The following resources can help you as you plan to move your courses online. We will add resources and update as we can so please check back. 

Getting Your Students Ready

Survey Your Students

Pivoting to Online Course Survey is a great example of some questions you could ask your students in order to better gauge their access to technology. You can create something similar using Microsoft Forms or Google Forms.

myLesley Student Orientation

All Lesley students and faculty are enrolled in the myLesley Student Orientation community (you will need to log in to myLesley in order to access the community). This community features tutorials for Blackboard, Kaltura, VoiceThread, and Collaborate Ultra as well as tips for being a successful online learner.

Create Your Plan

As you begin formulating your plan, check with your students about their access to technology. Do they have access to a computer at home or do they only have a mobile device (tablet or mobile phone)? Do they have fast, reliable internet at home or are they on a slower connection or data plan? This information will help you as you plan for which tools and workflows will work best for your course.

Balance synchronous and asynchronous activities

Providing options for working offline will allow for more flexibility for both you and your students. 

Learn more about balancing asynchronous and synchronous learning online when moving your content online in these two videos: Blended Teaching and Learning: Part 1, Models & Strategies and Part 2: Example Patterns & Activities. 

Review your syllabus

Identify your priorities. Develop a simple phased plan for distributing content, class discussions, collecting assignments, etc. Focus on what you can manage right now and in the long-term. Post your syllabus in your myLesley course site so that your students can easily access it.
 

Pick tools and approaches familiar to you and your students

Select tools and workflows that you and your students already know. If you must introduce new tools, do not introduce more than one at a time. Having to learn multiple tools may cause frustration and stress for you and your students.

Use the Choosing the Right Tool for the Task document to review potential technology matches for the activity your students need to do. 

Keep communication flowing with your students

Once you have worked through your plan, send a detailed message to your students. Let them know how content will be distributed, how they will participate, and what your expectations will be. Let them know how you will be communicating with them (email, announcements, other) and how and when they can best contact you. Expect there will be a lot of questions and apprehension. Be prepared to be flexible with your plan as needs change.

Strategies for Moving Content Online

There is no one way to move your course content online or one perfect technology. The tasks you and your students need to do, the amount of collaboration and communication required, and the current level of comfort using these types of technologies will all greatly influence your selection and plan.

Basic Course Structure in Blackboard

Start by creating a simple course structure in myLesley/Blackboard. You can always add more detail later.

Communicate with Students

Keep communications flowing even when you’re not in the classroom. Communicate in real time or whenever it’s convenient for each person.

Distribute Course Materials and Readings

Uploading content to your myLesley course is not only useful for remote teaching, but also a convenient place to store your course content so that you and your students can easily access them throughout the term.

Student Groups and Collaboration 

Create opportunities for your students to work with together. Your students can collaborate with each other in pairs, small groups, or as a whole class.

Collect Assignments and Provide Feedback

Collect student assignments and provide feedback online all without cluttering up your inbox.

Teaching Remotely

This presentation from Kristen Bourgault at Quinnipiac University's School of Education is designed to guide faculty to quickly transition to an online format.

Online Course Facilitation QuickStart Guide

Basic criteria and explanations for teaching online, including technology, teaching presence, setting expectations, student interaction, and providing feedback.

Designing and Facilitating Online Discussions

Best practices for designing and facilitating engaging online discussions.

Meeting Online in Collaborate Ultra  

A step-by-step guide for planning, creating, and facilitating an online meeting using Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. Also review the Collaborate Ultra support articles and the Web Conferencing Event Guidelines.  

Tutorials and Support

eLIS Workshops and Office Hours

Join eLearning & Instructional Support Mondays and Thursdays, 2PM-4PM ET for office hours. To join, please go to https://tinyurl.com/ElisOfficeHours. No need to register in advance.

Couldn't attend the workshops? View the recordings or email eLIS@lesley.edu.

Teaching Remotely (Blackboard Learn and Collaborate Ultra)

Free 30 minute webinar trainings from Blackboard designed for instructors who are new to Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and are making a quick transition to deliver instruction remotely. New dates added every week. 

Zoom Support and Resources 

Zoom’s Help Center provides answers to many common questions in text and video format. Contact support or attend live trainings. 

Library Resources 

Be sure to check out the Library's Remote Guide and reach out to Ask-a-Librarian for assistance. 

Hoonuit Video Tutorials and Workshops

Don't record videos for software tutorials or video lectures. Hoonuit's video library has tutorials on how to use a wide range of software applications plus tutorials on data analysis, plagiarism, culture and diversity, storyboarding, social and emotional learning, and so much more. Review 10 examples of how you can use Hoonuit content. 

EAB Remote Instruction Resource Center

EAB has analyzed and synthesized takeaways and guidance from dozens of remote instruction planning and pedagogical resources to support remote instruction across different types and sizes of courses, guidelines for maintaining equity and accessibility, and strategic frameworks to guide the next phases of online course development for summer and fall.