Be An Effective Teacher – In Any Modality
What does it mean to be an “Effective Teacher”? There is no single answer to this question, but this 2014 article from Edutopia, “11 Habits of an Effective Teacher“, may give you an idea.
Being an effective teacher seems to become more and more complicated, as the modalities that we are asked to address seems to multiply – in person, asynchronous online, synchronous (“live”) online, hybrid, virtual hybrid, HyFlex… does “effective” in one modality equal “effective” in all modalities?
We in the CTLA are here to support you, no matter what the teaching modality!
Be Present
- Keep facilitating
- Make weekly announcements
- Be available to help
Be Organized
- Use modules in Canvas
- Import content from your Base Camp shell
- Clearly communicate expectations
Be Timely
- Stay well ahead of student deadlines
- Provide timely feedback
Be Flexible
- Provide accommodations for illness
- Respond to students’ unique challenges
Checkout the CTLA Semester Start Up Guides
Did You Know the CTLA Has an Extensive Collection Of Customized Support Resources?
- Visit the CTLA FAQ and Resource Collection.
- How do I get started with CANVAS? Ten Easy Steps to Support Learning
- Learn to use CANVAS effectively: Kung Fu CANVAS.
- Download the Preparation Checklist.
- Get the Getting Started with CANVAS in Ten Steps Infographic.
- Find free Amazing Educational Resources.
Essential Tools And Methods of Remote Teaching
Post Course Material in Canvas
Every course at CGCC has an automatically created Canvas shell that is linked to enrollments through SIS. Faculty can utilize the tools in Canvas to post lecture notes, presentations, links to library resources, and external web resources. Pages in Canvas can deliver static content while Assignments and Quizzes can be set up to conduct assessments online. Use Canvas Modules to organize content for the students in an easy to follow format.
Visit Migrate Your Teaching to Canvas for step-by-step guidance
Reimagine Your Course Material
Consider recording yourself delivering a lecture for your students and then upload it to Canvas for students to view. Free, easy to use software such as Screencast-o-Matic can be used to record and upload lectures or narrated slide presentations integrated into Canvas.
Another option is to find online videos that can be used to support your instruction. YouTube videos or videos from news sources may be embedded into Canvas.
Conduct Asynchronous Discussions
Post discussion questions or prompts and ask students to respond to them within a set timeframe. Canvas Discussions are an excellent option for hosting your class discussion. Students can upload documents or images to discussion boards or use the built-in media recorder to post their responses in video or audio format. Discussion boards can be graded through Speedgrader and can include a grading rubric.
Meet Online
Hold a live discussion or deliver a lecture during a synchronous class meeting using Cisco Webex. Cisco Webex supports both computer and mobile devices. Cisco Webex allows you to interact with your students in a virtual space where you can share your screen to show documents, slides, or web pages to your students. Cisco Webex Meetings can also be recorded.
- Canvas Webex Integration
- Quick Start Guide for Webex Meetings
- Quick Connect Guide (First Time)
- Webex Feature Guide for Students
- Webex Feature Guide for Faculty
- Webex Feature Guide for Staff
Google Hangouts Meet. Google Hangouts Meet is available a part of our G-Suite for Education.
Helpful Tools
You have many tools to teach online, and most of these tools are in Canvas. These tools can be synchronous and asynchronous. While synchronous tools can help you easily replicate what you do in the regular classroom, there might be content or activities that are better left in an asynchronous format, such as readings and discussions.
| Value | Synchronous (online at the same time) | Asynchronous |
| Communication | Canvas Announcements Canvas Inbox – send emails to your students directly from Canvas Canvas Chat Canvas – Webex Integration (Office Hours, in-person meetings) | Canvas Announcements Canvas Inbox – Send emails to your students directly from Canvas |
| Lecture | Webex – Meet with groups of students, all students, hold virtual office hours, hold real-time lectures. Canvas Conference | Screencast-o-Matic – Record mini lectures (7-10 minutes) and post them to Canvas. Mini-lectures can accompany other activities that engage students in learning the material. Webex – Record lectures and presentations |
| Discussions | Canvas Chat | Canvas Discussions |
| Assessment | Google Forms Poll Everywhere – Real-time polling | Canvas Gradebook Canvas Quizzes Canvas Assignments Poll Everywhere Surveys |
| Collaboration | Canvas – Webex Integration Google Hangouts Google Suite | Canvas Groups Canvas Discussions Google Suite |
Essential Tools and Methods of Hybrid Teaching
This page is a great place to begin if you are designing your hybrid course!
The CTLA divides the creation of a hybrid course into three modules: pre-planning, mapping it out, and communicating the details. Explore the page below to find out more!
Pre-Planning
The purpose of the pre-work is to give you the opportunity to reflect on what you already know about teaching: online, in-person and in the hybrid format. What do you love about being in a classroom full of students? What is something that has surprised you about online learning? What are your personal strengths and challenges in each modality?