Some Resources for Online Learning from the Wabash Center Resource Collection
Many colleges and universities are making emergency plans to move face-to-face courses online.
Listed below are a few resources culled from the Wabash Center Resources Collection to support teachers challenged by this transition.
- Web Resources for Online Learning in the Wabash Center Resource Collection
- Other books and articles on Online Learning in the Wabash Center Resource Collection
- Online Teaching, Online Learning (Wabash blog series)
- Teaching Tactics for Online Classrooms in the Wabash Center Resource Collection
- Effective and Inclusive Online Discussions: A Focus on Preparation, Presence, Preferences, and Privacy One-Sheet
- Models For Teaching and Learning During The Pandemic One-Sheet
- Online Assignments and Assessments: Beyond Tests and Papers One-Sheet
See as well the active discussion on the POD list-serv (for directors of college and university teaching and learning centers.
A few suggestions from this POD discussion are listed below:
- Spreadsheet of links from institutions’ “business continuity and remote teaching pages (nearly 200 entries)
- Best Practices for Online Tests (Seaver College)
- Best Practices for Online Projects (Seaver College)
- Remote Exam Kit (Portland State University)
- “Prepare to Move Online (in a Hurry) – Inside Higher Ed (3/10/20)
- “Going Online in a Hurry: What to Do and Where to Start – 6 Steps” (Michelle D. Miller, Chronicle of Higher Education) (3/9/20)
- “How to Be a Better Online Teacher: Advice Guide” (Flower Darby in The Chronicle of Higher Education)
- Educause BCDR Planning
- Online Learning Collective Website
- The Spring 2020 Online Learning Collective Facebook Group
- Facilitating Discussions in an Online Classroom PowerPoint. Provides actionable tips and tricks for facilitating discussions. (Todd Kane)
- Promoting Success in the Online Classroom PowerPoint. Provides some helpful hints and classroom management strategies to help students succeed in an online setting. (Todd Kane)
Resources at Colleges and Universities
- Abilene Christian University: Rapid Remote Teaching Resources
- Bay Path University (Sophfronia Scott): Your Online Faculty Toolkit
- Boston University: Working & Teaching Remotely
- Brandeis University: Teaching Continuity
- Brown University: Teaching Continuity Guide
- Butler University: Keep Calm and Teach On
- Clemson University: Academic Continuity
- Coastal Carolina University: Academic Continuity
- Columbia University: Teaching Online During University Closures
- Connecticut College Center for Teaching and Learning: 11 Things to Consider when Moving Your Course Online
- Cornell University: Academic Continuity Planning
- Dartmouth: Academic Continuity During Disruption
- DePaul University: Remote Teaching Options
- Duke: Keeping Classes Going During Emergencies
- Emory: Using Canvas During University Closures
- Florida International University: The Making Global Learning Universal Podcast
- Georgetown University: Instructional Continuity
- Hanover Research – Best Practices in Business Continuity in Higher Education
- Indiana State: Keep Teaching
- Indiana University: Keep Teaching During prolonged campus or building closures
- Kansas State University Global Campus: Online Community
- Meadville Lombard Theological School: Take i-heart in the Journey: Online Learning and Theological Education
- Middlebury College: Academic and Course Continuity
- New York Institute of Technology: Keep Teaching!
- New York University: Remote Instruction Support (and other works in progress)
- Northeastern University: ITS Resiliency website
- Northwestern: How to Hold Your Class During Emergency Closures
- North Carolina State University: Telecommuting Tips
- Penn State: Contingency Planning for Undergraduate Education
- Pepperdine: Keep on Teaching
- Pepperdine: Academic Continuity Plan for Teaching and Learning
- Peralta College: Online Equity Training
- Sacred Heart Schools: Flexible Plan for Instructional Continuity
- Saint Joseph’s University: Instructional Continuity
- Saint Mary’s College of California: Humanizing Online Teaching
- Santa Clara University: Instructional Continuity Planning: Preparing a backup plan for teaching
- Seattle Pacific University: Campus COptionslosure: Alternative
- Simon Fraser University: Transforming COVID into a Learning Opportunity for Your Students
- Stony Brook University: Keep Teaching
- SUNY Purchase: Teaching during campus closure
- University of California, Berkeley: Instructional Resilience Teaching and Learning Technologies
- University of California, Davis: Academic Policies and Guidelines for Canceled Classes
- University of Delaware: Course Continuity
- University of Iowa (The Center for Teaching, ITS, and Distance and Online Learning): Keep Teaching & Keep Learning
- University of Louisville: Continuity of Instruction
- University of Maryland – College Park: Keep Teaching at University of Maryland – College Park
- University of Michigan: Adjusting Your Study Habits During COVID
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte: Instructional Continuity Planning
- University of Pittsburgh at Bradford: Pandemic Preparedness
- University of Sydney: Supporting learning and teaching for off-campus students; Ensuring Off-Campus Students Can Access Resources to Learn Anywhere and Anytime
- University of Washington Seattle: Teaching and learning when operations are suspended
- University of Washington Tacoma: Instructional continuity
- University of West Florida: Pandemic Planning
- Virginia Tech: Cancelled Class Continuity
- Weber State University: In Case of Emergency: Faculty Preparation & Response Guide
- Wilmington University: Cyber Day
- Yale University: Seminars & Discussions
- Vanderbilt University: Brightspace, putting your course online in a hurry
- Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University: Online Learning and Teaching Pedagogies
- University of Michigan (LSA): Teaching Remotely
- Xavier University of Louisiana: Instructional Continuity
AAR’s Tips for Online Teaching
By Amy Hale and the AAR Teaching and Learning Committee
In response to concerns about COVID-19, many colleges and universities are asking faculty to move their face-to-face (F2F) courses online very quickly. This presents several challenges, but the most immediate are how to move your F2F course to the learning management system and how to adapt your teaching style/assignments to an online format.
First, find out what your institution’s specific teaching continuity plans are. Next, find out what synchronous tools your school has access to (e.g., Zoom, Web Ex, other conferencing software). You may use software such as Panopto to record a lecture and place it in an online shell.
If you will be teaching from a course shell and working more asynchronously, you will benefit from tips about navigating an online classroom. In this new environment, especially faced with a lot of uncertainty, engagement is key to success.
1. Check into your online course frequently. Students will need to see you present in the online classroom. Use messaging and the discussion board to be present with your class.
2. Respond to messages within 24–48 hours.
3. Set clear expectations with students. Make sure they know how many days you expect to be in the online classroom. Four days a week is a standard many online faculty set. Let them know exactly when they can expect grades from you. Be clear about the time you won’t be available. If you have delays, let them know.
4. Grade items quickly and provide good feedback. Remember, your students need to feel they are still connected and engaged with you. Even a couple of sentences on a short assignment or discussion post will go a long way.
5. Use weekly announcements to summarize the assignments, topics, and due dates for the week. Make sure the announcements get pushed to student e-mail addresses.
6. Use short videos in your course shell to give instructions and general course feedback on a weekly basis. These don’t need to be fancy or professional. Make them from the heart.
7. Be very clear about your participation expectations. Discussion and interaction is the heart of the online classroom. Make it count. Get students to respond to open-ended and thoughtful discussion questions, both responding to you and to their classmates.
8. When working with synchronous lecture technologies like Zoom, be sure to have ways to manage participation. Get used to the technology in advance and explain to students very clearly how you would like them to participate in the discussion. Remember, large online lecture groups can be a challenge to manage, so avoid a free for all. Stay engaging, and be sure to check in with your students frequently to keep their attention and reduce multitasking.
9. Remember, this will be a challenging time for both you and your students, and the written word can often be much sharper than you may intend. Be thoughtful and kind in your responses to students, and encourage them to do the same in your online courses. Your online classroom should be as safe and welcoming as your face-to-face classroom, and it might require more diligence on your part to provide a space for thoughtful communication.
There are many resources available on online education and teaching continuity. The websites of your learning management system will also have useful support to help you manage this transition. Here are some other useful sites:
Online Learning Consortium Planning and Emergency Preparedness – Excellent set of resources and webinars
Brown Teaching Continuity Guide – Excellent advice on managing synchronous sessions
Chronicle of Higher Education: How to Be a Better Online Teacher
Chronicle of Higher Education:How to Curate Your Zoom Backdrop, and Why You Should
Faculty Focus: Ten Online Teaching Tips You May Not Have Heard
Teaching in Higher Ed: 5 Tips for Teaching Live Online
Rebecca Barrett-Fox: Please do a bad job of putting your courses online
Resources for Students
- Amherst College: Student Strategies for Learning Remotely
- Indiana University: Suddenly Online
- The Ohio State University: Keep Learning: Temporary Remote Learning Resources
- Portland State University: Student Guide to Learning Remotely
- University of Iowa: Keep Learning
- University of North Carolina, Asheville – Adjusting To Learning Online: Strategies for Student Success
- University of Michigan: Adjusting Your Study Habits During COVID
Connectivity for students who don’t have it
- FCC agreement stating that providers will waive late fees, not cutoff service for lack of payment, and open hot-spots.
- Comcast COVID-19 response: offers free WiFi for 2 months to low income families plus all Xfinity hot-spots are free to the public during this time
- Charter Free Internet offer for 2 months
- AT&T COVID-19 response: offers open hot-spots, unlimited data to existing customers, and $10/month plans to low income families
- Verizon COVID-19 response: no special offers, but following the FCC agreement.
- Sprint COVID-19 response: follows FCC agreement, provides unlimited data to existing customers, and, starting Tuesday, 3/17/2020, will allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days at no extra charge (I expect others will follow).
- T-Mobile COVID-19 response: follows FCC agreement, plus unlimited data to existing customers, and, coming soon, will allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days at no extra charge (I expect others will follow).