When moving from face-to-face to online/remote on a short timeline remember to focus on the essential learning outcomes. Online course design is a time consuming and intensive process; you might not have the resources to complete this process as fully as you'd like before your course begins. This quick guide focuses a few of the most effective (but easily implementable) ideas for you to use in your course. Remember: communicate with your students, reassure them of your support, and be flexible in the options provided where possible. Add to that a basic familiarity with Quercus and you'll be ready to go!
If you do not have a lot of time...
- Explore ideas for alternative assessments. and put a quiz or assignment online
- Organize your course structure - Should you use pages or modules? See The Q: Pages vs Modules Course Organization and check out examples of courses from other institutions.
- Send a welcome announcement. And then send more; use these to check in, share ideas, and to keep students on track.
- Record an introduction to the course (including a run through of the syllabus). Run a live welcome lesson or hold an office hour online - Which tool should you use and when? Supporting these sessions before, during, and after are key to their success - see our guide to implementing synchronous online activities.
- Put files online (lecture notes, slides, readings) - Keep an eye on your course quota and try to use a video streaming service (like Microsoft Stream).
- Create lecture capture video/share video - Would you like some help with video production? See How to participate in the remote editing process.
- Engage students in online discussion - See 10 Tips for effective online discussions (like starting with a low stakes introduction thread)
Want to get a jumpstart? Download a online/remote learning Quercus course template. It will get you started and you can edit it as needed!
Looking more quick tips? Check out CTSI's Teaching Online/Remotely Quick Guide.