Alternative Delivery 101

Information on FERPA and Virtual Learning

General Transition Tips:

Be flexible with yourself and your students.
Since you and your students “signed up” for a face-to-face class, the shift to an alternative delivery model will likely be jarring for all of you. Don’t try to recreate your classroom in an online environment, and don’t expect your students to find their footing immediately. If you’re asking students to complete assessments in a new environment, consider making these low-stakes or even no-stakes initially.

KISS (Keep It Straightforward and Simple) at a distance for everyone’s sake and sanity.
Shifting from face-to-face teaching to teaching remotely can be work-intensive and frustrating. Limit the amount of new skills, tools, and strategies you need to take on to keep your learning curve (and that of your students) from being staggering. Cut yourself some slack and do the best you can. Experiment and be open to something less than perfect. Ask for help when you can and be okay with changing course.

Keep the big picture in mind.
Ground yourself in the course goals/outcomes and then think about what kinds of engagement can reasonably continue to meet those overall goals in this new delivery model. Prioritize and strip the course down to the essentials—it's likely less than ideal, but emergency educational responses are appropriate in this situation.
Communication is key and connectivity helps keep and care for your students.
Stay in contact with students and be as transparent as possible. Explain not just what you’re doing but why you’re doing it. Use individual emails, phone calls, and/or group discussion posts to make room for insufficient technical infrastructure, anxiety, and potential student/family illness or other life disruptions during this time.

Pedagogical Checklist:

Communicate with your students as soon as possible, even if just to let them know more details are coming.

Consider realistic goals for continuing instruction

What are the main assignments that can be accomplished during this alternative delivery period?
What parts of your original course content can be maintained? What parts need modification? What parts can be put aside for now?

Can you add low-stakes assignments to help motivate reading, add structure, and provide some accountability at a distance (i.e. quick discussion board check-ins to maintain contact)?

Review your course syllabus/schedule to reflect curricular changes and new priorities

What policies must change?
What scheduling changes/accommodations will be implemented?
What assessment techniques and values will be altered?

Are these modifications/changes permanent or contingent upon delivery style?

Create and share a more detailed revised course plan

Highlight/emphasize changes.
Communicate the revised course plan through multiple channels, if possible (e.g., Blackboard and email).
Request that students acknowledge an understanding of the revised plan (e.g., discussion board post or email reply).

Course Management Considerations:

Select a tool/method for distributing documents and readings.

Choose a central place where students will turn in assignments.
Set up a method/tool for holding online office hours.
Determine how you will provide students with feedback on assignments and distribute grades (while still maintaining student rights to privacy).

Web Resources for Teaching Remotely

Please do a Bad Job of Putting Your Course Online ("keeping it simple" tips for the unexpected move to online...you don't have to fully build an online course...this shares the basic elements you need to start)

Chronicle of Higher Education Special Issue: Moving Online Now: How to Keep Teaching During Coronavirus

Teaching in the Context of COVID-19 (a live co-authored document with resources to help you and your students understand COVID-19, resources for teaching online, and collected resources on digital tools and uses)

ACUE's Online Teaching Toolkit (To support instructors needing to make a quick transition to utilizing an online environment, ACUE is offering resources and recommendations that can be immediately put to use by instructors, to benefit both faculty and their students.)

Last Updated: March 29, 2020 - 4:54 PM