Support for Teaching Online (COVID-19)

• Set up a Discussion Forum to answer any FAQs, and use this to communicate with and respond to your students.
• Let students know times when you will be online, to avoid lots of individual emails.
• Give students times when you will be available to engage synchronously.
• Use Announcements to alert students of alternate activities.
• Create a short welcome video of yourself and upload to Blackboard to establish a connection.

• Use Announcements 
• Creating Announcements (Video) 
• How to send email in Blackboard Learn 
• Use the Discussion Board 
• Collaborate Ultra FAQs 
• Managing your unit (including a Unit Site Checklist) 
• Creating videos and Mediasite 

• Add voiceovers to your existing PowerPoints or create a screencast (in Mediasite, Camtasia, Zoom or PPT).
• Upload well-structured lecture notes onto Blackboard. Avoid being text heavy.
• Chunk content into mini ‘lectures’ (5–10 mins) of key concepts (ideally with activities to apply content/check understandings).
• Deliver your lecture via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, using the Chat function to take questions from students.
  • Use the Record function for students who can’t attend so they can watch it later.
• Readings/resources with guiding questions:
  • Use existing online resources/reading to provide content to students. 
  • Guide students to the critical content by asking questions.

• Activating learning through visual presentations 
• Sharing files in Collaborate Ultra 
• Collaborate Ultra FAQs 
• Collaborate Ultra help for Moderators 

• Run online tutorials in Collaborate Ultra. Use the Chat and Audio functions to enable dialogue. Where possible, keep these live and interactive (record the session for those who cannot attend).
• Use Online Discussion forums with explicit instructions of what you want students to do to create discussion around a topic. Ensure teachers/supporting staff are present.

• Designing your synchronous sessions 
• Sharing files in Collaborate Ultra 
• Group work and Breakout rooms 
• Student Participation 
• Collaborate Ultra FAQs 
• Collaborate Ultra help for Moderators 

The infographic to the right Teaching online with Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, links to a downloadable PDF guide.

You can click on the links within the PDF to access resources that will assist you. 

Groups

• If appropriate, set up Groups on your unit (in Blackboard) to allow smaller groups of students to work together. When creating Groups enable the Discussion Forum, Email and Collaborate Ultra tools.
  
• Use Discussion Forums in Blackboard with clear objectives and instructions. Ensure there is a teacher presence:
  • Make sure there is context around what the forum is for and how it makes connections to the learning outcomes and assessments.
  • When setting up your discussion forum, make sure you have planned and provided instructions so that students are guided on how to engage with other posts.
  • Offer meaningful responses to extend the discussion.

Individuals

• Provide additional materials and set activities for your students to complete, with opportunity for feedback.
• Invite peer review/peer feedback from other students.
• Set up online self-test quizzes. 

• Create and Manage Groups 
• Use the discussion board 
• Group work and Breakout rooms 
• Student Participation 
• Managing your unit (including a Unit Site Checklist) 
• Blackboard Tests, Polls and Surveys 
• Collaborate Ultra FAQs 
• Collaborate Ultra help for Moderators 

• Remind students how to access support at relevant points/moments in their learning.
• Provide resources/links to resources for students to support them in being able to comfortably learn and engage in an online space. Remember some may find it unfamiliar and daunting.

• Technology Services support for students 
• How to join a Blackboard Collaborate Ultra session 
• MySCU learning content 
• The Learning Zone 

• There are lots of tools you can use to host online conferences and events which can also be used for intensives. These include live webinars (lectures) via tools such as Zoom, Blackboard Collaborate and use of social media tools.

• Facilitation of large events

• TEQSA has collated a suite of online learning resources to assist educators who have had to rapidly transition into the online learning space due to COVID-19. Resources cover a range of topics related to online learning, from getting started and helping workforces to work online, to student experiences and assessment integrity.

• TEQSA Online learning good practice https://www.teqsa.gov.au/online-learning-good-practice

• SCU has a number of learning support services that you can draw on to support your online teaching.
• The online module Being a Successful Online Teacher provides practical strategies and good practice guidelines on designing, organising and teaching effectively in an online course.

You may like to complete the entire module or dip in and out of relevant units and topics.

The module has 5 units:

Unit 1: Introduction to online teaching

Unit 2: Building an effective learning community

Unit 3: Facilitating online learning

Unit 4: Directing and leading an online course

Unit 5: Using assessment in online teaching

Click on the link to access the content for this module. You will be redirected to a new webpage.

This new page contains a detailed menu on the left-hand side of your screen to enable you to navigate. There are activities, videos, extra readings, external websites and many other resources.

• Don’t forget to use the Blackboard support resources for help on how to utilise features in the Blackboard learning site.

• Being a successful teacher module in Blackboard Learn (SCU login required) 
• Blackboard Help 
• Online Teaching and Learning (knowledge base articles) 
• Technology Services support 

This faculty-focused playbook aims to improve course design, teaching, and learning in online environments. The playbook provides short targeted advice in three key areas:

• Design
• Enhance
• Delivery

The playbook addresses online teaching and learning in both emergency and non-emergency contexts with special attention to course design, course construction, course management, course evaluation, and strategies for continuous improvement.

Delivering High-Quality Instruction Online in Response to COVID-19