Documentation:MECH Online Teaching/Online Lecture Best Practices
For equity reasons, instructors must make available asynchronous content for at least 24 hours after the scheduled lecture time. That is, either a pre-recorded video that everyone views, or a recording of a live-streamed lecture.
Students have indicated that they would prefer common online learning tools to be used across courses. The benefits to students are that they don't have to learn to use a different tool for each course. The benefits to instructors are that there are likely other people in the department who can help you with any particular tool. Please consider using the suggested tools on these pages and within the MECH Canvas course.
Presence in your course
- Since students will not meet you in person, consider sharing a photo of yourself and some personal details (hobbies and interests) to create a social presence
- Interact regularly with students through office hours, discussions, etc. that are available to everyone
- Tell students when they can expect you to respond online (suggest at least 4 times a week)
Other suggestions
- Consider moving what would be in-class discussions to asynchronous venues
- Consider using more self-directed learning (instructor as a guide or coach) rather than traditional lecturing
- Consider pre-assigning students to small groups to work together during lecture (and outside of lecture), even if your course doesn't typically have group work (also related to community building)
Pre-recorded videos (if using)
- Use shorter pre-recorded videos than a traditional lecture length
- Have pre-recorded videos available on a regular schedule (e.g. at lecture time) so students can structure their time