Outline

Workshop Recordings

Research, Teaching, and Learning offers workshops on tools and strategies to support remote instruction. These workshops can be attended synchronously by signing up via the RTL Upcoming Events page. Recordings of some of these workshops can be found on page Workshop Recordings and in the Media Gallery in the left navigation of the guide. Please note that you will only be able to access these recordings if you are self-enrolled in the course and logged into bCourses.

Module 1: Build your bCourses Site

Many instructors already use their bCourses site as a way to communicate with students, distribute files, and collect assignments. You can even go beyond these basic functions to build a robust bCourses site that becomes an important component of your class where students can find reading assignments and recorded lectures, take exams and submit assignments, and look for guidance from you as the course progresses. In this module, we'll focus on strategies you can employ to make your bCourses site easy for students to navigate and ensure they won't miss the items they need to succeed in the course. 

Learning Objectives

1. Use the DLS Core Template and other Course Design Tools to develop an organized and fully accessible bCourses site
2. Include information on policies, communication expectations, and technical requirements
3. Provide a downloadable syllabus in your bCourses site
4. Use learning objectives to divide content into distinct and purposeful modules
5. Provide required readings electronically in bCourses
6. Provide materials and assignments for each week, module, or unit using Pages in bCourses
7. Use Modules to create consistent navigation throughout your bCourses site
8. Define Home in the Course Navigation of your bCourses site
9. Apply best practices for building your bCourses site

Best Practices

• Confirm that information in the syllabus mirrors the structure and information in the bCourses site
• Provide a home page with clear directions on how to get started as the Home in your Course Navigation
• Include links to instructional materials, assignments, discussions, files, and quizzes on the relevant weekly landing pages
• Create a pattern for assignment due dates that repeats throughout the course

Module 2: Create Audio and Video Instructional Materials

Audio and video instructional materials can be an important component of your class whether incorporated into a in-person class, developed in preparation for a short-term disruption, or part of a flipped class model. Though many instructors rely on video lectures, audio lectures can be equally impactful, as can texts that you write and share with students.  

In this module, we'll consider how to choose a media type that best fits your content and how to create it using university-provided tools.

Learning Objectives

1. Divide your lectures into content-focused segments
2. Record and share your lectures in bCourses
3. Include a variety of instructional materials that provide a diverse representation of the content
4. Apply best practices for creating video and audio instructional materials

Best Practices

• Record your lectures in segments of no more than 10 minutes
• Write a script for your lecture segments
• Ensure the audio in your lectures is clear and audible
• Record your lectures in an environment free of visual distractions
• Use audio and text as another way of creating lecture content
• Give lectures a descriptive title and use a consistent numbering system
• Add a brief welcome video on the home page

Module 3: Develop and Grade Low-Stakes Quizzes and High-Stakes Exams

In this module, we'll take a closer look at how you can use bCourses to administer quizzes and exams. bCourses is well-equipped for this task and there are many options for how you can set up a quiz or exam beyond multiple choice, as well as different settings to help mitigate academic dishonesty.

Learning Objectives

1. Develop a flexible midterm or final exam
2. Use low-stakes quizzes to monitor student comprehension and provide immediate feedback
3. Create and edit a quiz in bCourses
4. Maintain the academic integrity of high-stakes exams with technical tools and traditional approaches
5. View and grade student quiz responses in bCourses
6. Develop and grade exams in Gradescope
7. Apply best practices for developing low-stakes quizzes and high-stakes exams

Best Practices

Adding and Editing

• Have students practice taking an ungraded quiz in bCourses before having them complete one for a grade
• Edit instructions and quiz questions directly in bCourses
• Add self-check quizzes to highlight important concepts from the instructional materials
• Review quizzes from student view before they are available to students

Grading

• Grade and provide feedback on quizzes before the next assignment is due
• Be transparent about any edits or corrections to quiz questions
• Use the Moderate Quiz page to address student needs

Module 4: Add, Edit, and Grade Assignments

Every course will have assignments. Whether weekly problem sets or response papers or substantial research papers or final projects, they are all created as an "assignment" in bCourses. This is how students will read the instructions and then submit the assignment, which will then allow you to comment, annotate, and grade.

All of the assignments you regularly administer in your in-person courses can be transferred to an online submission without much difference. However, you may find as the course goes on that you'll want to modify an assignment's instructions, due date, or availability. You may even want to add an assignment to gauge how well students are understanding and engaging with the course content or offer extra credit. 

Learning Objectives

1. Use low-stakes assignments to monitor student comprehension
2. Add an assignment to bCourses
3. Maintain the academic integrity of high-stakes assignments with technical tools and traditional approaches
4. Grade student assignments using SpeedGrader in bCourses
5. Develop and grade assignments in Gradescope
6. Use rubrics for consistent grading
7. Apply best practices for administering assignments

Best Practices

Adding and Editing

• Add assignment instructions and edit directly in bCourses
• Ensure your assignment instructions and settings in bCourses match the assignment description and grading stated in the syllabus
• Add low-stakes assignments throughout the course to monitor student comprehension and provide feedback
• Review assignments from student view before they are available to students

Grading

• Grade all assignments before the next assignment is due
• Use grading tools to streamline grading and feedback
• Leave assignment availability dates open to easily accept late or revised submissions

Module 5: Foster Student-to-Student Interaction

Many instructors aim to create a sense of community in the classroom with intentional assignments, discussions, and activities aimed at creating a connection and a shared intellectual community among students. It's possible to extend that same approach outside of the classroom by using the tools available via bCourses to provide opportunities for student-to-student interaction. Additionally, you will want to ensure students who have to miss several classes can still be part of the class community by incorporating asynchronous opportunities for interaction. 

You will find there are times when you will want to create a discussion assignment where students will receive a grade for their participation, and other times you'll create a discussion that is not graded but available as a forum solely in which students can interact with one another. 

There are many tools available in bCourses that can provide different types of interaction among students including Discussions, Collaborations (bCourses integration with Google Docs), and Suite C, a tool developed at UC Berkeley to allow for easier sharing of visual materials and group work collaboration. Additionally, the Ed Discussion platform, which is integrated with bCourses, can be used as an alternative to Discussions in bCourses.

Learning Objectives

1. Use tools in bCourses to create opportunities for student-to-student discussion, collaboration, and Q&A
2. Add a new discussion in bCourses
3. Respond to students publicly in a bCourses discussion
4. View and grade student contributions to a bCourses discussion in SpeedGrader
5. Use bCourses groups to create opportunities for small group interactions and assignments
6. Apply best practices for fostering student-to-student interaction outside of the classroom

Best Practices

• Include an introduction discussion at the beginning of the course
• Provide guidelines for productive, meaningful, and respectful interaction between students
• Encourage productive discussion threads and redirect unproductive threads
• Create a regular pattern for responding to discussion prompts and other students
• Share interesting and relevant interactions from group discussions with the rest of the course

Module 6: Support Your DSP Students

Providing legally required accommodations for students in the Disabled Students' Program (DSP) is a crucial component of any course. In this module, we'll look at the technical features available in bCourses to provide accommodations and provide some basic guidelines.

It's important to keep in mind that each student with a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) will require personal consideration, so we can't recommend a "one-size fits all" approach. However, you are not on your own. The experts in the DSP office are happy to talk through options for how to meet the requirements of a student's LOA and serve as a liaison between you and the student. Whenever you have a question about how to make an accommodation, reach out to them for support.

Learning Objectives

1. Access LOAs for students in your class
2. Make your GSIs proxies in the AIM portal to access LOAs
3. Moderate quizzes for individual DSP students
4. Change assignment deadlines for individual DSP students
5. Ensure all instructional materials are fully accessible to all students
6. Apply best practices for supporting DSP students

Best Practices

• Leave your assignments open
• Notify students when you've made accommodations
• For GSIs, include the instructor on all communication to students related to accommodations
• Reach out to DSP specialists

Module 7: Set up Your bCourses Account

In this module, we'll take a look at how to set up your bCourses account so that you're ready to start the first day of class. This includes updating your profile picture, contact methods, and notification settings. All of these tools will help you monitor your communication with students. The frequency and speed with which you respond to students will impact their connection to the course, so it's important to ensure you are getting messages and comments in a timely manner. You will be able to complete all of these tasks via Account in the Global Navigation, the far left navigation bar that you can access no matter which course you are in.

We will also look at the Calendar in the Global Navigation and how you can use it to monitor due dates and activities in your course.

Learning Objectives

1. Add a picture to your bCourses profile
2. Update your notification settings to meet your communication and grading needs
3. Add other contact methods to receive bCourses notifications
4. Use the bCourses calendar and integrate it with other calendar apps you use
5. Apply best practices for setting up your bCourses account

Best Practices

• Choose a profile picture that represents you
• Receive regular notifications for items related to student communication
• If you don't check your Berkeley email address regularly, add a different contact method

Module 8: Communicate with Your Students

Effective communication with students is an essential aspect of a successful course. Whether preparing to communicate to the whole class in the case of a short-term disruption or specific students who have had personal disruptions in their attendance, bCourses offers different avenues for timely communication. By using all the communication options available, you'll be able to connect with students on different levels and meet their varied needs. 

In this module, we'll take a closer look at how to communicate with students using tools in bCourses. We'll also examine some ways you can get information about how students are interacting with your bCourses site that can then inform your instruction. 

Learning Objectives

1. Use Announcements in bCourses to keep students up-to-date with course activities
2. Use the Inbox in bCourses to communicate with individual and groups of students
3. Use New Analytics in bCourses to assess how students are performing in the course
4. View when students have logged into your course using the People page in bCourses
5. Show students how to get bCourses technical support
6. Apply best practices in communicating with students

Best Practices

• Contact students who have not logged in by the second day of the course
• Post a welcome announcement at the start of the course
• Post at least one weekly announcement
• Use the Inbox or your official Berkeley email address for all communication with students

Module 9: Host Engaging Synchronous Sessions

Many instructors opt to hold synchronous sessions via Zoom during their regularly scheduled course time for any number of reasons during a semester. Zoom is particularly useful to keep class running in the case of short-term disruptions, so it's important to know how to create your Zoom room, share it with students, and adapt your lecture and activities to the new format. Furthermore, there are additional considerations to ensure all students can equally participate in the class. 

In this module, we’ll take a closer look at how to effectively plan, organize, and host engaging synchronous sessions.

Learning Objectives

1. Schedule synchronous classes and office hours using bCourses' Zoom integration
2. Record and share your synchronous lectures using Kaltura's Zoom integration
3. Create an inclusive space for all students to engage during synchronous sessions
4. Plan structured activities for breakout rooms
5. Use student response systems to engage students during synchronous sessions
6. Apply best practices in hosting engaging synchronous sessions

Best Practices

• Use scheduled class time on Zoom for discussions and student-to-student activities
• Have a GSI or student in the class monitor chat and troubleshoot technical issues
• Hold remote office hours each week