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Getting Started with Online Teaching

A page within Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning (CATL)

Overview 

The following strategies can help you shift your courses online quickly. Please contact CATL (catl@uwlax.edu) if you have questions.

Online Fundamentals

Students will likely have questions and need help when courses resume. Strive to make yourself available to students by letting them know the best way they can contact you, providing virtual office hours, etc.  Another idea to consider is to create a “General Course Questions” or “Raise Your Hand” discussion forum in Canvas for students to ask questions.

This is likely a stressful and confusing time for students, so it will be helpful for instructors to be in frequent communication with students. Two ways to communicate with students would be through the Inbox and Announcements in Canvas. Whatever method of communication you select, tell students how, where, and when they can expect to hear from you.

As you transition your face-to-face materials to online, pay particular attention that you are being clear on what it is you expect from your students and what it is they should be doing. Think about what you would tell them in class about all the expectations and state those in your online class, too. Clear expectations and directions allow students to focus on course content and activities and help decrease confusion and frustration.

One idea to possibly help identify and deliver content is to utilize credible educational and governmental websites in your course. Check with your professional organizations as many are sharing beneficial materials to help many universities go online. Another idea is to utilize external resources such as Open Educational ResourcesKhan Academy, TEDed, and MERLOT. And, check out the many electronic resources available through Murphy Library

With the number of courses being taught online it is likely that some students will have technology related questions. Two great resources that can be provided to students are the Eagle Help Desk and Canvas Student Support

It may be tempting for instructors who have not heavily utilized Canvas to attempt to teach their course by alternate means. This could include using email to communicate with and send content to students, or having students turn in assignments and other course assessments via email. Using Canvas for all or most of your course related activities ensures your communications with students, course content, student work, graded information, legal and privacy, etc. is secure and in one location. In addition, CATL and Canvas Support are able to assist when issues arise in Canvas but support is not guaranteed when course activities happen outside of Canvas.

Since every course has the potential to have different structure and due dates, checklists will help students stay organized and on track in your course. As you work to develop units or modules in your courses, provide students with a checklist of what will be covered and what they will be required to do. These checklists can include things to (recommended ordering) for course readings and videos, discussions, etc. as well as due dates for assignments and assessments. Having a checklist helps students stay on track with their course requirements and helps ensure they complete all required activities. Create a new Canvas page and then embed your checklist so students can follow it.

During this transition period, instructors may be altering course activities and assessments. It is important to remember that students want and appreciate timely feedback on graded activities and assignments. It is recommended that instructors keep student grade information current and up-to-date in the Grades area in Canvas.

Consider providing content to students in smaller chunks or segments. For example, instead of assigning students an entire chapter from a textbook to read, provide a section or sections of the chapter you feel are particularly important. Or if creating a lecture video, instead of creating a 55 minute video create four or five shorter videos in the five to seven minute range. 

Think about a variety of ways students can learn and explore the content, and then think about different ways they can show evidence of their learning. Some ways to think about this include: see, try, share, reflect, or review, apply, assess.

Online discussion forums can be a nice way to have students interact with course content, other students, and you, the instructor. These interactions happen asynchronously. Be sure to provide clear directions when assigning discussion forum activities. Also, pay particular attention to due dates for student posting especially if students will be required to respond to their peers (allow enough time for students to respond to each other). Read more about conducting discussions in an online class.

Synchronous or live sessions can be used in online courses to deliver content, hold virtual office hours, have students deliver presentations, provide exam review sessions, etc. Remember to record your synchronous sessions and make them available to students who were not able to attend. Do not penalize students who are unable to attend. Consider accessibility and equity when choosing to add live sessions, and make sure there is an educational reason to have the session live. Tools for holding synchronous sessions can be found on UWL’s Keep Teaching page. 

Students consider their instructors experts and want to hear and learn from them. Avoid simply providing students with publisher materials or requiring them to read course materials and then complete course activities without any input from you. Provide instructor generated narratives or commentaries related to what is being covered in class, create short videos or screencasts to share with students, or participate in discussion forums to share your expertise with students. 

We are already seeing a lot of collaboration among instructors in various departments during this transition to online teaching. If teaching online is new to you, reach out to experienced online instructors and/or the Canvas liaison in your department and ask them what works well in their online courses, things to avoid, etc. In addition, work together to create and share resources. Sharing can happen between courses and instructors in Canvas.  

There is no one best strategy to be successful teaching online. Rather, there are many small teaching practices such as communicating with students, being responsive and answering questions in a timely manner, being flexible, making yourself available, providing clear expectations, etc. that can help lead to a successful online experience for both student and instructor.

These are likely trying times for both you and your students. Keep in mind that we are all learning how to effectively either teach or learn in the online environment. Be ready and open to hearing from students on their ideas to help them in your online course. Be prepared to answer questions about online learning. It's important to listen and find answers; if you don't know how to answer, reach out and we'll help. 

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