From the Chicago Center for Teaching -- very useful (also emailed to everyone now teaching)
Pedagogical Guidance
for Remote Teaching in Response to COVID-19
The
University’s teaching remotely website provides
guidance on setting up tools such as Canvas and Zoom to enable online instruction. Additionally,
the office of Academic Technology Solutions (ATS) will be offering trainings on using Canvas and
Zoom for remote teaching. To supplement these resources, this guide:
1.
Summarizes
some good pedagogical practices for this transition.
2.
Provides
models for how you might translate common face-to-face teaching practices to remote
practices.
3.
Provides
a curated list of further references and resources.
Contents
1.
Articulate your
learning goals and think about how to adapt those to an online setting. Rather than starting with the tool (Canvas, Zoom, etc.), begin by
thinking in concrete terms about a) what you want your students to know or be
able to do as a result of the course (learning objectives), and b) what modes
of teaching and learning will help them achieve those objectives. Articulate those
modes at a goal-oriented level (think, for example, of “presenting
content,” rather than “lecturing”) and then think about how you can translate
those in multiple modalities online (e.g. presenting content via text and
images on a page in Canvas; synchronous video lecture in Zoom; asynchronous
video presentation using Panopto, etc.).
2.
Identify a mix of
asynchronous and synchronous tools. The advantage of
synchronous tools like Zoom is that it more closely approximates a face-to-face
learning experience than students consuming content on Canvas or watching a
pre-recorded video from Panopto. But synchronous tools have limits: a live Zoom
session takes a lot of internet bandwidth (which students may not have access
to); students are more likely to get distracted in long Zoom sessions; and some
students may have challenges making it to a live session due to being in
different time zones. When you do go
synchronous, consider limiting it and intentionally supplementing with an
asynchronous follow-up. For example, you might do a
20-minute Zoom lecture during your canonical class time, and then ask students to complete an activity on
their own which they upload to Canvas. And be sure to record the session and
make it available to students who missed.
3.
Set and communicate
expectations. Transparent expectations are even more important in
unusual circumstances, so consider posting these in an announcement on Canvas. Identify the “regular” expectations you
establish for students and think through how to adapt those to an online
context. Some areas to consider:
a. What are the various ways that students may participate in class (e.g. verbal discussion and/or text chat
during a Zoom session, posting reflections in Canvas, etc.)? Good practice is
to identify more than one option for students to engage with you and their
peers and to practice and demonstrate their understanding.
b. How might you adjust your deadlines
and policy on late work?
c. How can you allow for flexibility
if students are in different time zones, are having difficulty accessing
technology or the internet, or are otherwise facing extraordinary circumstances?
4.
Be flexible. Sometimes the technology won’t work as intended or students will
encounter challenges. When this happens, step back, reflect on what your
learning goals are, and think about alternative strategies for students to work
on meeting those goals. Teaching and learning is about engaging students with
new knowledge, and then giving them opportunities to practice that knowledge
and receive feedback. Finding new and creative ways to do this is the
intellectually interesting work of teaching.
· Approach your students with empathy. This is an extraordinary time for teaching and learning and for life in
general. Conveying that you care about your students, their health and
well-being, and their learning helps to cultivate a sense of community and
belonging. Acknowledge the challenges of the current time and, if you are
comfortable doing so, check-in on how they are doing and share a bit about your
own current experiences.
· Communicate early and often. Even if you don’t yet have a plan for how you will adapt, be in touch
with your students as soon as possible to 1) introduce yourself, 2) let them
know how you will be communicating so they know to regularly check email,
Canvas, etc., and 3) set the tone. Aim for a positive tone, conveying the idea
that “we’re in this together” and that you are excited to engage with their
ideas this quarter.
· Be intentional about tone. Remote teaching means
more written communication to students in emails, on Canvas, and so forth. To
help foster a productive, learning-focused environment, aim for a tone that is
positive, respectful, inviting, and perhaps even fun. You want to articulate
clear, high expectations for students, and to do so in a way that conveys
enthusiasm about the material and students’ engagement with it, and that
fosters an atmosphere of trust, intellectual encounter, and scholarly inquiry.
Overall, aim to convey that you care about your students and their learning.
· Cultivate community. “Social
presence” is one of the central challenges of remote teaching, so devote time
and space to having your students connect with each other (and you) at the
outset. For example, you might ask students to post brief reflections and/or
videos introducing themselves, describing where they are, and explaining how
they plan to study while learning remotely.
· Assess your students’ access to materials and technology.
Consider circulating a brief survey to determine
your students’ access to relevant books, computers/devices, broadband internet,
and other relevant resources.
·
Get feedback from students. As you try out new
strategies, debrief with students on how it goes. What are you doing that is
most helpful for their learning? What are some things you might do differently?
You can do this with an informal conversation at the end of a session, with a
Google survey, etc.
· Keep it simple. Focus on, say, two
key digital tools (likely Canvas and Zoom), at least to begin with, and think
about how you can use them to provide a few structured learning experiences. If
there are other tools you are used to using, then you should continue using
those.
· But also look for opportunities to be creative. Once you have the foundational structure set up using Canvas and Zoom,
think about innovative ways to engage students in an online format. For
example, rather than assessing students using a conventional essay or exam, can
you have students record a short video of themselves explaining a key concept
using Panopto? Are there opportunities to invite guest speakers to “Zoom in” to
talk with your students?
This
section presents models for how you might translate common face-to-face
teaching practices to remote practices. While there is no single, best way for
doing this, the idea here is to suggest some possible structures that you can
adopt and adapt, or to spur your own thinking on how to do this. Elements of
these can be mixed and modified in a variety of ways depending on your needs
and preferences.
You
may already regularly do many of these things in your teaching, but it is worth
highlighting how “regular” practices (emailing the syllabus to students before
class begins, having students post reading responses on Canvas, etc.) are
essential tools in online teaching.
Topics
Even before the quarter gets underway in a
face-to-face class, you might get in touch with students to introduce yourself,
send the syllabus, or ask them to complete a small assignment for the first
class.
How can this be
translated online?
Some considerations for what this might look like
for an unexpected online course:
·
Communicate with your
students right away. Even if you don’t yet have a plan for how you will
adapt, be in touch with your students as soon as possible to 1) introduce
yourself, 2) let them know how you will be communicating so they know to
regularly check email, Canvas, etc., and 3) set the tone. Aim for a positive
tone, conveying the idea that “we’re in this together” and that you are excited
to engage with their ideas this quarter—whether it’s over Zoom, via discussion
posts, in their written work, etc.
·
Set and communicate
expectations. Transparent expectations are even more important in
unusual circumstances, so consider posting these in an announcement on Canvas. Identify the regular expectations you
establish for students and think through how to adapt those to an online
context. Some areas to consider:
o What are the various ways that students may participate in class (e.g. verbal discussion during a Zoom session,
posting reflections in Canvas, etc.)? Good practice is to identify more than
one option for students to engage with you and their peers and to practice and
demonstrate their understanding.
o How might you adjust your deadlines
and policy on late work?
o How can you allow for flexibility
if students are in different time zones, are having difficulty accessing
technology or the internet, or are otherwise facing extraordinary challenges?
· Assess their prior knowledge. Have
students complete an ungraded pre-assessment task—a low-stakes (perhaps
ungraded) writing assignment, a quiz, a survey, or another form of background
knowledge probe—before the course begins to get a sense of what they know
coming into the class or how they think about the key concepts of the course.
The quiz function on Canvas
or a Google survey are good options for this.
Whether
in the Core, in upper-level major courses, or in graduate seminars, one common
mode of teaching and learning goes like so:
· Students read
materials (texts, images, articles, etc.) and are asked to analyze and/or
reflect on them in a number of ways (e.g. What is the structure and key
evidence of the argument? How do the ideas and themes relate to those of other
works in the course? How does this lead me to think differently about the
topic?)
· Students come
prepared to discuss the readings and their responses with their peers, with the
aim(s) of deepening their understanding, encountering difference perspectives
to grapple with, and so on.
· As part of this
process, the instructor may provide some remarks to help clarify the material,
provide context, bring in scholarly perspectives not contained in the assigned
material, and so on.
How can
this be translated online?
· Create a module in Canvas that contains the
reading materials and any activities you’d like students to complete before the
class meeting.
o
Name
the module so it is clear to students what it is, perhaps with the topic and
date of the course meeting.
o
Add readings:
§ Add a PDF or other
documents by adding a File.
§ Link to online
materials by adding External URL.
o
Provide guidance with discussion
questions, contextualizing remarks, or other content with:
§ A short video you
record using Panopto. Add the video to
your Module by adding an External Tool,
selecting Panopto Video, and then
selecting the appropriate video.
· Prompt students to reflect on the readings
before class, by adding a discussion or assignment to the Module.
o
Be
sure to provide clear instructions and expectations for these postings.
Questions to consider:
§ How do you want
students to engage with the readings? Should they offer interpretations?
Critical comments? Questions for their peers?
§ Should you ask
students to reply to their peers’ posts in Canvas? Or perhaps to bring their
questions and comments for peers to the live discussion?
§ Will these be graded?
If so, how—with a quality grade, for completion, etc.? Note that lower-stakes,
ungraded work may help to alleviate the anxiety over needing to do more of this
kind of work as a result of moving to an online environment.
o
Think
about how you can establish a
welcoming environment in the video conference setting. If you’re comfortable doing so, check in with
students to see how they are doing, share a trivial anecdote about your life,
etc. The idea is to cultivate “social presence,” something that needs to be
more intentionally done in an online setting.
o
Articulate the goals
and plan
for the class at the beginning.
o
Share
a Word doc via Zoom to use as a
virtual chalkboard. Consider posting this to the appropriate Canvas
Module after class is over.
o
Record the class
session
to make it available to students who face challenges due to technology or
internet issues, scheduling difficulties, or obstacles posed by sickness and
other circumstances.
o
Limit the time and supplement the discussion with an asynchronous component—a
low-stakes writing assignment, further discussion on Canvas, etc.
In
larger courses, instructors might give lectures, often with slides. To make a
lecture an active learning experience, instructors will often incorporate
activities for students reflect on and process new information, discuss with
their peers, and do a bit of in-class assessment.
How can
this be translated online?
· Create
a module in Canvas that contains the
reading materials and any activities you’d like students to complete before the
class meeting.
o
Name
the module so it is clear to students what it is, perhaps with the topic and
date of the course meeting.
o
Add readings:
§ Add a PDF or other
documents by adding a File.
§ Link to online
materials by adding External URL.
o
Provide guidance with discussion
questions, contextualizing remarks, or other content with:
§ A short video you
record using Panopto. Add the video to
your Module by adding an External Tool,
selecting Panopto Video, and then
selecting the appropriate video.
· Plan for your video lecture and activities:
Option 1: Synchronous (live) lecture using
Zoom.
o
Click
“Share” to share your slides so students can view them and follow along.
o
Articulate the learning objectives
and plan for the class at the beginning.
Make
it engaging:
o
Use
the annotate feature to add
dynamism to your presentation, highlight key points on your slides, add text on
the fly, etc.
o
Use chat to field “back channel” questions. If you have a
TA, task them with responding in the chat.
o
Use
the polling feature to check in
to provide a moment of processing and assess student understanding.
o
Limit the time and consider an asynchronous follow-up
activity.
o
Talk over slides to add a visual element to the
lecture.
o
Build each video around one clear learning
objective.
Make
it active:
o
Keep videos short—10 minutes is a good rule of
thumb. Student attention wanes for longer videos.
o
Create active learning “chunks” to put
in Canvas modules: short, objective-driven videos, followed up by activities
that ask students to practice, apply, or reflect on their new knowledge.
Activities can by created using assignments—but not everything has to be graded!
“Inclusive
learning and teaching in higher education refers to the ways in which pedagogy,
curriculum, and assessment are designed to engage students in learning that is
meaningful, relevant, and accessible to all. It embraces a view of the
individual and individual differences as the source of diversity that can enrich
the lives and learning of others.” (Hockings, 2010) It is an approach that pays
attention to the varied backgrounds and abilities of all students and in order
to create a supportive environment that allows each student to be fully
present, contribute to, and learn from various diverse perspectives.
How
can this be translated online?
·
Consider low-tech
and asynchronous assignments. Parenting students and students
without access to devices with mics and cameras, internet, or a quiet space to
video may have a more challenging time accessing synchronous class.
o
Consider technologies that can work on a phone, in
case students don’t have access to a reliable computer, have spotty wi-fi or
big data plans.
o
Discussion, presentations, debates
that might be completed in Zoom could be substituted with an assignment in a
different format that meets the same course objectives. Students might write a
pro/con issue comparison memo, in lieu of participating in a classroom debate.
o
Ask
students to record their presentation using simple technology (such as a cell
phone or their computer) and send it to the instructor or full class.
o
Ask
students to submit a written script of a presentation to assess content
knowledge and other skills like persuasive thinking. This substitution is most
appropriate if oral communication is less of a core objective for the course.
· Make learning materials accessible. Distribute materials in an accessible format such as Word
or a tagged PDF. Generally,
accessible documents are first produced in Word, converted to PDF and then checked for accessibility.
See Zoom for learning how to caption your lectures and videos. Refer to Student
Disabilities Services for several options for
creating accessible documents.
·
Be
intentional and transparent. Choose digital tech that allows
you to achieve a curricular goal and/or allows student participants to achieve
a learning outcome, and state clearly to students the
materials they will need. Communicate how these technologies fit into
the context of assignment goals, the ways that the students will engage the
assignment, and how you plan to assess their work/contributions.
· Establish and maintain
a classroom community. Allow space and time for students to connect with
you and as a class.
o
Students might record or write a short reflection
(perhaps posted on Canvas) on where and how they are working on course-related
assignments during the campus closure.
o
Engage students in a
“temperature check” weekly. It is harder to tell how students are doing when
you are in a virtual space, so this can help to get a read of the virtual room.
It can also help students to feel more comfortable, warming up to speak online.
o
If making videos, try to use a program that allows you to show
your screen and your face, remembering that you are the human connection to the
curriculum. Consider posting short videos in response to questions
students post on a discussion forum.
·
Consider
creating norms for your online space. Consider offering norms such
as:
o Be
present. Each class will be packed, so prepare yourself to be engaged
throughout. Be free from distractions such as
driving and/or multitasking.
o Listen
carefully to whomever is speaking in the virtual room.
o One mic.
Try not to interrupt, and if you do, apologize.
o Use
personal pronouns and gender-conscious language.
o We start
on time and end on time.
o We expect your full and safe participation in our online
sessions.
·
·
Have an
array of instructional activities, as active learning benefits all
students.
o Examples
of instructional activities: Quick writes, Small group discussions,
Debates, Digital gallery walks, Graphic organizers, Quick polls
· Foster
Inclusive Participation
o Check in
on access at the start of a discussion. Make sure no one has difficulty
accessing a strong internet connection, a quiet space, a device, or a mic or
camera. Try to point them to campus resources.
o If the
topic is not privileged or sensitive, check in with students to see if they
would be comfortable with recording the session and post these online. We
may have students who become ill or have technical difficulties
mid-session. Recordings allow those
students to have access to the class at a later date.
o Use the
raise hand function to track who would like to speak.
o If you
want to do a person-to-person check-in, let students know in advance that you
will be calling on everyone and give them time to think of their responses to
promote equity and support in their vulnerability on the platform and with one
another.
o As
students are sharing out, pause to invite anyone to speak who has not spoken
yet.
· Create group
work protocols - If you use the breakout rooms function of Zoom
·
Be clear about what time you will have everyone return so they know
how to pace their group work. Use the
broadcast function to let them know when they should transition in their groups
from one person to another and to remind them when to come
back.
·
Consider assigning group roles, such as Timekeeper, Facilitator, Reporter,
Recorder, and Harmonizer to increase accountability to one another and ensure
that everyone participates.
·
Allow students to alternate roles so that each week they are
included and provided with different responsibilities.
·
Regularly
gather feedback on how the class is going. You will
want to know how students are responding to the online environment, including
how well they are able to participate. Ask students for feedback on how well
discussions are going and any technological or interactive challenges students
may have. For example, students with slower internet connection speeds may find
it difficult to respond quickly in a synchronous discussion and a chat box may
work better for the class. Another student may notice that particular students’
voices are missing. Offer opportunities for feedback in a variety of forms,
including 5- minute free-writing posts to Canvas, an anonymous Google form, a
targeted email, or using class time to invite students to text or talk on the
phone with a peer in the class and then reporting out.
Resources
Assessment of student learning means thinking about
the work we ask students complete so they can practice and get feedback on
their learning, and so that instructors can evaluate their understanding. This
captures both graded student work—essays, quizzes, exams, projects—which can
help students be accountable for their learning, as well as low-stakes,
informal, ungraded activities that allow students (and instructors) to check-in
on their understanding.
How can this be
translated online?
·
Low-stakes quizzes are easily translatable online, as are reading
reflections, essays, or other projects that students can submit using assignments on Canvas. Indeed, the more asynchronous your
remote teaching plan, the more it will likely ask students to complete work on
their own for the instructor to review and provide feedback on at a later time.
·
Higher-stakes exams, on the hand, can pose challenges,
given the difficulties with remote proctoring.
In light of this, consider the following for your
assessment plan (adapted from Indiana University):
·
Embrace short quizzes. Short, low-stakes quizzes are a great way to keep students engaged and
have them reflect on the material, particularly if they are interspersed with short
video lectures.
·
Move beyond simple
facts. Basic recall questions can leverage the retrieval effect, helping students to reinforce
new knowledge. But it is tempting to look up the answers to such questions, so
think about moving higher up Bloom’s Taxonomy, with questions that ask
students to apply concepts to new scenarios.
·
Adapt expectations
for student work. The extraordinary circumstances of remote teaching
may limit students' access to resources they need to complete papers or other
projects. Team projects may still be possible—and an excellent use of time—but
be flexible as teams face challenges with communicating and meeting. Be ready
to adapt assignment expectations based on the limitations posed by unexpected
or evolving events.
·
Consider alternate
exams. Delivering a secure exam online can be difficult
without a good deal of preparation and support, so consider giving open-book
exams or other types of exams.
Lab classes are designed to reinforce
scientific principles and practices through hands-on experience and critical
reflection. In a typical lab course, students go through a process that looks
something like this:
· Students attend the lecture course associated with the lab course,
where they are introduced to models, concepts, and theories related to the
subject. They may also be introduced to key experiments and a review of the
scope and limitations of what is known.
· In the lab, students receive the lab instructions and short
introduction to the goals of the lab and key concepts.
· The lab itself takes students through a series of steps and
manipulations, and requires students to engage in specific scientific tasks: generating
hypotheses, making observations, collecting data, and reflecting on results.
· After the lab, students write a lab report which includes a record of
their work and findings, as well some analysis and reconciliation of their
results with other results.
How can this process be translated online?
Teaching labs remotely requires a different
process. One model is to have students engage in the experimental process on
their own time, possibly in groups or pairs, and use class time for questions
and further analysis. Here’s how that
would look:
·
Create a Module in Canvas
that contains reading materials and the
virtual lab you’d like for students to complete before the class meeting.
· To find simulations, look to: PhET / Chem
Collective
/ HHMI Biointeractives / iLabs /
NANSLO / LiLa / Molecular
Workbench LabXchange
· Name the module so it is clear to students what it is, perhaps with
the topic and date of the lab meeting.
·
Add readings:
· Add a PDF or other documents by adding a File.
· Link to online materials, including simulations by adding External
URL.
·
Provide guidance with discussion questions, contextualizing remarks, or other content
with:
·
Prompt students to
reflect on their lab work with other students by
adding a discussion and have students turn their lab
assignment by adding an assignment to the module.
· Be sure to provide clear instructions and expectations for these
postings. Questions to consider:
· In what order do you want students to complete each stage of the
module?
· What questions should students answer in the virtual lab or
simulations? How should they observe it or manipulate it? What kind of data
should they collect? What form should their results or work come in?
· If you’re creating a discussion, what are the discussion questions?
What should students prepare to be ready for class?
· How will the labs be graded—with a quality grade, for completion,
etc.? Note that lower-stakes, ungraded work may help to alleviate the anxiety
over needing to do more of this kind of work as a result of moving to an online
environment.
· Think about how you can establish a welcoming environment
in the video conference setting. If
you’re comfortable doing so, check in with students to see how they are doing,
share a trivial anecdote about your life, etc. The idea is to cultivate “social
presence,” something that needs to be more intentionally done in an online
setting.
·
Articulate the goals and
plan for the class at the beginning.
· Share your screen and use a Word doc or Google doc as a virtual
chalkboard. Consider posting this to the appropriate Canvas Module
after class is over.
·
Record the class session to make it available to students who face challenges due to
technology or internet issues, scheduling difficulties, or obstacles posed by
sickness and other circumstances.
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