During the 2018 Fall Semester, the College of Charleston canceled five days worth of classes on account of hurricanes. It would be nice to think this semester was a fluke, that experiencing two separate hurricanes in one semester is a once-every-fifty-years situation. But scientists are telling us that climate change is bringing bigger storms more often. As teachers, we need to think of how we can design a more resilient course structure, one whose tension, support, and anchorage can withstand the cancellations that university administrators need to make for our physical safety.
Recently, I spoke with Ricard Viñas-De-Puig, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hispanic Studies. He said that some of the skills that he learned in the Distance Education Readiness course were helpful for overcoming obstacles created by the weather cancellations. Keep listening to hear what he had to say.
Mike Overholt is an Instructional Technologist who works primarily with the School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs. He has an undergraduate degree in Religious Studies from Gardner-Webb University and MA and PhD degrees in Classics from the University of Iowa. Mike thoroughly loves learning environments of all types, having created and directed a philosophy course for elementary students; taught English and Latin at the middle and high school levels; been an instructor of Classics, Humanities, and Rhetoric courses at the university level; and led educational tours of Italy and Greece. He enjoys the opportunities to discuss and revise teaching strategies that allow faculty to approach their classrooms with confidence and resilience and enable students to see the power of their own ideas. Outside of work, Mike enjoys adventures with his wife, Brooke, and their four children, listening to NPR, and classical film noir.
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