We know you may have questions or concerns about the upcoming semester and the possibility that you will have to temporarily adapt the way you teach or share information with students based on your own or numerous student illnesses. While we hope that doesn’t happen, know the resources below are available if it does.
We also know you may be tempted to improvise in the moment (e.g., using a cell phone to record a live class and post it to Canvas), but these sorts of solutions may create their own problems. A lecture recorded with a cell phone, for example, may present issues for remote learners—are the audio and video quality good enough for learners to understand and absorb the lecture? Can they see what’s on the whiteboard and monitors at the front of the classroom? What about participating in-class group work or discussions?
Some more sustainable, equitable options could be:
- creating a formal note-taking buddy system among students
- modifying assessments with online submissions or flexible submission dates
- moving group presentations to a virtual, recorded format, such as Zoom, VoiceThread or PlayPosit, that students can comment on in Canvas
- “flipping” a course by recording lectures so students can watch them on their own time and devoting in-person class time to review/group work/collaboration
- reworking elements of your course to be asynchronous
- offering alternative options to in-class participation, like online discussions, journaling, or reflection
Remember, CATL is always here to help with generating strategies to assist quarantined learners and instructors.
Who To Contact About What
Your Chair, Dean, and others mentioned in the Chancellor’s 1/14/22 campus email can help with:
- Questions about policies related to temporary pivots in instruction modality, special accommodations in your teaching, and any other class decisions related to COVID-19
- You may also reach out to the COVID Response Team (covidresponse@uwgb.edu) and/or Associate Provost Courtney Sherman with policy and COVID-related questions
The CATL Team (CATL@uwgb.edu – teaching; DLE@uwgb.edu – teaching technology) will assist with:
- Teaching and learning (e.g., course design, assignment options, equity-based instruction)
- Using technology in course instruction (e.g., holding office hours in Zoom, having students use Microsoft Teams for group work, using the Canvas Zoom integration, recording videos for asynchronous instruction using Kaltura tools)
- Strategies to keep quarantined learners engaged and/or how to modify assignments or assessments to accommodate
The GBIT Service Desk (GBIT@uwgb.edu) is your resource for:
- All other technical software or hardware questions, as well as technological support in campus classrooms (e.g., login issues, Office 365 and Sharepoint, non-teaching Zoom & Teams use, classroom projectors)
Specific Vendor Support Services (varies by service – see links below under the appropriate tool)
- We have direct vendor support for many technological teaching tools. Although CATL can and will help with best practices, most purely technical questions are best answered by the support line for that software.
- Canvas support is available to instructors 24/7
- Vendor support is also available for Zoom, PlayPosit, and VoiceThread (see below)
Resources for Specific Tools
Click on one of the headings below to expand the accordion and see the related guides.
Canvas
Learning management system. Allows instructors to post learning materials (readings, videos), create assessments (assignments, discussions, quizzes), and grade assessments. Also allows students to interact with course materials, submit assessments, and view their grades.
- Canvas Instructor Guide
- 24/7 Canvas Support (use “Help” button in Canvas)
- Getting Started with Canvas
- Copying Content from an Old Course into a New Course Shell
- Sharing Course Content with Another Instructor
- So You Want to Be Flexible: Canvas Can Help
- Organizing Canvas to Improve the Student Experience
- Schedule a CATL Consultation (Ex: deciding how to organize your course; designing an assignment; creating equitable activities; making your Canvas setup transparent)
Kaltura
Video recording, hosting, and sharing platform. Integrates with Canvas. Sometimes referred to as “My Media” within Canvas.
- Kaltura UWGB IT Knowledgebase Articles
- Contact GBIT@uwgb.edu for troubleshooting assistance
- Using Video Responsibly
- Make Your Videos Engaging
- Schedule a CATL Consultation (Ex: designing lecture videos to be of an appropriate length and number for the course level, content, and modality; developing a discussion where students record and upload their own introduction videos; considerations when using audio or video to provide feedback on assessments)
Zoom
Web conferencing application with features like chat, polling, and breakout rooms. Integrates with Canvas.
- UW System Zoom Service Overview
- Zoom – Signing into the Desktop Application with Your UWGB Account
- Zoom Help Center
- Submit a Zoom Support Request
- Contact GBIT@uwgb.edu for troubleshooting assistance
- Zoom vs. Microsoft Teams – Which Should You Use?
- Using Zoom for Class Meetings
- Using Zoom for Facilitating Small Group Activities
- Using Zoom for Office Hours
- Schedule a CATL Consultation (Ex: deciding whether to use breakout rooms to conduct small group discussions; designing polls or other activities for student engagement during synchronous online sessions)
Microsoft Teams
Web conferencing application and file sharing platform. Best for courses centered around group projects and collaboration.
- Microsoft Teams Help Center
- User Guide
- Scheduling a Teams Meeting
- Teams Meeting Controls
- Sharing Your Screen
- Contact GBIT@uwgb.edu for troubleshooting assistance
- Zoom vs. Microsoft Teams – Which Should You Use?
- Microsoft Teams for Courses
- Teaching with Microsoft Teams Meetings
- Setting Up Microsoft Teams Meetings for Synchronous Instruction
- Up and Running with Remote Group Work
- Schedule a CATL Consultation (Ex: designing a Team for your class to facilitate student group work; deciding how to use breakout rooms to conduct small group discussions; designing polls or other activities for student engagement during synchronous online sessions; designing asynchronous group activities)
PlayPosit
Platform for building and viewing interactive video content; can be used to create formative assessments during video playback. Integrates with Canvas and uses videos uploaded to Kaltura (My Media), YouTube, and Vimeo.
- PlayPosit Introduction and Overview
- PlayPosit Use Cases
- Resilient Teaching with PlayPosit Bulbs
- Schedule a CATL Consultation (Ex: developing knowledge-check questions for a lecture video; designing an assignment that uses PlayPosit's learner-made bulb or peer review features)
VoiceThread
Platform for conducting asynchronous discussion around a presentation or other media. Discussion takes the form of text, audio, and video comments.
- VoiceThread Overview
- Audio and Video Discussions
- Up and Running with Remote Group Work
- Schedule a CATL Consultation (Ex: designing a group presentation activity for an asynchronous online course; developing instructions for students on how to participate in online discussions with audio/video comments)