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Remote Instruction Resources

  • Biology Online Canvas Template for Faculty. This template, created by Naina Phadnis, is widely applicable to College of Science courses. To access the template, complete the following steps:

    1. Download the Canvas course export package:  biology-online-template-for-faculty-export.imscc
    2. In Canvas, open the course where you wish to import this template
    3. On the right side of the Settings page for your course, click on “Import Course Content”
    4. Select Content Type: Canvas Course Export Package
    5. Choose the source file (the Canvas course export package you downloaded earlier)
    6. Indicate whether you want to import all content, or select specific content
    7. Indicate whether you want to adjust events and due dates (if applicable)
    8. Click on “import” and wait a few moments for the import to complete

    For additional information about course imports, click here: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10713-67952724501

    University of Utah Common Course Template. Please note that the University of Utah also has a template Canvas course available through TLT. The syllabus page within this Canvas course includes COVID-19 information that is designed to live-update to the latest language. You may wish to use this template course as a whole, or just specific sections of it (such as the syllabus). To access this material, download the University of Utah Common Course Template from the Canvas Commons. Then, follow the step-by-step instructions above. (Note: We cannot guarantee that this TLT syllabus template will contain the latest COVID-19 information).

    College of Science Syllabus Template. Click here to download a Word template that includes all recommended syllabus components, including the latest COVID-19 language (current as of 8/5/2020). If you prefer a more condensed version, with just the “essential’ content, click here. Please contact us (outreach@csme.utah.edu) if you have questions. The SVPAA has asked that course syllabi be posted to the University course schedule by August 10. For instructions on doing this, click here.

    Syllabus Inclusivity Statements. Click here for a sample of optional inclusivity statements for your course syllabus.

    Chemistry Code of Conduct. Click here for the Department of Chemistry’s code of conduct, which has been vetted by the Office of General Counsel (current as of 7/20/2020). Faculty may also wish to administer a Code of Conduct quiz at the start of the semester. Click here to view an example.

  • Videos are available from each of the CSME’s Remote Instruction Workshops:

    Additionally, The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) has posted the videos from all of their recent remote instruction webinars. Visit their website for a complete list. Topics include Zoom, video recording, hybrid classrooms, and more.

  • If you are interested in practicing Zoom features, view our tutorial and instructions document (created by Claudia De Grandi). This document gives an overview of Zoom features and provides instructions for ways to practice Zoom with a group.

    Need help arranging a group of folks for a Zoom practice session? Contact us at outreach@csme.utah.edu.

  • Fall 2020 Instructional Guidelines as released by Project Marmalade on August 5, 2020

    We continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizing that conditions continue to evolve rapidly. This updated document contains new recommendations, based on feedback from faculty and staff, deans and department chairs, and state and federal guidance.
    The new instructional schedule means all instructors need to prepare for online and digital instruction, with selected in-person instruction delivery based on campus educational priorities. Preparing for this “new normal,” which may well last for multiple semesters (pending availability of a vaccine and effective treatments), has several practical implications for fall instruction.
    1.    Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) is upgrading over 100 general access classrooms with video capture systems. Check out the list of classrooms and a short video here: https://support.tlt.utah.edu/hc/en-us/articles/360046234671-Video-Capture-Classrooms-Fall-2020.  In addition, about 40 home AV kits will be available for checkout to support lectures from remote sites.
    2.    To support students who may have technology access challenges, the Marriott Library, UIT, and TLT are expanding the number of laptops and hotspots available for checkout; see: https://lib.utah.edu/coronavirus/checkout-equipment.php
    3.    As soon as possible, instructors should engage Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) and the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) on pedagogical preparation and best practices for online, hybrid, and in-person instruction. TLT and CTLE are holding summer workshops and would be happy to schedule training with individual units. The appendix at the end of this document lists upcoming workshops.
    4.    Develop and post your course syllabus on Canvas and the fall schedule as soon as possible, but no later than August 10. All courses this fall will have an automatically created Canvas page, which can be auto-populated with key policies, ready for you to add personalized content. At a minimum, for your students’ benefit, you must use Canvas for your syllabus, important communications, and grades.
    5.    Include the following guidance with your syllabus:
    • Face coverings are required in all in-person classes for both students AND faculty.
      • Standard Language: Based on CDC guidelines, the University requires everyone to wear face coverings in shared public spaces on campus, including our classroom. As a reminder, when I wear a face covering, I am protecting you. When you wear a face covering, you are protecting me and all of your classmates. If you forget your face covering, I will ask you to leave class to retrieve it. If you repeatedly fail to wear a face covering in class, I will refer you to the Dean of Students for a possible violation of the Student Code. Note that some students may qualify for accommodations through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you think you meet these criteria and desire an exception to the face covering policy, contact the Center for Disability and Access (CDA). Accommodations should be obtained prior to the first day of class so that I am notified by CDA of any students who are not required to wear a face covering.
    • Please note that face shields alone are not an acceptable form of face covering unless also worn with a covering or mask for the nose and mouth.
    • Please remind students to practice appropriate personal hygiene to reduce transmission of the virus, including:
      • Students are encouraged to wash their hands, use hand sanitizer and clean their desks with wipes, which will be available at classroom entrances and at “sanitizing stations” in multi-use buildings, including Marriott Library.
      • Read more information about the building cleaning schedule on coronavirus.utah.edu.
    • If in-class attendance is a necessary component of the course for pedagogical reasons (e.g., laboratories, studios, or artistic training), state it explicitly in the syllabus.
      • Standard Language: Given the nature of this course, attendance is required and adjustments cannot be granted to allow non-attendance. However, if you need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy due to a disability, please contact the Center for Disability and Access (CDA). CDA will work with us to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.
      • Note: Many international students with F-1 visas are required to have an in-person component to their classwork during the Fall 2020 semester. Faculty are expected to do what they can to accommodate this requirement of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
    • For all other in-person classes, you may strongly encourage, but not require, in-class attendance (i.e., students may elect not to attend class in-person with no penalty and do not need to seek an official accommodation to participate online, rather than in-person).
      • Note: It is current practice to allow students to attend class at their discretion.
      • The university is asking students, faculty and staff to stay home if they are sick. Additionally, follow university employee exposure guidance. The list of symptoms for COVID-19 is available on the CDC website.
    • Advise students to familiarize themselves with Canvas and any other electronic teaching tools you choose to use, with pointers to appropriate tutorials. The Canvas Getting Started Guide for Students can be helpful.
    • Include a reminder that students must self-report if they test positive for COVID-19 via this website:  https://coronavirus.utah.edu/.
    • If you plan to have one, state the format of the final examination/project clearly, recognizing that instruction and final examinations will be online after Thanksgiving. Put another way, if you plan to use proctoring tools such as ProctorU, inform students in advance.
    • In addition, describe how the course will operate during the weeks of September 28- October 2, October 5-10, and November 30-December 3, when all classes will be online.
    • Finally, describe how all class materials can be accessed online. (Faculty requests for electronic course materials can be submitted via  https://forms.lib.utah.edu/course-reserve-request/). The libraries will continue to underwrite student access to electronic course materials, subject to budget realities.
    • Experiential education guidelines:
      • Deans should coordinate with chairs/directors (or designees) to establish any room capacity, cleaning guidelines, and PPE recommendations that go beyond the general guidelines for classrooms.
      • Limit capacity for in-person classes whenever possible to 20 students, but not more than 50 students.
      • Experiential education should be limited to those activities that cannot be conducted remotely and that are essential to meet accreditation expectations and/or learning objectives of the course. Developing online content to support or supplement in-person instruction is encouraged wherever such activities satisfy the learning objectives for the course.
      • The time that individuals spend in close proximity in laboratories, design studios, and other experiential education should be minimized to the extent possible.
      • If individuals will be within 6 feet of one another during a group experiential education activity, all must wear safety glasses in addition to a face covering and limit time that they are within 6 feet of one another.
    • Research laboratory protocols, as described by the Office of the Vice President for Research, generally apply:
      • Students in instructional laboratories must wear safety glasses in addition to a face covering.
      • Students should sanitize laboratory workstations before beginning work.
      • Movement in and out of labs and studios to obtain materials or equipment should be minimized during the activity. Ideally, all needed materials should be available in the room at the beginning of the period.
      • Gloves and sanitizers should be provided in every laboratory.
      • Disposable face coverings should be available if the laboratory involves use of hazardous material.
      • If a student or instructor tests positive for COVID-19, the experiential education space will be sanitized by facilities and the unit should sanitize any associated equipment.
    6.    If you are teaching a portion of your class in person:
    • Visit your classroom well before the first in-person meeting to assess audiovisual infrastructure, chair placement, and teaching positions. Contact Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) at classhelp@utah.edu if you have questions or concerns. Finally, allocate time during the first week of class for everyone to adjust. Classrooms should be accessible starting August 10.
    • Practice lecturing while wearing a face covering and assess the necessary speaking volume. Note that TLT is equipping many classrooms with teaching technologies.
    • When notified of the need, prepare online educational content for any students who may need to self-isolate and are unable to attend in-person classes. Put another way, be prepared for all educational modalities at all times.
    • Record lectures using Zoom and post them on Canvas for those students who cannot attend online or in-person lectures. Remember to protect student privacy when posting any electronic content and remember that some students may be in different time zones.
    • Create a seating chart for your course and ask all students to sit in the same place for each class. This chart will simplify contact tracing should any student become infected.
    • Bring a small number of spare face coverings to all in-person lectures, recognizing that some students may occasionally forget to bring theirs. An adequate, though not unlimited, supply of extra, disposable face coverings will be available for departmental purchase on an as needed basis.
    Important Resource Links:
    Teaching During COVID-19
    • In August, TLT/CTLE will host a series of webinars on getting ready from August 3rd to August 21st to help you be ready for the August 24thstart date of the Fall Semester.
    • CTLE and TLT have developed a new website that will be available July 1st to answer most of your questions and direct you to services available to help with your teaching needs this fall.  You can find it at http://facultycenter.utah.edu .
    • If you have any questions about Canvas or other teaching technologies, the easiest way to get an answer it to attend TLT’s weekday office hours at 10:00 and 2:00 at https://utah.zoom.us/j/296099562#success .
    • You can get answers to your non-technology teaching questions or get a consultation from CTLE by emailing them at info@ctle.utah.edu
    • Testing resources include:
    • Canvas Exams (includes randomized questions banks, time limited tests, and video recorded answer explanations). Canvas exams can be released at set times to in-class and remote students
    • Respondus LockDown Browser add-on to Canvas (a custom browser that launches the Canvas exam, locks down the testing environment, and prevents access to other applications)
    • ProctorU Review+ Remote Exam Monitoring add-on to Canvas exams

  • In December 2020, faculty and instructors were invited to attend the CSME Exchange (“Remote Instruction: Sharing Our Experiences”) to reflect upon remote instruction experiences and practices over the previous semester(s). Breakout group discussions captured a variety of approaches that worked well for faculty. View the breakout group notes here.

  • Fall 2020 Updates from the Remote Labs Workgroup. This document, generated in November 2020 by College of Science faculty/instructors, provides an overview of strategies being used for teaching labs during COVID, including tracking mechanisms, adjustments to grading and course content, etc.

    Teaching labs during a pandemic: Lessons from Spring 2020 and an outlook for the future(Michael F. J. Fox, Alexandra Werth, Jessica R. Hoehn, H. J. Lewandowski, on arXiv.org)