Amidst the Pandemic: On Becoming a Shaman of Zeros-and-Ones at Hostos

Víctor M. Torres-Vélez, PhD

Latin American & Caribbean Studies Unit Humanities Department May 19, 2022

Undeniably, much has changed since last year. We are still in the midst of a pandemic of proportions only close to those of the so-called Spanish Influenza a century ago. With no cure in sight, there is virtually nothing that has not been

affected by this global health crisis. Education is, of course, no exception, and here we find ourselves unexpectedly thrown into a ruthless vortex of pedagogical angst.

This angst is all the more profound if we acknowledge that the fundamental medium of teaching since the 12th century, a classroom full of students, is no longer viable, at least until the foreseeable future. Forced to evolve, our students and ourselves have morphed into a flow of the zeros and ones beaming into electronic screens in an imperfect attempt at recreating our classrooms. Oh, dear Kafka, if

I could only tell you how relevant your work is these days! Here is to hoping for butterflies!

Transformations are rarely easy. This one is no different.

During the pandemic I had to deliver three courses, with two preps. One of these was writing intensive. To say the shift to online teaching was overwhelmingly dramatic is, of course, an understatement. I approached the challenge by providing my students (and myself) with as much a sense of continuity and normalcy as I could. For me, that meant running my three courses synchronously using Zoom.

I did so immediately. Once face-to- face classes were cancelled across all CUNY campuses, I got my courses distance-learning ready for the following week. It was back-breaking. The nature of online courses requires a clarity and transparency which only comes easily in face-to-face classroom interactions. The extremely time consuming everyday creation of new digital friendly and clear content became the norm. From new PowerPoints, to interactive whiteboard apps using the iPad, to lecture-video recordings, to the testing of new platforms, such as Peergrade, that mimic classroom student feedback interactions, I put everything I had into these classes.

But perhaps, intellectual continuity was the least important thing I could offer my students. In the thick of it all, losing family members to COVID-19, mourning, facing isolation, unemployment and a great deal of anxiety, knowing we somehow had each other’s back, having something to look forward to, a space of sharing, made all the difference.

Touchstone 11.1

Faculty was not alone in this transformation. Hostos EdTech had in place a series of online trainings that were modified to provide support to faculty. While I did not agree with some key aspects of the distance learning certification process, it is undeniable that the two courses, Road Map to Teaching Innovation and the Online Initiative, were useful. I took this training twice since I needed to be able to teach my summer course and also to get the fall 2020 courses ready. Thanks to this

training I was able to convert three courses to asynchronous distance learning: LAC

118, LAC 118 (WI), and LAC 132.

Teaching during the times of the pandemic was hard beyond anything I could have imagined. At times, I deeply resented the Online Teaching Initiative for all the energy it required at a moment I had little left. I nonetheless went through with it. The rite of passage was grueling. But I too became a shaman of zeros- and-ones. And thanks to this, I can better serve my tribe. Dear Kafka, I am not quite a butterfly yet. There is still much more to learn, but I fully embrace my metamorphosis, if that means to honor my students.

22 Amidst the Pandemic