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Academic Continuity Toolkit (ACT)

IT Connect > Emergency Preparedness > Academic Continuity Toolkit

Introduction

Purpose of the ACT

UW Information Technology and other units on campus have compiled the following toolkit of technology recommendations to help instructors prepare for a possible disruption to campus operations (for example, a pandemic or extended severe weather). This Academic Continuity Toolkit (A.C.T.) will help you to

  • prepare in advance for a disruption,
  • conduct classes during a large-scale disruption to campus operations, and
  • organize your course materials and communicate with students during normal operations.

This toolkit is not a definitive list of technology resources, nor is it designed to address non-technical issues, such as attendance policies or pedagogical best practices.

Some Comments Before You Begin

You will not need to take action on every recommendation in the toolkit. Simply pick and choose the information that is most useful for your teaching context.

As part of your preparations, protect your remote location (home) computers with anti-virus software to help ensure they will be reliable when you need them.

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Readiness Quiz

Are you prepared to...?

  1. Put your course materials online
    Yes No Question
            I have a Web site for each of my courses that contains the most current course information.
            I have a way to distribute assignments to my students online.
            I use audio or video materials in class and I know how to share these with my students.
            I use the UW Libraries E-Reserve service to make materials available to my students.

    If you answered "no" to one or more of the statements above, learn more in the How to Put Materials Online section below.

  2. Establish channels of communication with your students and colleagues
    Yes No Question
            My students know how to contact me if they have a question.
            I have a way to facilitate discussion with groups of students remotely.
            Students have a way to contact each other and collaborate online.

    If you answered "no" to one or more of the statements above, learn more in the How to Communicate Online section below.

  3. Establish ways to conduct your class at a distance
    Yes No Question
            My students can read, listen to, and/or watch my lectures online.
            My students can turn in homework and take exams online.
            I have a way to respond to student work and securely publish scores online.
            I know how to submit final grades to the Registrar online.

    If you answered "no" to one or more of the statements above, learn more in the How to Conduct Your Class Online section below.

  4. Set up remote access to important resources
    Yes No Question
            I have a computer or laptop at home that has the software and Internet connectivity I need to work remotely.
            My TAs have the knowledge and capability to remotely conduct their quiz sessions.

    If you answered "no" to one or more of the statements above, learn more in the How to Access Your Course Materials From Home section below.

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How to Put Materials Online

Having course materials online is helpful for preparedness and for student accessibility. The following list contains a number of ways you can share various types of course materials with your students online.

Create a Class Workspace Online

Put all your course materials in one convenient location and make the workspace available to your students online using Catalyst CommonView. Post your course syllabus and class lectures to the workspace, upload audio and video examples, post urgent announcements in a dedicated area, and more. Designate your TAs or colleagues as collaborators to help you edit and manage the class space. Simply log in to your Catalyst account to create a CommonView workspace.

You can also create a class workspace using non-UW resources such as Facebook or Moodle.

Share Course Materials With Your Students or TAs Online

Create a convenient online space to share course materials with your TAs and student groups using Catalyst ShareSpaces. Share homework assignments and lecture notes with your students or post papers online for student review. Designate who has access to the shared space and give your TAs and colleagues the ability to modify files.

Make Course Materials Available to Students Through UW Libraries E-Reserve

Another way you can make course materials, such as readings or audio/video materials, available to your students online is through the UW Libraries E-Reserve.

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How to Communicate Online

Useful for both emergency situations and general course activity, this list provides suggestions on establishing lines of communication with and between your students and colleagues.

Create a UW Email Distribution List

Request an email distribution list for your class on MyUW under the Teaching tab. These class lists are created at the time they are requested and will be ready to use the following day. If you want to create a list for cross-listed courses or combinations of courses, submit an Instructor Class List request.

You could also post the class contact list to connect students with one another.

Create an Online Discussion Board Using Catalyst GoPost

Enable your students to communicate with you, your TAs and co-instructors, and each other online by creating an online discussion board using GoPost. Create multiple discussion areas to organize conversation topics on your board. Add your TAs and co-instructors as moderators or administrators, allowing them to facilitate discussions or manage board settings.

Micro-Blog Announcements to Your Students

Send instant updates and announcements to your students about the status of your course using online social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Create a Telephone Hotline

Turn your voicemail box into a telephone hotline. Simply update your greeting with timely information about the status of your course(s) or campus operations. Contact UW Information Technology (help@uw.edu) to create enhanced hotline functionality such as call menus.

Communicate With Your Students in Real-Time

Facilitate real-time communication between you and your students, using some of the following options:

  • Telephone:
    • Conference calling - talk with up to 100 students or colleagues at once. Note: You will need to set up an account ahead of time.
    • Forwarding your calls to your cell or home number.
    • Extending your calls simultaneously to both your campus and home or cellular phones. Contact the UW Information Technology Service Center.
    • Installing a campus telecommuter line/phone at your home or other remote location, allowing you to use your campus telephone wherever you are. You will have access to your campus phone number, voicemail, 5-digit dialing, and all other features you have on your campus phone.
    • Skype – This non-UW service facilitates teleconference calls with up to 25 people at once and instant message chats with up to 100 people.
    • Adobe Connect
  • Instant Messaging: There are many free, non-UW instant messaging services you can use to chat with your colleagues and students, including: Google Chat, Microsoft Windows Live Messenger, Facebook chat, Skype, AIM.

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How to Conduct Your Class Online

Facilitate classroom and other campus-based activities, such as lectures, student questions, discussion, homework turn-in and exams, with these technology tool options.

Post an Audio or Video Recording of Your Lectures Online

Use Tegrity, a Cloud-based Lecture Capture Service. Tegrity lets instructors record and publish lectures and other class activities online. Students can then view (and review) the published materials using a Web browser or mobile device. Students can easily search content, make and share notes, and add bookmarks. To find out more about Tegrity:

Some classrooms on campus are equipped with the technology to make an audio recording or video recording of your lecture and automatically post the lecture online. Sign up for the automatic audio podcasting or Video Screencasting service through Classroom Support Services. Once your course is in the recording schedule, you can continue to “teach” even if the room is empty of students. If you are unable to make it to campus, your department can assign a substitute to teach the course or you can authorize a TA to conduct lectures in your place.

  • Learn more about audio podcasting and Video Screencasting.
  • Contact Classroom Support Services (classrm@uw.edu).
  • Find out if your classroom is equipped to podcast or videocast your lectures.
  • If you are teaching a course that you had CSS podcast or videocast within the last 12 months, you can ask that the course for selected day[s] be re-published for your current students by contacting Classroom Support Services (classrm@uw.edu).

You can also independently record your lectures in audio or video format and post them on your class Web site or online workspace. To find out more about uploading an audio or video recording to your course Web site or online workspace:

  • Check out the podcasting how-to guide.
  • Ask for Help (lsthelp@uw.edu).

To borrow audio and video recording equipment to record your lectures, contact:

  • For Upper Campus: Classroom Support Services (classrm@uw.edu, 206-543-9900).
  • For Health Sciences: Classroom Services (mhsbrooms@uw.edu, 206-543-6729).

Another option for recording and streaming your lectures is to use one of the following free online services:

  • UW on YouTube The UW has its own channel on YouTube (UW Huskies), where you can post videos of your lectures.
  • UW on iTunes - Upload audio and video of your lectures on the UW iTunes site.
  • USTREAM - Allows anyone with a camera to easily broadcast video. All you need is a computer, Internet connection, microphone and Webcam or video camera.
  • Microsoft PowerPoint voice narration - Make an audio recording that follows along with your PowerPoint presentation.
Teleconference, Videoconference and Web-conference Your Lectures in Real-Time

To conduct real-time lectures and quiz sections from a remote location, use teleconferencing and videoconferencing to communicate with your students and Web-conferencing to display class materials:

  • UW Information Technology provides various teleconferencing options and also Web/video conferencing through Adobe Connect.
  • Skype allows you to conduct a teleconference call with up to 25 people. Group video chat between more than two people requires a paid business account.
  • Livestream allows you to make live broadcasts from a Web site you create. Your students, TAs and colleagues simply have to log in to the Web site to gain access.
  • Google Chat Hangouts
Conduct Your Lectures Using Email and Instant Messaging Services

Email is one way to send lecture notes to your students. Conduct lectures in real-time using the group chat feature of the following non-UW instant messaging services:

Facilitate Class Discussion Online Using Catalyst GoPost

Enable your students to communicate with you and each other online by creating an online discussion board using GoPost. Create multiple discussion areas to organize conversation topics on your discussion board. Add your TAs and colleagues as moderators or administrators, allowing them to facilitate discussions or manage board settings.

Offer Students Online Tools for Group Work

Catalyst ShareSpaces allows students to easily work on group projects together. They can download a file, make changes, and then upload the new version.

Other non-UW online tools for group work include:

Continuing Lab Courses

Arrange alternate activities in place of the lab. For example, you may want to locate virtual labs online for students to complete.

Collect Assignments and Homework Online

Gather homework assignments, provide feedback, and return assignments to students online using Catalyst Collect It. All files submitted to a dropbox are logged and organized by assignment and participant. Set open, due, and close dates for assignments and see at a glance which submissions are on time, and which submissions are late. Give your TAs or colleagues access as commentators or administrators so they can view and comment on participants' work, or help you edit and manage your dropbox.

Assess Student Learning Online With Catalyst WebQ Quizzes

WebQ provides you with a quick and reliable way to build and administer online surveys or quizzes, allowing you to assess student learning online. Create a wide variety of questions on your survey or quiz: multiple choice, long text response, matrix questions, and more. Designate who has access using one of six security settings.

Track Student Grades and Submit Grades to the Registrar Online With Catalyst GradeBook

Easily record student scores online, track student progress, calculate final grades, and submit grades to the Registrar online using Catalyst GradeBook. Provide secure access to co-instructors and TAs to view and edit student grades. Publish scores for students to view securely online without any extra work.

Teach your Courses at a Distance

Creating a distance learning course involves more than replicating familiar classroom strategies in a different forum. Distance education requires the facilitation of an online community and activities designed for students working individually. UW-IT and UW Online Learning have developed the following resources to guide you through the steps of designing, developing, and teaching a successful distance learning course.

Check out the Distance Learning guide created by UW-IT and UW Online Learning or visit the CIDR resource, Planning for Teaching with the Web.

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How to Access Materials From Home

Methods are available for accessing on campus materials from your personal laptop or home computer. First check with your departmental support staff; your department may already have a system in place for accessing files from home.

Access Your Work Computer From Home Using Remote Desktop Access

Remote desktop access allows you to access your work computer using another computer with a connection to the Internet. Your icons, programs and printers are all available. You can even transfer files between your systems. In order to use remote desktop access, your work computer will need to remain on (you can be logged out, but the computer must not be turned off) and you will need to know your work computer’s current IP address or name. If you need help finding your IP address, contact your local IT support staff.

Possible sources of Remote Desktop software include:

Store Your Course Materials Online

Catalyst File Manager is a Web-based file management tool available to students, faculty and staff at the University of Washington. With File Manager you can upload and save your files to a secure online server, instead of storing them on your work desktop. Using your UW account (Homer), you can access your file storage space. File Manager provides you with an additional 1.5 GB of storage online. Learn more.

You can also store your files in an online server using a secure file transfer system such as Fetch or Fugu.

Connect to the UW Networks

Most faculty connect to the UW network from home through their Internet Service Provider (ISP). Learn more

There are also a limited number of dial-in modems available. Learn more

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Get Help

Other Resources:

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