Best Practices for Academic Continuity
Design:
- Organize your Canvas course site for clear navigation and ease of use.
- Examples: use weekly modules or create a module for each unit, post similar items consistently throughout the course, use text headers and/or indentation of items, etc.
- Use “Student View” in Canvas to ensure students can see and access all course materials, activities and assessments.
- Examples: test quizzes, assignment uploads, and all links and videos
- Provide students course navigational instructions (try creating a screencast of your course site!).
- Tell them where they can find course materials, assignments, grades, etc.
- Introduce yourself to the class (either in writing, audio, or video).
- Examples: Tell them a little about yourself, your teaching qualifications, teaching philosophy, hobbies, etc. Post a picture of yourself.
- List your contact information and expectations for response time.
- Examples: "Emails will be answered within 24 hours of receipt." Let them know if there are any times you do not wish to be contacted (nights/weekends).
- List your office hours, explain how office hours will be conducted and how to schedule a time to meet, etc.
- Example: Provide a link to your Zoom personal meeting room.
- Provide students a course schedule with topics, assignments, and due dates.
- List expectations for participation.
- Examples: Log in twice a week, treat each other with respect. Provide information about the correct and acceptable ways of communicating on the internet – including communicating with the instructor and each other, participation in discussion boards, etc.
- List your course policies and provide links to student support services, accommodations and assistance, and accessibility and privacy statements. Add additional syllabus statements.
- Provide information and University course policies on plagiarism and cheating found in the Student Handbook.
- List minimum technology requirements for the course, where to obtain the technologies, and provide links and privacy statements to all downloadable resources.
- Examples: Microsoft Office Applications, microphone and speakers, access to the internet and web browser, personal computer, etc.
- List minimum technology skills and digital literacy skills needed to be successful in the course.
- Examples of technology skills: upload and download documents, word processing and presentation applications, email with attachments, downloading and installing software, using conferencing tools and software
- Examples of digital literacy skills: using online libraries and databases to locate and gather appropriate information, use computer networks to locate and store files, using online search tools for academic purposes, properly citing resources, etc.
- List course and module/unit-level objectives. Ensure they are clearly written from the student perspective.
- Offer an opportunity for classmates to introduce themselves to each other.
- Examples: hold a discussion forum with required replies, conduct an ice-breaker, have them share a little about themselves – their major, interests, hobbies, experience with the subject, expectations for the course.
- Do not require them to post photos of themselves – this should only be optional.
- Let students know when they should expect assignments to be graded.
- Example: within 7 days of the assignment due date.
- Be specific on how students should complete assignments.
- Examples: provide detailed assignment instructions, list due dates, provide expectations for completing assignments, provide expectations for acceptable discussion forum posts/replies, provide grading criteria – including assignment rubrics, provide examples/non-examples.
- Offer students a variety of ways to interact with different types of learning content.
- Examples: text, video lectures, audio narrated PowerPoints, articles, websites, videos, digital textbook resources, content “pages” in Canvas, etc.
- Make sure the course content helps students to achieve the course and module/unit-level learning objectives.
- Offer students a variety of ways to interact with technologies.
- Examples: discussion forums, online assignments, online quizzes, and wiki “pages” in Canvas, 3rd party tools, digital publisher materials, etc.
- DO NOT USE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE SAKE OF USING TECHNOLOGY, make sure the technologies help students to achieve the course and module/unit-level learning objectives.
- Offer students a variety of ways to interact with each other.
- Examples: discussion forums, peer reviews, group assignments, group note taking, study groups, group presentations, synchronous meetings using ZOOM or BigBlue Button in Canvas, etc.
- Offer students a variety of ways to participate in learning activities.
- Examples: authentic learning, active learning opportunities, choice in assignments, collaborative activities, experiential learning opportunities.
- Make sure the learning activities help students to achieve the course and module/unit-level learning objectives.
- Offer variety of ways to be assessed.
- Examples: practice quizzes, graded quizzes and tests, essays, research papers, projects, e-portfolios, presentations, websites, blogs, wikis, video assignments, etc.
- Make sure the assessments measure that the students have achieved/met the course and module/unit-level learning objectives.
- Properly cite course materials and/or provide a statement that you have permissions to use all course materials in your class.
- Strive to make all documents, videos, Canvas pages accessible.
- Examples: use heading styles, repeat header rows on tables, provide alternative text to all images, graphs, and charts, make sure all PDFs have searchable text – avoid scanning documents, use sufficient contrasts, use san-serif fonts that are easy to read – size 44 on PPTs at least 12pt in Word Documents, provide closed captioning or transcripts for all audio and videos
Delivery:
- On the first day of class, send your students a “welcome” message.
- Be “present” in your online class.
- Regular contact with your students assures them that they are supported.
- Regular contact can be done through weekly announcements (try sending a video announcement!), email, feedback on assignments. etc.
- Let students know what they need to do each week.
- Examples: Create a page in Canvas with a list of weekly tasks, send weekly announcements, send reminders when assignments are coming due.
- Address students by name.
- Provide timely, relevant, specific, and constructive feedback on assignments.
- Always point out things they have done right as well as things to work on.
- Simply telling a student "good job" or "needs work" does not give them the information they need to succeed.
- Use real-world examples, share your own experiences, allow students to share their experiences, etc.
- Summarize discussion forms (you do not need to respond to every student).
- Set aside time to read and respond to emails, grade assignments, and respond to/summarize discussion forum posts. Set aside time for personal and family commitments. You do not need to teach 24/7. If you do, you may burn out.
- Encourage student feedback.
- Examples: post a mid-semester survey encouraging comments on course design and the delivery of course, encourage students to list things that they need from you, things that are working or not working, and suggestions for improvement.
- Utilize student feedback to make improvements in your course.
- Conclude your course with a reflection assignment.
- Conclude your course with closing statement/message to students.
- Encourage students to complete the course evaluations.