A: Moving a Face-to-Face Course to Online
In an emergency situation such as fire, earthquake, or pandemic, LATTC may move some or all of its instruction and services online. This appendix to the LATTC DE Handbook provides resources for faculty who want to be prepared for such a situation, as well as some detailed suggestions and guides that can be used in the moment when quickly shifting in-person classes to remote instruction to maintain instructional continuity. We had to do this in 2020. We hope it won't be necessary again, but it's always best to be prepared.
Please note that true Distance Education requires:
- significant effort toward course design,
- specialized instructional and technical skills, and
- knowledge of a variety of requirements, policies, and recommended practices - which the rest of this DE Handbook addresses.
Online moves in a time of crisis are really intended to help students continue their progress toward their goals with as little disruption as possible. As vital as this is, it should not be confused with optimal online teaching and learning.
Please click on the tabs below to move through each element of this topic. The total reading time for the material in this page is about 20 minutes, but it is full of links to external resources that could require significant amounts of time, depending on your needs and interests.
- Reading time: 6 min.
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This section is intended to be considered in advance of any official decision to shift instruction online, to help faculty who may be interested in being more prepared for the possibility, both to connect with key resources and to work with their students to be ready before a shift is forced upon them. If you get a bit overwhelmed by all the possible tools to learn listed below, and/or really aren't sure where you ought to be focusing, you might skip ahead and review the different online approaches matched with what you might have done in the classroom.
Preparing Your Students Before the Crisis Moment
Before it actually happens, help your students to be prepared for the possibility of a campus closure or other instructional disruption:
- If you're not already using Canvas much, alert your students to what you would be sharing in Canvas. Ensure students know how to access your course in Canvas on the web and via the Canvas Student mobile app Links to an external site..
- Make sure your students know the communication channels you’ll be using to keep the class going. If you are going to rely primarily on emailing students via PeopleSoft rather than using Canvas, make sure students have set their emails in PeopleSoft correctly and know to check those emails.
- Discuss with them how they should expect the class to continue in the event of disruption. If you are likely to make adjustments to the expectations outlined in your syllabus, be as clear as you can about this.
- Ensure students know how to access support. This includes support available in Canvas through the Student Support and Tech Help buttons at left. It may also include support from the college specific to the situation - make sure you are aware of whatever the college may develop.
- Communicate your flexibility and desire to help students succeed. Ask students if they have sufficient technological access to continue with class activities that might shift online, and consider options for students who express concern.
- Consider giving an opportunity for students to practice with a technology that you or they may not have used before, such as turning in an assignment through Canvas or holding a live online session in Zoom, before they are actually forced to do so.
Preparing Yourself Before the Crisis Moment
...to use Canvas for content, communication, and assessment
If you don’t already use Canvas much, consider:
- Learning content tools such as Pages Links to an external site. and the Rich Content Editor Links to an external site.
- Adding your syllabus to Canvas (Upload it as a file Links to an external site. and/or use the Canvas Syllabus tool Links to an external site.)
- Setting a Canvas home page Links to an external site. that includes your contact information and other key course information (recommended: create a custom Front Page Links to an external site. or use Canvas Syllabus Links to an external site.)
- Learning assessment tools such as Assignments Links to an external site. (details Links to an external site.), Quizzes Links to an external site., Grades Links to an external site., and SpeedGrader Links to an external site.
- Learning communication tools such as Announcements Links to an external site., Discussions Links to an external site., and the Inbox Links to an external site.
- Understanding how to publish individual items (pages Links to an external site., assignments Links to an external site., quizzes Links to an external site., discussions Links to an external site.) in Canvas, and how to publish a Canvas class Links to an external site. if you have not already done so
- Learning to use Student View Links to an external site. to experience your class as a student would
- Complete the Introduction to Teaching with Canvas (ITC)
Links to an external site. and Introduction to Online Teaching and Learning (IOTL)
Links to an external site.
Links to an external site.
classes found in the VRC
...to use Zoom for live online interaction
If you think you may want to offer live online teaching, class meetings, and/or office hours, the best tool for this is Zoom. Zoom allows you to share your screen; use an interactive whiteboard; communicate via audio, video, and text; and more. You can share session recordings to ensure that students who can't participate live still can benefit from it, and recordings are auto-captioned.
Every faculty and staff member has access to Zoom through LATTC - this will ensure that your usage is not limited and you have access to all of Zoom’s features.
- First integrate Zoom within Canvas Download integrate Zoom within Canvas
- Learn how to use Zoom Links to an external site. and all its features
...to record and share lectures
If you think you may want to record and post lectures, screencasts, or other multimedia content:
- Links to an external site.Canvas Studio, Yuja, and Zoom are built into Canvas and can record your material and include the required captioning.
- Do some practicing with your tool of choice
- Canvas Studio and Zoom both record “to the cloud”, allowing you to simply link to the video in your Canvas class. It's a good idea to back them up in your 3C Media Solutions Links to an external site. or YouTube Links to an external site. accounts, then get a link to add into your class.
- Captioning is a legal requirement - Canvas Studio Links to an external site., Yuja, YouTube Links to an external site., and Zoom Links to an external site. all auto-caption your recordings and allow you to easily edit captions to perfect them. 3C Media Solutions in the past allowed faculty to request professional captioning for your uploaded videos, but the rules for what they will caption have become more complex. We may have access to other captioning systems in the future.
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Please note that when preparing a fully online class, what's outlined below does not represent a recommended strategy for comprehensive course design. The online modality offers different opportunities for teaching and learning, inviting a rethinking of your instructional approach. However, in a crisis where there is little time for redesign, choosing approaches such as those below is likely the clearest path to instructional continuity through remote instruction. Above all, keep it simple for yourself and your students. Have compassion and flexibility as you and your students work through this.
Shifting Classroom Activities to Remote Instruction
Every credit and non-credit class at LATTC automatically has a Canvas "shell" available, and students are automatically updated from PeopleSoft into Canvas. Use the table below to consider how you might reproduce what you would have done in the classroom, online using Canvas and/or Zoom. This table presumes a basic familiarity with Canvas and Zoom. If you need to back up a bit and learn more Canvas and Zoom fundamentals, see the previous section. For more general advice about shifting online in a time of crisis, you can skip ahead.
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If in class you would have |
Online you can |
Resources to learn more |
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Conducted a lecture |
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Held a structured class discussion or an open-ended Q&A session |
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Divided students into groups for activities |
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Held small group or individual conferences with students |
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Given a quiz or test |
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Collected student assignments turned in on paper |
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Reminded students about upcoming class events, assignment due dates, etc. |
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Passed out paper copies of readings or other course materials |
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Returned student assignments or provided an update on grades |
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Had students conference with each other to provide peer feedback on work |
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Had students present |
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Run a hands-on activity using specialized lab equipment and resources, unique technology, or other elements difficult to reproduce online |
While it may be very difficult to adequately recreate the experience online, there may be some options to consider:
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Reminded students about on-campus student support services |
Depending on the status of the crisis, on-campus services may remain available. But even if they are, many students may not be willing or able to make it to campus due to the circumstances. Point students to the Canvas-based Student Support Hub (click the Student Support button on the left-hand global Canvas menu) for access to:
Include NetTutor in your Canvas course menu for seamless student access to online tutoring. Make sure students are aware of FAQs with details about additional student service availability by phone and online. |
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Taken attendance |
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Gone on a field trip, attended a public event, or had your class do some service learning |
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Provided instruction with accommodations for a student with a disability |
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Super-minimal approach: Use email -- preferably the Canvas Inbox
If you have very little experience with Canvas and do not wish to do the kinds of things described above, the most straightforward alternative is to use email. Some caveats to this approach:
- Students are notorious for not checking email; ideally you would have prepared them ahead of time to be aware of this strategy.
- Some students may not have updated their email in PeopleSoft to the one they most frequently check since their original registration with LATTC. Encourage them to do so!
- You should use your official LATTC email address, not an external address.
- The amount of emails you receive could get a bit overwhelming.
- FERPA restricts what you are allowed to send over email, including assignment feedback and grades.
- You could use PeopleSoft to send emails out to all students in a particular class, but some of the limitations given above make this less than optimal.
Instead of PeopleSoft, use the Canvas Inbox tool to send messages to your class. Canvas messaging sends both to the email registered in PeopleSoft as well as to the recipient's Canvas Inbox. The Canvas Inbox will make it much easier for you to track and organize messages you receive from students. Students also wouldn't be dependent upon checking their email - they would also be able to see the messages in Canvas. The emails could include assignments, links to resources, and so on. Students would send you individual emails with their questions, as well as with their completed assignments. Due to FERPA restrictions, you would need to find another way to provide students with assignment feedback and their class progress/grade than sending emails. Options could be tricky - this is another reason to strongly consider at least a minimal use of Canvas - because then you can also use the Gradebook tool.
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Teaching and learning online, especially in a time of crisis, is not just about shifting to a new set of tools and modes of interaction. Please think through some of the concerns and strategies provided below.
Be Flexible and Compassionate
- Students may have new demands placed upon them by their work, family, or other situations, or they may be directly affected by the larger issue (whether fire, pandemic, or other major disruption).
- Not all students may have easy access to reliable technology to continue completing class work. Even if the campus remains open with computer labs available, some students may have life circumstances that make it hard to take advantage of this. Make sure you help students become aware of technology loan options the college may provide.
- Even if they have access, not all students may be comfortable with completing class activities online. Provide as much guidance as you can through announcements, screencasts, and embedded directions, and also be sure to point students toward the tech support available to them. If you know that a majority of your students are not experienced with online learning technologies, try to minimize the number of new tools you introduce. Be sure students are aware of the Tech Help button at bottom left in Canvas.
- Some students may rely on smartphones to access your class, even more so if access to campus computer labs is not available. To the extent that you can, try to provide material that will work for students in that format.
- Consider including a “course forum” discussion board where students can freely share concerns, support one another, and share tips and strategies for coping with the changes - from technological to emotional to time-management.
- Connect students to college resources that remain available on campus and/or online. At minimum, point students to the resources available through the Student Support Hub in Canvas. If the college is continuing to provide on-campus support services, please help to ensure that students are aware of this.
Online is Different, So Be Aware
- Navigation within an online class can be one of the most important factors for student success. Faculty new to teaching online can underestimate the difficulty in keeping things organized and intuitive. Consistency and clarity are very important. Providing explicit instructions to students about where to find things, and/or demonstrations such as videos of you navigating the class in Student View, can be extremely important.
- An online class in the California Community Colleges requires interaction between each student and the instructor, as well as among students. In a stop-gap move from the classroom to online, you are likely to emphasize providing instructional content and requiring students to independently complete work, which makes sense … but every bit of connection and personal presence you can provide online will make a difference for many students.
- An online class is typically arranged with a weekly structure, with due dates occurring either weekly or bi-weekly. Students often wait until the last minute to complete work, and typically have questions at that time; consider placing due dates on days/times where you are most available to help students, and where students may have access to additional online support such as online tutoring. Also, consider intermediate due dates for some work rather than having all work for a given time period due at the end of that time period. At the same time, remember the section above - the structure you provide will be helpful to most students, but flexibility is also advised.
- Online pedagogy often places a greater emphasis on more frequent formative, low-stakes assessments. While this is not easily implemented in a stop-gap move to online, do consider ways to keep your students engaged and on track if your class has relatively few, high-stakes assessments. At the same time, maintain a clear focus on the course outcomes; avoid “busy work”.
- Typically, online class designers think of the entire class as "open book/open resources." Quizzes can still be useful (quizzes that can be taken multiple times often lead to better student learning), but if high-stakes objective testing is a big part of your course structure, you may need to rethink your assessment approach, if you are not able to continue to hold exams on campus. If the campus remains open, you may be able to offer exams on campus even when you've moved the rest of your class online.
- Online classes are expected to be fully compliant with accessibility regulations. In a stop-gap move from classroom to online, this may not be easily achievable, but if you have students in your class who require accommodation, this will be critical.