Additional Resources

Please note: These resources were compiled to support our quick pivot to emergency remote teaching during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in our area, in the spring of 2020. While we hope some of this content may be of continuing value, these pages are not being updated and may contain outdated information.

The following web sites and documents offer a variety of suggestions and "better practices" for remote teaching. Many are specific to the schools that produced them, but all offer useful advice that can be adapted.

See also: Xavier Library's index of resources that have been made available during the COVID-19 epidemic

Instructional Continuity Planning

An instructional continuity plan is a plan to ensure that learning can continue even when face-to-face meeting is not possible.

• Quick Start Guide for Developing an Instructional Continuity Plan (CAT Food Blog)
• Preparing to Teach During an Interruption: Strategies for Maintaining Instructional Continuity Workshop (CAT+FD Workshop)
  • Workshop Presentation Slides
  • Workshop Recording (8/29/2018) - 46 minutes
• Instructional Continuity Planning Worksheets (Washington College)
  • ICP Planning Guide worksheet (pdf)
  • ICP Planning Outline worksheet (pdf)
• Instruction Continuity Plan Examples (Georgetown University)

Emergency Remote Teaching

Remote teaching is the use of technology to allow teaching and learning to take place during a temporary emergency.

• Teaching Effectively During Times of Disruption (Jenae Cohn and Beth Seltzer, Stanford University)
• Resources for Online Meetings, Classes and Events (Nancy White and Facilitators for Pandemic Response Group)
• Remote Exam Kit (Office of Academic Innovation, Portland State University)
• Best Practices for Online Tests (Center for Teaching Excellence, Pepperdine University)
• Putting some of your course content online in a hurry? We have resources for you! (Stacey Johnson, Vanderbilt University)
• Going Online in a Hurry (Michelle D. Miller, Chronicle of Higher Ed)
• Prepare to Move Online (in a Hurry) (Nathan Greeno, Inside Higher Ed)
• QM Emergency Remote Instruction Checklist for Higher Ed.: The Quality Matters Emergency Remote Instruction (ERI) Checklist is a tiered list of considerations, tips, and actionable strategies to enact during an institutional move to temporary remote instruction of classroom-based courses.

Brightspace Resources

Brightspace is the Learning Management System (LMS) used by Xavier and is the best pedagogical technology to start with during an emergency.

• Brightspace How-to Guides (CAT Food Blog)
• Brightspace Tips (CAT Food Blog)
• Brightspace Help (D2L)
• Brightspace YouTube Channel (YouTube)
• Brightspace Community (D2L)
• Which Brightspace Tool should I use? (Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, Memorial University)
• Embed Web 2.0 Tools in your Brightspace Course (Millersville University)

Resources for Technology Tools

Beyond Brightspace, there are a variety of technologies that can be used to provide teaching, learning, and assessment.

• Blog, Wiki or Forum - which should you use? (University of New South Wales - Sydney)
• 50 Web Tools (CAT Food Blog)
• Be Ready for Mother Nature with VoiceThreads (CAT Food Blog)
• Technology for Academics (Sue Frantz, Technology for Academics)
• Virtual Laboratories in Teaching and Learning Science (Scientix Blog)
• Learning Outcomes/Technology Tools Matrix (University of New South Wales - Sydney)

Accessibility Resources

When using technology to teach, try to ensure that materials are accessible to all students.

• Accessibility in Education (CAT Food Blog)
• Brightspace Accessibility Information
  • D2L Committed to Accessibility in Education (D2L)
  • About Accessible Courses and Accessible Course Content (D2L)
  • Brightspace Accessibility and Navigation (D2L)
  • Accessibility and Navigation in Brightspace - Learner Guide (D2L)
• Tips for Creating Accessible Content
  • Headings (CAT Food Blog)
  • Text Formatting (CAT Food Blog)
  • Descriptive Links (CAT Food Blog)
  • Alternative Text (Alt Text) (CAT Food Blog)
  • Describing Complex Images (CAT Food Blog)
  • Lists (CAT Food Blog)
  • Tables (CAT Food Blog)
  • Creating Accessible Course Content In Microsoft Word (D2L)
  • Creating Accessible Course Content In Microsoft PowerPoint (D2L)
  • Six Tips For Making Online Courses Accessible (D2L)
• Tips for Instructors: Teaching Deaf Students Online (pdf) (National Deaf Center)
• Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities (pdf) (American Chemical Society)
• Introduction to Web Accessibility (Web Accessibility in Mind)
• Open Education Resources (OER) and Accessibility (Merlot)
• Universal Design for Learning (CAST)
• Web Accessibility (Purdue University)
• Microsoft Accessibility Resources (Microsoft)
• PDF Accessibility: Best Practices (Adobe)

Corporate Freebies

During the COVID-19 outbreak, some telecom and software companies are offering freebies and discounts. This list may be updated.

Internet access

• Your Guide to Internet Service During New Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak (comprehensive listing)
• Spectrum to offer free broadband and WiFi to students without it
• Comcast Is Offering 60 Days of Free Internet for Low-Income Families Right Now

Software

• Top Hat platform free of charge for professors and students who have current, active classes (see below for more on Top Hat)
• TechSmith Snagit (screen recording tool) and TechSmith Video Review (asynchronous collaboration) free to use through June 2020
• SoftChalk offers free access to its online lesson creation and student interaction tool
• NationBuilder is offering free software and services to governments, agencies, and NGOs engaged in COVID-19 direct relief and emergency response efforts
• IBM SPSS Statistics Trial

Top Hat tutorials

• How to set up an asynchronous course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSWLk27SOp0&amp=&feature=youtu.be
• How to set up a synchronous course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9BwIzm_aPI&amp=&feature=youtu.be
• How to leverage Top Hat for remote lecturing in general: https://support.tophat.com/s/article/COVID-19-Teaching-Remotely-with-Top-Hat
• Here is a link to register for webinars: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/7792985879952776962

The information on this page has been developed, in part, by adapting material, with permission, from the Indiana University [1] website. The “Keep Teaching” content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License by the Trustees of Indiana University.