photo of Kimberly MishraLearning together
Lisa Lewis, Publications and Logistics Specialist, Professional & Organizational Development

This past March, as the world began social distancing and many started working from home, POD transitioned its operations online. This meant shifting our popular and highly interactive in-person classes from our Roosevelt Commons East training facility to what was then an unfamiliar online learning environment for many — Zoom.

While a number of our POD and external consultants had utilized Zoom here and there, this shift required us to master this video conferencing application almost overnight. My position also changed from supporting our classrooms onsite to coordinating Zoom logistics, coaching instructors and participants with limited experience with online training, and acting as a “producer” for Zoom sessions with anywhere from 10 to 150 participants. Furthermore, the nature of my position shifted to acting as a bridge and support system by bringing all parties up to speed in this new space through encouragement and enthusiasm.


What I’ve enjoyed most about this process is creating an environment in which the instructors, participants and I are learning together. As the primary liaison for instructors and participants who are engaging via Zoom, I help set a positive, collaborative and nonjudgmental climate. This has been especially important as we’ve all been required to do what many of us shy away from — which is to learn in public.

Although I, personally, am not easily embarrassed or discomfited, I understand that many people are reluctant to engage in the unfamiliar and that can be doubly true when it comes to tech. Of course, there have been a few technology hiccups as I’ve learned how to operate in the Zoom environment and in those moments, I’ve tried to model that there’s no shame in making mistakes on the path to learning.

Patricia Hughes, who has written extensively on gracious space and teaches Courageous Collaboration for POD, has said that “learning in public requires humility” and that:

“Learning in public means judging less, listening more, and being willing to change your mind. It means letting go of being right and opening up to possibility. If you want your team to work successfully and cheerfully in changing times, they need to collaborate and learn from each other.”

To that, I would add that openness and compassion are key to creating an environment where people are not afraid to learn in public and from each other. For instance, instead of focusing on an instructor’s reluctance or lack of online experience, I’ve made myself available for tech training check-ins and questions. In our Zoom class sessions, I’ve been able to connect directly with participants to ensure their technology is set up properly and they feel comfortable using tools that are new to them. In one of my personal favorite experiences, after problem solving on the spot with a participant in Zoom, they expressed compassion, patience and the understanding that we are all in this together.

The growth in just eight months is incredible. Many of our instructors already had extensive online experience, and watching those instructors early on showed me how using breakout rooms, chat, annotation and real-time polling creates a more interactive and dynamic learning environment. In turn, I have been able to share these tools with those who were less-experienced with online instruction. I have pride in the resources and coaching — or as one instructor said, “mentorship through this learning journey” — that POD has provided and in watching those instructors quickly develop their confidence and facility.

For all POD classes, and specifically those with a single instructor, I or a POD designate provide support as a “producer” to ensure we are delivering the best online learning experience. Depending on the instructor’s experience and intricacy of activities, this can be as minor as sitting in for the first 30 minutes and making sure the class is running smoothly, to more intensive support with implementing multiple Zoom features to reach the same level of engagement as in-person classes.

Instructors who were once weary about how the classroom learning dynamic would perform in the online space are now facilitating with ease and confidence, and are adding new tools to their repertoire as the quarters progress. I have also seen the savvy and comfort of our class participants increase tenfold during this time as we’ve all discovered how to better learn and engage in this environment.

I’ve appreciated the moments I’ve had with many in the University community as we’ve worked to navigate this new environment together. If you haven’t yet had a chance to take a POD class this year, I hope you’ll consider connecting with us in this new brave space for learning.

Autumn 2020 | Return to Issue Home