Community Stays Together with BrowningConnect
Alistair G. ‘26 works on his computer in the comfort of the Browning library, April 2019. Since the pandemic, students have had to adapt to an altered system of learning called BrowningConnect. (Julie Goldstone)
The School has shown its understanding of the difficulties that everyone is facing through its virtual academic system called BrowningConnect. The altered schedule and community-led connection spaces have kept the School as connected as possible in the midst of these challenging times.
“Creating courses that are 100% online is normally something that is done over a much longer period of time,” Director of Program Innovation Aaron Grill said. “Our faculty spent their spring break participating in professional development that was created by a talented crew of our faculty that supported each other and had the aim to transform our in-person classes into online learning classes.”
Mr. Grill played a key role in creating this academic format. He and the BrowningConnect team had to create an altered system of education on very short notice. This was an uncertain time that nobody had ever experienced, so the BrowningConnect team had to take numerous factors into consideration.
“We need to take into account people's wellness and be proactively considering equity when building a new system of teaching and learning.” Mr. Grill said. “Everyone experienced BrowningConnect very differently depending on the learning environment they had at home.”
The BrowningConnect schedule was far different from the typical schedule. Classes met less frequently, but there was an increased focus on independent work with a focus on asynchronous learning. In addition, no classes were held on Wednesdays to accommodate clubs, one-on-one advisory meetings, and independent reading to catch up on schoolwork.
“The alteration of the schedules was based on feedback and research coming from China and Seattle, which had experienced online learning for 5 weeks already, in which schools were reporting increased fatigue, and problems with wellness when maintaining a "normal" schedule converted directly to online classes,” Mr. Grill said. “Most schools reported problems within weeks of meeting all day in video conferences, and almost all moved towards adding asynchronous meeting times in the schedule.”
One of the main ways BrowningConnect kept the community together was through numerous activities. The opportunity to have clubs and personal advisory meetings were essential in keeping everyone connected. Also, out-of-school events were held such as Netflix movie screenings, an NFL draft event, and student-led discussions about racism in the USA. These out of school meetings allowed students to get involved in a different way than before. As time went on, people were able to adapt to the new online environment and be creative in their efforts to stay connected.
“I thought BrowningConnect allowed students to show off their creativity. Having larger projects and fewer discussions was a totally different experience, and I found it to be rewarding.”
Another important way that students were connected was through assemblies to honor the Class of 2020 and thank all of the departing teachers. These spaces served to bring the community closer together.
“Coming together as a full Upper School student body during BrowningConnect helped provide us with some normalcy, some reminder of the connections and culture we have collectively built,” Dean of Student Life Sam Permutt said. “Seeing [appreciations, announcements, and acknowledgements with three claps] carry over into our digital space helped remind me and the rest of our community that while much had changed, our commitment to each other, to Browning, and to growth remained strong.”
Despite the pandemic, BrowningConnect sought to bring a strong sense of closeness within Browning. While it is impossible to have the same in-person experiences in a virtual format, there were new opportunities that were made available through distance learning.
