This page is an archive of COVID response resources. It is no longer being updated.
The university recently announced that in-person classes will temporarily convert to remote classes through Sunday, January 30, 2022. Once you establish a temporary remote teaching plan, you should communicate that plan with your students via Canvas Announcements. The checklist below will help to ensure that your course site is ready and students receive your announcements.
Q&A Session Recordings by the SAS Teaching and Learning Team are linked at the bottom of this page.
Set early access to your Canvas Course.
- We recommend following these instructions to set “Early Full Access” to your course, as this is the only way to ensure that students can receive email notifications when you post new course announcements.
- If you want to prevent students from engaging with some portions of your course until the semester starts, make sure those items are unpublished and course navigation links that you do not want students accessing are hidden/disabled.
- We recommend opening “Early Full Access” as early as possible, so that your students know what to expect for the first few weeks. They are as rattled as we are.
Post your syllabus. (Given Omicron, please be very flexible with attendance requirements.)
- If you’re not familiar with the Canvas Syllabus Tool, please review the guide How do I use the Syllabus as an instructor?
- If you need a refresher on how to edit the Syllabus, please review the guide How do I edit the Syllabus in a course?
Organize your first few weeks using Modules and make sure your modules are published.
- The best way to organize your course in Canvas is through Modules. We’ve created a guide, Organizing Your Course in Canvas: 6 Best Practices, that provides more details.
- Add module items, such as files, pages, assignments, discussions, and quizzes to your modules. Create and publish any assignments and place them within modules.
- When you are ready to make your modules visible to students make sure they are published.
Set up your Zoom meetings in Canvas.
- View the documentation for using Zoom in Canvas.
- Have a backup plan; reshare any meeting links in a Canvas announcement.
- Expect possible issues with synchronous learning; many are addressed in the ‘supporting students’ section of the Keep Teaching FAQs.
- If you receive an error message when trying to click on Zoom in Canvas, follow the instructions here to make sure your email address is formatted correctly in Canvas.
- Record your Canvas Zoom session to the cloud to allow for easy sharing for students who may not have access to high speed internet or a private and quiet study space during your class time.
- Access and publish these recordings on the ‘Cloud Recordings’ tab in the Canvas Zoom space.
- Documentation is also available for Big Blue Button conferences and Webex meetings.
Plan to start building your class community remotely.
- Set up an asynchronous self-introduction discussion
- Set aside at least 5-10 minutes at the beginning of your first synchronous session to do a social check in.
- More ideas for building community.
Publish your course site as soon as you’re ready.
- Students can’t access the course or any announcements unless the course is published.
- This step is needed in addition to setting “Early Full Access” as described above.
- Not feeling ready? You can publish minimal individual items in your course and then publish additional items when you are ready.
Send your first announcement to your class.
- Announcements should be sent after you set early access to your course and after your course is published.
- Explain how the first two weeks of your course will run and how the rest of your course will run once classes resume in person.
- Let students know where to get started.
- Provide your availability for office hours.
Consider additional ways to get to know your students online.
- Invite students to share about themselves in a survey (see some anonymous or not anonymous examples). This can provide you a sense of student interests, the social make-up of your class, issues your students expect to face (e.g., time-differences, employment commitments, family responsibilities, etc.), and what technology skills and equipment they are working with. It also sends a social cue that you care and provides a space for students to share issues that may impact their participation in the course.
- Assess students’ prior knowledge to give you a sense of where students are and to allow you to adjust some approaches or provide useful background reading for students early on.
- Make a brief and informal video to introduce yourself. This enhances your students’ sense that you’re really present in the class, and creates a more inviting atmosphere for students to open up, come forward, and engage.
Most of all we want to remind you to be patient with yourself and your students: trauma is cumulative, and we have all been through almost two years of uncertainty.
Please also refer to the SAS Keep Teaching FAQ for information on policies and resources related to remote instruction.
Looking for more support? The SAS Teaching & Learning Team offers one-on-one consultations and departmental workshops. E-mail us to get in touch!
Q&A Session Recordings
Topic: Starting an In-Person Semester Online: Q&A with the SAS Teaching and Learning Team
Jan. 7, 2022 Meeting Recording
Jan. 11, 2022 Meeting Recording
Topic: Remote Start to Teaching Checklist: Canvas Workshop for Phase III Departments
Jan. 12, 2022 Meeting Recording
Click on "Meeting Recording" for the session you want to view. If prompted to sign in, select "SSO" to log in with your Rutgers NetID.
