As we get ready to Return to Rutgers next week, please review and refer to this helpful document that Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education Carolyn Moehling has circulated. It has some important information and resources for faculty preparing for Fall 2021.
Rutgers and GSAPP will be holding the majority of our classes in-person, on campus in the fall and masks/face coverings will be required in all University buildings in non-private enclosed spaces. This means that instructors and students will be required to wear masks during in-person class meetings. You are encouraged to include language about mask usage on your syllabi and on your Canvas (or other LMS) sites (please see the attached document for example language to use). Rutgers and GSAPP are following the CDC and NJ guidelines for masks and social distancing for vaccinated populations. In addition, the Return to Rutgers guide is being updated by the University to include a section on classrooms specifically, and we will forward that to you as soon as it is available.
Because of the mask requirement, food will not be allowed during in-person class meetings at GSAPP. It is expected that instructors and students wear masks at all times while in the classroom. The Dean’s Office knows this is a change in GSAPP norms; we feel it is important to keep our community safe.
GSAPP will be purchasing several voice amplifiers (microphones) in the next few days that can be used to amplify your voice while teaching in a mask to prevent voice strain and to help our students to hear you better if you are concerned about this. The process for requesting and signing out a voice amplifier to use in your classroom will be posted in the Faculty Teams soon.
Importantly, students will be receiving this same information about in-person classes, mask requirements on campus, and the policy regarding food in GSAPP classrooms from Department Chairs in advance of the start of the semester. Please be sure to check the Faculty Teams and this page regularly for important updates and announcements as we return to campus.
Faculty Resources
FAQs
Q. What Additional Resources Are Available for Remote Instruction?
- Digital Classroom Services’ Academic Continuity site provides information about the synchronous technology available in Rutgers–New Brunswick’s general-purpose classrooms
- Teaching and Learning with Technology has created an Emergency Preparedness site to organize the options for faculty when in-class instruction is suspended
- To sign up for WebEx and Kaltura, go to:
- Schools are compiling resources for their faculty, including the School of Arts and Sciences’ Keep Teaching site. Familiarize yourself with these recommendations- and, to the extent possible, incorporate these ideas into your teaching.
- An additional suggestion from Associate Dean Donald Woodward in the School of Pharmacy, is to record narration over PowerPoint slides:
Please note that in order to be ADA compliant, any video/narration needs to have closed captioning. This can be done easily by uploading the video to Kaltura, where the video will be captioned automatically. An alternative is to manually write a closed caption file yourself or get a closed-caption file automatically generated by Microsoft Stream and add it to your video file by using PowerPoint.
Q. How Can I Get Trained to Deliver Classes Remotely?
Click here to download WebEx: https://webex.rutgers.edu/
If you were unable to attend a training session provided, please review the training documents below, which were discussed in the information sessions. If you are uncomfortable using the training platform or have questions please contact Nirmal Sadarangani at sadarani@gsapp.rutgers.edu and copy Nayland Smith, Chief Business Officer at nay.smith@gsapp.rutgers.edu.
Q. What are resources for Travel Cancellations?
Click here for Travel Cancellations Guidance.
Q. What Additional Resources Are Available for Trainers of School Psychologists?
Click here for resouces for Trainers of School Psychologists.
Q. What are Some Suggested Best Practice Guidelines for Faculty as Part of our Academic Contingency Plans?
- Ensure that you have off-site access to all valid email addresses for the students in each of your classes, lab sections, independent studies, etc.
- Promptly message your students about the need to checkback regularly for messages from their instructors.
- If you have not already done so, set up a course webpage in Sakai, Canvas, or Blackboard, and and post your syllabus and class assignments there. Students should be provided with information on how to submit course assignments via the course website. If this is not feasible, students should be provided a valid email address for you so that they can submit assignments.
- Sign-up for access to a software communication program, such as, WebEx, which can accommodate up to 1,000 individuals simultaneously, or Kaltura video platform supported by Canvas, linked above.
- Carefully review how to adapt your current syllabus to the emerging situation. This may include a plan for students who need to make up work (such as returning study abroad students, students who have been ill, etc.)
Q. What Should I Do If I am an Active Instructor and Concerned about My Own Health?
Follow CDC recommendations and make the best health care decisions for yourself. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your own health and/or ability to teach classes, please contact: Elisa Shernoff (School Psychology), Nancy Boyd-Franklin (Clinical Psychology) and Peter Economou (MAP). We recommend that you continue to stay informed by reviewing campus updates at Rutgers' new website.
Q. Guiding Questions for Postdocs and Faculty Advisors During COVID-19
View Recordings from the Summer Pedagogy Training Series (2020)
This workshop will introduce you to the online classroom, the unique needs of online students, and the components of a successful online course. These pedagogical ideas will then be tied to practical application in Canvas, with demonstrations of specific tools and Canvas features that address the needs of online students and implement the components of a successful online course.
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/7228413050270592783
This workshop is designed to explore how to design courses and materials that are accessible to all students. We will cover the basics of online accessibility, focusing on best practices for creating accessible course materials such as text documents (Word/PDF), images, and videos with captions. We’ll also go over key accessibility features in the Canvas LMS.
Partial recording: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/325521821059578128
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Full recording of a similar session for a different audience: Play recording (1 hr 9 mins) |
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Recording password: 97jJMMXu |
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This workshop will cover the basics of setting up and building your course in Canvas. You will learn to navigate a Canvas course and global menu, add content (files, videos, links, etc.) to modules, add your syllabus, communicate with your students, and generate your gradebook.
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3069649956494331916
This workshop will focus on the key considerations to keep in mind when deciding between synchronous and asynchronous teaching methods and activities in the online classroom. We will also review various tools available in Canvas for each approach, and best practices for using these tools effectively to support student learning.
Partial recording: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/4069064244856487432
Full recording of a similar session for a different audience: https://rutgers.webex.com/tc3300/trainingcenter/record/downloadViewAction.do?actionType=view&recordId=36212246&siteurl=rutgers&setted=101&internalrKey=4832534b0000000435d6f9d0c7382f22e8b9c4d0e937e99e8242c57367ae14982f2e92bbd3e6de4c&RCID=d4b3fddc675317d2db44614b66a804e0
Password: uNM2p3Yt
- Engaging Students in Synchronous Sessions
Engaging students in the learning environment is one of the biggest challenges faced by instructors, especially when teaching remotely or online. In this workshop, we review the literature on the effectiveness of engaging students in synchronous online classes including when a portion of the students are present in-person while another portion attends virtually. We will explore best practices for building engagement opportunities for those students who are attending remotely. We provide training on how to use some of our favorite tools including breakout rooms (in BigBlueButton or Zoom if available), Google Apps for collaboration, and polling technologies.
Meeting Recording:
Access Password: wV?0DWd4
- Designing a Hybrid-Flex Course - New Models for Synchronous and Remote Teaching
With the uncertainty that comes with the pandemic, many universities are considering a new model called the “hybrid flex” model in which faculty design a course that can be simultaneously held in-person or taken remotely depending on weekly changes in health or university status. In this workshop we will explore strategies to set-up your course using a hybrid-flex model and best practices for engaging all students.
Access Passcode: p7Y*WKKM
USING MS TEAMS
Schedule a Microsoft Teams meeting
Running Microsoft Teams meeting
USING WEBEX
Using Webex Desktop Application
Run a Webex Meeting through a Browser
Schedule a Webex Training Session
USING ZOOM
Configure Zoom Meetings for HIPAA Compliance
CISCO SYSTEMS - VOICEMAIL
Call forwarding instructions (Cisco IP Phones)
University Guidelines
Developing and Reporting Remote Instruction Plans
On March 9, 2020, President Barchi wrote: “All active instructors are expected to develop remote-instruction plans to complete the balance of the spring curricula and submit them for review by their department chairs by Wednesday, March 18. On March 19, chairs must report to their deans, who must, in turn, verify to their chancellors by March 20, that all faculty are prepared for a transition to remote instruction. Faculty must be ready for remote instruction by Monday, March 23.”
On March 10, 2020, President Barchi announced: Beginning Thursday, March 12, through the end of spring break on Sunday, March 22, all classes are canceled. Beginning Monday, March 23, through semester-end, all course instruction will be delivered remotely. All face-to-face instruction is suspended. This includes any class meetings. Individual instructors are expected to be in contact with their students regarding their plans for remote instruction prior to March 23.
Each instructor or course coordinator should prepare an announcement for your students about your plans for remote instruction.
Research and Grants
The link below provides a brief list of pre-award and post-award FAQs and suggestions to consider in your research planning.
Online Learning Assistance
Rutgers Teaching and Learning With Technology (TLT) is actively working to ensure learning continuity as we face this evolving COVID-19 situation. They will continue to provide updates on resources and tips for transitioning to distance learning.
Here are a few ways they can help:
Free Training
- 90 min. Comprehensive Sessions that cover communicating with students, web-conferencing, sharing resources and lecture capture (registration required)
- 30 min. "Tool Tip" Workshops that focus on one specific tool at a time (no registration required)
Teaching Continuity Resources
- Moving your class online
- Tools and support for teaching online
Support
- Our staff has experience working with multiple systems and transitioning face-to-face courses online. Contact us at help@canvas.rutgers.edu, oid@docs.rutgers.edu or 877-361-1134.
Visit tlt.rutgers.edu for additional technology support.
Canvas Resouces
As others here at Rutgers have created excellent resources showing faculty how to use the tools that make virtual teaching possible, CTAAR has focused on providing forums to discuss pedagogical concerns related to remote teaching. CTAAR has created the following forums:
- CTAAR is hosting "virtual office hours" beginning Monday 3/23. Here we will be happy to consult with faculty to discuss remote teaching. For the hours, links, and call-in information, navigate to https://ctaar.rutgers.edu/
- The "CTAAR Remote Teaching Community" Canvas site allows the Rutgers community to share remote teaching tips and suggestions, discuss what is working, and ask questions about ongoing needs or concerns. The Rutgers community can view these discussions and resources at https://rutgers.instructure.com/courses/16464 and "join" the Canvas course to contribute.
- As always, you are welcome to email me at chris.drue@rutgers.edu, or the entire CTAAR team at ctaar@docs.rutgers.edu.