Keep Teaching When Classes Can’t Meet

While Lewis & Clark is predominantly a face-to-face campus, circumstances may require a shift for a single student or an entire class to online instruction with little notice. Information Technology compiled the following resources to help instructors prepare for possible disruptions and keep classes running. There are multiple options and not all are suited for every class. We hope this guide will help you select what options will work best for your circumstances. As you think through your response, consider the following:

• What expectations have I already set for students about emergencies? Consider addressing emergencies and possible class cancellations in your syllabus each semester.
• What can I tell my students right away?  Even if you don’t have a detailed plan in place yet, communicate with your students informing them changes are on the way. Include information about your expectations for how frequently they should check email or your Moodle or class site for more details as you finalize your plans.
• What can realistically be accomplished during the disruption? Courses relying on specific space or tangible experiences, such as in a lab, may not be easily adapted to distance instruction. Is it possible to maintain the same schedule of assignments and other activities? What might need to be modified for remote teaching, and what are your top priorities: lectures, collecting assignments, facilitating discussions, group work? Do all students need to work on activities at the same time? 
• What’s your comfort level? What about your students? Pick tools and workflows familiar to you and your students. Adopt new tools only when necessary. If the disruption will require adopting multiple new tools and techniques, consider introducing new tools one at a time with opportunities for student practice. 
• Prepare to be flexible. Remote teaching means needing to adapt to unique and possibly changing student circumstances. Not all students will have dependable access to webcam-capable computers, reliable internet connections, or even power. 
• Include a detailed communication plan. Once you have your plan in place, communicate the details to your students along with information on how they can contact you and how soon they can expect a reply. Students will have many questions so setting expectations on when and how you’ll provide answers will be helpful as you manage your communication workload during a disruption.
• Where should students go for help? Try and anticipate needs and questions before heading into a remote teaching scenario. You can provide help and troubleshooting steps to your class directly, links to external support resources, and connect them to support resources at the college.

Are you prepared to facilitate your class remotely in the event of an emergency? It can be difficult to assess this in a non-emergency situation, so Educational Technology staff has provided the checklist below to help you determine your preparedness level.

Are you prepared to…?

1. Put your course materials online

• I have a Moodle course or course website for each of my courses that contain the most current course information.
• I have a way to distribute assignments to my students online such as a Moodle or Google Classroom course site.
• I use audio or video materials in class and I know how to share these with my students.
• I use Moodle to make materials available to my students.
• I have taken steps to ensure my online course materials are accessible to students with disabilities.

2. Establish channels of communication with your students and colleagues

• My students know how to contact me remotely if they have a question.
• I have a way to facilitate discussions with groups of students remotely.
• Students have a way to contact each other and collaborate online.

3. Establish ways to conduct your class at a distance

• My students can read, listen to, and/or watch my lectures online.
• My students can turn in homework and take exams online.
• I have a way to respond to student work and securely publish scores online.
• I know how to submit final grades to the Registrar online.

4. Set up remote access to key resources

• I have a computer or laptop at home that has the software and Internet connectivity I need to work remotely.
• I have the knowledge and capability to meet with students one-on-one if needed

If you need assistance with any of the readiness items, the following section provides guidance on where to go for additional information. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to itservice@lclark.edu and a member of Educational Technology Staff will be in contact.

• Haven’t had much time to prepare? Check out this article about Teaching Online in a Pinch
• These Lessons Learned from experts in online teaching offer some reflective advice from established and experienced online instruction experts.
• In Fall of 2020, Educational Technology and TEP collaborated on a list of assessment resources, which provides some tips and guidance for remote teaching.