Today, we finally got a minute to catch our collective breaths from the quick change into remote learning that went into effect Monday March 16th. Because this is such a historical moment in time, I thought I should try to document some of the key things that happened in terms of instructional design support that could help in the case of this happening again. Obviously there was a lot going on in other areas with IT, libraries, student support, and staff readiness to shift to remote work. This is just one part of the story.
February 27th – received first communication from leadership in Teaching & Learning with Technology (TLT) asking us to:
- take laptops home each evening in case campuses close unexpectedly and quickly
- look over instructions for Minimum Viable Option (MVO) if classes have to be offered remotely. The MVO included” turning on the Canvas course, getting the syllabus posted, getting assignments set up, and Zoom rooms scheduled.” This gave us the first clue that courses, if they went remote, would be using a combination of Canvas and Zoom to get the job done
- volunteer to be part of university-wide support crew
March 2nd – Chancellor sends out first communication to the campus. ID follows this up with information about MVO and resources for Canvas and Zoom.
March 5th – Campus-based workshops (day and evening) are scheduled for both Canvas and Zoom to meet MVO guidelines.
March 6th – Campus-based workshops, online resources, and asynchronous training are announced to faculty. TLT provides a report of all Canvas courses in spring semester which haven’t yet been turned on. Individual emails are sent out to these faculty to request contact and offer to help.
March 9th – First workshops are held in Canvas and Zoom. A process is developed to standardize the use and entry process for Zoom use to make help through the helpdesk more standardized across all users once we go online. A handout is created for faculty and helpdesk staff describing how to handle Zoom from posting links for students in Canvas to entering the zoom room as a host, to sharing the screen and recording the session. Common settings are also shared in the document along with how to locate the recordings and posting them in Canvas for student viewing.
March 9th – 15th is Spring Break
March 9th – 18th – Daily workshops are offered in Canvas and Zoom during the day and evening for both FT and PT faculty.
March 11th – Campus announcement goes out that all classes will begin remote learning using MVO on Monday March 16th. Information goes out to faculty with guidance about MVO options and resources, training, and local workshops.
March 13th – the how-to Zoom handout goes out to all faculty with the common recommended process to standardize the approach and hopefully simplify helpdesk support. Sample syllabi statements go out. Late email goes out from admin with new instructions about synchronous learning
March 14th – questions and concerns swirl around the synchronous learning edict. A call is placed to UP leadership to clarify. All faculty should log-into Zoom during regular class time to check on students and maintain the regular class scheduled time. Asynchronous components may also be used, but contact with students at regular class time is required.
March 15th – TLT online support Zoom chats begin. Faculty from any location can log-in, and are placed in a breakout room with IDs and other volunteers to answer questions. Local faculty are encouraged to log-in with the campus ID and test their Zoom connections. 20 faculty at York tested connections and this helped to create the Zoom FAQ/Tips & tricks document that supplemented the general How-to.
March 16 – 19th – ID is stationed in a computer lab to maintain social distancing – holding workshops, responding to faculty questions, and working 1-on-1 with faculty as needed. IT staff prepare campus staff to work remotely and support student and faculty questions.
Thursday March 19th – Governor Wolf announces all non-essential businesses must close
Friday March 20th – ID begins home-based support – using phone, Zoom remote and email to support York faculty.
Saturday March 21st -email goes out to faculty to prepare for Plan B next week – Many universities return from spring break and go online this next Monday. Suggestions for having a plan in case systems slow down is shared
Monday March 23 – Campus support continues with questions about using breakout rooms, accessing Zoom as a host, Canvas quizzing and drop box creation, WordPress, and student access to technology. Handouts and videos are created along with a website gathering COVID-19 teaching resources, University informational websites, and links to how-to docs for commonly asked questions.
April 16 – University announces all summer courses will go online as asynchronous or remote synchronous with Zoom.
Welcome to my blog at Penn State York. This is the place where I reflect on what I’m learning throughout my days as an instructional designer. Looking at the date, you’ll notice that I’ve been doing this since 2008. I can hardly believe it!
