Review of Flower Darby and James M. Lang’s Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes

Authors

Christian Aguiar, University of the District of Columbia & NOVA OnlineFollow

Author Bio(s)

Christian Aguiar is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of the District of Columbia Community College. He also teaches for NOVA Online. His research focuses on how to support first-generation and low-income college students, multimodal writing, and democratized learning.

Abstract

In their 2019 book Small Teaching Online, Flower Darby and James M. Lang present a model for online instruction that uses what the authors call the “small teaching” approach, which posits that college faculty should look for small, high-impact changes they can make to their teaching practice in place of wholesale overhauls. The authors explore the unique challenges that online learners struggle with, from feeling disengaged to feeling overwhelmed by the demands of self-directed learning, then offer practical, sustainable solutions for each. Their text thus offers helpful teaching practices both for new online teachers and veterans.

Recommended Citation

Aguiar, C. (2020). Review of Flower Darby and James M. Lang’s Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes. Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges, 23 (1). Retrieved from https://commons.vccs.edu/inquiry/vol23/iss1/10