Teaching in a Mask
Since the university has reinstituted universal masking for the spring semester, some of us will be teaching in the classroom in a mask for the first time or the first time in a while. This presents some auditory and other challenges, but there are strategies you can use to mitigate these challenges. Here are a few strategies, drawn from more extensive resources on this topic from teaching centers at the University of Michigan, Wake Forest University, and Illinois State University.
- Use a lavalier microphone that projects your voice within the classroom. If you need to verify that your classroom has a lavalier microphone available, please reach out to the VUIT Classroom Technology team (av.support@vanderbilt.edu).
- If you don’t have a microphone, speak a little louder and a little more slowly than usual, and don’t face the chalkboard or whiteboard while talking.
- If you use slides while teaching, your slide program (PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc.) might be able to generate automatic captions in real-time.
- Check-in regularly with your students to make sure they can hear you and hear each other. This feedback could a quick thumbs up or a short survey.
- Protect your voice, especially if teaching multiple times a day. Give yourself regular voice breaks and drink plenty of water.
- Create a short video introducing yourself and your course, without a mask. And hold at least some office hours on Zoom, so you can talk with students without masks.
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