Teach from Home

Strategies

• Let students know your selected mode of communication (e.g., Canvas Announcements).
• Indicate how you want students to communicate with you (e.g., Canvas Inbox).

Update your syllabus online in advance of a disruptive event to include:

• your course continuity policy and expectations
• contingencies for student absence
• student responsibilities for communication, participation
• other options you may make available (e.g. class recordings)
• alternate methods you may use (e.g., online office hours)
• refer students to UD’s coronavirus page for campus communication

As an initial step, provide a procedure for students to inform you if they will be unable to attend class in person.  Canvas Announcements are useful for communicating this, along with a Canvas poll to collect responses (create a Canvas Quiz using the option for “ungraded survey”).

Communicating with your students during a continuity situation is a comprehensive guide that addresses initial communication, compassion and flexibility, academic integrity, and expectations for online workload.

“Designing effective online discussions” and “Minimize volume of student emails by using discussion forums” are two Faculty Commons articles to help get started with Canvas Discussions.

Steps you can take now to get familiar with communicating in Canvas

Use Canvas Syllabus or post your syllabus as a file.

Post a Canvas Announcement.

Try Canvas Conversations (Inbox).

Create a Canvas Discussion and subscribe to receive updates via email.

Strategies

Best Practices: Make good use of your own videos (1-page PDF) is a UD resource with recommendations and examples for the use of video.

Review the three recordings options listed below to identify your preferred approach.

Consider reusing one of your existing UD Capture recordings. Browse your video library in the Canvas My Media tool. You can download videos from My Media.  You can edit videos (trim heads and tails).  Then, publish your selected recording to the Media Gallery in your Canvas course.

After posting a recording, review and correct caption files for online recordings for accessibility.

Option 1

Use Zoom

You may already use Zoom to attend virtual meetings with colleagues or maybe even deliver a synchronous classroom experience. You can also record using Zoom and capture your screen, webcam, and voice with a single application. This process is detailed in our Using Zoom to Record Lectures tutorial video.

Zoom Whiteboard enables you to demonstrate worked problems.  Optionally, use a tablet device (e.g, Microsoft Surface, iPad with Pencil).

Option 2

Use UD Capture Personal Capture

Option 3

Use PowerPoint

Strategies

Prepare to distribute your course materials online.  Replace paper handouts with digitized copies for sharing with students.

Ensure all the files you need for the course are accessible remotely.

Link your library research guide to your Canvas course or ask your subject specialist librarian to create one for you focusing on materials available at a distance.  More info is available on the University Library continuity page, including spotlights for copyright questions and film and video info.

Steps you can take now to have all your course materials available remotely

Use Canvas Files to share selected content with your students.

Use a mobile device camera to digitize paper documents to share with students and make your paper document accessible through Adobe PDF.

Embed a Library Research Guide into your course for fast access to online tools.

Strategies

It is recommended that you schedule synchronous learning activities during normally scheduled class times. This will help reduce scheduling conflicts among online activities and optimize student participation.

Ensure your student are ready to participate online: Share the Student Guide for Zoom at UD (2-page PDF).

Make it easy for students to find your Zoom meeting: Three methods to link your Zoom meetings in Canvas.

Steps you can take now to get familiar with Zoom

Send a Zoom meeting invitation, e.g. for office hours or a review session.

Enable Zoom waiting room to simulate office hours by admitting one student at a time.

Hold a practice Zoom meeting; test webcam, microphone, and screen sharing.

Try Zoom polling for engagement.

There are 3 ways to choose from to add a Zoom link to your Canvas course.

Strategies

Learning assessments for large courses conducted online contains detailed information about:

• Assessment planning within Canvas
• Alternative major assessments that work well in online environments
• Online testing platform (proctored testing)

Steps you can take now to get familiar with assessing your students remotely

Contact the UD Testing Center for on-campus and remote testing options, including ProctorU.

Replacing classroom clickers with online options is a UD resources with online alternatives to clickers.

Student team work

Try Zoom breakout rooms during a synchronous online class session.

Students can login to Zoom@UD for their own for team work outside of synchronous online class sessions.

Create Canvas Groups for student group workspace inside Canvas.

Consider the use of GSuite (Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms) for group work and brainstorming tasks.

Student lab work

Advice for transitioning labs: three possible scenarios based on common lab goals

Consider if parts of the lab experience can happen online through video demonstrations, virtual simulations, or student analysis of raw laboratory data.

Consider if some lab sessions can be rescheduled after the disruption.

Explore if specialized software can be accessed remotely.

Student presentations

Student accommodations

Instructors may be asked to provide reasonable academic accommodations for a student who has a documented disability on file with Disability Support Services (DSS). This is likely to include assisting with accommodations in Canvas.

DSS answers some of the most common questions.

Test and update your technology and get connected

1. Install or update antivirus software on your devices.
2. Update your web browser to the latest version. 
3. Have a second (or third) web browser installed as a backup,  such as Firefox, Chrome.
4. Test your secure access (UD VPN software), which is required to access certain UD online resources.
5. Verify that all necessary software, including your selections from UDeploy, are available remotely.
6. Turn on automatic software updates on your devices: MacOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
7. Email hacking. Hackers are taking advantage of public anxiety about COVID-19 by sending fake messages that appear to be from the World Health Organization and other authorities regarding work-from-home guidance, local outbreaks, or charitable solicitations.
   • Beware of phishing and other scams that will take advantage of panic, etc.
   • Do not click on links or open attachments from emails that look suspicious.
   • Forward suspicious emails to reportaphish@udel.edu.
   • Learn more at www.udel.edu/security
8. Turn off smart speakers (Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePod, etc.) Studies have shown that although smart speakers are only supposed to start recording when they hear a key phrase, they are always listening to detect those phrases (which means they’ll pick up any conversations or sounds in range). To ensure that any Zoom calls and other verbal conversations stay private, unplug your non-essential, home-use smart speaker or remove that speaker from the room.

Get connected

Having access to a reliable internet connection is crucial for many employees’ job functions. Below is a list of some options for gaining access, or improving existing access, to the internet.

Through you or your department’s carrier

• For remote wireless internet access options, you can reach out to your personal cellular carrier (Verizon Wireless, AT&T, etc.).
• Those departments that already have a cellular account established, should also have a point of contact designated. That point of contact should be able to assist you in ordering a MiFi, if needed.

AT&T

• UD staff and faculty using University-owned devices are eligible for the FirstNet Plan with Unlimited Talk & Text/Unlimited Data/Unlimited hotspot.

o   Cost: $45 (not including fees and taxes)

o   Please note the converting to a new phone plan may temporarily disconnect your service and require rebooting your device.

o   AT&T ordering contact: Alyssa Knaub (AS6893@att.com)

Verizon Wireless

• UD staff and faculty using University-owned devices may sign up for the Verizon Public Safety Plan with Unlimited Data.

o   Cost: $50 for unlimited talk/text/data with hotspot (not including fees and taxes)

o   Verizon ordering contact: Matt Wilchinski (matthew.wilchinski@verizonwireless.com)

• If you have additional questions, feel free to reach out to telephone-services@udel.edu.

Additional paid options

• Unsure of what broadband providers are available in your area? This map can help you find out.
• Those who live in Kent and Sussex county may be able to use Bloosurf.

Free/discounted options

• Comcast Internet Essentials Program is offering 2 months of free internet. Program details.
  • Comcast is also making its Xfinity Wi-Fi service free for everyone, regardless of whether you’re a Comcast subscriber or not. (Map of Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots.)
• AT&T offering no data caps.
• Several service providers have agreed to the Keep Americans Connected pledge from the Federal Communications Commission. Learn more about what this means and which companies have signed the pledge.

This page is brought to you by Faculty Commons partners, including Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning (CTAL), Information Technologies (UDIT), Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS), and University Library, Museums, and Press. Faculty who would like additional assistance using these techniques to accomplish their course objectives are encouraged to contact Faculty Commons.

If your course doesn’t translate easily into an online format, CTAL is prepared to help!  Find out more at CTAL’s course continuity page.