TEACH REMOTELY: BEST PRACTICES

Below you will see general advice, a variety of course types, and additional tips on student engagement. The teaching tips are broken up according to common teaching styles (lecture, case, small group discussion, and hands-on).

GENERAL ADVICE

Focus on the pedagogy, not just the platform:
The attributes of a physical classroom do not guarantee that a class is effective or engaging. The same goes for online platforms. Time spent now thinking about how you want to teach using this technology will be time well spent. Think about which of your classroom-teaching strategies translate well to the remote setting, which do not, and what new approaches you might incorporate.

Take advantage of interactivity:
Online technologies can encourage and facilitate more “lean forward” behaviors than the traditional classroom. Moreover, most students are digital natives who already use remote technology for their own meetings and gatherings. Take advantage of these possibilities. This applies even to courses that are traditionally more lecture-based. For example, as described below, you can increase learner engagement by:

  • Surfacing questions that learners have around the material
  • Using polls to get a sense of the aggregate “temperature” of the room
  • Inviting students’ answers on particular questions
  • Having students engage in small “buzz group” conversations, or
  • “Cold calling.”

This is an opportunity to innovate:
Although the remote environment removes access to certain modes of teaching, it opens up a number of new possibilities, some of which you may be able to bring back to your physical classroom once the crisis is over. Students are likely to be more forgiving of missteps in a new environment. Take advantage of this difficult time to experiment with new teaching methods and tools.

EXPECTATIONS

 

DELIVERING YOUR ONLINE COURSE

 

ADDITIONAL TIPS ON ENGAGING STUDENTS DURING CLASS

 

OUTSIDE OF CLASS

 

*Adapted from Teach Remotely https://teachremotely.harvard.edu/best-practices

 

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Hyflex Quality Standards

 

The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) reached between the MSUB Faculty Association and the MSUB administration on November 5, 2020, is inclusive of the responsibilities of the faculty member and the compensation offered for the successful fulfillment of quality standards within a Hyflex course.

Section III states, in part, “The Faculty Association agrees that in order to ensure the standards and quality of Hyflex courses, only faculty who have completed the Hyflex training course offered through eLearning are eligible to develop and deliver a Hyflex course.

Section IV further states, in part, “ The Faculty Association agrees that the development compensation sum shall be awarded only after 1) the faculty member has completed the Hyflex training; 2) an eLearning assessment by staff and faculty fellows has verified that the course meets the standards of the Hyflex model.; and 3) the course has been delivered.”

The following are the quality standards to be explained by the eLearning Faculty Fellow of the faculty member’s college and by the eLearning Instructional Designer in their collaboration with the instructor to integrate these standards into the course(s). Once the course is fully developed by the instructor, the Fellow and the Designer review the course for standards met.

The standards are divided into three sections:

Section 1: First Impressions
Section 2: Syllabus
Section 3: Lesson Planning

 

The sections are sub-divided to address requirements in detail. Each sub-section includes “Expanded Explanations” to aid the faculty member and include, rationale, recommendation, required technology, common terms and techniques, universal design, active learning, engagement, and feedback variation.

Section 1: First Impressions

 

Section 2: Syllabus

Section 3: Lesson Planning

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Descriptions of Available Course Delivery Modes

In-person: This class is delivered synchronously and in-person, with regular in-person attendance necessary. Students and faculty participate in person at assigned physical locations at specific times. (Course registration codes begin with -00)

Online: This class is delivered asynchronously and remotely, using MSUB’s Learning Management System (LMS.) Students and faculty interact regularly but students cannot be required to participate synchronously. (Course registration codes begin with -80)

Blended/Hybrid: This class is delivered partially online in an asynchronous format and partially through face-to-face (F2F) interaction, typically in the classroom. There may also be some synchronous remote requirement. Both online and F2F interactions are required for the course. This delivery is characterized by the expectation of reduced F2F class meeting time when compared to the equivalent credit in-person course. (Course registration codes begin with -60)

HyFlex: This class allows fully flexible participation for students. Students may choose to participate fully online, fully in-person or a combination of both and may change their participation mode at any time. HyFlex courses must comply with the MSUB Core Principles of Quality for Online Courses. Synchronous participation is not required. (Course registration codes begin with -70)