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The FDC is here for you!

Resources, Consultations, & Study Tips

Dear Colleagues,

As you transition to online teaching and your students to online learning, please remember that the Faculty Development Center staff are here to support you!

Webpage Resources
We continue to add resources for adapting coursework to online teaching and learning to our Keep on Teaching webpage (see the "NEW!" tags). We are also working on a Keep on Grading subpage that will be linked soon (link added 3/26/2020).

Adjusted Syllabus 
As we all adjust to this difficult time, remember that caring for your students and yourself are top priority. Rethinking your course design and expectations can help. Consider the ideas one professor at UNC Chapel Hill voiced in his "adjusted syllabus" below.

Study Tips for Students
The Academic Success Center has adapted a great resource for students on adjusting their study habits for the new online situation. You can find it on their webpage. Consider sharing it with your students.

Consultations
You can request a phone, email, or virtual consultation with the FDC to discuss strategies for adapting elements of your course to an online environment in a way that meets course learning outcomes by emailing fdc@umbc.edu or any of us. For any technical questions about how to use Blackboard or other online teaching tools, please see DoIT's Academic Continuity and Available tools & resources pages, or submit an RT ticket through myUMBC Help.

Please feel free to reach out for support or just to let us know how you're doing. We're with you in this!

Best,
Linda, Kerrie, Jennifer, Tory, and Sarah


        Adjusted Syllabus
        Spring 2020
        Brandon Bayne
        UNC - Chapel Hill

Principles

1.  Nobody signed up for this.
  • Not for the sickness, not for the social distancing, not for the sudden end of our collective lives together on campus
  • Not for an online class, not for teaching remotely, not for learning from home, not for mastering new technologies, not for varied access to learning materials
2.  The humane option is the best option.
  • We are going to prioritize supporting each other as humans
  • We are going to prioritize simple solutions that make sense for the most
  • We are going to prioritize sharing resources and communicating clearly
3.  We cannot just do the same thing online.
  • Some assignments are no longer possible
  • Some expectations are no longer reasonable
  • Some objectives are no longer valuable
4.  We will foster intellectual nourishment, social connection, and personal accommodation.
  • Accessible asynchronous content for diverse access, time zones, and contexts
  • Optional synchronous discussion to learn together and combat isolation
5.  We will remain flexible and adjust to the situation.
  • Nobody knows where this is going and what we’ll need to adapt
  • Everybody needs support and understanding in this unprecedented moment

Photo by Michelle Tresemer on Unsplash

Posted: March 24, 2020, 9:36 AM

Read Original Post in myUMBC