Online Teaching and Learning
23 New to Online Teaching?
Jennifer Smith
Online Teaching Overview | Canvas Setup | Communication | Adapt Course Materials for Online | Quality Course Design
Online Teaching Overview
At its core, online teaching has the same goal as face-to-face teaching: helping students learn. Some students may prefer online courses for their flexibility, while others prefer the relative anonymity of the online space. It is important to remember that successful teaching online requires different strategies than face-to-face. Just as a painting is different than a photograph, online teaching requires some thought and planning to make the best use of different mediums.
There are four main areas that need special attention:
- Building community among students
- Effectively communicating with students
- This includes quality feedback
- Messages, office hours, and lectures (whether recorded or delivered synchronously)
- Clearly explaining expectations and accountability
- Providing opportunities for meaningful engagement with the course material
Canvas Setup
Visit the Canvas Setup chapter of this UF Instructor Guide for directions on how to:
- Request your Canvas course site (available approximately three weeks before the term start date).
- Request a “development” shell that you can use to prepare your course before the Registrar course request is available.
- Add a non-Registrar sub-section that you can use to:
- Divide students into groups for TA assignments.
- Group students for different versions of exams.
- Copy your Canvas content from a development shell or previous term to a new site.
Communication
When teaching online, it is important to communicate how students will engage with you and the course material. This information doesn’t necessarily need to be in the syllabus, but it does need to be somewhere students can find it easily. Don’t assume that students know how an online course works!
Items to communicate:
- How you will deliver lectures (asynchronous, synchronous via Zoom, both, etc.)
- How your students will engage with the course content (assignments, discussion, etc.)
- How you will assess whether students have achieved course learning goals and objectives (quizzes, exams, assignments, etc.)
- How students will communicate with you (virtual office hours, open Canvas discussion, Canvas Inbox, etc.)
- Provide details about technologies you will be using, including VPN and proctoring
- Spell out your expectations for interaction or netiquette (edit these guidelines to meet your needs)
IMPORTANT! Publish Your Canvas Course
It starts the semester off right if students are able to access their course materials on or before the first day of classes. Students may feel anxious about participating in an online course, and those feelings can be magnified by delays and lack of communication.
To do so, complete the following steps:
- In your Canvas shell, select “Settings”
- Under the “Course Details” tab, set the start date and t