The School of Education’s Linn Posey-Maddox is featured in UW–Madison’s Instructional Highlights series, which is spotlighting ways that UW–Madison instructors are working to make their virtual classrooms more engaging, inclusive, and supportive.
Posey-Maddox, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies, regularly surveys her students to get to know them and assess how things are going, the article explains.
“This year, with the pandemic, it felt like it was even more important to do that, and I added questions about technology and whether students had any concerns about fulfilling basic needs,” said Posey-Maddox.
The additional questions spoke to the times we are in, as did a statement Posey-Maddox included on her syllabi that “acknowledged the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism,” she said.
“I feel it’s important to let students know that we’re not operating as business as usual in these uncertain times,” she said. “We’re going to learn, but we’re going to be doing it with empathy, flexibility, and care.”
Posey-Maddox said she taps many sources for ideas — “I definitely drew from things my wonderful colleagues have done,” including she said, department colleague Bianca Baldridge, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies.
Learn more about Posey-Maddox’s approach in Instructional Highlights, here.