It is a joy to welcome Dr. Leigh Zeitz to the podcast! Leigh, whose students lovingly call him “Dr. Z,” is Associate Professor in the Learning Technologies Division in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa. He teaches courses in Educational Technology and Design and Classroom Assessment. He has also taught masters courses in Using Digital and Social Media in Education & Creating Change through Digital Leadership. Leigh has taught at UNI for almost 30 years and he has had the privilege to teach students from 1st grade to 12th grade in public, private, and prison schools. He also taught a year in Malaysia.
In this episode Leigh discusses how he supports student success in both face-to-face and online environments by creating a welcoming community where students feel safe and important. Leigh provides examples of how he promotes Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in his teaching through asking quick, upbeat questions of students prior to the start of class, such as “If you could have a superpower, what would it be?” He explores his research on this teaching strategy and the implications of students reporting feeling more connected to the professor, caring more about the class, and choosing to keep their cameras on via Zoom.
Leigh describes the framework of “communities of inquiry” in online education and highlights the power of social connection - noting that in his research students reported “the connection between the teacher and the students, and between the students and the students was right at the top - one of the most important pieces.”
To learn more about Leigh’s research and teaching, and to get connected to the "Check In" questions he shares in the episode - please read Leigh’s blog titled, “Dr. Z Reflects.”
Leigh’s blog post on April 13, 2021 offers the “Opening Questions” he uses to build community and connection in his classes and his post from June 25, 2021 discusses his research on “Why Students Turn Off Their Cameras in Online Classes.” Enjoy!
For more information on Communities of Inquiry in online education, please see this two-page resource from Purdue University. https://www.purdue.edu/innovativelearning/supporting-instruction/portal/files/4_Community_of_Inquiry_Framework.pdf