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Zoom offers RCC faculty and students an opportunity to get to know each other better and meet the family pets.
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Larry Olsen's students joined his Phlebotomy Class online.
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Prof. Lisa Tuckey walked her students through Anatomy & Physiology II using Zoom. Clear direction was key to helping students learn the material.
Rappahannock Community College continues to delivering quality education. Although we cannot meet on campus, the instructors and the students have really stepped up and embraced online learning. It’s a challenge, to be sure, but they have risen to that challenge and have succeeded. Here are a few stories from our instructors and students (and their pets!) at Rappahannock Community College.
“I had a great meeting via Zoom with my English night class this week,” says RCC English instructor, Janet Little.
We are pretty comfortable with each other, and that really helped with being comfortable using Zoom as well.
We got to meet one of my students, Greg’s cat, Corndog, and the class got to meet my three cats. It added a fun touch to the material we needed to cover.
Zoom allows us to get to know each other better and relate to everyone on a human level, even with something as simple as, ‘hey, we all have pets!’”
All of Larry Olsen’s students joined his Phlebotomy Class on Zoom.
“It was great to touch base with them; they all seemed to be feeling good even with class being online,” Larry says.
“Thank you, Kathy Fife, RCC Technology, for helping me get started with Zoom. I only needed my daughter’s help a couple of times!”
Alice Rock, Rappahannock Community College Psychology professor, says: “I’m looking at my expanding tech skills as a wonderful brain exercise. I’m surprised at how empowering it is. I have enjoyed interacting with RCC students with Zoom. We spent time bringing pets in front of the Zoom camera to much oohs and aahs. We always begin by doing a “how are you doing?”
I encourage them to interact with each other to study and discuss things and also to forge new friendships. The field of Psychology is concerned with what makes people tick and how to help people in a healthy and happy way. I try to teach in an experiential way when I can.”
“I post a different virtual background when people log in to my Zoom classroom or advising sessions. It keeps things creative and fun!” RCC Success Coach Linda Gaskins says. “The other day, one of my Success Coaching students commented that these virtual meetings made her feel at ease—just as if we were on campus. She liked that!”
“Prof. Lisa Tuckey has walked us through this very rough change very well, and this particular class (Anatomy & Physiology II) is difficult on its own! If it hadn’t been for Prof. Tuckey, I’m sure I would be failing, but I’m not! She’s been crystal clear in her directions, and to be sure it’s clear, she provided a video on how to use the bells and whistles that come with our textbook,” says Lisa, student of Prof. Tuckey.
Ruth Greene’s Public Speaking class is a stellar example of how well Zoom works for online education.
For one student, it has not been easy. Her classmates stepped up and offered great stories of encouragement and practical activities to help one another stay focused and more. One noted how she rarely chooses online courses because of the lack of face-to-face accountability and interaction.
However, some of these students noted how they don’t normally talk in class—but through Zoom—they are now speaking and sharing more.
We determined the need for a place to simply vent and share with folks you can trust. This resulted in a decision to create a virtual student lounge in the discussion board area.
The students committed to stepping up and offer encouragement to their classmates. “It was so humbling to hear how our course has become such an important part of their stability in this time of chaos,” Ruth says.
Tracey Jones, a student in Ruth’s Public Speaking class, adds her voice: “Each member of our class brings a skill set that each of us needs. I had worried that going to an online forum would negatively impact us. That maybe our connections were just in ‘seeing each other every week. Thankfully, this has turned out not to be the case. We continue to support and assist each other through the Zoom sessions each week. It is almost like we still are meeting in person."
Learn more at RCC: rappahannock.edu or 804-333-6730.