Instructor Resources for Summer Online Teaching

Instructor Resources for Summer Online Teaching

When COVID-19 had us all staying home in mid-March, instructors had to move spring semester classes online. Considering this unexpected and abrupt change, chances are you have experienced challenges ranging from lack of student access to necessary...

Instructor Resources for Summer Online Teaching Heading link

When COVID-19 had us all staying home in mid-March, instructors had to move spring semester classes online. Considering this unexpected and abrupt change, chances are you have experienced challenges ranging from lack of student access to necessary hardware and technology, or difficulty adapting to a learning-from-home environment, for example.

If you are teaching this summer, you’ll need to teach online. What would you do differently?

While the emergency remote teaching approach works in short-term emergency situations, our current reality is unprecedented, and no one knows for sure how long this may last…and here you are, preparing to teach online for the summer.

Normally, online learning takes about 4 to 6 months to plan; unfortunately, we don’t have that long.  As it stands, we have about 7 weeks for Summer Session 2 and about 3 weeks for Summer session 1. We know this is going to be tight, so UIC is adopting a more fluid approach to online teaching in an effort to make this process as seamless as possible for everyone.

If you are preparing to teach online this summer or helping instructors who will be teaching online, these are the resources you’ll need to get started!

Suggested Summer 2020 Course Template

Suggested Summer 2020 Course Template

This is a fillable template in Blackboard that can be used as a guide in the design of an online course. The template includes prompts already created and resources that are important for the students. Additionally, it has embedded “how-to” videos useful to understand what needs to be done in each section. Preview the template as a student by self-enrolling in the course uic.blackboard.com/ultra/courses/_175392_1/cl/outline (UIC NetID and password are required).

Request the Summer 2020 Course Template: https://accc.uic.edu/forms/course-template-import-request

Basic Steps of Teaching Online Tutorial

Basic Steps of Teaching Online Tutorial

This tutorial covers the basic elements that need consideration when designing an online course. Navigating the tutorial takes about one hour and it can be explored by section.

Visit the Basic Steps of Teaching Online Tutorial: go.uic.edu/basic-steps-teaching-online

ACCC Academic Continuity Resources

Technology Solutions Academic Continuity Resources Are Now Online Learning Resources

The Academic Continuity Resources for instructors page has expanded beyond emergency remote teaching to include best practices and recommendations from the online learning field to provide a true taste of online learning to UIC’s instructors and students. The main element is a newly designed tutorial for faculty that are new to teaching online. The tutorial was developed by Technology Solutions instructional designers, Tom Okon and Cheryl McKearin, and includes links to “how-to” videos, quick guides, examples, and rubrics that can make designing a course much easier.

Visit the new Online Learning resources page for instructors at go.uic.edu/teaching-online.

Blackboard Help

Blackboard Help

This is the self-help portal from Blackboard Inc. You can view the help for any product and audience without logging in. Adaptive search and tagging help you find answers to your questions. To help you get your bearings, the page you select appears highlighted in the menu.

Visit Blackboard Help: help.blackboard.com

TDX Knowledge Base Heading link

ACCC Knowledge Base

This is the self-help portal from Technology Solutions You can search by topic or by typing what you are looking for in the search bar. You can provide feedback on the usefulness of documents, and if you cannot find what you are looking for, you can suggest new documents.

Visit the TDX Knowledge Base:

help.uillinois.edu/TDClient/37/uic/KB/

UIC

UIC Instructional Design Office Hours

Sign up for an hour with an instructional designer to discuss ideas for your online course. Simply select the time that’s convenient for you, and you will get a confirmation via email.

Book a UIC Instructional Design Office Hour Session: Booking Calendar

Technology Solution LTS Support Team Heading link

Technology Solutions’ LTS Support Team

When things do not work as expected, you can always email questions regarding Blackboard, or any other teaching system, to the LTS team. Email: LTS@uic.edu