Teach Online Transitioning In-Class Activities to an Online Format

Explore the tabs below to find ways to switch a classroom experience to a remote experience! Each tab lists different options and links to instructions on how to make it happen for your class.

Communicating with students

Content

Identify how you communicate with students in the classroom to find different ways to do that remotely:

How to Communicate with Students
What I do in a face-to-face class.	How can I do this remotely?	Tips and tricks.
I make an announcement in class.	Post announcements with the Canvas Announcements tool. These announcements also get sent to the students via the email on file with Shasta.	Write your Canvas Announcement ahead of time and delay posting until a specific date and/or time.
I give verbal instructions about how to do something in class.	Create a video and/or written instructions.	Include a rationale in your instructions -- i.e., explain why students are completing each task and show how each task links to the objectives.
I ask students to email me with questions.	Keep doing it!	When students message you through the Canvas Inbox, Canvas automatically include the students section name and number for your reference.
I hold regular office hours and/or I make one-on-one appointments with students.	Use Zoom to hold meetings and office hours. Google Voice can be used to hold telephone based conversations, keeping your phone number private.	If multiple students show up in the office hours, you can do a group Q&A session, Conversely, you can schedule 10-15 minute private appointments and have students sign up on a Canvas Page or Word doc in Office 365.

Sharing and organizing course materials

Content

Identify how you share course materials in the classroom to find different ways to do that remotely:

How to Communicate with Students in Your Online Courses
What I do in a face-to-face class.	How do I do this remotely?	Tips and Tricks
I give lectures.	Pre-record lectures in segements, called Microlectures, using Studio, built into Canvas and assign students to watch by a certain date.	Ask your students about their access to computers, mobile devices and strong internet connections. Provide alternatives if students need them.
I give paper handouts to students.	Place the content form the handout into a Canvas Pages.	Additionally, you can explore the availablity of Open Educational Resources.
I assign readings (textbook pages, journal articles)	Provide clear instructions.	The instructions include why you are asking students to read the material and what they are to do while reading -- provide a reading prompt guiding student comprehension, such as key questions to answer.
I give live demos in a lab.	Demonstrate with images and text. Create a video of the lab experiment.	Studio can be used for creating such videos.

Engaging students

Content

Identify how you engage students in the classroom to find different ways to do that remotely:

Engaging with your Students
What I do in a face-to-face class.	How do I do this remotely?	Tips and tricks.
I facilitate discussions involving the whole class.	Engage students in a Canvas Discussion. Ask students to submit posts and replies via video using Flipgrid. During a live, video class session on Zoom, cold call on students or separate them into small breakout groups.	Reply to students in the discussion thread to ask guiding questions, summarize trends, and keep the conversation going. Also consider sending out “global” feedback in one announcement or email.
I assign small group activities.	Assign students to a small team with Canvas groups. Each group can utilize Office 365 to create a shared workspace and materials for submission.	Make sure your instructions for groupwork are very clear. Provide scaffolding for students: how should they get in touch? What exactly should each member complete? For example, if assigning a group Word doc project with four questions, each group member can be responsible for and graded on one question each.
I weave activities into my lectures.	Record your lecture segements in Studio and then include quiz-like questions embedded into the videos. Use optional Zoom sessions to give lectures. Record the session, but leave student video off in accordance with Academic Senate recommendations.	Keep recorded lectures short and sweet (no more than 10 minutes per segement). Share the recorded link with students after to keep students who were unable to make the synchronous meeting in the loop.
I poll students in class or I collect student feedback.	If you have live sessions on Zoom or Big Blue Button, use the Chat or Poll feature to ask questions. Collect student feedback with an anonymous, ungraded quiz in Canvas or use a fun, visually appealing app like Padlet.	Once you collect the feedback, respond! You can do a short video or text response synthesizing the feedback you received.

Assessing learning

Content

Identify how you assess learning in the classroom to find different ways to do that remotely:

Assessing What Your Students Learned
What I do in a face-to-face class.	How do I do this remotely?	Tips and tricks.
I give proctored quizzes/exams in a classroom.	Shasta provides a no-cost tool to all faculty that provides Canvas Quiz proctoring, Proctorio.	Use many low-stakes quizzes to check student comprehension.. Use announcements to provide global feedback/share resources that address gaps.
I assign student presentations.	Students also have access to Studio in their Canvas accounts. Use Flipgrid if videos are short. Check out Adobe Spark. It's fun to use. Students can add images, music and narrate the slides with their voice.	Provide students with technology barriers options and alternatives for how to record and submit their presentations.
I assign lab practicum work.	Link to a virtual lab or simulaton.	Break the lab experience into component parts -- setting up the experiment, interpreting data, reporting results -- and assess the part(s) that align with your learning objectives.
I assign essays.	Ask students to submit essays via the Canvas Assignment tool.	Include tutorials and guidance for students about how to upload to Canvas.

A special thanks Laney College President Tammeil Gilkerson for designing this document.

Have Questions?

If you encounter any course design or technology challenges while using Canvas, don't hesitate to submit a ticket to the Center for Online Learning and Teaching (COLT). We are always here to support you!

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