Tech hacks to Reduce Zoom Fatigue!

This new article from Stanford analyzes reasons why Zoom might feel more exhausting than a typical interaction, and offers suggestions like taking short movement breaks, planning some "camera off" time, or hiding your self-view.
Reduce eye strain with the 20/20/20 rule: The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that every 20 minutes, you look at something at least 20 feet away from at least 20 seconds.

Main Article: Mid-Semester Feedback

Weeks 7-9 of a semester are a great time to collect feedback from students. Feedback at this point can help you get to know students better, and identify changes you can realistically implement (these buckets might look like, "how's it going for you" and "What can I change?"). Although it can feel vulnerable, mid-semester feedback is a great way to build rapport with your students and improve your courses. Here are some tips to help you gather feedback:

1) Pick a modality. I've come to like SurveyMonkey and Google Forms for their ease of data review. Check out our Surveys page for more information on technology choices!

2) Feel free to keep it simple. You can use simple schemas like "What should we start doing/stop doing?" or "What's working for you/not working for you?" Even brief questions like these will be useful.

3) Consider your class size. In a large class, you'll probably want to ask more Yes/No, multiple choice or scale questions.

4) If you're interested in asking more in-depth or targeted questions, check out the "Digging Deeper" section of our Surveys article. Some of my favorites include "What is the least/most helpful thing we do in class?" and "What is one thing I should change about this class (that is within my power to change)?"

5) Don't get paralyzed by predictable variability. It is predictable that students will have a range of preferences on things like group work, synchronous/asynchronous classes, extra resources (useful or overwhelming?), or quizzes vs. projects. Look for trends, actionable suggestions, and ways to ease student discomfort (for example, plan live Zoom study sessions in asynch courses, move extra resources to the bottom of the module, create an "opt-out" choice for group work, etc.).

6) Make sure to debrief. After you review your feedback, report back to the students. Tell them if you've decided to change something, but simply pointing out trends you noticed can help students feel less alone in their experience. Even a quick debrief will tell students you are listening to them.

Although it can disconcerting to open oneself up, feedback is essential when we're trying something new, and helps us grow into the educators we want to be. Even in my classes where some new experiment was not going well, feedback helped me pinpoint trouble spots and revise (students often had great ideas about what to do better!). Happy surveying!

- Abby Machson-Carter, SSU Instructional Designer

Further Reading on mid-semester surveys