Strategies & Solutions

Communicate

Be sure to let your students know how you will communicate with them (you should also include this information on your syllabus). Will you use Canvas Announcements or Inbox? Email? Or some other method(s)? We can (and should) clearly state our communication policies to our students.

Record Your Lectures in Advance

Prepare a recorded lecture in advance using Zoom. Our teams are happy to work with faculty to provide advice about software, microphones, and camera settings as well as to how to deliver your video(s) online.

Host Your Class Online During Your Scheduled Class Time

Penn State offers Zoom video conferencing so you can meet with up to 500 people online simultaneously.

Provide “Before Class” Resources in Place of the Scheduled Class

Provide and assign online readings and/or lecture videos that address the material(s) you would have normally covered in a face-to-face class, and require students to review those prior to class. Then use class time to discuss the topics your readings and recordings covered.

Design Alternative Activities

Create a Canvas-based quiz or assignment or Kaltura video quiz to encourage student accountability for reviewing material that you provide online. You could also open a Canvas discussion forum to provide a platform where students can respond to questions and discuss course concepts.

Review Current Policies

Be sure to review University policies related to absences, emergencies, and class instruction. Most related policies are linked at the beginning of the Penn State Web Learning Contingency Planning for Undergraduate Education site.

Set Course Objectives

• Instructional Goals and Objectives

Create Your Syllabus

• Creating Stellar Syllabi

Conceptualize Your Course Design

• Smeal TLT: Design a Student-centered Course
• Basic Design Strategies for an Online Course
• Have a Strong Instructor Presence
• Smeal TLT: Incorporate Academic Integrity Concepts
• Read also the Synchronous and Asynchronous Teaching page on this site.

Create Your Course Schedule

• List all due dates for assignments and assessments
• List all live session dates.

Create Your Course Content

• Use Word to Capture Your Unique Course Content
  • Can be Later Uploaded to Canvas or Copied into Canvas Pages
• Identify Course Content From Other Sources
  • Links, Files, etc.

Create Your Course Files (Recorded Lectures, Word docs, PDFs, etc.)

Organize Your Course Content

• List Your Face-to-face, In-class Activities
• List Your Online Activities

Create Your Course Assignments and Discussions

• Crafting Online Discussion Questions

Create Your Course Assessments

• Writing Effective Quiz Questions

Record “Watch Before Class” Lectures

• Best for “stable” content. Follow up by in-class discussions.
• Zoom Learning Path
• Canvas Learning Path: Zoom
• Smeal TLT: Do-it-Yourself Video Recording Ideas

In Canvas – Course Development

• Creating a simple structure in Canvas
  • Getting Started with Canvas
• Create a Canvas Orientation for Students
  • Link to the Canvas Student Guide
• Activate Your Grading Scheme
  • Create a Penn State-compatible Grading Scheme
• Upload Your Course Syllabus
  • Canvas Learning Path: Syllabus
• Upload Your Course Schedule and Other Course Files (Recorded Lectures, Word docs, PDFs, etc.)
  • Canvas Learning Path: Create Pages and Files
• Integrate Your Assignments and Discussions
  • Canvas Learning Path: Create Assignments
  • Canvas Learning Path: Create and Manage Discussions
• Integrate Your Assessments
  • Canvas Learning Path: Assessment Tools
  • Canvas Learning Path: Create Quizzes and Question Banks
• Create Course Modules to Organize Everything
  • Canvas Learning Path: Organize Content with Modules

Communicate with Students

• Canvas Learning Path: Communicate and Discuss

Run Your Live Sessions

• Smeal TLT: Using Zoom
• Smeal TLT: Advanced Features of Zoom
• Smeal TLT: Security Settings in Zoom
• Smeal TLT: Avoid Disruptions in Zoom

Share Your Live Session Recordings

• Smeal TLT: Share Your Recording

Use SpeedGrader to Grade Submitted Assignments and Assessments

• Canvas Learning Path: Using SpeedGrader

Send a Final Announcement to Students

• Canvas Learning Path: Communicate and Discuss

Provide a Link to Your SRTE

• SRTE Site for Students

Submit Grades to LionPath

• Prepare Final Grades in Canvas and Pull Them Into LionPATH