Challenges and Advantages of Structured Training for the Transition to Distance Learning from the Mentors’ Lens

Presenters

Jacqueline DiSanto, Professor, Education, Hostos Community College
Carlos Guevara, Director, EdTech & CTL, Hostos Community College
Sandy Figueroa, Associate Professor, Business, Hostos Community College
Asrat Amnie, Assistant Professor, Education, Hostos Community College

Abstract

The pandemic changed all aspects of society and how we work. A year has passed after the global emergency began; when educational institutions had to take hasty measures to create some kind of academic continuity. At Hostos, we were fortunate to have a very strong Educational Technology (EdTech) department, which has supported the creation of frameworks and best practices for online learning for over a decade. With established protocols, guidelines and rubrics to certify online courses; the EdTech team quickly created an expanded version of the Online Learning Initiatives (OLIs). These initiatives centered on a mentoring approach to prepare all faculty in record time for the transition to distance instruction. This presentation will focus on the reflections, analysis and perspectives of the faculty mentors who participated in four OLI’s in the short span of four months. They will share the challenges they witnessed in this transition and how the OLIs helped address some of these challenges. They will also share the advantages of having these structures in place and how mentoring and community building played a critical role.