Quick Start Guide
Table of Contents
Apply the strategies in this Quick Start Guide to help you prioritize and communicate. Additionally, download and use this Rule of 2’s: Quick Start Guide Plan (PDF) to focus on what most matters.
Internet access
Internet access is a prerequisite of successfully working remotely. Contact your local internet provider if you are having issues, and have your students do the same. If it is unresolved, follow suggestions on ISU’s Working Remotely site.
It is vitally important to recognize that our students may not have internet access at their location – consider how you will accommodate them, review our Be Flexible page.
1. Use Canvas
Canvas is the primary learning management system (LMS) at the university. It gives you the ability to quickly share course materials, provide easy-to-use tools to communicate and collaborate with students, co-instructors, and Teaching Assistants (TAs).
Ensure successful participation in your course(s) by using this guide whether you are using Canvas for the first time or locating a course.
2. Communicate with your students
You need to communicate with your students promptly, even if you do not have a full semester plan in place. Inform them what your expectations are for checking email or Canvas (ISU’s learning management system).
Follow Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)
One-on-one communications between students and their instructors and/or advisers can be particularly challenging in a virtual environment. It is imperative that Instructors follow all Federal Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) guidance on the Registrar’s Policies website.
In particular, review and bookmark the Sharing Sensitive Student Info-FERPA page. This page outlines which software may be used to communicate private information.
Engage daily to keep students progressing and adding value to each other.
Explore approaches and methods which emphasize prevention and education.
Share this resource with your students – link it in your Canvas course.
3. Deliver course content
Instruct your students about how and when you will deliver course content along with hosting meetings, holding their office “student” hours, and more.
Students may not have ready Internet access. Consider the best way to communicate information to students and the best ways for them to interact with course content.
Examples of In-Person Class Sessions Transformed to Online
Use Case
Tool and Description
Best Practices
Tool, Descriptions, & Support
Outlook or CyMail email
Canvas Announcements or Inbox
Choose one form of communication, and communicate weekly with students. This communication can include an update or feedback on assignments.
When sharing grades and other sensitive student information, follow guidance from the Registrar’s Sharing Sensitive Student Info-FERPA page.
Record short lectures.
Embed discipline-specific videos from YouTube or existing video streaming resources.
PowerPoint slides with notes coupled with low-stakes quizzes.
Asynchronous (not at the same time) short videos are best for delivering complex material or setting the stage for active learning.
Ensure you watch the entirety of the YouTube or other video to ensure the correct information is presented.
Short lectures can also be posted in the form of PowerPoint slides with notes or PowerPoint file and a PDF of notes in the document. To ensure accountability, couple the PowerPoint with low-stake quizzes or student reflections.
Video Recording
Video Streaming
Canvas Assignments and Quizzes
Transfer in-class assignments to virtual assignments. This can include a file upload, problem set, student reflection, or quiz.
Assignments (in Canvas)
Quizzes (in Canvas)
Canvas Groups
Webex for live collaboration, G-Suite or CyBox for document collaboration, Canvas Collaborations, One Note is part of MS Office 360 available to all students and faculty.
Learn more about Canvas student groups. Assign students to groups randomly or manually in Canvas, so they can use a group space inside your course. Size is limited to 2-7 people per group.
Assign different problems to groups to examine and come up with solutions.
Have the group create and post a presentation/video/chart/infographic in the course’s discussion area. Other groups could share their thoughts, questions and opinions.
Groups (in Canvas)
Collaboration
Canvas Assignments and Quizzes
LockDown Browser locks down the testing environment within Canvas
Respondus Monitor supplements the LockDown Browser with a fully automated process that uses student webcams.
Transfer in-class exams to virtual ones. This can include a file upload, problem set, student reflection, or quiz.
Follow the guidance in the Quizzes and Exams page.
Canvas Discussions
Here is a great guide on discussions from the Chronicle of Higher Education that has some info in online discussions.
Webex and Zoom for live meetings.
Maintain office/student hours. Communicate with students the days and times that you will be online (include time zone) and how to access you.
Web Conferencing
Canvas Files, G-Suite or CyBox to share files with students
File sharing can accommodate written work, drawings, photos, written assessments, and reflections.
Collaboration
Canvas Studio
Written scripts of presentation
Ask students to record their presentation using a cell phone or their computer to upload to Canvas.
A lower-tech option is to ask students to submit a written script of their presentation to assess content knowledge and other skills like persuasive thinking.
Canvas Gradebook
See information below for Grading in Canvas.
4. Establish methods for collecting assignments/submissions
You will likely need to provide additional course materials to support your changing plans, from updated schedules to readings that allow you to shift more instruction online. In a pinch, providing some new readings and related assignments may be your best bet for keeping the intellectual momentum of the course moving.
Best practices for sharing resources and collecting assignments
Best practices for sharing resources and collecting assignments
5. Activities, Assessments, Quizzes, and More
You have many options for online activities, assignments, and assessments (quizzes).
Design and facilitate activities for all learning environments
Identify gaps in comprehension and retention
Utilize more conceptual or applied questions
Overview of viable remote assessment options
6. Grading in Canvas
The Grades function within Canvas allows you to maintain all of your grades online. It provides a robust tool for tasks typically done in a spreadsheet application, making it possible to keep all grading online.
The fantastic part? You can submit your midterm and end of term grades through the ISU Admin Tools in Canvas.
Providing feedback means giving feedback in such a way that students are likely to use it to make actual, practical gains.
Discover how to navigate to the gradebook in your Canvas course shell.
7. Other experiential learning
Explore activities to focus on the purpose of labs
Identify opportunities for at-home studio work
Adapt or enhance activities with the online environment
8. Accessibility
Providing multiple ways for students to gain knowledge, demonstrate knowledge, and interact goes a long way toward making a course accessible to all students, including those with disabilities. Shifting courses online is an opportunity to build in accessibility from the beginning.
To find out how best to help our students with disabilities during a disruption, review ISU’s Student Accessibility Service’s Message Regarding COVID-19 page.
Below are essential resources to get started, and recent posts.
Reduce barriers to learning and facilitate meaningful participation by all students.
Guidance on how to use Canvas in setting up accommodations.
9. Promote a sense of belonging
Designing for equity and inclusion means being particularly proactive about supporting students.
Suggestions and resources to help teach in ways that are equitable and inclusive in an online environment.
Create a compelling, engaging, and enjoyable online learning environment for your students.
Create a compelling, engaging, and enjoyable online learning environment for your students.
10. Additional resources
Engage directly with the ISU Library
ISU Library Digital Content
The ISU Library makes it possible for faculty teaching remote classes to connect seamlessly through direct engagement with library staff, access to digital content, and collaboration across the University.
- Discipline-Specific Resources: Populate your course with discipline-specific resources and databases, enable a chat with subject librarians and use discipline-specific FAQs.
- To begin use the ISU Library’s Step-by-step instructions web guide.
- Streaming Media: Explore ISU’s streaming media collections of documentaries, news programs and news clips, instructional material, and selected feature films on many subjects.
- To determine the best options for your course, use the Ask a Librarian page.
Digital course materials with ISU Book Store
For assistance with digital course material needs, conversion from print to digital, or additional support with the RedShelf platform or publisher content during the Spring 2020 online instruction period, contact Iowa State University Book Store team via:
- Heather Dean hdean@iastate.edu
- John Wierson jwwiers@iastate.edu
- Carl Arbuckle carabuc@iastate.edu
Read the most up-to-date information about publishers, access, and more on the Digital Course Materials ISU Book Store webpage.
Academic Advising
Find out how you can best advise your students remotely; as well as, additional resources on the SVPP’s Academic Advising COVID-19 page.
This CELT Course Continuity (Students) page is a derivative of the following pages: