Smeal Academy Newsletter

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.

• 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.

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.

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: course-support@smeal.psu.edu or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

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

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

• 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.

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/

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: course-support@smeal.psu.edu or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

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.

• University Keep Teaching Website
• University Keep Learning Website
• University Announcements
• Smeal Announcements

• 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.

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.

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: course-support@smeal.psu.edu or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

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.

• University Keep Teaching Website
• University Keep Learning Website
• University Announcements
• Smeal Announcements

• 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.

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:

• Your Syllabus Doesn’t Have to Look Like a Contract
• How to Turn Your Syllabus into an Infographic

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: course-support@smeal.psu.edu or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

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.

• University Keep Teaching Website
• University Keep Learning Website
• University Announcements
• Smeal Announcements

• 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.

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.

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: course-support@smeal.psu.edu or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

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: smealtlthelp@psu.edu.

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.

• University Keep Learning Website
• University Announcements
• Smeal Announcements

• 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.

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):

• Smeal Academy Canvas Space
• Smeal Fall 2020 Remote Teaching Template – by Weeks
• Smeal Fall 2020 Remote Teaching Template – by Module

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: course-support@smeal.psu.edu or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.

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

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.

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/.

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: course-support@smeal.psu.edu or fill out our Remote Teaching Support form.