Bringing the Body into Online Learning with Art

• In Event: Critical considerations for in-person and online teaching

Abstract

While the online classroom is often conceptualized as disembodied, our bodies are always present in these learning spaces. Yet few studies have considered the body in online education (synchronous or asynchronous) and how students can pay attention to their bodies while learning online. This interdisciplinary Scholarship of Teaching and Learning study of two university classrooms analyzed verbal and written responses to an assignment in which students engaged their bodies through sharing artwork online. Students evidenced learning with their whole selves (bodies, minds, and emotions), making connections with each other and with course concepts, and forming new perspectives and meanings, countering the alienation and loss often associated with online education.

Authors

• Shannon McManimon, Viterbo University

• Lauren Mark, SUNY - New Paltz