Specific Approaches & Disciplines: Strategies for Moving online

Because many art projects require specific materials or equipment only available on-campus, it takes creativity(!) to reimagine and adjust what students are being asked to complete. Substantial changes to the nature/format of a project are understandable in the current, unprecedented environment so long as such changes are clearly communicated to students and changes are made with the best interests of both the instructor and student needs.

Work Backwards!

Before you think about what students will produce, first consider how this project allows students to demonstrate specific learning outcomes. Then consider how you can adjust or revise what students are producing.

Additional Resources and Ideas (from Trinity and other institutions)

Resources for Art/Art Studio Classes Online.

Remember: Students can still complete group projects; however, any work that requires students to be physically working together will need to be adjusted to account for remote learning.

Because many creative projects require specific materials or equipment only available on-campus, it takes creativity(!) to reimagine and adjust what students are being asked to complete. Substantial changes to the nature/format of a project are understandable in the current, unprecedented environment so long as such changes are clearly communicated to students and changes are made with the best interests of both the instructor and student needs.

Work Backwards!

Before you think about what students will produce, first consider how this project allows students to demonstrate specific learning outcomes. Then consider how you can adjust or revise what students are producing.

Additional Resources and Ideas (from Trinity and other institutions)

Creative Projects: Online Resources

Remember: Students can still complete group projects; however, any work that requires students to be physically working together will need to be adjusted to account for remote learning.

During a time of crisis, discussions become a way to not only engage students but to also establish a sense of normalcy and a personal connection. Students can still engage in discussions--both as a larger class and in small groups--through synchronous and asynchronous communication.

For live, verbal discussions during Zoom class sessions:

• Reduce students talking over each other by “warm calling” (notifying in the chat who will be called on next) or by calling them by name through Zoom’s Raise Hands feature.

• Encourage all students to self-identify (“Hi, this is __”) before they speak.

• Provide clean, well-defined transitions between discussion topics.

• Assign a chat moderator to let you know when people have posted comments.

• Simultaneously use a discussion board or a collaborative communication tool to further encourage student participation. This can be particularly helpful as--the more students you have in the class--the more unwieldy a verbal, non-visual conversation can be.

For written class discussions (synchronous or asynchronous):

Do not try to respond to each individual student’s response. Rather, consider creating a response that summarizes the larger class discussion. This can allow you to highlight students’ efforts, answer questions, and handle derailed conversations. Do not penalize students for spelling or grammatical mistakes made during in-class written discussions. Do not try to fit in too many outside-of-class discussion activities. (One per week is often more than enough.)

For small group discussions:

Many small group discussion methods (jigsaw technique, competition, role play) can be adapted for online conversations. You can sort students into groups ahead of time so that they can establish a way to “meet up” and collaborate. You can also turn on the Breakout Rooms feature in Zoom to create separate rooms for small groups of students to talk and work collaboratively.

For grading online discussions:

Different discussions have different purposes and should therefore have different grading schemes and rubrics to reflect these differences. If you are grading students’ contributions to discussions, be explicit in sharing grading criteria and consider sharing examples of exemplary online discussions.

Foreign language studies have been relying on online tools and resources longer than most other disciplines.

Smooth Transitions

The challenge is to think about how you can smoothly help students transition from in-person learning to online learning. The key is to keep fostering a sense of community so students still feel comfortable and willing to engage in conversations.

Additional Resources and Ideas (from Trinity and other institutions)

Foreign Language Remote Learning/Teaching Resources

Remember: Students can still complete group projects; however, any work that requires students to be physically working together will need to be adjusted to account for remote learning.

Because many labs require specific equipment, it can be challenging to reproduce them outside of that physical space. There are, however, ways that labs can be successfully adapted for remote synchronous learning.

Student Learning Outcomes

Focus first on the student learning outcomes and the larger focus/goal of the lab. As you make adjustments with these goals in mind, ask yourself if you can:

• Take part of the lab online. While many lab activities require physical practice of certain processes, consider whether there are other parts of the lab experience (for example, video demonstrations of techniques, online simulations, analysis of data, other pre- or post-lab work) that can be done online.

• Use virtual labs. Online resources and virtual tools might help replicate the experience of some labs (for example, virtual dissection, night sky apps, video demonstrations of labs, simulations).

• Increase interactions in other ways. Sometimes labs are about providing time for direct student interaction. Consider ways to replicate that type of interaction or create new online interaction opportunities.

• Provide raw data for analysis. In labs that include both data collection and analysis, consider showing how the data can be collected and then provide some raw sets of data for students to analyze. This approach is not as comprehensive as having students collect and analyze their own data, but it nevertheless offers opportunities for students to engage with parts of the lab experience during the closure.

• Explore alternative software access. Through certain ITS services, students can have access to campus-available softwares while off-campus. Be sure to talk to ITS about bandwidth limitations and how you can set up alternative computer labs that have the softwares your students need. Another option is to explore softwares that are free for use, allow for a limited free trial run, or are offering special access due to the current situation.

Additional Resources and Ideas (from Trinity and other institutions)

• STEM Remote Teaching Resources

• Resources for Lab

• Check with your textbook publisher for more materials

Students can listen, watch, and engage in lectures that are being delivered synchronously or that have been posted for asynchronous access.

Special considerations for delivering lectures online:

• Break the lectures into smaller chunks (5-10 minutes). We learn better with breaks to process and apply new information. Intersperse these mini-lectures with active learning opportunities.

• Take the time to draft a script or outline prior to delivering or recording your lecture. It is often harder for students to stay focused and engaged in lectures where there is a computer between them and the lecturer. Be concise and organized, build in storytelling techniques that can clarify and amplify important concepts, and have lots of visual elements.

• Consider sharing your outline/script with students prior to their hearing the lecture. This can help students better follow the lecture in this new format as well as help them avoid missing information due to technical issues.

• Build in plenty of opportunities for questions; create small activities that give students opportunities to process the new knowledge, make connections to other concepts, apply an idea; or provide time to make some notes in response to prompts.

• For lectures being recorded and posted for asynchronous access, smaller chunks can also lead to smaller files, which is easier for you to upload and for students to download/view.

• Perhaps even more than in the classroom, students will read first and listen second.

• Keep your normal pace; just because things are delivered electronically does not mean you should speed up or slow down.

• Be aware of the physical circumstances in your environment. Adjust light sources and watch out for windows, bright bulbs, and other high-wattage light sources. You don’t need a specialized microphone, but be aware of where your microphone is on your computer or laptop, and speak towards it. Avoiding covering your mouth or otherwise muffling your audio. Try to record in a room without background noise (fans, children, dogs, vacuums, refrigerators).

Special considerations for delivering live video lectures through Zoom:

• Remember that not all students will have equal Internet bandwidth or the same access to other necessary resources. So be sure to record any live classroom sessions and have a firm but flexible policy for dealing with unexpected student issues.

• When presenting content from your presentation, be sure to share your screen. You can then use your mouse on your screen or Zoom’s Annotation Tools to point out specific content or walk them through online tasks.

• Be visible. Even when using Share Screen, it’s good practice to make sure that your face is visible on a side screen while the materials are being displaced--otherwise engagement will decrease.

Because many music performances require access to specific instruments and/or are collaborative productions, it takes creativity(!) to reimagine and adjust what students are being asked to complete. Substantial changes to the nature/format of a project are understandable in the current, unprecedented environment so long as such changes are clearly communicated to students and changes are made with the best interests of both the instructor and student needs.

Work Backwards!

Before you think about what students will produce, first consider how this project allows students to demonstrate specific learning outcomes. Then consider how you can adjust or revise what students are producing.

Additional Resources and Ideas (from Trinity and other institutions)

Resources for Online Music Courses

Remember: Students can still complete group projects; however, any work that requires students to be physically working together will need to be adjusted to account for remote learning.

Students can engage in peer review with or without anonymity, synchronously or asynchronously. Peer review can help reduce the amount of feedback you need to provide as the instructor and can also help foster community despite students working remotely.

All Online Peer Reviews

• Decide a uniform way that all students will share access to their documents. There are a number of options such as the TLEARN workshop feature, PeerGrade, and shared Google documents. Not all options allow for anonymity. Make sure students know how to share files.

• Offer clear, specific (and preferably written) expectations for the type and quality of feedback required.

• Include support so students can troubleshoot technical issues.

Synchronous Peer Reviews

Consider using chat-based or video-based conversations to discuss effective peer reviews. Students can provide real-time comments through written or verbal feedback.

Asynchronous Peer Reviews

Consider creating a discussion forum or guide to explore effective peer reviews. To help facilitate conversation, authors should include at the top of their document the questions/issues they would like the peer reviewers to focus on as they provide feedback.

Because many performances require access to specific resources and/or are collaborative productions, it takes creativity(!) to reimagine and adjust what students are being asked to complete. Substantial changes to the nature/format of a project are understandable in the current, unprecedented environment so long as such changes are clearly communicated to students and changes are made with the best interests of both the instructor and student needs.

Work Backwards!

Before you think about what students will produce, first consider how this project allows students to demonstrate specific learning outcomes. Then consider how you can adjust or revise what students are producing.

Additional Resources and Ideas (from Trinity and other institutions)

Performing Arts Online Course Resources

Remember: Students can still complete group projects; however, any work that requires students to be physically working together will need to be adjusted to account for remote learning.

Substantial changes to the nature/format of a project are understandable in the current, unprecedented environment so long as such changes are clearly communicated to students and changes are made with the best interests of both the instructor and student needs.

Work backwards!

Before you think about what students will produce, first consider how this project allows students to demonstrate specific learning outcomes. Then consider how you can adjust or revise what students are producing.

Communication is key

Remain in contact with the organizations and community members affected by changes to service-learning and community-based projects.

Be Safe

Follow governmental and other policies regarding quarantine and other health safety procedures.

Additional Resources and Ideas (from Trinity and other institutions)

Service Learning/Community-Based Projects.

Students can still deliver presentations--both individually and in groups. You can decide whether these presentations happen synchronously or asynchronously.

Be explicit about grading

You should provide students with a rubric prior to their presentations to let them know how they will be assessed. Be explicit about how the new digital form of this assignment will affect grading criteria.

Synchronous Presentations

Students can give a live presentation during class time through Zoom. It is highly recommended that students practice this delivery method to reduce technical issues.

Asynchronous Presentations

Students can use voiceover narration features in slidedeck creation software (e.g., Keynote, PowerPoint); video creation software (e.g., AdobeSpark); or screen sharing software (e.g., Zoom, Screencast-o-matic). Students will need access to a web camera and microphone; most computers have these built in. TLEARN has a maximum submission file size of 500 MB, so it is recommended that students post their files elsewhere (e.g., YouTube, Google Drive) and then share the file link on TLEARN.

Group Presentations

Students should be encouraged to use software that best allows for real-time collaboration such as the Google Suite of apps.

Most writing projects can be accomplished despite students being off campus.

Break things down

While students are engaged in remote learning, it is particularly important that assignments are carefully scaffolded and that students have plenty of opportunities to receive feedback and engage in the process of writing. It is also important to remember that students may not have access to all the resources they originally needed to complete the project.

Work backwards!

Before you think about what students will produce, first consider how this project allows students to demonstrate specific learning outcomes. Then consider how you can adjust or revise what students are writing.

Additional Resources and Ideas (from Trinity and other institutions)

Resources for Online Writing Instruction

Remember: Students can still complete group projects; however, any work that requires students to be physically working together will need to be adjusted to account for remote learning.

Additional Resources and Ideas (from Trinity and other institutions)

Resources for General Online Teaching