When thinking about the teaching during the pandemic, a professor in the Jones College of Business says positivity and keeping things as normal as possible in the virtual classroom was vital.
“I think one of the things I have strived to do is try to keep it as normal as possible,” Jean Wilson said.
While the definition of normal has changed since last spring when words like social distancing and COVID-19 became part of everyday conversation, Wilson said she focuses on remaining positive during these unusual times.
“I focus on the positivity. I know it’s so challenging for many of us. They want to be on campus, and they want everything to be open, and I totally get that. I remind them how fortunate we are to have this way of delivery so that we can see each other’s faces and we can communicate, and we can continue work on getting that degree,” she said.
Jean Wilson, Jones College of Business, Master Instructor Coordinator | Coordinator of Career Planning. (Photo: J. Intintoli)
While teaching via Zoom, Wilson said she relies on a big screen TV in her office to gauge students’ engagement and energy.
“If I feel like the energy is starting to decline, I scroll back and forth so I can watch their faces and body language. I work really hard to keep my focus on the students to see how they’re doing and if they’re ok. If I feel like my energy is going down, I scroll back over to the screen where I can see myself and make sure I have a smile on my face,” she explained.
Another thing that Wilson said she made a priority is communication.
“I think something else that has been beneficial working in this type of environment is they know even though I have office hours, they can reach out to me at any point. I have taken calls at night any day of the week when I am not actually in class,” she said.
Jean Wilson, Jones College of Business, Master Instructor Coordinator | Coordinator of Career Planning. (Photo: J. Intintoli)
And even with the challenges the pandemic has brought, Wilson said her students are still finding a sense of community and belonging virtually.
“I think we can all see there are challenges for our students,” she said. “A few of my classes have group meets, which is really helpful because they use it as a means of support and encouragement. When they got a job, they would post it, so it’s really nice seeing them create a sense of community in this virtual environment,” Wilson said.
Wilson has been teaching in some capacity at MTSU since 1999. She completed the Dale Carnegie Training program in 2015.
— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)
— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)
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