Center for Teaching and Learning and IT Support During COVID-19

 

As we move into blocks seven and eight, know that the CTL will be available to discuss teaching technologies and strategies for providing instruction--online as well as colocated--in a variety of ways.

 

We will offer information sessions for those interested in video conferencing and recording lectures. We will discuss pedagogical strategies and introduce other tools that may be useful for synchronous and asynchronous conversations. For those interested, we will also be available to suggest ways of using Moodle and Google Apps to post assignments, exams, and share feedback and grades with students. 

 

Conducting labs and facilitating studio and performing arts classes will provide challenges but will not be impossible. Consider goals and skills required for completing your course and integrate online videos, apps, activities, or simulations that replicate what you might do in the classroom. Remember students will also be able to create video and audio recordings to share.

 

Software Access—If there are specific software applications that you need to have remote access to, please contact IT.

 

It is understandable that some of us will be more comfortable with remote teaching than others. For all of us, it is likely our conventional approaches to meeting and teaching on campus will change. We must be patient with each other and offer support where and when we are able. We will not be in a situation where we are able to convert classes to the perfect representation of an online version of what you normally teach, but we will adjust as best we can. Familiarizing oneself with the tools available through the following tutorials is encouraged.  Testing out some of the examples below in classes or meetings over the next few weeks will help you be more comfortable and confident with the tools if they become necessary to use.

 

If you can’t make it to an information session or the tutorials do not meet your needs or just for questions and reassurance, we are here.

For assistance with instructional technology, contact Amy Gullen and Matt Zhorne.

To discuss teaching strategies, contact Jen Rouse.

Looking for online materials or film and video options, contact your librarian.

Preparation

Preparation is key to successfully moving all or portions of your class online quickly.

  1. Begin planning as soon as possible. Start to think about contingency plans for class sessions before the need to move online arises.

  2. Work with the ATS and IT to learn more about options and become comfortable with using tools yourself prior to an immediate need. 

  3. Manage expectations both for yourself and for your students. Meeting online is a different kind of experience than meeting in person. Students may not have access to the same tools from their homes that they have on campus. It’s important to evaluate whether or not students will still be able to meet all of the goals you set for the course prior to moving online.

  4. Communicate with your students about when, where, and how you will meet and hold office hours.

  5. Use tools and approaches that are already familiar to help ease the transition online. If you already use Zoom or Google Hangouts/Meet, continue to use that same tool for online class meetings. Moodle and Google Drive may also be familiar tools for collaboration and content sharing for both you and for your students.

Resources

Use Cases for Digital Tools

Tasks

How-To

Communicating with Students

The Quick Mail block in each Moodle class page allows you to easily email all or some students in your course.

You can also post in the “Announcements” forum on your course Moodle page. 

You can also make your own Google Contacts label, which can help you share Google Drive files and folders with your class (you can share with a Contacts label just like you would an individual person).

Lecture/Presentation (asynchronous)

Use Zoom to record lectures for your students. Speak directly to your students or narrate a slide presentation and draw directly on the screen to deliver course content. Zoom will record directly to your computer. Upload and share your lectures on Google Drive with a Google Contact Group of your class. 

You may want to share videos with students by uploading them to Youtube or another video streaming service.  To make them only available to your students, change the privacy setting to Unlisted or Private.

Lecture/Presentation (synchronous)

Use Zoom to stream lectures directly to students. Schedule your Zoom meeting, and invite all students to it. You can speak directly to your students, share a slide presentation, and draw directly on the screen to deliver course content. You can allow students to speak freely, virtually raise their hands, or use the chat box to ask questions and share discussion.

Facilitate class and small group discussion

Use Moodle Forums to start and monitor discussions with students. Different types of forums can facilitate different types of conversation (Learn about the different forum types).


Use Zoom breakout groups to support synchronous small group discussions in addition to full class discussions. 

Virtually bring a guest lecturer

Use Zoom to invite and include someone from outside the Cornell community in a video call or conference. Schedule your Zoom meeting, and invite all students to it along with your guest, or use your laptop to project the meeting to your students in class. 

Hold Virtual Office Hours

Zoom can be a tool used to meet with students virtually. 

You may want to control when students can enter a Zoom meeting if there are privacy concerns during office hours.  To accomplish this you can use the Waiting Room feature in Zoom or use breakout groups.

Share Course Materials

Upload your materials (PDFs, Word docs, image files) or add links (Youtube videos, web sites) to your course Moodle page. Larger files (video or audio recordings) can be uploaded to Google Drive and shared.  You may want to share videos with students by uploading them to Youtube or another video streaming service.  To make them only available to your students, change the privacy setting to Unlisted or Private.

Assess Student Work

Create a Quiz on Moodle for testing that ranges from multiple choice exams to discursive self-assessments. Create a Moodle Assignment for students to hand-in essays and for instructors to grade and comment on them.  

Google Forms can also be used to create quizzes.

Capture your own writing

Use Zoom and its whiteboard feature to draw directly on the screen.

Create your own document camera.  

Accessibility considerations

For students with extended time on exams/quizzes as an accommodation and you are using a timed assessment such as a quiz or exam on Moodle, the student with the extra time will need to have an exam set up for them to access with the extended time built-in.


For other concerns related to accommodations for students with disabilities, please contact Brooke (bpaulsen@cornellcollege.edu or 4382) or Amy R (arobasse@cornellcollege.edu or 4207) to brainstorm solutions.

Accessibility considerations for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH)

Some closed captioning “hacks”:

For synchronous video calls/conferences – Use Google Hangouts/Meet. Anyone requiring or benefiting from closed captions can enable built-in auto-captioning on their machine (requires Chrome or Firefox on laptop/desktop device or the Google Hangouts Meet app for Android or iOS))

Google Slides has an auto-closed captioning option and this can be used while presenting slides in Zoom.

 

Useful Tools for Digital Meetings

Zoom

Zoom is an online platform for video and audio conferencing through your computer,  mobile device, and telephones. Cornell recommends Zoom because it uses less bandwidth than many other applications which can provide more reliable audio and video performance.

Getting Started with Zoom

You will receive an email from Zoom when your account is created.

Here are some things to do in advance of your first meeting using Zoom and to share with guests, who are first time Zoom users.

  1. Watch this 1-min video, which showshow to connect to a Zoom meeting. It walks through the basic steps including where to click to enable your microphone and webcam.

  2. In addition, you can join a test meeting to test your internet connection, video and audio before your scheduled Zoom meeting.

Cornell College Zoom Best Practices

Zoom Video Conferencing Instructions: Cornell College Knowledge Base

Tips for setting up your filming location

Zoom Tips and Tricks

Google Hangouts Meet

Google Hangouts Meet is another online platform for video and audio conferencing through your computer, mobile device, and telephone. Hangouts Meet is part of Cornell’s Google services. One advantage of Hangouts Meet is its ability to create live closed captions when you join with either the Chrome or Firefox browsers.  In response to the spread of COVID-19 Google has ​increased the capabilities of Hangouts Meet. You can now host up to 250 people in a Hangout. You can also now record your Hangout and save it to Google Drive

Additional Resources

Quick Guide to Teaching Online: Inside Higher Ed

Going Online in a Hurry: Chronicle


Based on Macalester’s Continued Teaching page.