Best Practices for Remote Learning

• So far, so good! The students appreciate ZOOM sessions.
• If nothing else my tutoring program will be better prepared to support students in-person and remotely when we resume traditional practices.
• I teach hybrid classes, too, so I’ve been able to adapt quite easily.
• When I focus on the positive, I see that the hard work of my team.  It will help future cohorts receive a variety of support service options in the future. I appreciate my team!
• It has been fairly smooth.
• I had to essentially restart my approaches to faculty, staff, and students regarding the comprehensive support services and and tutoring. My team have very quickly adapted to online offerings and were able to resume meeting with students immediately and seamlessly.
• Zoom is phenomenal! This tool helps me feel connected to my students. The breakout rooms have significantly helped to promote group discussions among my students.
• I’m becoming more comfortable with Zoom and advanced features of Canvas, so my online presence is definitely improved.

• My discipline: communications, and public speaking relies heavily on direct contact which is now impossible.
• There has been a great deal of hours spent transferring and adapting material onto Canvas, but overall, not too painful.
• A rather steep learning curve.
• Getting the word out about resources and changes to students. Having a website alone is not enough.
• Communication is the biggest challenge, getting students engaged.
• Some students do not demonstrate active participation in the current assignments.
• Some students consistently miss the Zoom sessions.
• Teaching online is much more work than face to face and can be consuming, so it’s important to have a set schedule.

Best Practices: These are a few best practices shared by your fellow instructors on the things that make remote teaching better.

• • Keep lectures under 30 minutes.
  • Save Zoom class meetings for discussion of the chapter and other activities to reinforce or discuss how to complete assignments.
  • Use the waiting room for student groups to really talk amongst themselves.
  • Complete tech training is a must!
  • Send detailed “to-do” emails each week to students that included specific timings on lectures, office hours and zoom availability.
  • Make sure that all Canvas material is clearly labeled each week.
  • Ensure most to all students have the appropriate technology & access to resources.
  • Demonstrate a collaborative culture.  People tend to be more engaged when they feel like they are part of a team.
  • Maintain as much flexibility as possible, while adhering to academic schedules and rigor.
  • Develop more interactive assignments on Canvas to stimulate student engagement, i.e. video case studies, presentations via Zoom, and group assignments.
  • Do not let yourself get overwhelmed; take breaks from the computer, and set boundaries to avoid burn out.
  • Planning, preparing, and organization is the key to success.
  • Team work and reinforcing concepts for learning through the different resources such as YouTube videos, & Ted Talks are great.
  • Keep in regular contact with your students, emails, ZOOM, Announcements, and calls when necessary.
  • Be upfront with expectations and adjust if you need to accommodate the students as much as possible.

These are unprecedented times. No one could imagine this times this year, we would all be working from home, practicing social distancing, not seeing our loved ones, losing jobs, etc.  This section was created to help you regain your sense of self, learn to relax, take one day at a time, and to be mindful of it while you are practicing this. Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future. Here are a few resources (articles, exercises, podcasts, & videos) that are helpful to claim your “Mindfulness”.

Articles

• • What is Mindfulness?
  • 5 Simple Mindfulness Practices for Daily Life
  • 6 Ways to Mindfully Calm Your Anxiety
  • 10 Ways to Be More Mindful at Work
  • 22 Mindfulness Exercises, Techniques & Activities for Adults
  • That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief
  • How Mindful Are You Assessment?

Get up & Exercise

• • Cardio Latin Dance Workout
  • Caribbean Dance Workout
  • Full Body Stretch
  • Hip-Hop Fit Workout
  • Super Hero Fitness TV
  • Yoga
  • Zumba

Podcast & Videos

• • • Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley: a plethora of videos, articles, & podcasts
      • • Top Topics
        • How Taking Photos Can Help You Find Meaning in Life
        • How to Be Less Hard on Yourself
        • How to Deal with Uncertainty
        • Notice the Good in Your Life
        • Remembering to Breathe
        • Step Away from Anxiety
        • The Science of Happiness
    • What If…?

Music

• • Deep Sleep Music for Quarantine, Insomnia, Meditation, Sleep Music, Relax, Spa, Calm Music
  • Relaxing Music for Quarantine, Meditation, Sleep Music, Healing, Relax, Study, Sleep, Spa, Zen
  • Upbeat Pop Music
  • Words of Encouragement

NOVA has converted all assessments to be unproctored.  In order to create valuable assessments that upholds academic rigor.  This section was created to assist instructors with creating “Authentic Assessments”.  Authentic assessment is the measurement of intellectual accomplishments that are worthwhile, significant, and meaningful, as contrasted to multiple choice standardized tests.  Examples and Links to articles that will assist with the different types of authentic assessments and strategies.

Articles

• • Association of American Colleges & Universities: Higher Education Assessment—Who Are We Assessing, and For What Purpose?
  • Assessment Commons: assessment blog with other faculty
  • Carnegie Mellon University: Conduct Assessments of Learning and Teaching
  • Carnegie Mellon University: Assessments
  • Classroom Assessment Techniques
  • Grading and Performance Rubrics
  • Make Formative Assessment More Student-Centered
  • QM Emergency Remote Instruction Checklist
  • What Are Some Types of Assessment?
  • What is Authentic Assessment?

 Types of Assessments:

• • • Observation
    • Essays
    • Interviews
    • Performance tasks
    • Exhibitions and demonstrations
    • Portfolios
    • Journals
    • Teacher-created tests
    • Rubrics
    • Self- and peer-evaluation