If you are new to teaching in the College of Education, or if this is your umpteenth semester, there are many folks available to help get you set up to teach. This email contains information, checklists, and links about technologies that support learning and teaching.
A short list of things to prepare for next week:
- Focus on caring and compassion, for your students and yourself.
- Check for changes to systems you use regularly (e.g. IT, Library)
- Provide essential information about your class online (in Moodle or another system).
- Offer plans for how you accommodate students who can’t be in the classroom.
- Extra Credit: Consider making your classes more “neuroinclusive” (wondering what this means? Read on!).
More detailed advice on each item below:
1. Focus on caring and compassion
Although the world seems to be spinning back toward “normal,” some of us still face risks and challenges related to the pandemic and other disruptions. Some students, and even some instructors, will still likely need to be away from the classroom because of illness, quarantine, or caregiving. Using compassionate, flexible language in your syllabus is an important way to support students who are struggling. If you are able to manage remote attendance in your classes, please continue to offer it. In the last two years, remote access has made a big difference to students who would have otherwise dropped out.
For more advice and technical info:
https://www.umass.edu/education/resources-remote-teaching
Center for Teaching’s page on supporting students:
https://www.umass.edu/ctl/resources/how-do-i/how-do-i-support-students-compassion-and-empathy
2. Check for changes to systems you use regularly (e.g. IT, Library)
Security continues to be a major challenge for IT staff and anyone who connects to the Internet. UMass Amherst IT and software providers have all made changes to their systems in the last year to try to keep our information and interactions from being disrupted. Most UMass systems have changed their login procedures and some (like Zoom) require more secure settings. Take a moment to log in to any essential systems so that you can be sure that they work as expected.
A list of changes in IT services:
https://www.umass.edu/it/fall2022/whats-new
The Library has converted to a new services platform (FOLIO)
https://www.library.umass.edu/news/folio-rolls-out-to-the-five-college-libraries-consortium/
3. Provide essential information about your class online (just in case)
As you prepare for classes, I recommend making sure that your syllabus and first few weeks of content are posted online. This will make it easier for you to share introductory information with students if some need to access them remotely.
A few items to check that you have in place:
__ My students know what to do the first week.
I have sent an email and/or posted in Moodle information about where to find the syllabus, where to go for class (the room or the URL–if online), and anything they need to do in the first week.
__ My students can find essential course information online.
If I am using tools other than Moodle for this class to supplement face-to-face instruction (e.g. Zoom, Google, Echo360), any student who checks Moodle will at least find the syllabus, my contact info, and essential links for the course.
__ My students know how to contact me.
I have posted at the top of my Moodle page appropriate contact information (e.g. personal or class email addresses), response times (e.g. “I reply within the next business day”) and schedule (e.g. synchronous class meetings and office hours).
__ My students will feel supported.
I have added language in my syllabus that references the pandemic, acknowledges that students may be struggling, and describes what to do if a student needs to take time away from class for illness or caregiving (see next item for suggestions).
4. Post how you plan to accommodate students who can’t be in the classroom.
The pandemic is waning, but can still be a significant risk for certain vulnerable populations. Allowing flexibility and some form of remote access to your classroom can provide students an essential lifeline to stay engaged when they are dealing with disruptions. A live Zoom feed from the classroom is a premium solution, and requires a lot of coordination and technology; simply providing a predefined asynchronous activity for students who miss a live session can also help students feel connected. Choose an approach that matches your learning objectives, your technical confidence, and your professional and personal bandwidth. I have been very impressed with the many creative solutions implemented by our faculty. Whatever you choose to do will be helpful to someone.
Some suggested approaches to remote attendance can be found here:
https://sites.google.com/umass.edu/digital-learning/home/remote-attendance
A list of rooms and equipment in the college that support remote attendance:
https://www.umass.edu/education/it/remote-attendance
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5. EXTRA CREDIT: Consider neuroinclusive approaches to instruction
The shifting educational landscape is creating new opportunities and challenges for people who approach learning (or life) in cognitively atypical ways. “Neuroinclusive” instruction takes into account that there are many valid ways to approach cognitive tasks. When academic assessments are designed with only one cognitive approach in mind, we are tipping the field against students who would otherwise succeed. Neurodivergent individuals in college (who are or who have ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, OCD, mental illness, brain injuries, or other divergent cognitive processes) are still developing strategies for navigating a world designed for neurotypicals, so any flexibility and attention you can give to this issue will help their progress.
Neuroinclusive instruction applies many of the same principles found in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and user interface design. It can be as simple as providing more detailed scaffolding for large assignments, or as complex as offering multiple options for demonstrating learning of a specific course objective. Kate Hudson and I are assembling a group to help us develop events and materials that will assist instructors with neuroinclusive approaches, so keep an eye out for future emails on this topic. If this is a topic you have worked on, or have an interest in, please get in touch!
If you are interested in learning more, give these podcasts a listen:
“Creating Successful Learning Experiences for Students Who Identify as Neurodiverse”
Lecture Breakers Ep. 79 with Dr. Siva priya Santhanam
“Design for Divergence”
Think UDL Ep. 86 with Megan Kohler
Whew! That was a lot. Thank you for reading to the end. Above all, be careful with yourself. As caring, supportive teachers, we are likely to hand out all the oxygen masks before we check our own supply. If the advice in this email is too much, skip it. Do what you are able to do. It will be enough, and it will make a difference for someone.
APPENDIX
Good resources to save for when you need them:
College of Education resources for remote teaching:
https://www.umass.edu/education/resources-remote-teaching
College of Education resources for teaching with technologies:
https://www.umass.edu/education/digitallearning
Instructional Media Lab for consultations on Moodle, Zoom, and other tools:
https://www.umass.edu/it/instruct/iml
(These folks can explain anything, and have infinite patience)
Center for Teaching and Learning resources on instructional practice
https://www.umass.edu/ctl/resources/how-do-i
UMass Amherst IT resources for instructors
https://www.umass.edu/it/general/technology-teaching-learning
https://www.umass.edu/it/instruct