• Create or update rubrics.
  • If you have yet to create rubrics for your course or if your rubrics could use an update, visit UD’s resources page on rubric design. Rubrics facilitate evaluation and can be added to your Canvas course to streamline your grading process.
• Plan use of Zoom for any synchronous sessions.
  • Have you decided on the synchronous components of your course? Make sure you have scheduled out the weeks you plan to have synchronous sessions. If you have yet to use breakout rooms, polling, and other cool features that Zoom has to offer, visit the UD’s Zoom Getting Started page.
• Plan your Canvas course.
  • Now is the time to begin planning your fall course in Canvas, if you haven’t started already. If you do not have a course shell available at this time, request a staging site so you may begin to work on your course.
  • Build module content. After working through the Backward Design process, it is time to begin planning your course modules. Visit Faculty Commons resources for building an online course and engaging your students in this learning environment.
  • Draft a list of topics or content you plan to record videos for. Unlike some traditional lecture format classes, you’ll want to consider shorter “chunked” videos that work well in an online environment. Consider how you’ll break up lectures into these chunks and develop a plan to record them (or use existing videos). If you plan to use slides (e.g. PowerPoint or Google Slides) during your videos, begin developing those slides now.

• Open Educational Resources (OER) are created by university faculty, often undergo peer review, are free, and will remain free and available long after your course concludes. UD’s Librarians routinely work with faculty to learn about course content and to compile high quality, freely available open resources or open textbooks. This can save faculty many hours of time as they prepare their courses.
  • Research in this area indicates that OER improves end-of-course grades and can improve course grades at greater rates and decrease DFW rates at greater rates for Pell recipient students, part-time students, and populations historically underserved by higher education.
  • Faculty members at UD, working with librarians and with CTAL on this effort have saved students around $345,323 over three years.
  • Reach out to your librarian or to Meg Grotti, who is a member of the subcommittee on online learning for support.
• Assessment & Proctoring Options
  • Review the Assessment & Proctoring Options for Online Courses Fall 2020 and contact Faculty Commons if you have questions deciding on the best assessment for your course.
  • If you are considering proctored exams, review the Guidance from the UD Online Testing Center for Instructors Administering Proctored Exams Fall 2020. If you would like to use the UD Online Testing Center’s services, submit a request by August 17th.
  • It’s necessary to plan for remote exams as a backup plan for on-site exams in order to accommodate students.
• UD Capture
  • Instructors that wish to opt-in for UD Capture Classroom Capture will be asked to submit requests in August when schedules and locations are finalized.

Watch the recording.

July 24 Town Hall Highlights