The OSU Instructional Support teams have really stepped up and used this opportunity to strengthen the cadre of resources available to faculty to support teaching excellence. They are now putting out bi-weekly “Timely Teaching Tips” with new ideas for you to consider implementing in your classes and timely reminders to help keep both faculty and students as engaged as possible while we’re remote. Here is a list of recorded training sessions as well as the Timely Teaching Tips for weeks 4 & 5! I especially like the reminder to solicit mid-term teaching feedback (you can set up a non-grading, anonymous survey using the “quiz” feature in Canvas), how students can set up remote study groups, and the instructions for creating rubrics to grade work submitted through Canvas. Rubrics are extremely helpful for students to understand how they will be assessed and make your grading work much easier and more objective.

Recorded Sessions

• Exam Alternatives
• Canvas Basics
• Communication in Zoom and Canvas
• Academic Honesty in Remote Instruction
• Strategies for Running Synchronous Sessions (Faculty Panel)
• Advanced Zoom
• Building a Flexible, Supportive, Remote Community of Learners (Faculty Panel)
• Efficient Grading in Canvas

Timely Teaching Tips: Weeks 4 & 5

KEEP ITERATING!

• To schedule a 1-on-1 teaching consultation with the Center for Teaching and Learning, contact  CTL@oregonstate.edu. For questions about instructional technology or routing to specialized support  contact the OSU Service Desk.

• Looking for quick  help videos on Zoom?  This collection includes a few simple video and audio tips for picture and sound quality when recording at home.

LOOK AT TEACHING AND LEARNING IN YOUR REMOTE COURSE HOLISTICALLY:

• Solicit midcourse student feedback  now to encourage student reflection on learning, get constructive feedback and make adjustments as needed.
• Consider what  active learning  opportunities you can leverage to increase student motivation, retention of content, and accountability.

• Engage your students actively in Zoom synchronous sessions using  these  tips and activity ideas,  particularly when using small-group tasks.
• Asynchronous activities like  mind mapping and annotating text  can also promote active learning, and could be shared, discussed, and reflected upon in a Canvas discussion forum.

PLAN FOR MIDTERMS OR ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENTS AND HOW YOU’LL GRADE THEM:

• Consider your  options for assessing students  such as different exam formats. For smaller classes, you may be able to ask students to complete short essay assignments, or have students  record short oral presentations  (e.g., recording on Zoom or with Kaltura Capture).

• You could also consider a “take-home” version of your existing midterm. In this case, consider setting up a File Upload assignment and asking students to justify their answers in writing to help protect academic integrity.
• Canvas SpeedGrader  can be used to view and grade student work submitted through Canvas.
• Attaching a  Canvas rubric  to an assignment can increase the efficiency and consistency of the grading process of Canvas assignments, quizzes, and discussions. It also spells out your expectations for student work.
• If you wish to hide grades from students while you are grading, see   hiding and posting grades in Canvas.

COMMUNICATE WITH STUDENTS WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM ADDITIONAL SUPPORT:

• Invite students to attend  your office hours in Zoom  or set up an individual Zoom meeting. The Academic Success Center offers  guidance for students  on making effective use of remote office hours; share this link in a Canvas announcement.
• Consider customizing and sending one of these  sample individualized email and Canvas messages  from OSU’s Academic Success Center to support students who may be having difficulties. Provide guidance on setting up a  remote study group  with peers in the class to help students build connections and support each other.