Unless otherwise authorized by the dean, all classes, labs, and discussion sections should be conducted online.  Therefore, a student should be allowed to complete the entire course without being on campus. 

All assessments (quizzes, tests, homeworks) should be completed remotely.  Several options exist for this. See the instructional guidance below for more details.

All courses must be run using Canvas.  All materials and grades should be posted within Canvas.

Instructors are not allowed to simply assign reading from a textbook/notes and then have students complete assignments.  Instructors must post videos or audio recordings that explain the material so that it is similar to in-person instruction

Instructors for different sections of the same class (e.g., different instructors for Math 2B) should not “share videos” or use common videos.  Rather, students should hear their own instructor’s voice in the required recordings.

Student expectations should be made clear in the syllabus.  This is new for both instructors and students, so laying out what a student will be doing each day/week is important.  In particular, the following information should be included in your syllabus:

TA sections will be run synchronously (live, using technology like Zoom).  Coordinate with TAs on what your expectations are. The TAs should be required to give regular quizzes, as this is an important way to make sure that students aren’t getting left behind.  Any deviation from this requires approval from Zhiqin or Mike.

Even with the remote nature of the course, we are asked to use flexibility and understanding with students. If they are unable to attend a required event (e.g., section or a midterm) or are late in turning in an assignment due to illness, we should not ask for a doctor’s note (medical offices may become short-staffed).

When creating your syllabus, consider the weights of the various components of the course.  Will virtual attendance be part of the score? Should midterms and final exams count for less, given their remote nature?

Remember that students will be dealing with other new stressors in their lives.  They may have younger siblings at home (instead of in school), sick family members, lost/furloughed jobs, and general anxiety about the national situation. Set clear expectations and requirements, but then practice understanding on individual cases.

A consistently structured week (e.g., new videos posted every Mon, Wed, Fri; HW always due on Sunday at 11:59pm) is important for student planning and for a sense of normalcy.

Communicate often and regularly with your students.  Reminders about due dates, when a video is posted, etc, are appreciated.

Use one of your videos to introduce yourself.  Where are you from? Why do you like the content of the course you’re teaching?  What research areas do you like? This will increase your approachability.

Have students share something about themselves with you early on.  Make a small assignment asking them to introduce themselves. What are their majors?  What are their goals? What is their favorite math joke or meme? This will help them feel comfortable about asking you math questions later in the course.

The major structural decision for your lecture is whether it will be synchronous (live) or asynchronous (pre-recorded).

Live classes are best run using Zoom.  These must be run during the already scheduled class times.

Pre-recorded lectures can be generated using either Zoom or Yuja.  

For pre-recorded lectures, there is no reason to stick to a 50-minute format.  Smaller lectures may be appropriate. Consider breaking up a usual 50-minute lecture into 2 or 3 smaller videos organized by concept.  Attention spans are short.  Shorter videos can help keep attention focused.  Seek other ways to catch the attention of your students, like embedded quizzes in your videos (which is possible using Yuja).

For pre-recorded lectures, total lecture time per week should range from 100 to 200 minutes (usual in-person contact time is 150 minutes per week), except for classes that utilize active learning, hybrid, or flipped models.

When using Zoom or Yuja on a laptop or desktop, talking over slides (powerpoint or LaTeX Beamer) is usually best. 

If you want to talk over a “whiteboard” while you write out the solution to a problem, a tablet may be your best bet.  An iPad and pen with an appropriate app (e.g., Notabilty) may work well for this.  

Using Yuja/Zoom to record yourself in front of an actual whiteboard in a classroom is also a possibility.  Please check the readability of the words on the whiteboard before investing too much time into this.

The math department computer support staff have bought several cameras and microphones which can be checked out if you would like to record yourself in a classroom.

Safeguard your intellectual property. According to Senate guidelines, the materials you create (handouts, videos, assessments) are your property.  It is strongly advised that you post your material only on Canvas, where login is required. Posting on YouTube or other open media opens up the possibility that your materials can be used without your consent.

When possible and appropriate, multiple choice-type questions using Canvas with Respondus should be utilized.  Courses that utilize MyMathLab (requires purchase from students) or WebWork should lean heavily on these.

At-home exams (students write answers on their own paper, scan answers, upload to Canvas) are appropriate for classes where showing work or proofs are involved.  These are usually tightly timed (to decrease the chance of cheating) and should include questions that aren’t easily found online.

Take-home exams (students download questions, have a certain number of days to work on it, upload to Canvas) may be appropriate for upper-division and graduate courses.

Three basic mechanisms exist for grading uploaded written assignments submitted to Canvas: Downloading all submissions, GradeScope, SpeedGrader

Downloading All Submissions generates a .zip file that downloads to your computer.  Uncompressing this .zip file will open a folder containing all submitted work for that particular assignment.  The files are automatically named with the student’s name in the file. You then grade the work.

SpeedGrader does not require downloading any submissions to your local computer.  You can use this to online grade assignments and provide feedback (via comments and annotations).  There is also a ‘rubric’ tool that allows you to assign weights to each problem (e.g., Problem 1 is worth 5 points, Problem 2 is worth 7 points, etc).  

GradeScope: This is a feature within Canvas that must be added (use Settings>Navigation, then drag “GradeScope” to be viewed in the navigation bar).  It can be a very powerful tool. Along with collecting an assignment, it also has some built-in artificial intelligence that automates the grading process.  For this, templates must be created, etc. If this is something that may be helpful with your course (e.g., courses where you want students to show work and the answer is a number or function), consider training yourself with GradeScope.