Teaching

Since 2016 I’ve been teaching exclusively online. As an associate professor with tenure, I have designed a variety of fully asynchronous undergraduate and hybrid courses on early modern literary studies. Online course design and online instruction pose both challenges and opportunities. I am committed to creating excellent online courses that tackle these challenges head-on and embrace these opportunities, with the ultimate aim of developing pedagogies that will benefit my students, my colleagues, and, by disseminating these pedagogies, students and faculty at other institutions.

A primary challenge to online pedagogy is resistance among students and faculty. Some students enroll in an online course on the misguided assumption that it will be easier, and some faculty continue to view online teaching as “lesser than” face-to-face teaching. Yet the online environment offers exciting opportunities to engage students in meaningful learning, and skeptical faculty are beginning to recognize the time and skill required to conceive, develop, and implement these opportunities. 

• From Endurance to ExcellenceJanuary 14, 2021
  So you survived your first semester of remote instruction. Now you want not simply to endure but to excel as an online teacher. How do you begin? Like previous posts, this one began with request from a colleague. They teach at another university and in a STEM discipline, but their goals are identical to thoseContinue reading “From Endurance to Excellence”
• Podcast Pedagogy (Take 2)January 13, 2021
  Adding podcasts to our classes is not a panacea for the challenges that face teachers and students today. However, podcasts can ground a pedagogy that redresses some of the problems forestalling non-traditional and minority students’ success and well-being. Marissa Greenberg, “Podcast Pedagogy,” The Sundial, 12 January 2021. Looking for innovative teaching strategies that enhance accessibilityContinue reading “Podcast Pedagogy (Take 2)”
• Podcast Pedagogy (take 1)September 14, 2020
  “Podcast Pedagogy” is a 7-minute audible preview of my current work on podcasts, online instruction, and social justice. Thanks to Advance at UNM for inviting me to share my research at the first Lighting Lounge of the academic year!
• Yoga’s Lessons for Online Teachers (Whatever They Teach)August 26, 2020
  Joining a yoga class for the first time can be daunting. Rules and expectations vary: some gyms and studios require students to sign up in advance, while others allow drop-ins; some instructors discourage students from talking during class, while others encourage students to interact and to ask questions. Styles of yoga also differ: even experiencedContinue reading “Yoga’s Lessons for Online Teachers (Whatever They Teach)”
• Recent Teaching Recognitions and HonorsAugust 18, 2020
  I am thrilled that my teaching, in online and brick-and-mortar environments, has received recognitions and honor at and beyond my institution: 2020 Online Teacher of the Year 2019-2020, Center for Teaching and Learning, The University of New Mexico 2020 Online course certification for ENGL352: Early Shakespeare: Race & Identity, Then & Now, from UNM’s ExtendedContinue reading “Recent Teaching Recognitions and Honors”
• Pre-Semester Checklist; or, Proper Operating Procedure, 2020August 12, 2020
  Faculty Development webinar offered through the University of New Mexico, Center for Teaching and Learning, August 13, 2020. Whether your fall semester is looming or it has just begun, you can take steps to create a better experience for you and your students. Regardless of your experience teaching online and your discipline, this webinar offersContinue reading “Pre-Semester Checklist; or, Proper Operating Procedure, 2020”
• Rethinking Productivity during COVID-19July 30, 2020
  [U]pheavals to our regular rhythms provide opportunities to combat the long-standing inequities that the crisis has brought into sharp relief and must prompt us to rethink our shared definition of productivity.  Marissa Greenberg and Elizabeth Williamson, “Rethinking Productivity during COVID-19,” Academic Leader, July 6, 2020. https://www.academic-leader.com/topics/promotion-tenure/rethinking-productivity-in-the-era-of-covid-19/ Now is the time to redefine productivity to includeContinue reading “Rethinking Productivity during COVID-19”
• Structuring Online Learning: Starter SetMarch 26, 2020
  This week I am hosting a webinar for my colleagues at The University of New Mexico on transitioning to remote teaching. Here is a version of my PowerPoint that I hope will prove helpful to faculty at other institutions, as well. I removed some course materials that I gave as examples, but I am happyContinue reading “Structuring Online Learning: Starter Set”
• Resources for Moving OnlineMarch 16, 2020
  Many faculty are being asked or required to move their courses online during the coronavirus outbreak. The following list of resources for transitioning courses from brick-and-mortar classrooms to virtual learning environments is designed to help faculty make that move. It is a work in progress, and resources will be added as they come to myContinue reading “Resources for Moving Online”
• It’s Not Just for EmergenciesMarch 10, 2020
  In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, I published an op-ed in Inside Higher ED. The piece, titled “What counts as proximity?,” talks about the future of online telework. “In telling my story,” I write, I hope to provide other faculty members with leverage for conversations about expanding options for working remotely. I alsoContinue reading “It’s Not Just for Emergencies”
• Staying Healthy While Teaching OnlineFebruary 28, 2020
  Spread of the coronavirus has led some U.S. universities with overseas campuses to move classes to online. Rather than cancel study abroad programs, the shift to online helps to keep faculty, staff, and students safe while continuing to provide employment and education. The move to full-time online teaching poses other health risks, however. These healthContinue reading “Staying Healthy While Teaching Online”
• 5 Principles Toward Social Justice PedagogyFebruary 12, 2020
  The plenary panel at this year’s Shakespeare Association of America Annual Conference is titled “Walking the Talk: Embodied Pedagogies of Social Justice.” I have the dual honor of organizing the panel and co-presenting a paper, “Of Alliances and Pluralities,” with Elizabeth Williamson, Dean of Faculty Hiring and Development and Tenured Member of the Faculty atContinue reading “5 Principles Toward Social Justice Pedagogy”
• Serving our valuesJanuary 22, 2020
  The start of a new semester is an opportunity to reflect on what, how, and why we teach. Looking back on my fall courses, and especially on student feedback, I became acutely aware of the ways that online teaching allows me to advance a set of values about individual students’ situations, needs, and ambitions. LastContinue reading “Serving our values”
• Some basics for talking about racist and gendered texts in the online classroomSeptember 24, 2019
  Once again, an inquiry from a colleague spurred my thinking about basics of online instruction. This time the colleague asked about how I prepare students for racist and gendered language in literature. It is pretty much a guarantee that students will encounter prejudicial — even hateful — language, imagery, and action in my classes! AfterContinue reading “Some basics for talking about racist and gendered texts in the online classroom”
• Some basics for success in the online learning environmentSeptember 24, 2019
  The transition from face-to-face (F2F) to online teaching can be challenging! In addition to the expected challenges, like finding and creating dynamic content, instructors new to online teaching encounter unexpected challenges in the mundane: managing communication, getting regular participation, and generating productive discussion. A colleague wrote to me recently about these everyday issues. Here’s myContinue reading “Some basics for success in the online learning environment”