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Michael Christie

Michael Christie
In Uncategorized

Week 8: Orientation for The New Normal

Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Readiness – Week 8

The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip everyone with best practices and strategies for teaching, learning, and technology to ensure the Smeal community is prepared to respond to the unique challenges of Fall 2020. Between now and the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester, we will be sending weekly emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.   

This week, we share resources and strategies that will help ensure a successful course launch and first week of class as we navigate this health crisis together. The following Remote and Online Teaching Guide for Instructors includes a number of helpful step-by-step guides.

As you finalize your course and prepare to open the Canvas space to students, consider what information and details students require in order to be successful. We recognize that no one really wants to redesign their course(s) or do more work than you have already taken on with COVID-19 changes. However, ensuring that your course is easy to navigate with a consistent design and providing online details about the tools, processes, and procedures used in the course will, in the long run, save you a lot of work (as well as help you avoid a flooded email inbox).

If you’re not sure where to start with your course design, Smeal’s Remote Teaching Canvas courses (organized by weeks and by modules) offer some layouts and resources that you can copy and use in your courses. With so many variables surrounding this pandemic, it is critical that courses have a clear and consistent navigation. The way students navigate your course online will overwhelmingly affect how they perceive their learning experience. Use your Canvas home page as a “North Star” for students. It should guide students to where they want or need to go in the course. Additionally, as you organize your course, imagine if a student landed in the “middle” of your course instead of the home page (this happens frequently when students click on assignments in their Canvas Dashboard “to do” lists). Your course should still have a clear navigation path in place for students to easily find what they need regardless of where they are in the course.

Current News

COVID Safety Guidance and Facility Updates

Are you curious about how your classroom(s) will be configured to accommodate for COVID-19 protocols? This August 3, 2020 PSU News story states that “Penn State will utilize plexiglass barriers, signage and various other measures, as appropriate, to provide for social distancing and other health and safety needs. Penn State also has purchased 500,000 cloth face masks and 1.5 million procedure masks that will be distributed across campuses to students and employees; several thousand additional hand-sanitizer stations will be placed in high-traffic areas; enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures will be employed in University facilities; and classrooms, common areas, study spaces, workspaces and other shared locations will be reconfigured with social-distancing principles in mind.” Instructions for how to view room photos are available.

Face masks and social distancing are required of all students, faculty, and staff on campus. “If a student ultimately refuses to comply after being warned, the employee should immediately file a report with the Office of Student Conduct and notify their supervisor.”

Fall Student Communication Recommendations  

Faculty received details outlining recommendations for communications to our students based on course instructional mode. The email recommends a timeline of August 3 (or earlier) for an initial communication to students via LionPATH or email. For details outlined in this email and communication templates, please refer to this document linked on the University’s Keep Teaching website. 

Upcoming Live Sessions

  • Assessment Strategies for Remote Learning: This session will explore strategies and best practices for assessment when some or all of your students are learning remotely. Join us Wednesday, August 5 from 2 to 3 p.m. via Zoom. 

  • You Got This – Prepping Your Course for the New Normal: This session will review strategies for your first week, orientation tips and tricks, academic integrity/online honor code resources, course communication, and Canvas navigation considerations to ensure a successful course launch. Join us Wednesday, August 12 from 10 to 11 a.m. via Zoom.

NOTE: Recordings and resources from previous sessions can be found on our eLDIG Website.

Tips of the Week

Tip #1:  Create a Course Orientation in Canvas. Because most courses will have some form of remote instruction and students are likely to have a number of questions, we recommend adding an orientation to your course. If you don’t already have one, you are welcome to import and customize the orientation from the Smeal Remote Teaching Canvas space.

Tip #2:  Check Your Syllabus to ensure that you have made adjustments to reflect any course changes related to COVID-19. See University guidance on what to include in course syllabi about the mask requirement.

Resources

Ask eLDIG/RIIT – Open Consultations

Zoom Hours:

  • Thursday, July 9, 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 16, 10 to 11 a.m.
  • More to be announced

Website

Check out the eLDIG website for more resources and support.

Contact Us

Email us at: [email protected] or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

Michael Christie
In Uncategorized

Week 7: Assessment Strategies

Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Readiness – Week 7

The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip everyone with best practices and strategies for teaching, learning, and technology to ensure the Smeal community is prepared to respond to the unique challenges of Fall 2020. Between now and the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester, we will be sending weekly emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

This week, we share resources and strategies that explore assessment strategies for remote and hybrid instruction. Remember that assessments should reveal how well students have learned what we want them to learn. Asking yourself these three questions will set you off on the right path, regardless of mode:

  1. What do I want students to know how to do when they leave this course? (learning objectives)
  2. What kinds of tasks will reveal whether students have achieved the learning objectives I have identified?
  3. What kinds of activities in and out of class will reinforce my learning objectives and prepare students for assessments?

Once you have made these determinations, determine how you can utilize Canvas for the submission and grading of all assignments. This will allow you to be the most agile and allow for easier submission to LionPATH at the end of the semester. You may also consider adaptations that discourage cheating such as the following: breaking up larger exams into smaller, lower-stakes exams; allowing the use of open-book; and/or employing problem- or project-based assessments.

 

Current News

Fall Student Communication Recommendations Last week, faculty received details outlining recommendations for communications to our students based on course instructional mode. The email recommends a timeline of August 3 (or earlier) for an initial communication to students via LionPATH or email. For details outlined in this email and communication templates, please refer to this document linked on the University’s Keep Teaching website.

Zoom Meeting Changes

Starting Sept. 27th, 2020, all meetings must have either a Waiting Room or Passcode enabled. A passcode is now part of the default meeting settings for all new meetings. However, if you are using a meeting that was previously set up without a passcode or waiting room, Zoom will automatically add a waiting room to that meeting. This list of FAQs from Zoom describes this change and what you should do to respond.

Schreyer Institute Faculty Survey

To ensure that efforts of the Online Faculty Teaching Communities (FTC) sponsored by the Schreyer Institute are aligned with faculty needs, they have developed a very brief, three-item, faculty needs survey. Please consider taking a few minutes (estimated completion time is about 5 minutes) to provide your feedback.

Upcoming Live Sessions

  • Student Engagement and Connection Strategies: This session will review active learning strategies for remote and asynchronous teaching contexts. Join us Wednesday, July 29 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. via Zoom.
  • Assessment Strategies for Remote Learning: This session will explore strategies and best practices for assessment when some or all of your students are learning remotely. Join us Wednesday, August 5 from 2 to 3 p.m. via Zoom.

NOTE:  Recordings and resources from previous sessions can be found on our eLDIG  Website.

Tips of the Week

Tip #1: Rubrics are an extremely helpful tool for grading. Add a rubric to your Canvas assignments (https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-26472-how-do-i-add-a-rubric-to-an-assignment) to provide students with clear assignment expectations and to help you be more consistent in grading students across multiple students and sections.

Tip #2: Consider adding an academic integrity page to your course orientation or getting started materials. Students can sign the Smeal Honor Code online. Please refer to this sample Academic Integrity lesson with a link for students to sign the online honor code.

Resources

Ask eLDIG/RIIT – Open Consultations

Zoom Hours:

  • Thursday, July 9, 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 16, 10 to 11 a.m.
  • More to be announced

Website

Check out the eLDIG website for more resources and support.

Contact Us

Email us at: [email protected] or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

Michael Christie
In Uncategorized

Week 6: Instructional Mode Teaching Strategies

Welcome to the Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Readiness!

The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip everyone with best practices and strategies for teaching, learning, and technology to ensure the Smeal community is prepared to respond to the unique challenges of Fall 2020. Between now and the end of July, we will be sending weekly emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

Current News

University Announcements: https://virusinfo.psu.edu/

Smeal Announcements: https://www.smeal.psu.edu/virus-info

Upcoming Live Sessions

  • TEACHTalk: Hybrid Models for Learning, Part 2
    Hear about how ACCTG 211 and FIN 301 implemented a flexible model based on student choice. If you are considering adopting a shared content model using some of their strategies or just want to learn more, please join us on Wednesday, June 17 from 11am-Noon via Zoom.
  • Canvas Basics
    New to Canvas? Want a refresher? This is the session for you! Join us on Wednesday, June 24 at 2 – 3PM via Zoom.

NOTE:  Recordings and resources from previous sessions can be found on our eLDIG  Website.

Tips of the Week

Tip #1: Get started on your Canvas development.Using a Canvas Master Course to design and develop your course is considered best practice. You can import your completed Master Course into your live Canvas course section(s) prior to the start of the semester. Request your own Master Course in Canvas: https://pennstate.service-now.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0011048

Tip #2: Upgrade your syllabus.

A great syllabus will save you time! Students will ask fewer questions when course expectations are clear. See Building Stellar Syllabi for more information: http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/Syllabus/

Resources

Ask eLDIG/RIIT – Open Consultations

Zoom Hours:

  • Thursday, July 9, 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 16, 10 to 11 a.m.
  • More to be announced

Website

Check out the eLDIG website for more resources and support.

Contact Us

Email us at: [email protected] or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

Michael Christie
In Uncategorized

Week 5: Videos

Smeal  Academy: Fall 2020 Readiness – Week 5

The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip everyone with best practices and strategies for teaching, learning, and technology to ensure the Smeal community is prepared to respond to the unique challenges of Fall 2020. Between now and the end of July, we will be sending weekly emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

This week, we share resources that can help you prepare for recording and sharing recordings for your fall course(s). We encourage you to plan to record your lectures ahead of time so that students can view the content asynchronously. That way, you can ensure that any time spent synchronously with your students can involve more engaging, active learning activities.

Instructors can use Zoom to record lectures ahead of time and post them in Canvas for students to watch. Consider creating shorter instructor videos of lecture content (ideally videos are no longer than 5-7 minutes). Research shows that students will watch a larger percentage of course videos that are shorter versus longer (Brame, 2016).

Zoom can auto-add the captions to the video if you’ve enabled it in your settings; adding captions will make your video more accessible for students. You can also provide your slides in a consistent, distributable format (e.g., pdf) that is accessible to students with visual impairments.

Works Cited

Brame C. J. (2016). Effective Educational Videos: Principles and Guidelines for Maximizing Student Learning from Video Content. CBE life sciences education, 15(4), es6. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16-03-0125.

 

Current News

Use of Harvard Cases in Teaching
A question came up in our Smeal Community meeting and in some consultations regarding the use of Harvard Cases with remote instruction and video recording. If your students are paying for Harvard Course Packs AND your videos are only available to students who are logged into University-supported tools such as Canvas, Zoom, and Kaltura via WebAccess and not shared publicly to the general public, you can review Harvard cases in your courses and record, then share your lectures with students while remaining copyright compliant.

Helpful Websites

Upcoming Live Sessions

  • Strategies and Tools for Live and Pre-Recorded Course Videos: Are you pre-recording your lectures for Fall but not sure where to begin? Do you have questions about Zoom settings for teaching and learning? Are you curious about best practices for sharing your recordings? This session will focus on tips and strategies for recording, hosting, and sharing recordings from an instructor’s perspective. Join us Wednesday, July 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. via Zoom.
  • Using iPads as Whiteboards in Remote Learning: This session will explore strategies and best practices for using iPads as whiteboards when leading remote classes via Zoom. Join us Wednesday, July 22 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. via Zoom.

NOTE:  Recordings and resources from previous sessions can be found on our eLDIG  Website.

Tips of the Week

Tip #1: Consider recording a “Welcome” or “Meet Your Instructor” video, as it provides students with a sense of who their instructor is, and helps to set the tone for the duration of the course, especially when you may not be meeting face-to-face.

Tip #2: Hold students accountable for watching lectures by creating Kaltura video quizzes or creating synchronous activities based on the content.

Resources

Ask eLDIG/RIIT – Open Consultations

Zoom Hours:

  • Thursday, July 16, 10 to 11 a.m.
  • Thursday, July 23, 1 to 3 p.m.
  • More to be announced

Website

Check out the eLDIG website for more resources and support.

Contact Us

Email us at: [email protected] or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

Michael Christie
In Uncategorized

Week 4: Syllabus

Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Readiness – Week 4

The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip everyone with best practices and strategies for teaching, learning, and technology to ensure the Smeal community is prepared to respond to the unique challenges of Fall 2020. Between now and the end of July, we will be sending weekly emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

This week, we share resources that can help you prepare your syllabus. First off, we recommend that you continue to check in with Penn State’s website dedicated to the return to teaching in fall, https://keepteaching.psu.edu/. An announcement has been posted there that states that, “The University will provide syllabus language for instructors on safety protocols and guidance for managing the classroom.” Currently, there is an evolving document available that shares syllabus policy guidance regarding enforcing mask-wearing in class. We will share additional information as it becomes available through the Smeal Academy emails.

Remember that the syllabus serves as a contract between the instructor and students, giving students information they need to understand in order to be successful in your class. In many cases, the syllabus is the first point of contact with students. A well-written syllabus provides a solid foundation for the entire semester. There are critical elements and policies that every syllabus should contain. eLDIG’s Canvas templates include an example syllabus that you can easily download and modify (email [email protected] if you can’t access).

Current News

Masking and social distancing classroom policies in effect for fallA July 2 PSU News story noted that, “To reduce the risk of widespread virus transmission, wearing face masks and social distancing will be required for all students and employees in classrooms, labs, offices and campus buildings. Students and employees also should practice social distancing, avoid large gatherings and wear face masks while on campus, as well as within their local communities in line with local and state requirements.” The University has purchased masks to help with compliance. Additionally, students (and faculty) who are sick are encouraged to stay home. The article further states that, “While high levels of compliance are expected based on feedback from recent student and employee University surveys, those who put others at risk by not following the University’s requirements will be held accountable in a manner consistent with how other violations of Penn State guidelines and policies are managed.

We encourage faculty to consider how this policy will be reflected in your course syllabi. As resources become available, we will add them to our shared Canvas course resources.

Helpful Websites

Upcoming Live Sessions: Boost Your Course Using Office 365

  • Office 365 isn’t just Office Suite: Get the most out of Office 365 with a deep dive into some new features from Microsoft. Join us Wednesday, July 8, from 10 to 11 a.m. via Zoom.
  • Strategies and Tools for Live and Pre-recorded Course Videos: Are you pre-recording your lectures for Fall, but aren’t sure where to begin? Do you have questions about Zoom settings for teaching and learning? Are you curious about best practices for sharing your recordings? This session will focus on tips and strategies for recording, hosting, and sharing recordings from an instructor’s perspective. Join us Wednesday, July 15, from 1 to 2 p.m. via Zoom.

NOTE:  Recordings and resources from previous sessions can be found on our eLDIG  Website.

Tips of the Week

Tip #1: Write your syllabus with your students in mind. You may find it helpful to ask a colleague or friend to read your syllabus and provide feedback.

Tip #2: The use of visual syllabi is on the rise. In many cases students find them more appealing than a strictly print-based one and thus tend to read them with more care. Creation of visual syllabi requires some ability to work with graphics and are harder to update, so they are not for everyone! If you are interested, here are some sites to investigate:

Resources

Ask eLDIG/RIIT – Open Consultations

Zoom Hours:

  • Thursday, July 9, 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 16, 10 to 11 a.m.
  • More to be announced

Website

Check out the eLDIG website for more resources and support.

Contact Us

Email us at: [email protected] or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

Michael Christie
In Uncategorized

Week 3: Communication

Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Readiness – Week 3

The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip everyone with best practices and strategies for teaching, learning, and technology to ensure the Smeal community is prepared to respond to the unique challenges of Fall 2020. Between now and the end of July, we will be sending weekly emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

This week, we share resources that can help you identify strategies and solutions for course communication.

Clear communication with students is critically important. Research indicates that student retention is often directly correlated with how connected students feel with their peers and their instructors (Richardson, 2017). Taking the time to post a weekly Canvas announcement can help keep your students on track and engaged in your course, especially when you may be relying more upon remote instruction. Use Announcements as a narrative to guide students through each week of your course. Supplement those announcements with email as needed for individual communication.

In addition, the way you manage your grading and student feedback is a reflection of your online presence and plays a vital role in student success. Use Canvas tools to provide personalized feedback to students so they can identify what they did well and areas that need improvement. Feedback can be in the form of written comments or audio or video feedback.

Finally, remember to keep the communication two-way. Provide ways for students to give you feedback about what is working and what is not – especially in this unprecedented semester.

Richardson, J. C., Maeda, Y., Lv, J., & Caskurlu, S. (2017). Social presence in relation to students’ satisfaction and learning in the online environment: A meta-analysis. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 402-417.

Current News

A June 30th Penn State Newswire article about race and diversity noted that Marcus Whitehurst, Vice Provost for Educational Equity, will kick off a new three-part series of diversity roundtable discussions titled, “Toward Racial Equity at Penn State: Social Difference, Social Equity and Social Change.” The first part, “Race, Our Campus Climate and Workplace,” will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. on June 30 at https://watch.psu.edu/toward-racial-equity/ The other parts will take place on Sept. 8 and Nov. 5.

Helpful Websites

Upcoming Live Sessions: Boost Your Course Using Office 365

  • Office 365 isn’t just Office Suite: Get the most out of your Office 365 subscription with a deep dive into some new features from Microsoft. Join us Wednesday, July 8 from 10 to 11 a.m. via Zoom.
  • Strategies and Tools for Live and Pre-Recorded Course Videos: Are you pre-recording your lectures for Fall but not sure where to begin? Do you have questions about Zoom settings for teaching and learning? Are you curious about best practices for sharing your recordings? This session will focus on tips and strategies for recording, hosting, and sharing recordings from an instructor’s perspective. Join us Wednesday, July 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. via Zoom.

NOTE:  Recordings and resources from previous sessions can be found on our eLDIG  Website.

Tips of the Week

Tip #1: Be clear with students about your communication plans, including setting clear expectations regarding when students can expect email replies from you.Tip #2: Consider making an announcement or providing general feedback to all students about assignments that highlights how the class did overall, demonstrates solutions where appropriate, and provides resources or tips to help students improve and grow.

Resources

Ask eLDIG/RIIT – Open Consultations

Zoom Hours:

  • Thursday, July 9, 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 16, 10 to 11 a.m.
  • More to be announced

Website

Check out the eLDIG website for more resources and support.

Contact Us

Email us at: [email protected] or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

Michael Christie
In Uncategorized

Week 2: Canvas

Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Readiness – Week 2

The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip everyone with best practices and strategies for teaching, learning, and technology to ensure the Smeal community is prepared to respond to the unique challenges of Fall 2020.Between now and the end of July, we will be sending weekly emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

This week, we share resources that can help you organize your Canvas learning spaces. This will be especially important for the majority of courses that will not be able to meet in person for all or most of their sessions. Designing a course with an organized structure, clear and consistent instructions, leveraging integrated tools, will reduce the number of student emails from students seeking clarification about course tasks and assignments.

Current News

All Smeal Faculty received an email from Matt Mooney describing four instructional modes for Fall. If you need help deciding which mode will be best for you, please feel free to log into one of our upcoming virtual consultations (see below) or by emailing the eLDIG team at: smeal[email protected].

Instructional Modes – Rooms Assigned

In Person Mode will still require an accommodation to be made for the students that are notable to attend the face-to-face instruction through synchronous Zoom connections or asynchronous instruction. Given the limited number of classrooms that can accommodate more than 18-20 students at a time, a number of Smeal courses would not be able to select this model. To put this into perspective, the Auditorium in the Business Building (BB110) has 150 seats but can only hold 28 students as a result of social distancing (SD) requirements, the Forum Classroom has 357 seats with a SD capacity of 64, and 100 Thomas has 726 seats with a SD capacity of 130.

Mixed Mode is recommended for courses with small enrollments such as smaller graduate-level or upper division courses. Even in the best of circumstances, most of these courses will still need to rotate a portion of the students in and out of the classroom to accommodate social distancing. Faculty will still need to make accommodations for the students that are not able to attend the face-to-face instruction.

Instructional Modes – Rooms Not Assigned

Remote Synchronous is our recommended approach for the majority of Smeal courses. From a logistical perspective, this mode provides the flexibility of synchronous instruction while still allowing for aspects of asynchronous instruction to be included. It puts both faculty and students in the same instructional environment. This allows for a faculty member to share their screen or provided a “lightboard” or whiteboard recording of examples, faculty/student interaction, real-time Q&A, and so on. I realize this still requires modification of your instructional approach compared to In-Person or Mixed Mode, but the management of some face-to-face students, some Zoom students, and some watching a recording seems a lot more labor intensive and the quality of audio (while wearing a mask) and video (a camera pointed at the podium, not the whiteboard) for the portion of students learning remotely would be a lower quality learning opportunity.

Remote Asynchronous has two major limitations. First, if you select this mode, you no longer have a scheduled class meeting time. Any synchronous instruction must be optional as students could be scheduled for another class or have other obligations (e.g., work, family, and so on) at the time you select. Additionally, this requires a fully developed online course which is much more involved than would be required for the Remote Synchronous mode.

Helpful Websites

Upcoming Live Sessions

  • Canvas Basics
  • Office 365 isn’t just Office Suite: Get the most out of your Office 365 subscription with a deep dive into some new features from Microsoft. Join us Wednesday, July 8 atfrom10-11AM via Zoom.

NOTE: Recordings and resources from previous sessions can be found on our eLDIG Website.

Tips of the Week

Tip #1: Don’t Reinvent the Wheel! Consider using LinkedIn Learning and other third-party videos instead of recording everything on your own.Tip #2: Check out the eLDIG Canvas courses with Lesson Templates and Teaching Tips (If you receive an access denied error, please email SmealTLT Help and we will add you to these courses):

Resources

Ask eLDIG/RIIT – Open Consultations

Zoom Hours:

  • Thursday, July 9, 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 16, 10 to 11 a.m.
  • More to be announced

Website

Check out the eLDIG website for more resources and support.

Contact Us

Email us at: [email protected] or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

 

Michael Christie
In EdTech Tools & Course Delivery, Smeal Academy Sessions

Virtual Whiteboarding with iPads

Session PowerPoint Slides

Using iPads as Whiteboards in Remote Learning:
This July 22, 2020 session, led by Mark DeLuca, explored strategies and best practices for using iPads as whiteboards when leading remote classes via Zoom.

Whiteboarding Solutions by Level of Difficulty:

  1. Low-tech: Use a drawing pad and hold it up to the screen.
  2. Mid-tech: You can use the Zoom Whiteboard for simple things.
  3. High-tech: For more complex things (equations, formulas) you could use a touchscreen PC, or a tablet (iPad or Android). You then log into the same Zoom room on both your computer and touchscreen devices and share your screen on the touchscreen device when needed.

If you have an iOS device, Zoom has additional ways to share your screen.

Whiteboarding with an Android Tablet

General How-to’s

Penn State ITLD Capturing Instructional Content with Video

Capturing Instructional Content with Video (PSU IT Learning & Development) Video
PSU IT Learning and Development (companion website to above video)
This 23-minute video covers how to capture live video in an in-person class, live video when you are teaching remotely, and pre-recorded video for asynchronous delivery. Topics include:

  • Compare Recording Options for Capturing Instructional Content
  • Set Up Your Recording Space
  • Choose Your Tool
  • Record, Prepare, and Share Your Content

Not interested in the whole thing? There are “jump” links that let you go only to the information you seek! Or check out the companion website.

Zoom Whiteboard Guide

UCSF’s Zoom Guide for Facilitators Using Whiteboard Options

Additional Tools and Resources

Jamboard is a collaborative whiteboard available in our Penn State Google Education Suite


Duke University Tools for using screen annotation and handwriting

DIY Document Camera

 

Michael Christie
In Uncategorized

Week 1: Welcome to the Smeal Academy

Welcome to the Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Readiness!

The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip everyone with best practices and strategies for teaching, learning, and technology to ensure the Smeal community is prepared to respond to the unique challenges of Fall 2020. Between now and the end of July, we will be sending weekly emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

 

Current News

University Announcements: https://virusinfo.psu.edu/Smeal Announcements: https://www.smeal.psu.edu/virus-info.

Upcoming Live Sessions

TEACHTalk: Hybrid Models for Learning, Part 2
Hear about how ACCTG 211 and FIN 301 implemented a flexible model based on student choice. If you are considering adopting a shared content model using some of their strategies or just want to learn more, please join us on Wednesday, June 17 from 11am-Noon via Zoom.
Canvas Basics
New to Canvas? Want a refresher? This is the session for you! Join us on Wednesday, June 24 at 2 – 3PM via Zoom.

Tips of the Week

Tip #1: Get started on your Canvas development.

Using a Canvas Master Course to design and develop your course is considered best practice. You can import your completed Master Course into your live Canvas course section(s) prior to the start of the semester. Request your own Master Course in Canvas: https://pennstate.service-now.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0011048

Tip #2: Upgrade your syllabus.

A great syllabus will save you time! Students will ask fewer questions when course expectations are clear. See Building Stellar Syllabi for more information: http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/Syllabus/.

Resources

Ask eLDIG/RIIT – Open Consultations

Zoom Hours:

  • Thursday, July 9, 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Thursday, July 16, 10 to 11 a.m.
  • More to be announced

Website

Check out the eLDIG website for more resources and support.

Contact Us

Email us at: [email protected] or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

Michael Christie
In EdTech Tools & Course Delivery, Instructional Strategies & Student Engagement, Smeal Academy Sessions

Strategies and Tools for Live​ and Pre-Recorded Videos


Session PowerPoint Slides

Strategies and Tools for Live and Pre-recorded Course Videos

Are you pre-recording your lectures for Fall, but aren’t sure where to begin? Do you have questions about Zoom settings for teaching and learning? Are you curious about best practices for sharing your recordings? This July 15 session led by Ian Nalepa and Renee Ford focused on tips and strategies for recording, hosting, and sharing recordings from an instructor’s perspective.

 

Resources

Michael Christie
In Uncategorized

Fall 2020 Readiness Announcement

Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Readiness Announcement

In response to the recent University announcement and many future unknowns, we wantto reassure you that we are in this together as we all prepare for Fall 2020.

As the great songwriter Bob Dylan wrote, “The times, they are a-changin’.” As we reflect on lessons learned from the spring and summer semesters and think about how to best support the Smeal community, we have developed an academy to share resources and provide guidance.The purpose of the Smeal Academy is to equip everyone with best practices and strategies for teaching, learning and technology to ensure the Smeal community isprepared to respond to the unique challenges of Fall 2020. More details on the Academy will follow. Keep an eye out for our weekly tips, resources, and opportunities to participate in sessions designed to help us adapt to these changes!

Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Readiness Survey – What Do You Need?

Your response to this brief survey will, in part, guide the Smeal Teaching, Learning, and Technology (TLT) Team in customizing the content of the upcoming Smeal Academy sessions and for reaching out to you individually as needed. We need your input! https://tinyurl.com/SmealAcademy2020

Michael Christie
In Instructional Strategies & Student Engagement, Smeal Academy Sessions

Keeping It Real: Strategies and Challenges of Working Remotely

This page shares some takeaways from our April 30, 2020 session concerning strategies and challenges of working remotely.

Challenges Shared

  • It’s hard not having the informal opportunity for chatting that the Business Building affords – every interaction has to be “formal” and handled via email, etc.
  • Zoom is not efficient for being an administrator (you have to send an email and wait for a response, then schedule a formal meeting vs. walking down the hall or talking to a student in person)
  • The Inbox is now flooded, as is the number of Zoom meetings.
  • We’re trying to balance more than just work. There are conflicting priorities (work, family, having to homeschool, do childcare while trying to get work done)
  • Work is “always there.”
  • Feeling like you need to “prove” that you’re working and be “on” all the time.
  • Feeling quarantine guilt: Why have I not been able to make time to _______?
  • Self-care
  • Feeling isolated and disconnected
  • Feeling disorganized or scattered
  • Steep learning curve due to learning new tech or do things differently.
  • Not having the same equipment at home as at work
  • Not having an ideal workspace at home
  • Managing interruptions

Strategies Shared

Staying Healthy:

  • Keep a small set of dumbbells next to the desk.
  • Keep a list of exercises. Every time you get up, move down the list to another set of exercises. Hack: You can move a paperclip down the list to keep track of what you have done.
  • Order food from places like Misfits Market to eat more healthy fruits and veggies.
  • Weather permitting, walk for an hour every day in the late afternoon. It’s a great way to clear your head from the pressures of work.
  • Walk during meetings where you will only be listening.
  • Schedule walking phone meetings, walking while talking. Set them up as a “walk & talk” with the other person.

Work-Life Balance and Efficiency Hacks:

  • For some, this means setting segregated hours for different “facets” of life. For others, it may mean being more flexible – maybe taking breaks during the day to do what you need/want to do and return to work later.
  • It’s important to be kind to ourselves, take care of ourselves, and not feel guilty.
    We are fortunate to have leadership that is supportive and flexible
  • There are differences between faculty and staff expectations for seat time that play into these feelings as well
  • Start the day with a plan (Franklin-Covey kind of list: A, B, C-level items).
  • ‘Job in a Box’: Keep all of your work materials in a box. At the end of the day, put your work in the box and put it away to transition to home time.
  • Schedule breaks deliberately on your calendar so that meetings do not get scheduled.
  • It’s OK to take vacation time! And make it an actual vacation day.
  • Set up rules in your Outlook email to combat the increased emails.
  • Bundle activities together – emails, calls, etc.
  • Consider putting some headphones/earbuds in and listen to some music while working.
  • If an email comes in with ‘unsubscribe’, it goes into a separate box that you can check just once per day

Social Connections

  • Schedule non-business check-in meetings just to chat with colleagues.
  • Use Teams, Slack, or other instant messaging to have conversations with colleagues.
  • Reach out to colleagues to see if they are ok. You can send Kudoboards to encourage folks or Smeal Pawsitive Notes to spread a little cheer.
  • Check out the Smeal Community in Microsoft Teams to stay connected to colleagues and share ideas.

Tools Shared and Discussed

  • Use a Microsoft Surface or tablet with a stylus and the Zoom whiteboard to replace the function of the whiteboard in the classroom.
  • Buy or DIY an inexpensive computer stand to allow for standing while working (especially during meetings). That allows for more movement during the day. This adjustable laptop stand was being used by one of our attendees.
  • Purchase Bluetooth headphones for meetings that you are just listening/receiving information – so you can walk while listening.
  • Use Microsoft To-Do to track tasks.
  • We discussed several ways groups can use Teams. Check out ITLD’s Teams Learning Path for more information.

Articles and Links

Just for Fun

Virtual Bingo created by the eLDIG team for your entertainment

Videos to Make You Laugh

 

Michael Christie
In Instructional Strategies & Student Engagement, Smeal Academy Sessions

Copyright Questions Answered

PowerPoint File

This session was held on April 15, 2020. It was led by Ana Enriquez, Scholarly Communications Outreach Librarian, and Lauren Reiter, Business Librarian. The presentation explored copyright concerns surrounding the use of a variety of educational materials, including data sets, problem sets, and journal articles, including considerations when moving to a remote instruction environment.

Michael Christie
In Instructional Strategies & Student Engagement, Smeal Academy Sessions

Strategies for Remote Engagement

Part 1

This session was held on March 25, 2020. We explored strategies to increase student engagement in remote learning contexts with a heavy focus on leveraging advanced features in Zoom video conferencing.

Part 2

Link to PowerPoint

This session was held on April 3, 2020. We explored strategies to increase student engagement in remote learning contexts leveraging Canvas tools and assessment, gaming, and gamification strategies.

Michael Christie
In Instructional Strategies & Student Engagement, Smeal Academy Sessions

Remote Learning Strategies

This session was held on March 17, 2020, to share tips, tricks, and strategies for remote instruction using Zoom, Canvas, Kaltura, and other tools in response to the University’s decision to move all courses to remote learning delivery for the second half of the Spring 2020 semester.

Link to Presentation PowerPoint Slides

Recording Consent: Can I Record My Class Via Zoom

Yes, you may do this, but you need to securely store the recordings and destroy them at the end of the semester. If you intend to use the recordings after the end of the semester, any type of identifying information must be removed. In addition, you must inform students that they are being recorded by sharing the following language with them: “Video and audio recordings of class lectures will be part of the classroom activity. The video and audio recording is used for educational use/purposes and may only be made available to students presently enrolled in the class. For purposes where the recordings will be used in future class sessions/lectures, any type of identifying information will be adequately removed.” Taken from: https://remoteteaching.psu.edu/faq/

Additionally, Zoom has a ‘Recording Consent’ option that can be enabled. It prompts participants for consent to be recorded when recording starts. Here’s how to enable this setting.