Photos from Home: Integrating Lived Experience in a Remote-Learning Environment

Abstract

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, first-year lectures in Biological Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) and Mississauga (UTM) were offered via online asynchronous delivery, which challenged the ability of instructors to interact with students and gauge levels of understanding, interest, and engagement. This teaching brief describes one approach used to connect with students and build community in a remote-learning environment. In a low-stakes assessment, students introduced themselves, specified from where in the world they were learning, and were invited to submit photographs from home. Photos were submitted from all over Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and were integrated into lectures with short discussions on the evolutionary history and significance of these places. This exercise was successful in creating community by integrating student experience directly into course material, emphasizing geographic and cultural diversity, and showcasing this diversity for all students, whether learning on campus or abroad.