Timely Teaching Tips

Plan now for Fall 

  • Register today for one (or more!) of OSU’s FREE university-wide workshops on course design and teaching in fully remote, face-to-face, and blended formats.  
  • Build your skills and confidence for Fall term teaching by diving into the comprehensive self-paced Canvas workshop, Designing and Teaching an Effective Remote or Blended Course. 
  • Use the OSU Remote and Blended Teaching Template to streamline your development of well-structured Fall courses that embody best practices in blended and remote teaching 
  • See OSU Copyright in a Crisis Guidelines to learn more about fair use and open educational resources.  
  • The OSU Libraries have moved course reserves online. They can help you find accessible texts, provide digital copies, and re-activate online access to any items previously collected for your Spring or Summer 2020 courses. Have a question? Ask a Librarian
  • Vary content delivery to make time for student-to-student and student-to-instructor interaction: 
  • Record and post to Canvas short, focused videos each week to free up synchronous Zoom sessions for interaction, like small group work in breakout rooms
  • Hear from OSU faculty about the potential benefits of providing avenues for asynchronous interaction
  • Retool your in-person discussion strategies for remote teaching. Use Canvas discussion forums skillfully to build student engagement
  • See the Center for Teaching and Learning’s new infographic for successful Strategies to Facilitate Group Activities in remote and blended courses.   

 

Support your students 

 

Get inspired! 

Summer 2020 Teaching Tips

Get ready for Summer teaching 

  • Explore four new teaching guides from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL): 

  • Familiarize yourself with CCOMFE to brush up on the keys to successful remote teaching. 

  • Try pedagogical boosters that aid course design, student engagement and learning assessment  

  • See practical solutions to resolve remote learning issues identified by students.  

  • Consider pros and cons of requiring students to turn on their Zoom cameras. 

  • Design the flow of synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences in your remote courses. Blend the live elements (e.g., Zoom sessions) with components that students interact with on their own schedules (e.g., online discussions, readings, group projects) to engage students throughout each week. 

Prepare to Zoom  

Leverage Canvas tools for asynchronous interaction 

  • Post a weekly Canvas announcement that includes an overview of the week, due date reminders, and timely updates will help head off many questions. Begin with an upbeat welcome announcement by the first day of class.    

  • Rather than answering individual questions by email, set up a General Q & A Discussion in Canvas so all students benefit from your answers. Shortcut: You can go to Canvas Commons, search for “Oregon State General Q & A Discussion” and import a ready-made forum into your course. 

  • Vary content delivery to make time for student-to-student and student-to-instructor interaction: 

Get inspired! 

  • View the CTL’s Lessons Learned from Spring 2020 to hear student and faculty survey results, faculty perspectives and strategies for Summer and Fall term teaching. 

Plan the assessments for your course and how you’ll grade them 

  • Use low-stakes formative assessments frequently to engage students, to monitor their learning and to provide constructive feedback throughout the course.  

  • Consider your options for assessing students, such as different exam formats. For smaller classes, you may be able to ask students to complete short essay assignments, or have students record short oral presentations (e.g., recording on Zoom or with Kaltura Capture).  

  • Canvas SpeedGrader can be used to view and grade student work submitted through Canvas.  

  • Attaching a Canvas rubric to an assignment can increase the efficiency and consistency of the grading process of Canvas assignments, quizzes, and discussions. It also spells out your expectations for student work. 

  • If you wish to hide grades from students while you are providing scores and feedback on an assignment, see hiding and posting grades in Canvas

Communicate with students who may benefit from additional support 

Keep improving your Summer courses while you start Fall planning 

  • Consultants are ready to provide 1-on-1 to help you meet the challenges of teaching remotely. Request a consultation with a pedagogy expert from the Center for Teaching and Learning or with experts in any of the Learn@OregonState technologies (Canvas, TurnItIn, Top Hat, etc.)  

  • Dive into this comprehensive self-paced Canvas workshop, Designing and Teaching an Effective Remote Course

  • Higher Ed Webcam and Video Tips is a beginner’s overview for DIY home recording on webcam, with some additional options suggested if you want to take your video production even further. 

  • Looking for quick help videos on Zoom? This collection includes a few simple video and audio tips for picture and sound quality when recording at home. 

Get inspired! 

Spring 2020 Teaching Tips

Teaching remotely is not the same as teaching an online class. Remote teaching is an instant response to an emergent health crisis and we understand you have to set up quickly. You can utilize the same planning, energy, and investment that goes into teaching in person. 

We are here to support all Faculty remote teaching in Spring 2020.
While course learning outcomes can remain the same, you have a few key choices to make. 

MAKE KEY PEDAGOGICAL CHOICES: 

1. How will you deliver content or your course session(s)? 

  • Synchronously: Live interactions (lecture, discussion) at the same day and time as your scheduled class. [RECOMMENDED]

  • Asynchronously: Recorded lectures students can watch anytime.

2. Will there be any changes to assignments or assessments? While your course learning outcomes can remain the same, you may want to consider different forms of assessments.

3. How will you engage students? There is a wealth of tools you can use to facilitate engagement and mirror face-to-face discourse. 

  • Synchronously: Live interactions in Zoom, including polls, large and small group discussion, collaborative screen sharing and whiteboarding, etc.

  • Asynchronously: Canvas activities like discussion forums, surveys, etc.

MODIFY YOUR SYLLABUS:

Will there be any changes to deadlines? Note these best practices for remote teaching

Recommended Syllabus Language.

SET UP YOUR CLASS IN CANVAS:

1. Prepare and deliver class materials

2. Tech Setup and pre-check for remote teaching 

  • Test your home connection and equipment

  • Ensure you have a reliable internet connection

  • Make sure your web browsers are up to date and your operating system is patched

  • Review the Using Zoom Guide and do a test Zoom session; include recording a session

PLAN TO COMMUNICATE REGULARLY:

1. Publish your Canvas course. You cannot communicate with students through Canvas until your course is published.  Post a Canvas course announcement that sets general expectations.

2. How will you coordinate and communicate with your GTA, personnel, etc.? Determine if your GTA is able to complete normal assignments in this new environment.

Ready to Go? 

 

FIND REMOTE TEACHING SUPPORT: 

AVOID HEADACHES WITH ZOOM: 

COMMUNICATE REGULARLY WITH STUDENTS: 

  • Posting a weekly Canvas announcement that includes an overview of the week, deadline reminders, links to key assignments, timely updates, etc., will help head off lots of questions.   

  • Rather than answering individual questions by email, consider setting up a General Q & A Discussion in Canvas so all students can benefit from the answers. Students can even answer each other's questions here. You can go to Canvas Commons, search for ‘Oregon State General Q & A Discussion’ and import the Discussion into your course.  

IDENTIFY STRUGGLING STUDENTS AND REACH OUT TO THEM WITH APPROPRIATE RESOURCES:   

  • A student is likely struggling if they haven’t logged into the Canvas site or have spent very little time engaging with course content. Canvas Analytics can help you track students’ participation.  

  • Is the student experiencing difficulty in working with technology? When you interact with the student via email or during real-time Zoom sessions, does the student appear to be in distress? OSU’s campus resources are still supporting students remotely, from academic support to mental health services. Consider sharing this list of remotely available student support resources or a direct link to the most appropriate resource.  

FOCUS IN ON WHAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERACTION YOU ARE OFFERING STUDENTS: 

  • A helpful framework for ensuring high-quality learning experiences in remote courses is to include three types of interaction: student-to-content, student-to-student, and student-to-instructor interaction.  For tips on designing and supporting meaningful interaction in your class read, “Oregon State University Online Education Tips for Student-Centered Remote Teaching.” 

  • Consider varying content delivery to make time for student-to-student and student-to-instructor interaction: 

KEEP ITERATING! 

  • To schedule a 1-on-1 teaching consultation with the Center for Teaching and Learning, contact [email protected]. For questions about instructional technology or routing to specialized support contact the OSU Service Desk.   

  • Looking for quick help videos on Zoom? This collection includes a few simple video and audio tips for picture and sound quality when recording at home.  

LOOK AT TEACHING AND LEARNING IN YOUR REMOTE COURSE HOLISTICALLY:  

  • Solicit midcourse student feedback now to encourage student reflection on learning, get constructive feedback and make adjustments as needed.   

  • Consider what active learning opportunities you can leverage to increase student motivation, retention of content, and accountability.    

  • Engage your students actively in Zoom synchronous sessions using these tips and activity ideas, particularly when using small-group tasks.    

  • Asynchronous activities like mind mapping and annotating text can also promote active learning and could be shared, discussed, and reflected upon in a Canvas discussion forum.  

PLAN FOR MIDTERMS OR ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENTS AND HOW YOU’LL GRADE THEM:  

  • You could also consider a “take-home” version of your existing midterm. In this case, consider setting up a File Upload assignment and asking students to justify their answers in writing to help protect academic integrity.  

  • Canvas SpeedGrader can be used to view and grade student work submitted through Canvas.   

  • Attaching a Canvas rubric to an assignment can increase the efficiency and consistency of the grading process of Canvas assignments, quizzes, and discussions. It also spells out your expectations for student work.  

  • If you wish to hide grades from students while you are grading, see  hiding and posting grades in Canvas.   

COMMUNICATE WITH STUDENTS WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM ADDITIONAL SUPPORT:  

  • Invite students to attend your office hours in Zoom or set up an individual Zoom meeting. The Academic Success Center offers guidance for students on making effective use of remote office hours; share this link in a Canvas announcement.   

  • Consider customizing and sending one of these sample individualized email and Canvas messages from OSU’s Academic Success Center to support students who may be having difficulties. Provide guidance on setting up a remote study group with peers in the class to help students build connections and support each other.  

Continue to build your “instructor presence”

Keep improving your Spring courses while you start Summer planning

Provide guidance to students

  • Will your students be submitting video or audio presentations?

  • To foster student engagement in the second half of the term, encourage students to join remote study groups with peers if they haven’t already done so. The Academic Success Center offers successful study group strategies and tips for students. 

  • Review your Canvas gradebook to be sure it’s accurate and up to date. Addressing any issues now will help students understand where they stand at this point, and will help make grading smoother at the end of the term.

  • Consider reminding your class that the Spring 2020 S/U grading policy and deadline have changed to better support students. However, the deadline to withdraw from a course remains Friday of Week 7 (May 15). Encourage students to contact their academic advisors for more information as they make decisions about their courses.

Begin planning for finals now 

Provide encouragement and guidance for students 

  • Students tend to experience fatigue during this time (so close to being done but not quite!) so extra encouragement will be helpful. Write a positive note to your students, inviting questions about final assignments and expectations, and offering support

  • Want to help students make well-informed decisions about your course? Catch up with grading and feedback on student work and make sure Canvas gradebook calculations are set up correctly.  

  • Make sure all assignments in the course are visible to students, and if you have any scores hidden for graded assignments post grades in Canvas, so students can see where they stand. 

  • Remind your students that the Spring 2020 S/U grading policy and deadline have changed and encourage them to contact their academic advisors for more information.  

Maintain a positive remote learning climate 

Start planning your remote Summer courses 

  • Consultants are ready to meet 1-on-1 to help you meet the challenges of teaching remotely. Request a consultation with a pedagogy expert from the Center for Teaching and Learning or with experts in any of the Learn@OregonState technologies (Canvas, TurnItIn, Top Hat, etc.) 

  • Whether you’re building or teaching a remote course for the first time or looking for ideas to improve the teaching-learning experience of the course you're teaching this term, Designing and Teaching an Effective Remote Course, is for you. 

  • University Information and Technology offers the services of trained assistants to help faculty manage synchronous Zoom sessions. View additional information or request a Summer assistant here

  • Focus on the flow of synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences in your remote course. Blend the live elements (e.g., Zoom sessions) with the components that students interact with on their own schedules (e.g., online discussions, readings) in a way that engages students throughout each week. 

Prepare for finals and the end of Spring term 

  • Acknowledge the challenges students are facing and provide encouragement and support to finish Spring term.  
  • Be sure to congratulate your graduating students! 
  • Looking for ways to improve efficiency as you wrap up the term? The Canvas SpeedGrader can help you grade student work more efficiently. 

Get inspired! 

  • Did you miss the May 2020 Ecampus Faculty Forum? You can view the recorded keynote address for tools and techniques to apply learning science to support student success. 
  • View Strategies for Effective Pedagogy shared by faculty panelists at the Remote Teaching Symposium presented May 15, 2020 by the OSU College of Liberal Arts and the Honors College. 
  • See what OSU Ecampus research reveals about long-term instructors’ most valuable skills in online teaching, from responsive communication to organizing course design. 

Plan your Summer courses 

  • Use the Remote Teaching Canvas template to build well-structured Summer courses much more easily.  
  • See the Center for Teaching and Learning’s new infographic providing pedagogical solutions to guide faculty in resolving remote learning issues identified by students. 
  •  Design the flow of synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences in your remote courses. Blend the live elements (e.g., Zoom sessions) with components that students interact with on their own schedules (e.g., online discussions, readings) to engage students throughout each week. 
  • Check out the self-paced Canvas course, Designing and Teaching an Effective Remote Course, to quickly learn successful strategies to enhance your students’ remote learning experience. 
  • University Information and Technology continues to offer the services of TechKTAs, trained technical assistants, to help faculty manage synchronous Zoom sessions. View additional information and request a Summer assistant.