Teaching Remotely - Synchronously and Asynchronously

Most laptops have a built-in camera. If yours does not, an external camera can be easily and inexpensively attached.  Please be aware that your laptop or computer will need to have an open USB port to plug in a camera.

A microphone is also commonly built into your laptop. If not, a microphone can be easily and inexpensively attached.  A headset with built in microphone is recommended, an open USB port will be required.  Mics that plug into a dedicated mic jack on your computer are not recommended because they will amplify internal computer noises. 

You will need a dependable internet connection for online course work.

OPTION ONE: All students have an Office365 Outlook email account. Encourage them to follow these directions to add Outlook to their iPhone email app.

OPTION TWO: All UIW students have access to email within Blackboard. Follow these directions to learn more about creating/sending emails within Blackboard.

OPTION THREE: Students may forward their Blackboard email to personal email accounts. Have students follow these directions to forward Blackboard email to their personal accounts.

Zoom is UIW’s enterprise web conferencing platform. All UIW employees have Zoom accounts. You may have up to 300 participants in your Zoom session. The session may last no longer than 24 hours. UIW students may also host Zoom sessions. Student-created sessions are limited to 100 participants and are limited to 40 minutes in length. You might also consider using Zoom for virtual office hours. UIW faculty and students may access Zoom through Cardinal Apps. Learn more about Zoom.

OPTION ONE: Use Zoom to record your lecture at the usual time you teach. If you wish, you can post this lecture after class so students can review it. Follow these directions to post a Zoom recording in the Course Documents area of Blackboard.

OPTION TWO: Pre-record your lectures and divide into three to five-minute chunks. Follow these directions to post these short video lectures into the Course Documents area of Blackboard.

OPTION ONE: Add a slide to your existing PowerPoint that prompts students to think about two or three questions that you would normally raise in class. Add a similar slide at the end of the PowerPoint that will remind students of those questions. Follow these directions to post your PowerPoint in the Course Documents area of Blackboard.

OPTION TWO: Narrate your PowerPoint. Follow these directions to create a narration and these directions to post your file.

Share a video or a website with your students. It’s a good practice to provide a few questions to consider as they view these items. Follow these directions to share a web link.

To share Word, Excel and PowerPoint files with students follow these directions. Blackboard handles these a little differently from shared links.

Use the Blackboard assessment tool to create a low-stakes quiz. Two hints:

1. Decide how much grading time is available before you create the quiz and select the question types accordingly.
2. As you write the quiz, create feedback for right and wrong answers.

The same Blackboard tool used to create tests also allows you to create surveys. A survey can be useful if you just want a quick sense of how the entire class is doing. You will know which students responded to the survey, but you won’t know the content of individual responses. Also, a survey works well if students will be replying at different times. Follow these instructions to create a survey in Blackboard. There are several options for administering a survey; follow these instructions to review the options.

Microsoft forms is a powerful survey tool available to all UIW faculty and staff. Forms can be accessed in Cardinal Apps by clicking on Office 365, then clicking on All Apps. Follow these directions to create a survey in Microsoft Forms.

During a lecture or other presentation, pause occasionally to ask the class a question. Since you and the class can see the distribution of responses, it’s a good opportunity to discuss puzzling or controversial material. Poll Everywhere is a good tool for this, and it can be accessed through Cardinal Apps. Follow these directions, for specific instructions on how to create polls. For more information about creating polls, follow these directions.

Blackboard uses the term “assignment” in a particular way: it’s an online, graded task; teachers create one using the Assignment Tool and students respond online. While assignments can be high-stakes events like major papers, it’s worth considering using low-stakes assignments to keep students engaged. For instance, if students view a video, they might write a paragraph or two in response and submit that work in the Blackboard Assignments area. Follow these directions for creating an assignment in Blackboard.

In this approach, post the directions for an activity in the Course Documents area of Blackboard. Use the same instructions in the share files section of this site. Students then complete the task in the appropriate tool, for instance, Word, PowerPoint or Excel. They then submit their work as an email attachment.

This Blackboard tool allows students to respond to something they have read or viewed, typically in response to a prompt posted by the instructor. Unlike discussion board entries, only the student and the instructor can read a journal entry. Follow these directions for using the Journal tool in Blackboard.

Online discussions can be conducted with the whole class during the regular class time or students can meet in small asynchronous groups. The instructor begins the discussion by posting a question. In addition, set a deadline for completing the discussion, and specify expectations for length and numbers of responses or postings. For an overview of how to manage the discussion board, look at these instructions.

For small groups, begin by placing students into groups of 4 or 5, following these directions. Within Blackboard, each group will have a separate discussion board. Pose a question, set a deadline for completing the discussion, and specify expectations for length and numbers of responses or postings. A student you have assigned to be group leader creates the first post; the leader also prompts laggards and writes a post summarizing the discussion. On subsequent discussions, rotate the leadership role. For an overview of how to pose questions on the discussion board, look at these instructions.

If you’ve already placed students in groups within Blackboard, use those groups. If not, begin by placing students into groups of 4 or 5, following these directions. Each student in the group posts the draft of a paper or other assignment. Each member of the group comments on all other students’ papers. NOTE: Provide some structure for these comments with guiding questions or a rubric.

1. Keep group sizes manageable, typically 4 to 5 students.
2. Set explicit expectations for when students post and how long those comments are. Some instructors ask for at least one “original” post and several comments on peers’ posts.
3. Provide a handout suggesting some ways that students might think about material. For instance, you might suggest that they make a connection to another reading, to clinical practice, or to something in the media.
4. Coach students on how to disagree. For instance, you might suggest wording like this to get them started: “While I agree with much that John says about_____, I’d like to share a contrasting view about ____ because...”.

EdPuzzle is a free assessment tool that allows instructors to embed open-ended or multiple-choice questions, audio notes, audio tracks, or comments on a video. Edpuzzle interactive videos can be made with videos from several websites, including YouTube, TED, Vimeo, and National Geographic. Follow these directions to embed questions into a video.

Flipgrid (free online tool) is an online video discussion board. This tool allows instructors to ask a question, then students respond through a short-recorded video. Students are then able to respond to one another, creating a web-based video discussion. Watch this video for an overview. Click on the following link to give you more information on how to use this in your classroom! Use this Getting Started link to read step by step instructions to create your Flipgrid.