When teaching remotely, carefully plan how course information will be delivered. It should be well-organized and easy to find from the student’s point of the view.
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1. Organize course information in an identifiable structure
Information that is clearly and logically organized and explicitly structured is easier to locate, process, and integrate. Organize content into easily identifiable, self-contained sections, and design a structure that facilitates your students’ progress while scaffolding their exposure to new information.
Tools
- eClass' ‘Add an activity or resource’ function enables the instructor to organize content materials through a variety of formats and resources.
- Moodle Preview allows instructors to experiment with these tools and create different layouts and structures until they find one that fits the needs of the course and students best.
- Emergency Remote Instruction Checklist (Preparing for Success section)
Resources
- Accessing York eClass
- Setting up your Course Format in eClass
- Adding content in eClass
- eClass Documentation on 'Resources'
- eClass (YouTube) 'How to layout a course'
- York University’s web page dedicated to copyright, ‘Copyright @ York’
- Experiment with things on eClass Preview
- Consult SPARK Faculty module on how to add SPARK modules to eClass
- Book a virtual library class for your students to learn how to find, evaluate and critically interact with information
- Additional support modules available through the Libraries
- Teaching Commons Webinar: What you see is (not necessarily) what they get (Professor Ron Ophir)
- Teaching Commons Webinar: Assessment Structures in eClass: How to use assessment and other eClass tools to guide your students through online learning (Professor Mary-Helen Armour)
- What Students Want: A Simple, Navigable LMS Course Design
Best practices
- Section your content by creating small blocks or units that do not require extensive scrolling from students to get through.
- Introduce simple hierarchies (e.g., bulleted lists with no more than three different types of bullets/levels).
2. Create a predictable schedule
Ensure that your course structure is informed by the time requirements needed to cover the material. Repeat the structure and schedule weekly to build familiarity.
Tools
- eClass’ Scheduler tools enables the instructor to set up, change, or cancel appointments with individual students or student groups.
- Most activities in eClass allow the instructor to set their availability, deadline, and several other scheduling-related properties.
Resources
Best practices
- Create and communicate a consistent timeframe for activity and assignment completion.
- Use reminders and other forms of communication to keep student progress on track.
- Build in flexible deadlines when possible, giving students a generous window of time to complete coursework.
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