Tips for Success

WebCam & Microphone

• Webcam On!  - Keep your webcam ON during class and during breakout rooms.  Keeping the webcam on during an interactive online university course fosters engagement, accountability, and a sense of community, enhancing the overall learning experience for both students and instructors.

• Lighting - Make certain your face is adequately illuminated. Position yourself facing a natural light source or use a soft, diffused light placed in front of you to keep your face adequately illuminated during a Zoom call. 

• Microphone - Please test your microphone before logging on.  Make sure you can quickly turn it on and mute it at appropriate times

• Virtual Background - Select a non-distracting  virtual background.  This will protect the privacy of your home and inhabitants and will prevent distraction.

Participation

This class is highly interactive. Watch these videos and be familiar with the techniques prior to the first session. Contribute  to all collaborative feedback mechanisms (quickwrites, collaborative slides, Zoom annotations, etc.)

• • • Attend all sessions - Attendance is critical.  If you need to miss a session due to medical or other extenuating circumstances, please let me know.

    • Zoom Annotations - You will mark up the screen using the arrow tool, stamp tool, or box tool.  Using Zoom's Annotation features to mark-up an instructional video  [5:34]

    • Quickwrites - You will be asked to make predictions and short short explanations throughout each session. Quickwrites - Collaborative Spreadsheets [6:44]

• Watch videos of class sessions you missed.  If you miss class for any reason, please watch the entire class video.  The system records who watches videos, and for how long. 

Homework

Sufficient Screen Space / Multiple Monitors

You will need sufficient screen real estate to watch the action on Zoom while simultaneously working on open documents.  This can not be adequately achieved on a laptop or tablet nor on a standard computer screen alone.  

You may gain sufficient screen space by either:

• Using a panoramic wide-screen monitor OR by

• Connecting a second monitor or talbet (iPad, Surface, etc.) to your laptop or desktop computer to  to extend your workspace.  Having multiple displays will allow you sufficient space to watch the class Zoom window while simultaneously working on projects and responding to prompts.  

• Windows:

  • • Right-click on the desktop and select "Display settings."

    • Under "Multiple displays," select "Extend these displays" to use the monitor as an extended screen.

• MacOS:

  • • Open "System Preferences" and go to "Displays."

    • Click the "Arrangement" tab and uncheck "Mirror Displays" to extend your screen.

Using any monitor as a secondary monitor >>>

Using an iPad or other tablet as a secondary monitor>>>