Erin Sullivan discusses teaching at the Shakespeare Institute

Dr Erin Sullivan has been responsible for the online teaching provision for the Shakespeare Institute for ten years. A concerted effort has been made over that time to try to make the online experience as engaging as the experience for students who are able to study in Stratford-upon-Avon. This has meant that when the pandemic forced all teaching online, many of the courses were already prepared for bimodal forms of learning.

Through her extensive experience in teaching online Erin has become an advocate for creating a teaching environment that is structured to allow part-time students to spend their time studying efficiently. Creating a community of students online has its challenges but Erin insists that she has created equally strong bonds with students studying online as she has with students she sees in the classroom.

Looking forward Erin is keen to consider ways of making the entire student body feel connected and included in the learning experience. Her main tip for teachers just starting out in this field is to be natural when communicating with students online, allowing as much of your personality to come through the screen as possible. In fact she sees the online teaching experience as very similar to the in class experience, requiring the same skills of listening and engaging with each student individually.