In all courses, there may be times when faculty and students are unable to meet face to face. Creating flexible and inclusive learning environments helps in the event that a public, campus-wide or personal emergency disrupts the residential learning environment.
This guide provides faculty with options and resources designed to foster rich learning experiences for students. Having the right tools to work with matters, which is why Merrimack provides all faculty and undergraduate students a common device to keep teaching and learning moving anywhere, anytime.
Things to Keep in Mind
Implementation
Three Tools for Flexible Instruction
Steps to Follow: Whether Teaching Face-to-Face or Fully Online
Frequently Asked Questions
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The CETL brings educational design theory and praxis to every consultation, meeting or workshop. The resources here are based on HyFlex and resilient pedagogy design theories using a variety of modes and technologies that can be tailored to course learning objectives, student needs and the instructor’s pedagogical preferences. While most faculty would likely use Blackboard Ultra as a Learning Management System, Zoom and other synchronous and asynchronous applications for teaching remotely are available.
The Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) course design delivers a multi-modal learning experience where students can participate in class sessions in a face to face classroom setting or remote environment. Participation is available in synchronous (face to face and remote) or asynchronous mode. When designing HyFlex assignments or classes, it is helpful to understand the four values that have guided the HyFlex design effort: learner choice, equivalency, reusability and accessibility (more on this in the FAQs).
Resilient Pedagogy, an emerging design theory, is a combination of teaching strategies and principles, including Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that are resistant to disruption and changes in the learning environment
Designing a flexible and resilient learning culture includes technological equity. By issuing faculty and undergraduate students a common device, Merrimack can provide countless opportunities to transform student engagement, learning outcomes, collaboration, creativity, accessibility and career readiness. As you consider your pedagogical planning, remember that all undergraduate students have an iPad, Smart Keyboard, and Apple Pencil.
Building your capacity to teach in a variety of modalities can seem daunting at first. The CETL staff and a team of Faculty Ambassadors are available to assist you. What do you need to do to level-up your teaching and learning in a synchronous, asynchronous or HyFlex mode? CETL instructional designers are educators trained in instructional design; they are also web-accessibility certified, so if you have questions on colors, formats or other tech approaches, we are here to help. We are committed to supporting you at every stage of the course design process by providing resources, consultations, feedback and support. Email us
When using new tech tools, build in practice time to increase comfort and confidence. Also, encourage students to do the same. It’s easy to “practice” with students in the new learning environment by adding some low-or-no-stakes assignments for them to turn in.
The CETL recommends building your entire course in advance in Blackboard Ultra. First, design for an asynchronous approach that includes all learners (resilient pedagogy), then consider the face-to-face activities (HyFlex) focusing on engagement. The FAQs offer countless ideas for connecting and engaging students across modalities - many of which come directly from our faculty. If you have a proven-method, tip, or idea, please share it with us. We’ll add it to the site!
The campus is full of people, offices, guides, maps, and signs to help students navigate their holistic educational experience. Envision this student experience in the course design as you strive to build an intuitive course structure that helps as opposed to hinders student progress. Using the LMS is essential during times of disruption, emergency, and/or faculty illness, as it affords students a familiar structure across classes and allows another faculty member to seamlessly step in and keep learning moving, if needed. Tip: Use the “Student Preview” feature in Ultra to look at your course from the student perspective.
Consider all the resources you already have including pictures, videos, infographics, mobile apps, open educational resources (OER), and digital tools. You may need to digitize a favorite handout and convert it to an accessible format (pdf). Did you know that you can digitize materials from your iPad? What other resources have you yet to incorporate in your teaching? Most agree that students need assistance with digital literacy skills as they move beyond social networks. How can you steer them to resources and tools that inspire curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking?
Organizing your remote environment in an intuitive and visually appealing way engages students while increasing satisfaction. It connects all the aforementioned principles. Just as students connect to the campus through a well-run orientation or faculty meeting, how do they experience the course shell when they login for the first time? Gather your resources, then “edit” them for your new remote classroom and deploy them in an appealing, organized way (we recommend creating modules by week or theme that mirror your course schedule).
Make Super Simple Videos for Teaching Online: 5 Tips & 5 Reasons to Get On Camera. You can also source videos to show a topic from varying angles (TED), or have students engage with an invited speaker using Zoom. Similarly, students can create videos to introduce themselves, explain information to one another, or to demonstrate their learning in creative formats.
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Most faculty have developed a method of assessment (formative, summative, authentic, and/or alternative) and determining grades that balance motivating students to complete work that is critical to learning the material; assessing how well students have mastered the relevant material and competencies; and preventing and identifying academic dishonesty. Teaching remotely, however, does pose distinct challenges for testing students and requires instructors to be thoughtful about designing assessments that promote both student learning and academic integrity.
Faculty can signal their commitment to wellness, diversity, equity and inclusion in a variety of ways. Create a communication plan and share it with your students, check in with them, celebrate their successes, acknowledge difficult times, use their names, model sharing pronouns, review your syllabi statements, course materials, the opening orientation to the course (your virtual First Day of Class), office hours, and how you connect students to campus resources in the remote environment. Most of all, be kind.
In addition to the above, if you are teaching face-to-face:
We’ve compiled some of the most common questions we are asked about multiple modalities and remote teaching. You may email us with additional questions.
CETL Recorded Workshops
Additional Resources