t forget icebreakers and screen breaks. That’s the recommendation of Human Resource Management Program Director Cindi Gilliland, who is devoting more online sessions to ice-breaking activities in order to increase trust and build community. Breaks are more frequent during these sessions, too: She encourages her students to take time to stand up, stretch, and shift their gaze to something natural—even a houseplant—before turning back to their computer screens again.

·     Careful scheduling makes some in-person campus visits possible. The online flex schedule also allows for some on-campus access, which is true for the university's Art and Music programs. Art studios and music performance rooms—as well as equipment –are located in the Art and Music building (which also holds the university’s main art galleries). Art Chair David Pagel says that first- and second-year exhibits are continuing, and art faculty are working with students on campus and observing all social distancing guidelines. “Students have access to their studios,” he said, “with the number of students per day capped and social distancing rules in place—and with all the requisite protocols.” The same circumstances are true for the university’s music students.

This is just a sample of what our faculty are doing as part of our online flex model. Thanks to my colleagues, I was able to incorporate many of these ideas into my own online course, “Leading Change,” that I taught this summer with doctoral student Jen Villalobos. We are seeing that a combination of large and small gestures like the ones mentioned above can make a big difference in students’ lives.

Technology is a lifesaver, but it doesn’t solve everything by itself. It wasn’t just the tools that enabled us to do these things; rather, it was a combination of some great tools, creativity in using them, and a strong value for student success.

The pandemic has pushed our faculty to step up, innovate, and log many hours online every week. I’m very proud of them. To my fellow higher education colleagues, I’m happy to offer any tips or support to you. If CGU’s success with our online flex model interests you, please let me know.

Len Jessup is the president of Claremont Graduate University.

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