Guidelines for Remote Courses
Remote teaching at Xavier continues a commitment to high quality learning opportunities that offer the same academic rigor, concrete learning experiences, and opportunities for reflection and discernment. These are key aspects of teaching and learning that represent a Xavier University education.
Fostering Student Success
Teaching remotely involves a different set of challenges and expectations than in-person instruction for both faculty and students. Here are some guidelines to support your students learning and set them up for success in your course.
Help students manage their coursework and find information easily in Canvas
- Publish your courses in Canvas with:
- Syllabus uploaded
- Contact information for instructor
- Availability information for instructor
- Clearly communicate the schedule of weekly expectations to students
- Make all activities available (links to course materials, uploaded documents, quizzes, etc.)
- Create all assignments as Canvas assignments with due dates
- This facilitates assignment submission and grading
- This puts assignments on students’ to do lists and in their calendars
Maintain regular communication with students
- Send announcements for the whole class through Canvas
- Post at least a weekly announcement to say what’s coming up, comment on past week, etc.
- Hold regular office hours by Zoom, phone, or chat
- Ask students how they are doing, get their feedback on the remote class structure
- Communicate support and availability if students are struggling
- Offer timely feedback on student assignments through Speedgrader or email
- Keep students updated on progress by entering grades in the Canvas gradebook
Ensure that students stay engaged
- Space activities and due dates so students log in frequently
- Provide an open discussion board for students to ask questions of you and each other
- Consider using discussion boards, peer reviews, or group activities to promote peer-to-peer learning and support
Ensure equal access to learning
- Make all course materials accessible for students with documented disabilities
- Provide equal access to course activities, including synchronous sessions, for all students
Destressing Your Remote Classroom
Cura personalis calls us to do whatever we can to decrease our students’ stress to whatever extent possible. CTE Faculty Director Kandi Stinson offers suggestions for managing this new teaching situation and de-stressing your classes:
Ease your students (and yourself) into remote learning. Start slowly. Build in some early, zero-stakes or low-stakes opportunities for students to get used to submitting assignments, posting to discussion boards, or taking quizzes in Canvas. In my asynchronous online courses I have an early, low points discussion board that asks students to respond to the questions, “Have you taken an online course before? If not, what questions or concerns do you have about the online learning environment? If you have, what advice do you have for your fellow students in order to be successful?” I am always amazed at how honest students are about their concerns, and how thoughtful and helpful the advice is that they give to each other.
Maintain a clear presence and communicate frequently. Just as you do in a face-to-face class, it’s a good idea to hold regular office hours, whether by Zoom conferencing, Chat, or designated times you will be online to respond to emails immediately. Consider other ways to make it easy for students to ask you questions and get answers. Set up a discussion board specifically for this purpose—encourage students to post their questions on the board where everyone can see both the questions and responses. When you get individual questions, tell students to post to the board to get them used to going there for answers to common questions. Be sure to provide prompt feedback on assignments and quizzes. Get in the habit of sending regular messages to the class to check in and update them on what’s coming up. Keep an eye out for students who may be disengaging and reach out to them individually.
Provide opportunities for peer interaction and support. Canvas Discussion Boards that are focused on course topics are a good way to do this, but there are others. Set up small groups in Canvas. Each group will have its own space to set up discussions and upload files that they can share with each other. Set up a separate discussion board with the sole purpose of providing them a place to have conversations with each other. Let them know that if they go to the People tab in your course they will see the names and email addresses of their classmates. Encourage them to interact with each other either within Canvas or using communication apps with which they are already comfortable.
Be flexible. Sticking to a plan can sometimes give us a sense of control and predictability, but it can also make it more difficult to adapt to a continually changing environment. If you realize an assignment or activity you had previously planned is going to be challenging to pull off remotely, change it or drop it! The Strategies page describes many alternative ways to do remotely what you do in a face-to-face class. If you are transparent about what you are changing and why, students will appreciate your efforts to make this experience less stressful.
Be especially attentive to those students who are particularly vulnerable. Every one of your students is experiencing some degree of stress right now, and some are especially vulnerable. Traditionally under-served and marginalized students may experience disproportionate stress, as may students with challenging home lives, or who are living with or caring for others at increased risk of becoming ill. In the current political climate, our Asian-born and Asian American students are at increased risk of experiencing xenophobia and discrimination. Prioritize compassion and kindness. Let your students know that you care about them.