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  1. Review your course activities and resources
  2. Identify which activities and resources you'd like to keep as is
  3. Identify which activities and resources you will need to change for the online environment.

You may need to alter your resources or activities to run well online. Additionally, you will need to choose which activities to run synchronously and which to run asynchronously. For help identifying the best course of action for your course, see Step 2: Strategies and Step 3: Resources of the Academic Continuity PlanYour course learning outcomes are key to determine what you need to prioritize in this unique period. For those activities/resources you will change, you should consider how they will be presented in an online environment

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titleWhat are the student learning outcomes of your class sessions?

What are the student learning outcomes of your class sessions?

How do students typically learn during your in-class meetings? What are your desired outcomes for each class session? What are successful students able to measurably do after a given session?

  • Do you typically provide content, explanations, or clarifications through lectures?
  • Do students engage content through large or small group discussion?
  • Do students learn from each other through student presentations?
  • Do students spend class time practicing skills or hands-on exploration?

Once you know what student learning experiences you need to facilitate online, decide whether synchronous or asynchronous options suit your needs.

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Once you know what student learning experiences you need to facilitate online, decide whether synchronous (real-time or live) or asynchronous options suit your needs. Below is an explanation of the pros and cons of synchronous or asynchronous activities. Step 2: Strategies is full of strategies for how to accomplish these tasks. Also, feel free to contact Mark Henderson and the Online Learning Office to assist for assistance in thinking through how your unique course outcomes can be met online.

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titleWhat are the pros and cons of synchronous (real-time or live) and asynchronous learning?

Synchronous vs. Asynchronous?

There are two options for instructors to facilitate class sessions remotely: 

  1. Synchronous: instructors and students gather at the same time and interact in “real time” with a very short or “near-real time” exchange between instructors and students.
  2. Asynchronous: instructors prepare course materials for students in advance of students’ access. Students may access the course materials at a time of their choosing and will interact with each over a longer period of time.

Instructors may choose to engage their students synchronously or asynchronously depending on the course content or material that needs to be taught. There are many advantages and disadvantages to asynchronous and synchronous teaching options. 

Advantages of Synchronous Teaching

  1. Immediate personal engagement between students and instructors, which may create greater feelings of community and lessen feelings of isolation
  2. More responsive exchanges between students and instructors, which may prevent miscommunication or misunderstanding

Disadvantages of Synchronous Teaching

  1. More challenging to schedule shared times for all students and instructors
  2. Some students may face technical challenges or difficulties if they do not have fast or powerful Wi-Fi networks accessible 
  3. Some students may face accessibility issues without live captioning or other accommodations for live content.

Advantages of Asynchronous Teaching

  1. Higher levels of temporal flexibility, which may simultaneously make the learning experiences more accessible to different students and also make an archive of past materials accessible.  
  2. Increased cognitive engagement since students will have more time to engage with and explore the course material. 
  3. Increased ability to provide accessibility accommodations such as captions or alternative descriptions of images.

Disadvantages of Asynchronous Teaching

  1. Students may feel less satisfied without the social interaction between their peers and instructors. 
  2. Course material may be misunderstood or have the potential to be misconstrued without the real-time interaction.

Source: Stanford University, "Teaching Effectively During Times of Disruption, for SIS and PWR," CC-BY-NC-SA


Now that you have thought through whether you need synchronous (real-time or live) or asynchronous options, go to Step 2: Strategies to work on what needs to be put on your Moodle course site. Step 3: Resources gives a list of articles that may be helpful as well as an overview of our technology tools. 

Communicate

Remember to communicate early and often with your students. They are going through this disruption with you, and are looking to you to provide clarity and direction for how your course will be taught online.


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titleWill I need to update my syllabus?

Once you choose which resources and activities will remain in your course in an online format and have updated your online course site, you will likely need to update your syllabus with those course changes. Upon completion, upload the new syllabus file to your course site. Be sure that the syllabus file is a .doc, .docx, or .pdf. Avoid saving/uploading the file as a .rtf or .pages. These file types are not accessible on every device.

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