So you’ve got to shift modalities...

This document is being updated live with information as CATL addresses the “Frequently Asked Questions” of the UW-Green Bay community.

LAST UPDATE: 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 24.

Check back often.

Quick Links

Determine how you will communicate with students.

Make a communication plan. Here are 5 Things to Communicate to Students

Email

Description: Communicate with students via campus email. Access email at uwgb.edu/email. You may wish to use the Course Distributions Lists provided by the Information Technology Division.
Support: Use uwgb.edu or contact the Heldesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu

Canvas Announcements and Messages

Description: Let students know you will be using Canvas and they should check it regularly. Create announcements to keep students updated with brief messages and check-ins or use messages/Inbox in Canvas for more thorough communications.
Support: Contact Canvas by phone at 1(833)811-3206 or from within the Canvas help menu.

Web conference

Description: Let students know you will be continuing synchronous instruction and then use Blackboard Ultra (you will need to first add Ultra to your Canvas course navigation).
Support: Use uwgb.edu or contact the Heldesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu

Keep it simple. Identify your key learning objectives.

Ask yourself what you wish to accomplish in the next week(s).

As a quick review of objectives see any of the following:

The ABCD method of writing objectives (From the University of Maryland)
Writing measurable objectives (from TeachOnline at Arizona State, on the web)
Go Beyond Information Sharing - 5 Ways Your Course Can Create Understanding - from Tom Kuhlman's Instructional Design Blog.

What will students do or produce as a result?

Read and respond

Description: Provide students with a reading/text and ask them to respond in the form of an essay or follow-along-style study guide. See “Assignments” below.
Support: The Cofrin Library and CATL can help you find and utilize free-for-student resources (journals etc.). CATL is happy to help you formulate your essay questions or build your study guide.

Assignments (Non-Canvas)

Descriptions: As students complete their work, ask that they email you their end product. Be aware of potential limitations as not all students will have access to the same software, etc. Students with reliable internet can access the online version of the Office suite via One Drive.
Support: Contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu with questions regarding email and the use of campus software (e.g. Word Online).

Assignments (Using Canvas)

Description: Use Canvas to create an “Assignment” where students can submit work as a file (most common), text entry, or web address. Be aware of potential limitations as not all students will have access to the same software, etc. Students with reliable internet can access the online version of the Office suite via One Drive.
Support: Contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu with questions regarding email and the use of campus software (e.g. Word Online).

“Quizzes and Exams” (Non-Canvas)

Description: If you write your quizzes as text documents, students can complete them an email them back to you. While this works in principle, it works best if your intent is open-book short-answer/essay-style quizzes; this is not the option for you if “cheating” is a concern or if you have hundreds of students.
Support: Contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu with questions regarding email and the use of campus software (e.g. Word Online).

“Quizzes and Exams” (Using Canvas)

PowerPoint Presentations

Description: If you would normally have students present content-based material (summary-style information or “book reports”), it may be sufficient for them to share with you their PowerPoints with notes provided along with the slides.
Support: Contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu with questions regarding email and the use of campus software (e.g. PowerPoint Online). Contact Canvas with questions regarding “Assignments” if you go that route (see above).

Synchronous Video Presentations (Blackboard Ultra)

Description: If student presentations require a bit of interaction, you can create a Blackboard session (see the notes on “lecturing” below) for them to do so. Be aware of potential limitations as not all students will have access to the same hardware (webcam, microphone, etc.)
Support: Blackboard has excellent documentation about Ultra. Contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu with questions.

Asynchronous Video Presentations (Kaltura)

Description: A step up from PowerPoint only, students can use Kaltura Capture as you can (see the notes on “lecturing” below). Be aware of potential limitations as not all students will have access to the same hardware (webcam, microphone, etc.)
Support: UW System has documentation available. Contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu with questions.

What is your comfort level with technology? How about your students?

Self-assess

Focus on what matters most for being the type of teacher you want to be. For example, if discussions are the most important thing for your course, channel your energy on learning how to do discussions (web conferences, or Canvas discussions, e.g.) You do not have to learn everything. Focus on what matters to your class and your learning objectives.

Assess students’ abilities and resources

Students are not automatically comfortable with technology and they do not all have the latest gadgets. Once you have a handle on the technology you wish to use, you may wish to send a quick email to students to ask what impediments they may have.
Be sure to explain how to use any technologies that students may be unfamiliar with.
- Blackboard Collaborate help for students
- Canvas guide for students

How will you conduct your instruction?

Lecture notes, study guides, journal articles, etc.

Description: Your course may be suited to using primary source materials (such as journal articles) and supplemental framing language or notes provided by you. You may wish to provide study guides to go along with these materials. See also “Read and Respond” under the section about student work above.
Support: The Cofrin Library and CATL can help you find and utilize free-for-student resources (journals etc.). CATL is happy to help you formulate your essay questions or build your study guide.

PowerPoints with notes or narrations

Description: If you provide your PowerPoint files to students (through email or Canvas), you may want to provide further detail in the notes section of the slides. Be advised: if posting PowerPoints in Canvas, students will need to download the presentation to view these notes.
Support: Contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu with questions regarding campus software (e.g. PowerPoint or PowerPoint Online). Contact Canvas with questions regarding uploading or downloading materials.

Narrated PowerPoint videos

Description: You can Export a recorded/narrated PowerPoint as a video and upload it to Kaltura for sharing or embedding in Canvas.
Support: Contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu with questions regarding campus software (e.g. PowerPoint or PowerPoint Online). Contact Canvas with questions regarding embedding Kaltura videos.

Synchronous Video Presentations (Blackboard Ultra)

Description: If you add Blackboard Ultra to a Canvas course, you can use it to conduct a synchronous session with your students. This may involve audio/video, live chat, PowerPoint slides, and/or an interactive whiteboard.
Support: Blackboard has excellent documentation about Ultra. Contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu with questions.

Asynchronous Video Presentations (Kaltura)

Description: Kaltura Capture is an audio/video recording tool available through Canvas. You can record a webcam (some instructors have even pointed their webcams at whiteboards or used them as makeshift doc cams) and/or PowerPoint (simultaneously).
Support: UW System has documentation available. Contact the helpdesk at helpdesk@uwgb.edu with questions.
Samples: there is a video lecture with desktop recording at the bottom of the Kaltura Capture quick-start videos page. You may prefer written lectures with embedded media. For that, you can use Kaltura Capture or, for an even more straight-forward approach, use already available clips from YouTube, PBS, or other sources. Here's a sample of such a page in Canvas.

Make a plan to have the resources you need available to you?

Be sure to have:

Duo fob or Duo app installed on your phone (helpdesk@uwgb.edu for support)
Upload important documents to Office365 or to a flash drive (helpdesk@uwgb.edu for support)

Consider Student Resources (and Limitations)

Poorer internet connections
Lacking webcam, microphone, other hardware
Lacking software or software issues (browser plugins, etc.)
Flexibility of dates, file types, formatting—always go back to purpose/objectives

How will you assess learning?

Focus on the objectives—be aware of limitations (above)
Keep this in the back of your mind for when it comes time to re-group later

Quickstart Considerations

Core value	How you can attain it
Extemporaneous discussions	Closest analogue: Blackboard Ultra Alternative: Canvas Discussions
Content delivery	Closest analogue: Kaltura Capture (asynchronous) or Blackboard Ultra (synchronous) Alternative: Lecture notes, PowerPoints, etc.
Content knowledge check	Closest analogue: Canvas Quizzes or Assignments