Faculty Best Practice Quick Tips for Fall 2020

The following resource has been created for faculty, listing where to find important information as well as reminders for best practice when conducting classes this fall.

Know Where To Get Information

Prepare for Class

  • Schedule a Webex meeting for all class sessions and share with students. (Schedule either by going to njit.webex.com/ or through Canvas).
  • Check which type of technology will be available in your classroom (If you are teaching in a Cisco room, you will need to bring a laptop. Webex Training Center is not an available platform to use in Cisco rooms).
  • Plan out what your class session will look like for face-to-face vs. remote students in a converged class.
  • Prepare your lecture materials, including questions and activities for student participation.
  • Make sure your course, modules, and items within modules are all published in Canvas (Instructions for publishing can be found here).

Set Expectations and Communicate With Students

  • Post a syllabus in Canvas by the first day of class.
  • Send a Canvas announcement out to your students welcoming them to class and explaining how class will be conducted this semester (course must be published first). 
  • If you are teaching a Converged course, direct students to the back2classroom app to RSVP for seats in class.
  • Decide how you want remote students to participate: do you want them to un-mute themselves to speak? Or type in the chat? Be directive and tell them what to do.
  • Upload important course materials to Canvas and direct students to the Canvas Orientation for Students for extra help.

Prioritize Engagement

  • Even if your course is predominantly lecture-based, find ways to check in with students. Create polls in Webex, or  direct students to Google Forms or short Canvas Quizzes for quick assessments during lectures.
  • Directly address remote students. Greet them specifically (by name if possible) at the beginning of class. Pause every 10 minutes to check for questions, encouraging them to ask either via Webex chat or by unmuting their mic.
  • Schedule virtual office hours and encourage students to attend.

Be Flexible and Compassionate

  • Be prepared for some students attending a converged class session to not have a laptop, or have a device with low battery.
  • Not all students have the internet bandwidth to have webcams on for a whole lecture. Instead, encourage students to turn them on only when asking a question, and to use virtual backgrounds to protect their privacy at home.
  • Students need support and reassurance this semester--communicate proactively, answer questions, and guide students to NJIT resources as needed.