Skip to main content

Keep Teaching Remotely During an Emergency

Tips to accomplish your course goals without meeting in person.

Guidance from the Department of Education on using online courses to temporarily accommodate students includes, “instructors must initiate substantive communication with students, either individually or collectively, on a regular basis.”

chat

Chat Help:
Canvas

chat

Chat Help:
Kaltura

chat

Chat Help:
Proctored Testing

chat

Chat Help:
Webex

 

Establish Online Presence
Make your Canvas course available to students.

Communicate with Students Using Canvas
Suggestions for keeping in touch.

  • Communicating with Students using Canvas Announcements
    This is the easiest way to communicate with all of the students in your class. You can use announcements to:
    • Send a written message
    • Record and upload a video
    • Distribute files
    • Link to web resources or other course components
      Note: Students have the option of changing their notification preferences in Canvas and may not receive announcements outside of Canvas. Encourage them to set Announcement Notification to at least a daily notification of announcement posts.
  • Canvas Conversations (message)
    Send a text-only message to your students. You can add one attachment.
  • Email
    If you need to email all of your students, and you don’t want to use Canvas, you can get a list of email addresses for all of your students in Banner and use your regular email client to send/receive messages.

Deliver a Lecture Asynchronously
Record yourself or a presentation.

Deliver Live Interactions
Meet virtually. Consider implications carefully.

  • Webex
    Use for one-on-one conferences or office hours for students who have confirmed they have computers, internet, or phone access.
    Webex is the only supported method for web-conferencing. It allows for students to join from a computer or connect to the audio by calling in from a telephone. There is no toll-free number for the dial-in option. At high-demand times, support may be limited.
    Webex status reports can be viewed at https://status.webex.com/service/status?lang=en_US.

Distribute Class Materials
Provide students with readings, worksheets, or resource files.

For downloadable files, keep file size as small as possible.

Library Resources
A good place for content.

Accessible and Inclusive
Ensure your materials are accessible for all students.

  • If you have been informed by the Disability Resource Center that you have a student with a disability in your course, be mindful of any accommodations you have been asked to make.
  • Make sure your online content is accessible. The way you make your content available and communicate with students can make a big difference in making sure your online course materials are accessible and inclusive for all students and helping to ease concerns and anxiety during a difficult time. Accessible Remote Teaching Resources.

Engage in Class Discussion
Make the most of asynchronous Q&A.

Virtual Office Hours
Continue meeting with students one-on-one.

Use Webex for one-on-one conferences or office hours for students who have confirmed they have computers, internet, or phone access. Webex is the only supported method for web-conferencing. It allows for students to join from a computer or connect to the audio by calling in from a telephone. There is no toll-free number for the dial-in option. At high-demand times, support may be limited.
Webex status reports can be viewed at https://status.webex.com/service/status?lang=en_US.

Collect Student Assignments
Collect students' digital work.

Return Assignment Feedback
Keep students progressing.

Assess using Quizzes and Exams
Multiple-choice, true/false, essay, and more.

Grading
Keep records up-to-date.

If you start using Canvas mid-semester, you might want to create some "On Paper" assignments to enter previous grades so students will know where they stand in the course overall and to allow you to calculate final grades.

 

Submit an Online Conversion Help Request

 

Keep in mind that during an emergency, students may not prioritize their schoolwork. Be realistic with expectations for what can be achieved online, especially if students are not experienced online learners.

Courses deemed ready for students to participate will have the following:

  • A tentative course schedule
  • A communication and availability plan for students
  • Office hours via Phone or Webex
  • Directions for finding, accessing, and navigating content
  • Instructor readiness: Instructor knows how to use the tools they need to use
  • Resource access: Instructor has access to the tools they need to run their course

 

Staying 1 Day ahead of schedule:

  • Exams are online, and if proctoring is necessary, Proctorio is set-up
  • Lectures are recorded at least one day ahead of schedule
  • Assignments are set-up
  • Necessary discussion methods are set-up

 

Support Information for High Volume Periods

Support resources are in high demand at this time. In order to best serve you, please review the resources provided on our website. If you still require assistance, try to contact the most appropriate level of support as follows.

IT Desktop Support

Contact your IT Desktop Support person for:

  • Hardware issues
  • Audio/video troubleshooting
  • Email, Banner, and other basic technical issues

IT Service Desk

https://it.usu.edu/

  • Login issues (including DUO, password issues)
  • Webex meeting troubleshooting

24/7 Canvas Support Line – 1-877-399-1958

  • simple "how to" in Canvas

Center for Innovative Design and Instruction

Contact CIDI

  • Issues not resolved by Canvas Support line
  • Video (MyMedia, Media Gallery, Kaltura)
  • Proctored testing
  • Webex set-up