Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes

by Flower Darby, James M. Lang

Find out how to apply learning science in online classes

The concept of small teaching is small and strategic changes have enormous power to improve student learning. Instructors face unique and specific challenges when teaching an online course. This book offers small teaching strategies that will positively impact the online classroom.

This book outlines practical and feasible applications of theoretical principles to help your online students learn. It includes current best practices around educational technologies, strategies to build community and collaboration, and minor changes you can make in your online teaching practice, small but impactful adjustments that result in significant learning gains.

Explains how you can support your online students Helps your students find success in this non-traditional learning environment Covers online and blended learning Addresses specific challenges that online instructors face in higher education Small Teaching Online presents research-based teaching techniques from an online instructional design expert and the bestselling author of Small Teaching.

Genres: Teaching, Education, Nonfiction, Academic, Technology, Academia, Audiobook

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2019

Reviews

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

5/7/20

I went from face-to-face teaching to remote this Spring – not something for the faint of heart. It is likely that many colleges and universities will be online or remote at some point in the Fall. Given that, I have been trying to consider how to handle this unfortunate and undesirable situation as well as I can.

It's not that I hate teaching online. I am always pleasantly surprised that it is better than I fear. Still, online does not compare in fun and excitement to teaching in a more traditional classroom. Not all days with my F2F students, but many are: my students make me excited and think, and I hope this is a two-way street. I haven't experience that same level of ongoing excitement online.

I've read Small Teaching twice and have referred to it on a number of occasions in between. It is engaging, thought-provoking, and personal. In Small Teaching, Lang argued that rather than attempt a radical redesign of our courses, we should make small changes that can be successfully implemented immediately. In making small changes, we are less likely to be overwhelmed and more likely to make the changes successfully. Having made Massive Changes in one of my courses in 2017, I know that feeling of being overwhelmed – although I am glad about where my course ended up. Several semesters later.

Although Small Teaching Online has a new first author, it has the same excitement, the same foundation in the teaching and learning literature, and an equal respect for students, as its predecessor.

Online students drop courses more frequently than face-to-face students. Online classes require students to have stronger literacy skills and to accept greater personal responsibility for their learning to succeed. Some students can do this without additional support and some cannot, but others will succeed under the right conditions. Darby and Lang argue, as do others, that online students especially benefit from having a clear structure for navigating the course, support as needed, and ongoing engagement with faculty and each other. As Darby and Lang note, online teaching can be about social justice.

We have the ability to empower our students to succeed. We know that online classes may be the only option for learners juggling full-time work and family obligations. (p. 224)

A couple of things stood out for me and will be among next year's small changes. I will be communicating more frequently with my online students and will leave more video announcements. I will be asking my online students to be more personal with me and with each other from the beginning, even in their introductions. I'm going to rethink how I talk/think about late assignments. I like the syllabus annotation assignment, although may use this in a face-to-face course, and am going to ask my students to consciously think about their connections with professionals in the field, also in a face-to-face course.

I hope to be teaching face-to-face in the Fall, but will be ready if not.

* * * * *

7/25/20

I decided to reread Small Teaching Online as part of the STP book club (online, of course). The combination of rereading this, talking about it with these online colleagues, and all the other reading and webinars I've engaged in over this period. I am overwhelmed and anxious about the Fall, will be at least partly but may be wholly online, but I am also excited. I have thoughts about how to make my courses more engaging and support my students' success.

And, I wanted to add this quotation, which felt very apt, then noticed I'd already quoted it:

We have the ability to empower our students to succeed. We know that online classes may be the only option for learners juggling full-time work and family obligations. (p. 224)

Repetition is sometimes absolutely right. We can and should make a difference in our students' lives.

[Lisa Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is useful to an extent, but it only partially lives up to the small teaching premise. Many of the so-called small time investments are huge, as I know from experience. It's clear that the author knows it as well because she frequently justifies them by talking about the big payoff that makes them worthwhile. The positive thing about the book is that each chapter can be read as a stand alone chapter. In fact, I might recommend reading it that way because it gets repetitive otherwise. Also, the disregard for sentence structure at times is off-putting. Still, it's useful, and I give it a solid 3.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical advice!

I am a big fan of James Lang's original Small Teaching book, and Flower's edition aimed at improving online teaching was equally accessible and filled with helpful, easy-to-implement advice. I have a feeling this will be a godsend in the coming months.

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't really enjoyed online education, whether as a teacher or a student. As a student, I've taken a number of online courses, and while they can be a decent way of getting some information, they haven't been anything like actually being in a classroom. I'm told that much more engaging, vibrant online classes exist; I just haven't found them yet.

As a teacher, when I'm leading an online class I often feel like I'm in a big, empty, sterile room, talking to no one. There are times where I feel more connection than that to my students, but overall I feel very little connection, and the whole experience seems much less satisfying and interesting than being in a classroom with people.

However, I'm at a school that is pushing me to do more and more online teaching, so as long as I'm here, I'd better keep trying to become better at it, regardless of whether I'll ever love it. I'd seen an article by Flower Darby in the Chronicle for Higher Ed and decided to check out her book.

The book is good. It has a lot of tips to help foster the connection with our students that all of us wish for. In the days since finishing the book, I've already started putting into practice Darby's advice about using video to make weekly announcements, instead of just typing out messages all the time. I'm not comfortable posting awkwardly unprofessional videos of myself, and I haven't yet seen if students will now more readily post videos of themselves in response. (I'm also not sure if it's going to be feasible for my classes, most of which reach out to students all over the world, some of whom struggle with bandwidth costs and reliability.) But it's a start, and will probably get easier as I continue doing it.

The other helpful part of the book is the many references to other books on the same topic, which I hope to look at over the next few months. I love learning, but it's hard to want to learn something I don't have great interest in doing. Darby's book helped me improve a little bit, but it hasn't convinced me that this will ever be my life's passion.

[Stan Skrabut · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there was one book I could give to faculty that taught them strategies for online learning and teaching, Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes would be that book. Darcy Flowers and James Lang have written a book that reflects the advice I currently give to faculty plus some. The guidance that Flowers and Lang provided elevate online courses from correspondence courses to those with substantive human interaction. Read more

[M.liss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gave me some good, practical ideas about how I might be able to make my course more engaging and student driven in the online environment.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of you out there in the world have kids who have been suddenly thrust into on-line learning. This book review is from the person on the other side of the screen -- a University Professor.

Teaching online is different than teaching in person, just as it is different from the learner. As the conductor of the experience, several big issues show up right away. The technology, itself, is cumbersome to use, requires constant fiddling and never quite operates the way that you need it to. We'll think of the technology as the string section -- it must be in harmony, even if it is in the background.

The second part of the experience is the students, what we'll refer to as the brass section. Students have figured out how to insert a screenshot of their frozen faces, and for some reason, they think we actually DO NOT notice this. Last week I had to tell students that they can't stay in bed as I glimpsed the bare shoulders of a student who was presenting that day as he sat up in bed. They chat, they text, they look at their phones, they stare at the screen intently making it clear that they are looking at totally different things. They get up and walk away. They hold CONVERSATIONS with others in the room and think that in some way I can not see that this is occurring. In other words, they blast away with little regard if their actions are disruptive or if they are not learning.

As a faculty, I get up in the morning, and vainly rake away at my hair. I'll be seen in my rooted glory for multiple hours every day, from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm. I change my background to give myself something new to see. I fiddle with the technology, learn how to play videos, put students into breakout rooms and cold call - a lot. Over and over I say "please mute", or "I am muting everyone" or "please unmute". I point to the future and remind them that this current phase will end and that at some point this will be an interviewing story as they move off to look for jobs. I check in on virtual office hours, which no-one attends, or everyone attends.

I read the day's email's from the administration thanking me for doing a good job while notifying me of frozen hiring, no merit increases and questionable enrollment levels for the fall. At the end of each day, I check my flattened and rooted hair, sign off of Zoom for another day, and head off to check on my son's on-line learning for the day. I text myself what I need to do for the next day so I won't forget. I remind myself what day of the week it is so that I don't goof up and open up the wrong Zoom class on a wrong day. I read a few chapters of this book, and vow to integrate more of the concepts when I have time, and when the hair gods are in my favor. I head off to wash my hair, as my headphones have flattened it into an unruly mess. My ears hurt from listening all day to students who keep forgetting to use headphones, and therefore are hard to hear, causing me to strain. My eyes are tired from staring into a screen all day and my brain is mush.

A few academic friends and I text briefly about the day's experience as the day closes, but largely, we are in this alone. Us, and the kids on the other side of the screen.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was both excellent and accessible. As a middle school teacher forced into spending this year teaching students in both a hybrid and a distance learning model with brand new to me curriculum, I've been struggling with how to best teach this curriculum. I learned in my first few weeks that what works in the traditional classroom doesn't work for online only learners. If I take a hard look at my data, my students are more likely to fail in my online only course. Something needs to change.

This book gave me small steps I can take starting in the week ahead to make the necessary changes for my struggling online learners. I loved all of the resources shared, too, that will keep me engaged in reading what research says is best for our online classes. I can't wait to small step my way into the week ahead! Let's do this!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly (to me), Small Teaching here doesn't refer to small classes (too bad) but instead to making small changes incrementally. So this book was less applicable to me than I expected, since my classes are going to be small but not Small. Nevertheless, it was very readable -- quick and painless. The last few chapters started to feel a little repetitive, but I did gather some ideas & more importantly inspiration to provide a good experience for the wee ones, which overall I consider a success.

Main takeaways for me:
-UDL: allow people to choose written vs video vs audio submissions when possible
-Make the syllabus collaborative, invite annotations and changes so studos are invested
-Check-in regularly with studos one on one when they start to fall behind
-Build community, encourage interaction, make forum posting a lot more flexible
-Make grading more Did You Get It Y/N rather than fine-grained

[Heidi Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical and actionable introduction to research-based, effective online course design, instruction, and learning. It is rooted in cognitive psychology, neuro-educational research, principles of Universal Design, and the firm belief that ALL students deserve excellent online courses to facilitate their learning and academic growth—even in a situation like the current COVID-19 crisis when most teachers and students would rather be face-to-face. Though the text is targeted at higher ed settings, it is imminently applicable in a secondary or even middle school setting. The text repeatedly and urgently asks teachers, what is one small adjustment in your practice you could make today to help students learn better in an online course?

[Benjamin Pacini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent--now required reading for my TA for online courses. The same kind of thing as you would expect from Small Teaching: good helps and tips to make a better course, all strongly based in the science of learning.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of useful ideas in this one. Well structured. Could have been shorter.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read a whole entire book for a class over Easter weekend and darn tootin’ I’m adding it to my Goodreads for my yearly book count

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational read. Full of well-researched, practical, and manageable ways to enhance your teaching and student success. Very readable, with well written conclusions that sum up the chapters nicely. Solid list of resources and references. Well organized.

Highly recommend. Re-energized my passion for teaching.

[Livesimpleread · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for those who teach online. Highly recommend.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful book, packed full of good tips, but could have been a bit more concise in places. I found myself wishing for a bit more empirical evidence that these things work, but I understand not all of them are tried and true (yet). For skeptics, some of it may seem idealized, but one can push past the sunny language and see the point Darby makes. For example: "When they see the relevance of coursework, the thread that ties everything together, students are more wiling to complete activities and assessments in a way that promotes meaningful learning. (23)" Well, we know that's not always the case, but Darby pushes us to honor the highest potential. I very much appreciated the application of "small teaching" approaches and the advocacy that online teaching can be (and should be) meaningful and interactive. At this point, even those who had to "emergency pivot" to online teaching during the pandemic should have figured out that it requires pedagogical considerations and isn't just a 1:1 transition. From that perspective, I found some of the cheerleading excessive, but not to the detriment of the book's value as a whole. Darby offers specific ways to implement UDL (Universal Design for Learning) practices (i.e. "Provide multiple topics and questions in online discussion prompts" and "Let students sign up for groups based on a topic they want to delve into"). There's a lot of general wisdom as well, that isn't just applicable to online teaching: "Giving the students something to do while watching a mini-lecture video, for example, encourages active listening and attentive processing of new information." (187). That seems obvious, perhaps, but I think there are times in my own teaching when I've just dialed in the lecture or the listening assignment, without really connecting it to its own specific learning outcomes. To be sure, it can be tough to give that extra 10% sometimes, but the idea of "small teaching" is based upon making these small changes, one at a time, for greater cumulative effect down the road. Darby makes sure to reiterate this in the final pages when discussing how we approach challenges. And perhaps the most important question Darby asks is: "How will you keep yourself motivated? How do you plan to assess the impact of your efforts? (225)". THIS is the missing piece. Teachers can read books and attend conferences, filling their hearts and minds with myriad exciting ideas...but what happens when those experiments fail? Do we just assign "x idea" to the scrap heap, or do we sit down and assess what went wrong and what are the adjustments that need to be made? That's where the space/time is really needed, and perhaps institutions of higher ed would be wise to consider pedagogy-specific guided sabbaticals, increased PRODUCTIVE and CONSTRUCTIVE faculty reviews, and mandatory (and compensated) faculty peer groups. Darby's offerings are helpful for the already-motivated teacher, but should also be embraced by administrators.

[Julie Tedjeske Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read both this book and Small Teaching as preparation for the fall semester. I team-teach in one asynchronous online class and I am developing another for the spring semester that I will teach on my own, so the information in this book was of immediate use to me.

I thought the book was well-written and included a lot of practical advice. In fact, at least for the first section of the book, I went in and made some changes to my Blackboard site based on what I had just read.

Here are some of my key takeaways:

(1) Taking an online course yourself can be really helpful. The instructional designers at the university where I work created an online class to teach people how to develop online classes. That was a great idea.
(2) I liked the idea of creating assignments that (a) ask students to comment on what they want to get out of the course as tied to the stated course objectives and (b) ask for three key takeaways from the course at the end of the course. In fact, I liked these ideas so much that I used them to tweak similar discussion board items.
(3) Whatever does not have an assessment directly tied to it will not get done. That means for every mini-lecture video, there needs to be a short assessment mechanism. As a former online student, I can assure you that whatever did not have an assessment was likely skipped in favor of working down my list of deliverables.
(4) It is possible to do a summary of the responses to a discussion board topic as a way of providing feedback. You can quote particularly good responses; students like to see their good work highlighted. I tend to stay out of the discussion board exercises because I don't want to comment for some people and leave others out, yet I don't want to have to comment on every submission. This seems like a good compromise approach that I might try out this semester.
(5) I really like the suggestion of scheduling a single 10 minute phone call or in-person chat with every student. In our class, we do two synchronous Zoom sessions with one-on-one make-up sessions for those who cannot attend. I think the one-on-one sessions are more useful.
(6) I also really like the idea of creating sub-groups using the discussion boards and allowing the students to select a topic that they are interested in. I have been toying with doing something similar for the more substantive content in the new class that I am creating, but this approach to implementing things would be a lot less work for me.
(7) I am intrigued by the suggestions of using (a) mind-mapping software and (b) software that allows the students to annotate/provide feedback on the syllabus. I'm not sure how these ideas would play out in a real class.

[Jennifer Mangler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not the audience for this book, as I don't teach a purely online class and I don't teach at the college level, but I still got a lot out of reading it. With the pandemic still raging and this first full school year fast approaching, I wanted to rethink the way I approached providing instruction online for my middle school students. This book really helped me rethink the way I structure my course online, even when it's mostly (I think) going to be taught in a physical classroom. If you're facing online education entirely or in part, this book will help you approach the task in a productive and meaningful way.

[Jlnelso · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former k12 teacher preparing to teach grad courses online for the first time, I highly recommend this book. Most of the suggested activities and applications are appealing and doable. I also love the organized, accessible way it's written.

[Michael Wolcott · Rating 5 out of 5]

An invaluable resource for those teaching online or considering. An absolute must have and just full of excellent ideas and so easy to digest. Can’t wait to read their first book now!

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been teaching online for 20 years and really enjoy it. This book does a very good job of providing evidence-based guidance for making small yet impactful improvements to your teaching. Because I have been teaching online for 20 years and I keep up with literature on the subject, most of the book was a review and/or validation of what I already do. I think this book is especially useful for those new to teaching and those newer to teaching online. The authors provide practical guidance and much encouragement throughout the book. They ensure we are always hooked in to why we are invested in making our courses better: because we are invested in our students and want to help them achieve their goals. A couple of disappointments: 1) I wanted more discussion/guidance specifically on how to make online discussions - especially students replying to each other - more robust and effective; 2) the authors seem to have smaller class sizes so some of their -Easy!-and -Doesn't take that much more time for the instructor!- suggestions are impractical for those with a larger student population. I remember one suggestion to add a graded assignment to your existing list of graded work which could be useful/supportive to student learning, they said took them a minute to grade for each student: well, I have 300 new students each semester. What they described as not-so-time-consuming adds another 5 hours to my work week/grading burden. I would like to have read more realistic suggestions for those with larger class sizes and more on using online discussions effectively. That said, overall I appreciate the evidence-based, practical guidance provided. That we can make incremental changes each semester and develop/improve our courses slowly, over time is a valuable lesson.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard for me to know how many stars to give this book now as opposed to how I might encounter it fresh, not having read Small Teaching or having swum around in a lot of online pedagogy the last four months. Some of this seems like common sense, like having students personally introduce themselves at the beginning of the semester or checking in on discussion posts periodically, but is that just because I've been online teaching for a few years now? The book is, after all, a sequel of sorts, often applying the principles from the original to online situations. I think it's probably better than my battle-weary soul perceives it. I've got check marks and highlights in the book as I approach the task of preparing online classes from my bimodal classes.


Here are the notes and highlights:

Part of our job is to "hep students become function adults" (qtd 131).
"It's so easy for online learners to disengage that we must employ all reasonable tactics to keep them attending and participating in class" (86).
"Consider... (low-stakes) graded assignment in the first week that gives students a preview of the final product" (13).
Decrease frequency of, and rebrand, office hours. Have students submit some questions ahead of time. Offer ways for students to benefit even if they can't make the synchronous time (119-120)
Use conditional releases for mastery items--zero point quizzes you need to get 100% and can take over and over again, or for short demonstrations of ability to use the technology, or for understanding the syllabus-- in the first week of class.

[Adam Floridia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this really got me excited about teaching again, inspired to try new things and help students learn.

Other parts seemed stupidly obvious, like "return students' work in a timely fashion and give actual feedback." Although, I suppose I take that stuff for granted, and I do know there are many who would benefit from that advice.

Finally, some parts I simply disagreed with because they brought me back to my constant internal struggle of "how much should we do for our students vs. how much should we expect of them." I am not into babysitting or handholding or even cheerleading, and after many painstaking years I have come to the strong conclusion that a teacher cannot care more about a student's success than a student (at the college level, particularly). That is a recipe for becoming disheartened, disappointed, and burnt out. So what do we do with students who have no autonomy, no work ethic, and no sense of responsibility? I'm really not sure, but I just don't think I have it in me to make constant, concerted effort to teach these things; I am okay with treating students like adults, letting them make their own choices and learn from the consequences of those choices. No one is forced to go to college, and for some people it is just no the right place at the right time.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note- this review is coming from someone that does not teach. At all. I work with a university in fundraising and I think it's important to learn about the struggles my faculty are facing now that education is pivoting to virtual. But I can't give a very accurate review of the book because I am certainly not a pro.

That said, I thought the authors gave some good and actionable advice about teaching online. As someone that has four degrees and took many of my MBA courses online, I admit that a lot of this advice I find to be intuitive. "Duh, of course you want to relate course material to their personal life; of course you should create a relevant framework for notetaking; of course you should give them efficacy in goal setting." Then again, not all of my online classes incorporated these things- so maybe it's not so obvious to the faculty teaching.

I most importantly agree with the final statement of the conclusion- that improving online education is removing a barrier to equitable access of quality education. Online education is, in general, less expensive- so why aren't we investing in that?! Education provides pathways to success and security- why wouldn't we make that easier to achieve?

[Karol Gaida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book teaches us that we should constantly upgrade our course for better alignment with our students. One small change at a time.

Teaching online removes the physical interaction between instructors and students. That's why we should make a special effort to keep the energy in the virtual classroom. We should always encourage students to do their best. We should also give them continuous feedback about how they are doing. And we need to be approachable.

Students enroll in an online class because they have other responsibilities (child or work) preventing them from taking a full-time college course. As an online teachers, we need to consider that while preparing our courses.

Students should not feel that their instructor does not care about their needs as learners or that he doesn’t respect them.

A template for creating assignment, discussion or project:
1. Here is what I want you to do… (explain the task)
2. Here is why I want you to do it… (explain why completing this task will contribute to the student’s success in class and beyond)
3. Here is how to do it… (provide detailed instructions, rubrics, checklist and examples so the student clearly see your expectations)

[Paula Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although ebooks are not my preferred reading platform, it was appropriate because it was about online teaching and I did enjoy the content of this book. I learned much about instruction, in general, as well as specific strategies for how to retain students. Of course, the recommendations were mostly common sense, but they are easier said than done. Online instructors have many things to consider along with teaching their content. Technology nuances, building and maintaining mutually respectful online relationships with students, providing options that will meet the students' needs, and considering students' personal issues or problems that may need the teacher's attention and quick response. Adjusting schedules and curriculum for those students is suggested by the authors and would be done, anyway by teachers who are sensitive to their needs. I would recommend this book to teachers who are new to online instruction and for all teachers who need to review what is important to good teaching.

[Audrey Ettinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty useful guide to online teaching. The LVAIC-wide discussion sessions (3, plus one with Flower Darby herself tomorrow) definitely added to the experience. I was grumpy reading this for work over the summer, but I was inspired to list several ideas for 2/3 of my fall "Hy/Flex" courses as well as some general notes.

The format was straightforward and consistent, and I appreciated that there were NOT anecdotes for every suggestion. Quick and easy read. Some repetition to Quality Matters training years ago (and she cites them).

Kindest was suggestion to focus on SMALL changes to teaching, which are manageable. Least kind was to not make lots of changes at once. Sigh. Flower never thought of COVID.

Funniest: dedication to her children, Emerald, Piccadilly, and Britannia. I immediately wondered if her husband had an ordinary name. Yep - Tim. (yes, it's unprofessional of me to make fun of their names, but these are hilariously pretentious.)

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A product of a different era, one more hopefully cautious about the online tools available for postsecondary instructors, yet only mentions video conferencing websites like Zoom and couple times in passing, when the platform soon became vital for schools staying open and instructors remaining employed. Now with the turn towards so-called artificial intelligence and the anti-DEI movement across certain campuses (to say nothing of the volatile political climate), Darby’s ideas almost seem quaint. Much like the decade before the global pandemic with my own graduate studies looking for support for an online virtual classroom, her book is a tour of engaging theories from Vygotskyian scaffolding to Universal Design for Learning, even a few concepts that I intuited like the name game or backwards design when presenting this book to other educators. Doesn’t detract from Darby’s purpose, only indicates that there is still so much work to be done moving the online needle forward!

[Jamie Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a valuable resource with lots of good ideas for how to improve online teaching and it was even quite readable in the bargain. The repeated references to Small Teaching made me wish I had read that first, but as I was teaching all online/asynchronous at the time I read this, it felt quite relevant. While overwhelming at times, that is a problem I confront with pretty much every book I read about teaching. Where do I start? And in that sense, I really appreciate the main premise of "Small Teaching", that there are small, relatively easy, adjustments that can be made that will have a large impact on student learning. I'll definitely be returning to this one for ideas and inspiration in the future!