In the event of a campus closure or emergency, there are many tips and tools that you can use to lessen the impact on students and their learning. This guides provide technical instructions for how you can leverage educational technologies to support students in the event of an unexpected closure, cancellation, or any other disruption of schedule. These suggestions are not solely emergency tools or features; they absolutely can be implemented into your regularly scheduled courses.
The University’s Policy on Academic Continuity (January 26, 2012) “recognizes that events such as pandemic health emergencies, natural disasters, prolonged service interruptions, and ongoing labour disputes are potential threats to academic continuity” and states that “good stewardship requires that the University undertake appropriate planning and preparation to promote continuity.”
The Policy emphasizes the extent to which "resilient course and program design and other preparedness" can minimize the potential for disruption of the University’s academic mission. The following best practices are intended to support Teaching Staff in their efforts to ensure the resiliency of their courses.
Jump to a strategy:
If you have questions or would like further support, please contact the Education Technology Office to schedule a 1-1 session in person, over the phone, or online.
1. Track campus closures and updates
- Track campus closures and updates using official University of Toronto communication sources.
2. Use institutional tools to communicate with your students and teaching teams
Start communicating now - Share your course continuity plan with your students early. You can model this plan by using communication tools now versus waiting until there is a disruption.
Suggested communication mechanisms:
3. Download and/or test access to applicable tools
Outside of Quercus, there are a variety of tools that you can use to extend your online options. No one likes searching for login and download links, so commonly used tools have been listed below. As always, it is highly recommended to download and test these tools prior to needing them; this not only ensures that the tool is working technically but that it provides the functionality you are looking for.
Quick links to the most commonly used tools:
- Self-recorded screen capturing: TechSmith SnagIt
- Video Hosting and Streaming: MyMedia | Microsoft Stream
- Webinar: Zoom | Microsoft Teams
- Content Authoring: Office365
- Survey/Feedback: Microsoft Forms
4. Transition your course online to continue teaching
If you suspect students (or yourself) will have difficulty making it in to class, or if the campus is closed, you might want to continue teaching using online options. These are also ways to reduce the frequency of visiting campus, which could be especially helpful for commuting students.
Recommended online course delivery mechanisms:
- Record and then share a formal lecture or other course content
- Record an "on the fly" informal message
- Run an online course session
- Offer online office hours
- Use the SpeedGrader to provide rich feedback
- Support collaborative student work
- Add events and due dates to the calendar
- Configure online submission for assignments and assessments
- Request lecture capture (both live or pre-recorded)
5. Consider granting access to your Quercus course
If you know that you will not be able to continue teaching your course for any reason, you could pro-actively grant permission for whoever continues your course to access your Quercus course shell. In general, EdTech staff do not enter courses without permission, nor do we add new enrollments. By granting permission to access your course contents, you'll facilitate a smooth transition for the incoming instructor.
Suggestions on how to add people to your course: