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Please note that when preparing a full online class, what's outlined below does not represent a recommended strategy for comprehensive course design. Online 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.

You are encouraged to review MiraCosta's COVID-19 Instructional Continuity FAQs for Faculty to provide more context for the suggestions and ideas below.

Shifting Classroom Activities to Remote Instruction

Every credit and non-credit class at MiraCosta automatically has a Canvas "shell" available, and students are automatically updated from SURF 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 page. For more general advice about shifting online in a time of crisis, you can skip to the next page.

**Remote Instruction activities approximating classroom-based instruction**
If in class you would have	Online you can	Resources to learn more
Conducted a lecture	Hold a live Zoom session that’s also recorded Post screencasts that you create Post videos of yourself teaching in a classroom or a classroom-like space Post PowerPoint or other resources along with explanatory notes and/or audio or video explanations	How to use ConferZoom Recording with: Canvas Studio, Snagit, Zoom Uploading and linking to files in Canvas Recording video or audio in the Canvas Rich Content Editor
Held a structured class discussion or an open-ended Q&A session	Use Canvas discussion board (student responses can be audio or video as well as text) Use the Canvas Studio discussion tool to have students respond directly to a video Have a general Canvas discussion open for anything students might want to share/ask about	Create a Canvas Discussion Adding Comments to a Canvas Studio video
Divided students into groups for activities	Use Canvas groups to break up the class for group discussions Use a Google doc (Canvas Collaboration) to allow students to collaboratively construct and share knowledge Provide a Zoom room where student groups could meet live online, and/or have students meet in Zoom and then send them into separate breakout rooms	Automatically create Canvas Groups Create Google Docs Collaboration in Canvas Integrate Zoom within Canvas Zoom Breakout Rooms
Held small group or individual conferences with students	Have students turn in drafts through Canvas and use the audio or video feedback tools. Have students respond directly to your feedback and make it a conversation. Use Canvas’s Calendar tool to enable students to schedule meetings with you Use Zoom or the phone to hold live small group or 1-1 meetings	How to leave feedback comments Add a Scheduler appointment group in Calendar How to use ConferZoom
Given a quiz or test	Use the Canvas quiz tool to administer the test online. If you the college is still allowing campus access, you may be able to run your exams at your class time in your assigned room, even if the rest of the class has been moved online. For students whose schedules do not allow them to make a specific campus-based exam time, work with the Academic Proctoring Center to conduct make-up exams if the college is allowing campus access. If you are able to maintain a campus-based, physical test, consider flexibility for students for whom coming to campus becomes completely impractical. Perhaps offer an alternative assignment that can be turned in online. If a campus-based test is not possible and you are not comfortable shifting the test online, consider alternative approaches to assessment. Use Respondus to help turn a Word document with exam questions into a Canvas test.	How to create a Quiz Increase Canvas Exam Security Using Respondus with Canvas
Collected student assignments turned in on paper	Use the Canvas assignment tool to collect student work online. It’s highly recommended to go this route rather than collecting assignments via email. Paper-based work can be turned in by students scanning or taking pictures of their work and then submitting in Canvas.	How to create a Canvas Assignment How to set the details of a Canvas Assignment
Reminded students about upcoming class events, assignment due dates, etc.	Make sure your syllabus is posted in Canvas. Use Canvas announcements to help students get key reminders about your class. Make sure you set due dates on all assignments and activities to help students stay on track through Canvas. If you wish to use a more email-like communication, use the Canvas Inbox to send a message to your class; each student can reply to you for individual follow-up discussion. Make sure your students know about the Canvas mobile app, especially Notifications	Upload your syllabus as a file and/or use the Canvas Syllabus Add a Canvas Announcement Understand difference between due dates and availability dates How to use Canvas Inbox Canvas Student Mobile app guides
Passed out paper copies of readings or other course materials	Link to uploaded files or online materials in a Canvas page.	Uploading and linking to files in Canvas
Returned student assignments or provided an update on grades	Use the Canvas grades tool to maintain a grade book that students can check anytime. Provide feedback to students on individual assignments via the Canvas Speedgrader.	How to use the Canvas Gradebook How to leave feedback comments
Had students conference with each other to provide peer feedback on work	Use the Canvas peer review tool to automatically give students access to peer work with the ability to provide feedback	How to create a Canvas peer review Assignment
Had students present	Allow students to present live online via Zoom. Allow students to record presentations via Zoom, Canvas Studio, with their phone, or other tools, then to upload those to a Canvas assignment or discussion board.	Integrate Zoom within Canvas
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: Provide video demonstrations of what the students would have done If possible and supported by the college, acquire and share new resources providing a virtual environment simulating the on-campus experience (see resources at right) If students would have generated their own data sets for analysis, provide data and still have them do analysis If students would have been using specialized computer software in a lab, determine if they can use VMWare to access that software remotely	How to Quickly (and Safely) Move a Lab Course Online (3/17/20 article with numerous embedded links) Online Resources for Science Labs – spreadsheet of many resources, some free and some paid, organized by discipline Using MiraCosta’s VMWare Horizon Client
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: Online tutoring Online writing center support Online library including 24x7 librarian chat Online counseling Online career center services Live chat with MiraCosta’s student help desk 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.	MiraCosta Student Support Hub FAQs for MiraCosta Students about Student Support during COVID-19 Add NetTutor to your Canvas class(es)
Taken attendance	Online, "attendance" is different - in general simply logging in shouldn't be considered attending - students must engage in an academic activity to be considered as having "attended" your class. While you are encouraged to be flexible and compassionate in your expectations for student participation, you still need to report Last Day of Attendance if a student drops your class. If you run synchronous Zoom sessions you can get a report on who attended, if that is important. But it is highly recommended to not require live student attendance in synchronous sessions.	More details about tracking attendance online Zoom meeting reports
Gone on a field trip, attended a public event, or had your class do some service learning	Probably best not to do these kinds of things. Check with your department chair or dean if you're not sure whether the college or community has placed restrictions on this kind of activity. Consider whether it's possible to have students do a "virtual field trip" using web resources.
Provided instruction with accommodations for a student with a disability	Do just about anything listed above, though it will be critical to be especially attentive to accessibility requirements and to engage DSPS in support Be sure to make it clear to your students that if any of your course resources/activities are inaccessible, that they should let you know immediately and you will work with DSPS to remediate it or provide an alternative ASAP.	MiraCosta DSPS document: Special Considerations for Students with Disabilities 10 Tips for Creating Accessible Content

Super-minimal approach: Use email+

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 SURF to the one they most frequently check since their original registration with MiraCosta. Encourage them to do so!
You should use your official MiraCosta 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 SURF 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 SURF, use the Canvas Inbox tool to send messages to your class. Canvas messaging sends both to the email registered in SURF 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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