If you are planning for an in-person or hybrid course for Spring 2021, you will still want to consider how to easily move some or all of your course online should the situation arise. Here are a few quick tips that can help make that shift smoother:
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- Use your Canvas site to organize your course materials and assessments
- If you’ve not yet used modules to organize your course, now is the time to try it! Modules make it easy for students to find materials and assignments.
- Consider your course materials + technology tools and how well they will allow students to complete their work effectively in a pinch.
- What are the things that students absolutely need access to in order to be successful in your course, and what things are nice-to-have extras? Prior to the start of the semester, take a few moments to consider what elements are the most essential, should you need to make a quick pivot.
- Plan ahead for materials that can be accessed by students- no matter where they are
- Have you checked to see if your course materials can be accessed effectively through the Canvas mobile app? On a Chromebook? If students in your course will need to complete work away from campus or their regular housing for any reason, it is a good idea to make sure that they can do so easily.
- Don’t reinvent the wheel! If you’ve made short videos or pages in your course, consider how you can use them next semester.
- We know instructors have put in tremendous time and effort to make high-quality, engaging videos or Canvas course pages over the past few months. Many of these elements may prove useful in future courses!
- Use your Canvas site to organize your course materials and assessments
More tips and ideas for engaging online teaching can be found on the Teaching Online site, which is updated regularly.
