RECAST | Gearing up to teach remotely in Spring – Please RSVP for a “Keep Teaching” Institute
[NOTE: These plans have changed. Please click here for current information.]
Dear colleagues,
It was wonderful to see more than 60 of you at the Zoom demos on Friday! We are inspired and heartened by how hard everyone is working to provide instructional continuity for our students. We know that this process is requiring a ton of extra time and effort, on top of everything you are already doing to take care of yourselves and your loved ones. We also know that we can and will pull together to make this work for each other and for students.
Per the College-wide email sent out on Friday, Spring quarter 2020 instruction will now begin on Thursday, April 2, 2020 and all classes will be held online at least through the first four weeks, to April 24. During Week 1, all faculty with spring offerings will be expected to submit an academic continuity plan highlighting changes in instruction (so we can track them for accreditation purposes). Please stay tuned for further updates from the Deans about how to submit this information.
With this in mind, representatives from the Learning and Teaching Commons, Academic Technologies, Library and Media Services, and the Academic Deans have formed the “Keep Teaching” Coordinating Team. This group has developed a one-day “Keep Teaching” institute that will guide you through building an effective and inclusive learning experience using Canvas and Zoom. This institute includes updates on how we will manage student access to computers, library resources and media equipment and an introduction to Slack instant messaging – a tool you can use to ask questions and offer resources as we move forward.
As you all know, staff resources are few and precious right now. We are asking for your help to make sure that they can continue to support all of us as much as possible. Attending one of these institutes, if you are able, will allow our staff to maximize their time, rather than spending it responding to multiple individual requests. The institutes will be your best opportunity to receive one-on-one and peer support as you create the most inclusive and effective version of your offering, given the current restrictions on face-to-face meetings. We’ll be focusing not just on the tools you need to teach remotely, but on aligning those tools with your pedagogy.
We know that many of you will have concerns about joining a face-to-face training at this moment. To protect your health and the health of our community, we will ensure that the surfaces and equipment will be disinfected, hand-sanitizer will be available, and we will be using appropriate social distancing practices. If you are ill, please stay home.
Times/Location:
The following sessions will be held in the Computer Center in the Library Building and will run from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM with a break for lunch from 12:00-1:00 PM. Please bring your own lunch!
- Wednesday, March 18
- Thursday, March 19
- Tuesday, March 24 (This session will be tailored for faculty whose offerings were planned with significant lab/studio elements or other experiential learning activities)
We will also offer one remote session from 1-4pm on Friday, March 20, which will emphasize the basics of building a Canvas course.
To prepare:
- Please sign up for ONE of the above times at the following link, so we know who to expect: https://sites.evergreen.edu/ltc/rsvp-to-keep-teaching/
- Prior to joining this workshop, we ask that you first work through the self-paced Canvas Orientation for Evergreen Faculty, to maximize the value of our time together. The self-enroll link is here: https://canvas.evergreen.edu/enroll/X9GKRT
- Please bring a laptop and/or mobile device if you have one. If you have headphones with a built in microphone, please bring them, too – they will be handy for recording video.
- Please bring electronic copies of your syllabus, an assignment you are interested in moving online, and/or an assignment you’re feeling unsure about translating to an online environment.
Looking ahead:
- Please remember to funnel all of your technology requests through https://help.evergreen.edu/.
- For those of you who have not yet requested a Zoom pro license through this site, please consider holding off for now — all Canvas courses for next quarter will have Zoom integrated into them.
Sharing and Seeking Resources:
Many of you are engaged in robust email threads sharing resources and ideas. It is wonderful to see how you are supporting each other in creatively designing meaningful remote learning experiences for students! The Learning and Teaching Commons encourages you to send resources to learningandteaching@evergreen.edu or just add us to your email thread. Resources and advice will be shared through a Keep Teaching course in Canvas.
We are compiling an FAQ at bit.ly/keepteachingtesc, in response to questions posed at the faculty meeting and at last week’s Zoom sessions. Please continue to add your questions at bit.ly/keepteachingtesc or send your questions for requests for advice to learningandteaching@evergreen.edu.
In the meantime, we encourage you to consult the Academic Continuity Planning Website: https://sites.evergreen.edu/ltc/continuity/ and the College’s general info page: https://www.evergreen.edu/covid19
Thank you for your continued work and commitment to our learning communities!
Your “Keep Teaching” Coordinating Team,
Ahniwa Ferrari, Associate Dean for Library Operations
Emily Gray, Special Assistant to the Provost for New Academic Program Development
Amy Greene, Manager of Curricular Technologies
Bridget Irish, Curricular Technology Support Specialist
JuliA Metzker, Director, Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education
Vito Valera, Associate Director of Media Services
Elizabeth Williamson, Dean of Faculty Hiring and Development
The Evergreen Learning and Teaching Commons
~ a project of the Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education
wacenter.evergreen.edu/commons
learningandteaching@evergreen.edu | @wacenterTESC | 360-867-6611
