Page 34 - Campus Technology, March/April 2020

FEATURE Online Learning
Meet for videoconferencing with student groups, Google Docs for essays and written work that can be reviewed online, and Quizlet for study activities and formative assessment quizzes because it generates new questions each time.” —Matthew Glotzbach, CEO, Quizlet
“Faculty who are asked to quickly move their teaching online should start by connecting with someone they trust who can advise them, and then deciding what technology is available to them that will help them transition most easily. Then, they should work from their existing syl- labus or lesson plan to determine how each can be done remotely.” —Carli Tegtmeier, vice presi- dent of Sales and Higher Education at Pronto
“It is essential that administrators create a plan that includes training and professional devel- opment that, hopefully, is engaging. Once a plan is in place, I would encourage administra- tors to have their instructors learn how to use videoconferencing tools, and once they feel comfortable with those tools, to promote the idea of having remote professional development through webinars and videoconference calls so they can understand the student perspective. They will learn about some of the distractions that occur when a student is remote. If they
are aware of some of the distractions, they can address them and help students navigate them.” —Josh Nichols, veteran teacher and CEO/founder of CrossBraining
“The first step is to get the basic assignments online. Provide printable handouts (in PDF for- mat) or reference documents from one reposi-
tory if possible, to make it easy for students to bookmark and return to. The second step is to leverage videoconferencing technology built into Microsoft Office 365, Zoom, Slack or other ser- vices. Try to set up and keep the classes going on the same schedule. Record them for those students who are unable to attend. Establish ‘office’ hours online and conduct those using the video tools.” —Wayne Bovier, founder and CEO at Higher Digital
“It is very helpful to provide FAQ documents and single-page summaries of basic features of the program [for those faculty who are not familiar with the programs]. Faculty will benefit from an actual run-through using the program prior to using it in class. IT staff members can host Zoom meetings. Finally, it is important for faculty to
be able to reach out (electronically or by phone) for IT help in the middle of a [web conferencing] session [with students]; even if it is not used,
it will ease an instructor’s anxiety to know that this is possible.” —Frederick Lawrence, secretary and CEO, The Phi Beta Kappa Society
What about students? If they don’t have ex- perience with online learning, where’s a good place to start?
“Start where they are! E-mail then voice/video- conferencing. Encourage students to collaborate — have calls to share best practices, talk about assignments or ‘work’ together.” —Kara Longo Korte, director, product management at TetraVX
“Setting a schedule — and sticking to it — is crucial. Without the imposed structure of showing up for class at a given time in a physi-
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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | Mar/Apr 2020