Instructional Technology Services has assembled an array of tools to help you move your classes online, engage students in distance learning, and meet course learning objectives. The links on the right take you to specific tools and resources, while the Virtual Instruction Readiness Quiz below will help you identify specific issues and solutions relevant to your particular courses.
Many of the actions you will likely want to take will be implemented through Blackboard. It serves as a powerful hub, providing access to a number of tools for communicating, teaching, and assessing online. If you have not used Blackboard before, learn how with the Blackboard Quick Start Guide. For an overview visit the Blackboard Guide for Instructors. Here you will find a robust set of walkthroughs and videos to help you make the most of engaging your students in learning. You may also want to consider becoming familiar with Zoom for web conferencing and course capture.
ITS will continue to develop and enhance this site in response to the situation and to answer instructors’ questions as they emerge. The guidance provided here is focused on the process and technology of course conversion. It is not meant to address the educational policy issues, such as attendance, that are certain to arise. The university, working with the deans and departments, will provide guidance on those matters.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact SDSU Instructional Technology Services.
Start Here: Take the Virtual Instruction Readiness Quiz
- Establish effective communication channels with your students
- Put your course materials online
- Assess your students online
- Strategies & Resources
Establish effective communication channels with your students
|
Question |
Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| I am prepared to communicate updates, changes, and other relevant information to my students. | ||
| I can create channels where students can respond to me | ||
| I can schedule live sessions | ||
| I can create opportunities for students to contact each other and collaborate online | ||
| I can hold online office hours |
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, learn more in our guide to remote communication with students.
Put your course materials online
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| I currently have a Blackboard course site or course website that is up to date | ||
| I use Blackboard to make course materials available to my students | ||
| I can pre-record my lecture materials and share them with students | ||
| I can set up course sessions via Zoom to deliver live lectures | ||
| I can record and share PowerPoint slides online |
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, learn more in our guide to delivering course content online.
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| I can create quizzes in Blackboard to verify that students understand the material | ||
| I can collect student submissions online | ||
| I can facilitate student presentations online | ||
| I can grade assignments, exams, problem-sets, etc. online |
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, learn more in our guide to assessing student learning online.
Strategies & Resources
There are many ways to teach successfully online. The following tables list tools to immediately facilitate various online course activities. Each tool is identified as synchronous (tools that are used in real-time/live) or asynchronous (tools that facilitate learning free of time constraints).
Communicate with your students
Clear, consistent communication is an important part of successful online teaching. Your students will need information about how your class is changing and what they are expected to do. These tools help you communicate with your students and can help them communicate with each other.
| Activity | Tool | Synchronous / Asynchronous |
|---|---|---|
| Communicate updates, changes, and other relevant information. If you plan to use Blackboard Announcements, have students verify their settings to allow Announcements to be forwarded directly to their email address. That way, messages will reach students even if they are not signed into Blackboard. | Blackboard Announcements | Asynchronous |
| Communicate information and allow students to respond at any time. | Email, Blackboard Discussion Boards | Asynchronous |
| Communicate information and allow a live response | Zoom | Synchronous |
| Facilitate written discussions among students and instructors | Blackboard Discussion Board | Asynchronous |
| Facilitate live discussions among students and instructors | Zoom | Synchronous |
| Hold remote office hours to provide an opportunity for live, one-on-one or small-group communication with you. | Zoom | Synchronous |
There are a range of ways to share course content with your students, depending on whether you want, or need, to meet in real-time or not.
| Activity | Tool | Synchronous / Asynchronous |
|---|---|---|
| Deliver live lectures (and record for later use) | Zoom | Synchronous |
| Pre-record lectures as videos including slides | Zoom, Mediasite | Asynchronous |
| Upload videos to stream to students (including Zoom recordings) | Mediasite | Asynchronous |
| Record a slide show with narration | Zoom, Camtasia | Asynchronous |
| Share files with your students | Google Drive | Asynchronous |
Online tools can provide additional ways for students to demonstrate their learning. These tools help you collect students work online, create quizzes and exams, and grade digital submissions.
| Activity | Tool | Synchronous / Asynchronous |
|---|---|---|
| Collect student submissions online | Blackboard Assignments | Asynchronous |
| Check if students understand the material | Blackboard Tests | Asynchronous |
| Facilitate student presentations | Zoom | Synchronous |
| Grading assignments, exams, problem sets (etc.) | Blackboard, Gradescope | Asynchronous |
Additional Resources
For information on using Blackboard, please see the following resources:
ITS Blackboard Quick Start Guide
Blackboard Help for Instructors
Blackboard Help for Students
For information on using Zoom to teach virtually, please see the following resources:
Guide to Educating Through Zoom
Tips for Teachers Educating on Zoom
Live Training Webinars
Recorded Training Webinars
Zoom Meetings for Education Training
Zoom Tips for Students
Note: This page was inspired by work produced by Cornell University and the readiness quiz was adapted from the University of Washington.
