
Resources
- Responsive Course Design
- The Learning Scientists
- Aligning Outcomes with Assessments
- Evidence-based Teaching Strategies
- Pedagogical Approaches to Technology
- For scheduling office hours, two apps to try are Calendly and YouCanBookMe.
Let your tech tools support, not hinder.
Course Structure
- Start with the Learning Outcomes – map out how they will be met and/or assessed.
- Make it Manageable: break content into modules or weeks – use “content buckets” or folders.
- Use your LMS (Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, etc): establish a Homepage or Announcements page with clear, reliable information.
- Show the LMS: give your students a tour in Zoom.
- Follow a predictable schedule: choose a Due Day
- Let the Tools do the Work: use self-grading quizzes, automated grading rubrics, built-in plagiarism checkers, automated gradebook, etc – lighten your workload.
- Name files consistently so students can find them when they download them: CRJ101 Syllabus, CRJ101 Assignment 2, CRJ101 Essay 3.
Class Community
- Take attendance: say their names, get to know the students and they’ll learn about each other.
- Use pre-class time for ice-breakers
- Establish a consistent communication plan: Zoom on Monday and Wednesday, announcement/reminder email Friday.
- Recognize emotions, exhaustion, stress: acknowledge it, discuss it, and move on.
Technology
- Tools: be consistent. For example, do not set up one discussion in the LMS, the next discussion on Flipgrid, 3rd on Piazza, 4th on Twitter – choose one Discussion Tool and stick with it….
- Flexibility: …..unless a tool isn’t working out, then talk about it as a group and make a change.
- Breakout Rooms: use Zoom Breakout Rooms for Active Learning. See: Active Learning in Zoom
- Knowledge Checks: Use Zoom Polls, Google Forms, or quizzes in your LMS frequently to check student understanding and/or preparedness.
- Use LMS or publisher site for mastery quizzing.
- Recording your class session? Ensure students’ privacy (FERPA). Ask if they’ll watch it.
General Tips
- Establish clear rules for Zoom
- Strive for Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Have a back-up plan
- Use the right tool for the right purpose
- Share clear goals with your students –> motivation!