Shifting in-person classes into an online/remote environment is challenging to do mid-semester. We are not the only institutions struggling this this, so while the resources below are specific, we also provide some articles from sources such as Inside Higher Ed and the Chronicle of Higher Education for your review.
Because we cannot assume that all students have high-speed internet access, asynchronous methods for completing work are necessary elements of emergency remote teaching.
An audio-recorded lecture is essentially a podcast. Lectures can be recorded in advance and assigned for your students to listen to. Lectures recorded in advance can be less technologically fraught than synchronous sessions in which everyone in class is logged on at the same time, audio-only files require less robust technology to listen to, and can be listened to multiple times to allow for content review.
Note: While audio-only recordings may work well for students with technological limitations, they are not accessible to students with hearing impairments for those who benefit from learning in multiple modalities (e.g., auditory & visual inputs). Because of this, it is best to extract the audio from a video capture (above) to provide audio-only to students as needed, while making more accessible materials available as well.
Step 1: Record your audio and video file as described above, saving to either the file to your computer (this makes it easier to extract the audio only file).
Step 2: After ending your recorded meeting, your recording will need to convert before it can save. Zoom will allow you to choose where you want to save your recording. It is best to save files to a location where you will be able to easily retrieve them.
Step 3: The file named audio_only.m4a is the audio track.
Step 4: Convert the .m4a file to an .mp3 audio file. There are numerous free tools that will do this, including https://online-audio-converter.com/, which does not need to be installed on your computer. Audacity is another free tool that will convert and edit audio files, but Audacity does need to be downloaded and installed on your computer..
Step 5: Upload and share the .mp3 audio file with your audience.
A recorded lecture is also known as a screencast or as "lecture capture." Lectures can be recorded in advance and assigned for your students to watch. Lectures recorded in advance can be less technologically fraught than synchronous sessions in which everyone in class is logged on at the same time, can be viewed by students with less robust internet connections, and can be viewed multiple times to allow for content review.
When recording lectures, remember that attention spans are short, and it may be better to assign multiple short lectures instead of one long recording. It is best to keep recordings under 10 minutes long. Learn how to Record Effective Microlectures.
Steps for Recording with Zoom or PowerPoint:
Step 1: Have the Recording Devices Ready
In addition to a computer and your PowerPoint file, you need a device to record your voice. The Library Information Desk has laptops, microphones and webcams for checkout
To Test the Recording System
On a PC:
On a Mac:
Step 2: Record your Lecture (with voice and the computer screen)
It is recommended you break a long lecture into segments, with each segment being a video of 10 minutes or shorter in runtime. Learn how to Record Effective Microlectures.
It is recommended you break a long lecture into segments, and when converted to video-format (.mp4 or .mov) each segment is less than 10 minutes long. Name the video segments of the presentation in the form of "Topic X: Part 1", "Topic X: Part 2", etc.. Longer videos require you change a setting in your G-Suite Account (tutorial on accessing your R-MC G-Suite account).
Step 3: Upload the recorded lecture onto YouTube for easy access (watch the tutorial).
The Collaborations feature in Canvas allows students to work together on a shared Google Document. You can start documents and add students to them, or individual students or student groups can also start collaborations with other students.
To set up a Collaborative document:
You can create a collaborative document directly within Canvas. Follow the steps below:
Online Discussions can be a way to mirror the conversation held in class in an online environment. They are text based, available in the Canvas app, and most closely replicate the classroom experience of exchanging information and perspective not just between student and student, but between students and the professor. Here are some tips for leading good online discussions:
Learn more about how to Plan and Facilitate Effective Discussions.
Decker, G.L. & Cox, S.J. (n.d.) What Do Students Say about Online Discussion?. Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Tools: 15 Strategies for Engaging Online Students Using Real-time Chat, Threaded Discussions and Blogs Retrieved from http://www.tnstate.edu/business/fac-resources/Synchronous-and-Asynchronous-Learning.pdf0.pdf
If recording video and/or audio to accompany your PowerPoint slides is not possible due to time or technological challenges, you can also: