Teaching on the Block Plan for the first time can be challenging. But teaching on the Block Plan for the first time\u00a0and\u00a0doing it online is \u201ca double learning curve.\u201d Assistant Professor of History John Marquez started his career at Colorado College from home.<\/p>\n
During Block 1, Marquez co-taught an online junior history seminar with Assistant Professor of History Purvi Mehta. They used a combination of synchronous and asynchronous elements during the course to prepare students for their senior papers or thesis research. In addition to assigned readings, Marquez and Mehta also asked their 11 students to listen to a podcast about some of the course topics.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really impressed that students have done such quality work, even under these circumstances,\u201d Marquez told The CC COVID-19 Reporting Project.<\/p>\n
Unlike some of the professors who ironed out some of the kinks of remote teaching during Blocks 7 and 8, Marquez said he\u2019s still learning how to use Zoom. He calls the Office of Information Technology three or four times per week for support.<\/p>\n
Other history faculty gave Marquez suggestions and shared teaching ideas with him, and Mehta guided and mentored him through their Block 1 course. Marquez said it was helpful to co-teach his first class because he wasn\u2019t going through it alone. He also enjoyed meeting his Block 1 students, many of whom are either history majors or minors.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough it has been stressful as a first-year faculty member, I\u2019ve just been so pleased to meet students,\u201d Marquez said. \u201cI think everyone is doing such amazing work and that really, totally cancels out all the stress and all of the other external things that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s teaching Blocks 3, 5, and 8, and he elected to teach them in the \u201cflex\u201d format. Initially, Marquez hoped to offer some small group or individual in-person meetings out on one of the quads. However, because in-person or hybrid lab classes are among the\u00a0only types\u00a0of classes CC invited students to campus for this semester, his students may not happen to be on campus or in Colorado Springs during Block 3.<\/p>\n
Marquez was looking forward to moving into his office in Palmer and informally meeting students in the department around the ever-present animal cracker jar. Instead, the History Department started a Slack channel and is offering blockly conversations over Zoom.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel incredibly fortunate to be here,\u201d Marquez said. \u201cThe students have been wonderful and I feel very welcomed here. It\u2019s not ideal to start a new job in a pandemic, but I do feel quite supported.\u201d<\/p>\n
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