See more remote resources for connecting from home.
Recent Updates
- Added a cheat sheet for common tasks when using MiVideo in Canvas to the Deliver Instruction Remotely section.
- A new tool for managing remote office hours using BlueJeans is now available. Information is added to the Communicate with Students Online section.
- Videos about how to schedule and launch BlueJeans within Canvas and schedule and launch Zoom within Canvas were added to the Deliver Instruction Remotely section.
- The International Access to U-M IT Resources page summarizes the cloud-based U-M resources that may not be available from outside the U.S.
Deliver Instruction Remotely
Get started: Consider which activities in a face-to-face class can be translated into an online format, and prepare to move what you can online. A number of resources are available to help you move your instruction online:- The Keep Teaching @ UM resource includes practical, pedagogical guidance for teaching remotely under different circumstances.
- Review Getting Started with Canvas and Best Practices for Remote Teaching. This document includes steps to create a Canvas course presence, adding content, creating asynchronous lectures, and hosting synchronous sessions.
- Visit ITS Training for live Canvas training opportunities. Daily topics include basic setup, quizzes, gradebook, and more.
Record lectures for online delivery: Use Kaltura Capture to record lectures for students to view later in Canvas.
Remote real-time classrooms: Choose from the following videoconferencing services to conduct your lectures and classroom interactions in real time.- Use BlueJeans to host lectures and have interactive discussions face-to-face. Meetings scheduled by an individual account can support 150 people, and BlueJeans Events can broadcast to thousands. For more information, watch Schedule and launch BlueJeans within Canvas (video, 7:41).
- Use Zoom to host a lecture with chat rooms, polling, webinars, and mobile collaboration. For more information, watch Schedule and launch Zoom within Canvas (video, 8:36).
- Use the Conference tool to host a lecture directly in Canvas. For more information, watch Host a Conference Session in Canvas (video, 4:59)
Accommodate student needs: Consider how students and faculty with disabilities will be affected by the shift to online instruction. Review remote instruction best practices, and contact accessibility@umich.edu with questions or to request help from the Accessibility Team at the Office for Institutional Equity and ITS.
General tips and additional resources for delivering instruction remotely:- LSA Technology Services’s Guide to Teaching Remotely
- The College of Engineering’s Teaching & Learning resources
- Use headphones or earbuds with a microphone to minimize surrounding noise and maximize your vocal clarity.
Communicate with Students Online
Announcements: Communicate timely information with students in your class using the Announcements tool in Canvas. Use this tool to send a written message, record and upload a video, and attach files or include links.
Classroom discussion: Use the Discussions tool in Canvas to allow students to interact and learn from each other online while facilitating the conversation.
Remote office hours: For real-time interactions with your students, consider using the Chat tool in Canvas or scheduling meetings using BlueJeans or Zoom. These tools are useful for scheduled office hours or quick Q&A sessions.Use the Remote Office Hours Queue to manage a group of students waiting to meet with you during your office hours. The tool creates a unique and private BlueJeans meeting for each one.
Email: If you need to email all of your students, and you don’t want to use Canvas, you can get a list of email addresses for all of your students in Wolverine Access.
- General tips for communicating effectively with students online:
- If you plan to use Canvas tools to communicate with your students, make sure your course is published.
- Be consistent with the digital tool selected for online communications, and be sure to post this information in a prominent location, such as the Syllabus page in Canvas.
- Set expectations for how students should engage in online communication, including how they should contact the instructor.
- Set expectations with students for how quickly the instructor will respond to online communication.
Online Assessment
Assessments: If you need to collect written assignments, use the assignments tool in Canvas to create a place for students to submit their work. Make sure that you indicate the assignment will be submitted online, and choose the “file upload” option for the submission type.
Quizzes: If you need to administer an online quiz, use the Quiz tool in Canvas. For low-stakes assessment, consider allowing multiple attempts, not including a time limit, and allowing students to see their quiz responses.
Exams: If you need to administer a high-stakes exam, use the Quiz tool in Canvas and consider shuffling the answer options, using a strict time limit, hiding student quiz responses, and using question groups.
- General tips for conducting online assessments:
- Consider providing extra time on quizzes and exams to students who ask for accommodations in using technology. See instructions for granting extra time to assessments in Canvas.