Kindness and Community in an Online Asynchronous Classroom, with Seth Offenbach

Seth Offenbach shares about his article, Kindness and Community in an Online Asynchronous Classroom, on episode 586 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.

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Quotes from the episode

I had to recognize the reality that my classroom was never going to be the number one priority for people during the pandemic.

-Seth Offenbach

When we teach, why not be kind?

-Seth Offenbach

My goal is to challenge my students intellectually. My goal is not to stress them out.

-Seth Offenbach

We all miss deadlines.

-Seth Offenbach

In order to truly be kind, you have to create a safe space for the students where they feel that they can come to you, talk to you and learn with you.

-Seth Offenbach

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Resources

• Kindness and Community in an Online Asynchronous Classroom, by Seth Offenbach (webcdn.worcester.edu/currents-in-teaching-and-…)

• Currents in Teaching and Learning – January 2025 edition (worcester.edu/currents-in-teaching-and-learning)

• Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto, by Kevin M. Gannon (wvupressonline.com/node/823)

• The Social Justice Syllabus Design Tool: A First Step in Doing Social Justice Pedagogy, by Sherria D. Taylor and Maria J. Veri (journals.shareok.org/jcscore/article/view/87)

• Feeling Better: A Year without Deadlines, by Doreen Thierauf (ncgsjournal.com/issue171/thierauf.html)

• A Pedagogy of Kindness, by Catherine Denial (catherinedenial.org/a-pedagogy-of-kindness)

• Cultivating Compassionate Community to Foster Academic Integrity?, by Maha Bali and Yasser Tammer (blog.mahabali.me/pedagogy/cultivating-compassi…)

• An Equity Syllabus (sites.google.com/view/anequitysyllabus/home)

• Liquid Syllabus, by Michelle Pacansky-Brock (brocansky.com/humanizing/liquidsyllabus)

• Jesse Stommel (jessestommel.com)

• The Practice of Ungrading, by Jesse Stommel (jessestommel.com/the-practice-of-ungrading)

• Remi Kalir’s Annotated Syllabus (remikalir.com/annotatedsyllabus)

• Go Ahead and Ask for More Time on That Deadline, by Ashley Whillans (hbr.org/2021/12/go-ahead-and-ask-for-more-time…)

• A Pedagogy of Kindness: The Cornerstone for Student Learning and Wellness, by Fiona Rawle (timeshighereducation.com/campus/pedagogy-kindn…)

• Effect of Syllabus Tone: Students’ Perceptions of Instructor and Course, by Harnish & Bridges (doi.org/10.1007/s11218-011-9152-4)

• Replacing Power with Flexible Structure: Implementing Flexible Deadlines to Improve Student Learning Experiences, by Hills & Peacock (doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.10.26)

• Enhancing Social Presence in Online Learning, by Joyce & Brown (ojdla.com/archive/winter124/joyce124.pdf)

• The 1:1 method, by Seth Godin (seths.blog/2025/05/the-11-method)

• Master Slave Husband Wife, by Ilyon Woo (bookshop.org/a/79174/9781501191060)

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