Instructional Continuity & Remote Teaching: Connecting with Students, Continuing to Learn

Instructional disruptions from an unexpected emergency may be unavoidable, but several preparation considerations and strategies can optimize student learning while safeguarding instructional continuity.  Thinking broadly about implications of short-term and long-term disruption to instruction supports a proactive approach to minimizing potential problems that could negatively affect teaching and learning.  Advanced planning helps maintain that both instructional delivery and student learning continue during times of emergencies.  Although many institutions of higher education (IHE) have plans that focus on general operations, information technology, and campus safety, the teaching and learning perspective at the classroom level cannot be overlooked.  Therefore, it is essential for instructors, both offline and online, to develop class-level strategies to ensure instructional continuity.

Current/Trending Situation

As of late March 2020, an increasing number of IHEs have been tasked to migrate and teach traditional face-to-face courses to fully online environments.  This is a result of campus closures, cancellation of face-to-face courses, and various mandates requiring faculty to move their courses online as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus.  Transitioning instruction online can provide flexibility in teaching and learning anywhere, anytime, but the speed of this transition has been unprecedented for many faculty.  Although many institutions have support staff (instructional designers, course developers, and faculty developers) to assist faculty members with this transition, these same support staff often support a small pool of faculty interested in teaching online.  With the current situation, these teams of support staff are not likely able to offer the same level of support to all faculty in a short preparation window of time.  Faculty are oftentimes having to improvise quick solutions in not-so-ideal circumstances.

Remote Education Does Not Equal Online Education

It is important for colleges and universities to inform faculty that the urgency to migrate traditional face-to-face courses to an online environment in such a short window of time is not the same as developing a true online course.  Designing and developing an engaging online course and its instruction is a process that can potentially take several months to implement properly.  Susan Grajek, vice president for communities and research at Educause puts this distinction into perspective – “Colleges aren’t putting in place well-considered durable online-learning plans.  They’re throwing quick, ad hoc, low-fidelity mitigation strategies – and that’s fine, for now.”  (Gardner, 2020)

Strategies & Recommendations

Baylor University (2020) has compiled a number of recommended strategies focused on implementing common instructional tasks during emergency remote learning in online environments.  These strategies include:

Communicate with Students

Emergency or not, communicating with students is critical during any changes to overall course flow and instructional delivery.  Early and frequent communication can ease student anxiety and save instructors time with having to repeatedly address questions or inquiries.  Set clear expectations on how students will be communicated with and manage the communication load.  Specific tools that will be discussed with attendees include announcement capabilities within the learning management system (LMS).

Distribute Course Materials and Readings

To support immediate changes to instructional plans, instructors may need to provide additional course materials such as updated schedules and moving readings to the online space.  In times of urgency, providing some new readings and related assignments can be a short-term solution for keeping intellectual momentum moving.  Tools that will be explored include customizing Box and Canvas notifications preferences, methods for converting documents to PDF, and using modules to organize course materials.

Deliver Lectures

Online lectures shouldn’t be the primary method of delivering online instruction, but they can be a powerful one.  Delivering live synchronous online sessions is an option, but it may not always be the most effective way to teach students during a campus disruption.  Students may not be available to meet during the normally scheduled class session, or they may not always have access to the technology required to participate.  Shorter and more focused synchronous and asynchronous discussions of key concepts can be an effective way to support student learning when working independently and play a strategic part in how an instructor teaches.  Specific learning technologies explored here include WebEx, Zoom, Kaltura Capture, and use of modules to organize recorded video lecture content. 

Run Lab Activities

A significant challenge during emergency remote learning is teaching lab components of courses.  Since many labs require specific physical equipment, they are hard to reproduce outside that physical space.  Some considerations to plan for that address lab activities include taking part of a lab online, investigating virtual labs, and providing raw data for analysis.  The specific tool that will be explored on this strategy is the use of MERLOT’s online learning object repository.

Foster Communication and Collaboration Among Students

Encouraging student-to-student dialog is a foundation for collaboration while maintaining a sense of community that significantly motivates students to participate and learn.  When planning online activities consider using asynchronous tools when possible, link to clear measurable learning outcomes, and design assessments and course activities with student accountability in mind.  Tools explored in this strategy will include structured discussion board designs, built-in LMS rubric and outcomes features, WebEx, and Zoom.

Collect Assignments

Collecting assignments during campus-wide closures is generally a straightforward process considering many instructors collect student work electronically.  A significant challenge, however, is whether students have access to computers, as any student needing a campus computer lab may be unable to access necessary technology.  Tools explored with this suggestion include Office 365, LMS features/options, and access to university licensed home software for students.

Assess Student Learning

Assessing students’ understanding of course content, skills, and concepts is a critical component for conducting any class, especially online courses (Fisher, 2020).  Online quizzing provides a simple way to assess a large number of students, and it doesn’t matter where student reside when taking the online quiz as long as they are connected to the Internet.  Online testing can provide instant feedback to students but also assessment data to inform the instructor what concepts students are/aren’t learning.  Consider using formative assessments, use proctoring solutions sparingly, and avoid high stakes testing when possible.  Tools explored include test design considerations, Respondus Monitor, and a guide on re-thinking finals for emergency remote instruction.

Evaluate Course Design

Baylor University has adopted the Online Learning Consortium’s Open SUNY Course Quality Review (OSCQR) standards.  Encouraging faculty to refer to the OSCQR rubric or the institution’s own course design standards can provide guidelines to enhance the overall quality of online learning environments and their learning experiences.  The tool focused on this suggestion will be Baylor University’s modified version of the OSCQR rubric.

References

• Baylor University (2020). Keep teaching: Strategies.  Available at https://www.baylor.edu/keepteaching/index.php?id=967540
• Fisher, M. R. (2020). Student assessment in teaching and learning. Vanderbilt University’s Center for Teaching. Available at https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/student-assessment-in-teaching-and-learning/
• Gardner, L. (March 2020). Covid-19 has forced higher ed. to pivot to online learning. Here are 7 takeaways so far.  Retrieved March 30 at https://www.chronicle.com/article/Covid-19-Has-Forced-Higher-Ed/248297
• Online Learning Consortium (2020). OLC OSCQR course design review scorecard.  Available at https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/consult/oscqr-course-design-review/
• University of Pittsburgh (2020). Resources for remote teaching and learning.  University Center for Teaching and Learning. Available at https://teaching.pitt.edu/

Outcomes/Goals

• Attendees will identify key differences that distinguish emergency remote learning with planned online learning.
• Attendees will identify and describe specific learning technologies that have assisted with the migration of traditional face-to-face courses to the online space and provided opportunities for students to stay engaged during campus closures.

Effective Practice Criteria

• Innovation:  This discovery session will introduce emergency remote teaching and learning tools that can assist instructors and students in making the transition to the online learning space while maintaining instructional continuity.
• Replicability:  All techniques, strategies, and recommendations presented in this session can be effectively and efficiently implemented at other universities for any practitioner interested in instructional continuity, remote learning, and online learning.
• Impact:  The tools and strategies presented in this session, along with additional ideas attendees identify, can assist with preparedness should an institution need to temporarily close due to a pandemic, natural disaster, or any other unexpected occurrence.  These tools and strategies can easily be adapted at any institution.
• Supporting Evidence:  The presenter will provide a list of peer-reviewed sources that support the theoretical underpinnings discussed in this interactive discovery session.  Sample instructional continuity plans and “keep teaching” resources will be highlighted.
• Scope:  All digital tools and remote teaching and learning strategies discussed will be applicable to all teaching and learning environments.

Materials

• A laptop will be used to demonstrate software application demonstrations, display sample instructional continuity plans, and display sample assessment strategies/designs that can be used in emergency remote teaching and learning contexts. 
• A handout will be provided that includes a matrix aligning instructional tools and assessment strategies to common instructional tasks.

Target Audience

• Higher Education faculty, instructional designers, instructional technologists, and administrators will benefit from this discovery session.
• All experience levels may benefit from this session.

Audience Active Engagement

• Attendees will have an opportunity to interact with video conferencing tools, lecture recording tools, LMS features, and other learning technology tools that support instructional continuity.
• Participants will be asked to share their experiences, suggestions, and challenges with utilizing learning technologies during remote teaching/learning contexts.