Tools and Resources
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Best Practices for Remote Instruction
Teaching online - or using remote delivery methods - involves a lot more than use of spiffy technology (even if we eLearning folks think the tools are half the fun). In order to help encourage excellency in the face of adversity, we have collected many guides and resources related to remote instruction.
Click on the topic you are interested in learning about to expand more details!
Please note that this page is iterative and we will be continuing to add resources
as we build and collect them. ~ eLearning Staff |
If you've never taught in an online or remote environment before, we understand it might feel intimidating! Before you dive in here, we would recommend you review the preparation timeline. This matrix was developed specifically to help orient faculty and students for the exceptional circumstances surrounding the 2020 Spring term.
1. 'Getting Started'
Creating a new content area with the express purpose of collecting the most important details for how to get started working in your class is hugely helpful for students. Things to include would be: contact info, your syllabus, course objectives, a short course navigation guide, and a self-introduction.
2. Define Expectations
Think about what you would typically outline in your first week of a class meeting. Where will you be meeting? Will lectures be help synchronously, asynchronously, or both? Do you students know when assignments are typically due, and where to turn in their work?
3. Organize Content Intuitively
Online course materials require more up-front context. If you add something to your class, explain what it is and why you've chosen to include it, preferably in the context of your module objectives. This doesn't need to be extensive - even a sentence will do!
4. Be Present
Basically, show up to class! Instructor presence is a huge factor in student satisfaction and success in online courses. Some examples of how to 'show up' when your class is remote include:
- Posting a weekly announcement introducing new topics and recapping the previous week
- Answering questions quickly and publicly, if appropriate (ie: clarifying an assignment question)
- Return graded work in the timeline you set, with feedback
- Interact with students periodically in online discussions
5. Provide Support
COCC support services for students have also moved largely to remote delivery. Do your students know where and how to contact those services? You do not have to be an expert in these services yourself. But including links to essential services and making them visible and available is important.
Here you can find several articles and documents which contain step-by-step guides for building and interacting in an online or remote environment. We recognize that the course building process is, by its nature neither simple or quick, but we hope that these can help structure your thinking when it comes to potentially altering content for remote delivery. You'll find a lot of similarity in these guides. If we were to distill these articles down to five bullet points, we'd choose:
- Communicate, communicate, communicate!
- Establish a consistent structure that supports your objectives
- Be clear in your expectations for assessment
- Be present in the course and the material
- Provide multiple opportunities for student interaction
Remote Teaching Plan - A worksheet for assessing your curriculum with Backwards Design A guide to Regular and Substantive Interaction (PDF) Simple essentials to include in your online course (PDF) Designing an Online Course Step-by-Step (article) How to be a Better Online Teacher (article) Communication Checklist - Use this checklist to assess your readiness and planning for alternative delivery options. Missing something?
See the list of resources below! |
UDL is "a set of principles that provide a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs."
Applying UDL principles into your classroom allows students to learn and demonstrate that learning in a variety of methods which promotes greater engagement and success in the class as a whole. It's also a hugely important element in creating accessible classrooms!
COCC Guide to Universal Design for Learning
An introduction to Universal Design for Learning (PPT)
Leveraging UDL in Blackboard (PPT)
Do This, Not That! - Pedagogical Recommendations for Remote Instruction
Technology Resources and Links
Using Canvas
Canvas is the learning management system used at Central Oregon Community College. Course content is published within Canvas by instructors for student access. Please take the time to read through our Canvas Training For Faculty Course linked below:
- Canvas Training For Faculty Course
- Faculty Canvas Training Webpage
- Communicate to students directly through Canvas: How do I use the Inbox as an instructor?
- Course Copy FAQs (Employee Intranet)
- eLearning Student Final Exam Guide: Canvas Edition
Using Kaltura
Kaltura CaptureSpace and Media are internal tools for creating and hosting multimedia. If you want to try recording and posting a video lecture, this is how we recommend you do it.
- To add a video to a course, we will need to use Kaltura.
- Kaltura is a recording application that is quick and simple to use, and all the videos you create with Kaltura are saved in Canvas. You can then easily post and submit the videos you create to pages, assignments, and discussion boards.
- Kaltura is accessed by clicking My Media link within a course. This link must be enabled by the instructor in each course so that instructors and students have access to this tool.
- The My Media link acts like a storage spot for all of your videos. Each user has their
own view of the My Media link. So say Student A clicks on My Media, they will only
see the videos that Student A has uploaded and will not see Student B or Instructor
X’s media.
- Enable the My Media link within a course video - COCC eLearning video - less than 1 minute, no sound
- Using Kaltura Media in Canvas - COCC eLearning YouTube video
- Post Kaltura videos to a course video - COCC eLearning video - less than 1 minute, no sound
- How To Use Kaltura Express Capture In Canvas - COCC eLearning YouTube video
- Store A YouTube Video In Canvas Using Kaltura - COCC eLearning YouTube video
- Kaltura Collaborations In Canvas - COCC eLearning YouTube video
- Student Tutorial: Video Creation For Students In Canvas Using Kaltura - COCC eLearning YouTube video, this video applies to everyone
- Kaltura User Guide for Canvas
Using Zoom
Zoom offers one alternative for synchronous delivery. While Zoom is a free resource for anyone with mobile devices or computer access, please note that the level of participation available to your students may vary. We recommend reviewing your planned activities and considering how they will work for students with potentially limited access (ie: no available microphone).
- Getting Started with Zoom - VIDEO DEMO
- Zoom FAQ - How Do I...?
- Using Zoom on a mobile device
- Equipment Recommendations
- Student Conduct/Managing Participants
- Zoom Security Recommendations
Library Resources
- LibGuide for Closures Resources
- IL Session Request
- Locating Streaming Content for Your Remote Courses
Other Resources and Info
- Guide to using a COCC Go Bag (YouTube Video)
- Quality Matters Emergency Remote Instruction Checklist (YouTube Video)
- Toolkit for Online Instructors (PDF)
- Chronicle of Higher Ed - Going Online in a Hurry (Article)
- Softchalk Webinars (Webpage)
Support for Canvas External Tools
Some tools are only accessible from within the Canvas LMS. Here is a list of our the tools currently installed in Canvas. Please note that these external tools are generally NOT supported by eLearning - support resources for these products can be found on their own webpages. If you use any of these products in your class, it is recommended to also include a link to the relevant student support resources. A quick access list is provided below.
Installed Products and Services | Support Links |
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