The rapid outbreak of COVID-19 has forced higher-ed institutions across the nation to close down physical campuses and move instruction entirely online. With this abrupt shift in content delivery comes a flood of free resources designed to help students and instructors adjust to their new online reality.
Existing online instructors’ input will be invaluable as their brick-and-mortar colleagues go virtual in an incredibly short amount of time, and with little to no advance notice.
“Experienced online faculty should be encouraged to share materials (and their experience) with other faculty, especially when there are many sections of a course taught by multiple teachers,” says Jared Stein, VP of higher ed strategy at Canvas. “Students will need to know what is happening in their courses when an emergency arises. Frequent, consistent, and simplified communication will help students know what to expect and how to respond. Consider providing students with their own checklist, such as Western Washington U has done, to help them prepare.”
Related content: Embracing online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic
Here are a handful of just-announced tools to help move instruction online and manage virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic:
1. TAO Connect, a digital platform designed to make behavioral health therapy more accessible and effective, announced the addition of its Group Room feature, while also offering its video conferencing services to all 180 of its university partners. With this update, TAO Connect is giving more counseling centers the opportunity to offer teletherapy services when in-person sessions are not viable, ensuring students and faculty have easy access to mental health resources during this time of heightened anxiety.
- 3 ways IT tools are streamlining higher ed - March 24, 2023
- How to defend data on your campus - March 23, 2023
- College programs must prioritize accessibility - March 21, 2023