Depending on your previous experience, you may need to become familiar with new tools or refresh your skills to fast track migration of your course to an online format. Decisions regarding changes should be realistic and aligned with your experience and skill level. Assess your own readiness and the time you have available for adapting your course for the coming term. As with any project, you will have constraints - time, resources, skill - and you'll have to balance those constraints against your essential learning outcomes.
Key questions to ask yourself
- Am I confident in my Quercus skills? (Schedule a consultation with the EdTech Office or review CTSI's Building your Course resources)
- Do I have the know-how to make simple videos? (See self-recording video/screen captures as well as how to participate in the remote editing process)
- Am I ready to choose between synchronous (real time) and asynchronous (recorded or text) options? (See choosing your course modality for an overview of the differences and example activities of each.)
- Do I want to build my own course shell from scratch, or should I download and adapt an example online course shell template? (Download an example Quercus course template; this is editable in your course)
- Can you make your course as accessible as possible? (Plan to support extra office hours and see Quercus' General Accessibility Design Guidelines and consider using Microsoft Stream to host video content (read about automatic transcriptions))
Wondering if you've missed something? Review the Instructor Quercus Checklist for an overview of elements that you'll likely want to have considered before your course starts. You definitely do not have to do everything on the checklist - but it's good to decide why not to, versus a situation of not knowing what you do not know.
Key things to consider to prepare your students
- Keep in mind the technical resources and the online learning skills that students will need to succeed in your course. (See the Recommended Technology Requirements for Remote/Online Learning from the Vice Provost, Students)
- Students may have access to varying technological devices which may be impacted by families that are sharing devices at home for online learning. (See Ryerson's Assisting Students with Limited Access to Technology)
- Students may have a diverse range of family responsibilities, which may impact their learning.
Key resources to share with your students
- Resources to help them prepare to learn online (see How to support and prepare students, 5 Tips for Students, and/or strategies for studying, concentration and memory)
- Remind them that they can contact Engineering's Learning strategist (through the Engineering Portal or call 416-978-4625).
- Student-facing Quercus technical support resources (see the Quercus Student Guide).