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Step 3: Plan what you will be doing during the quarter

What synchronous sessions are you planning?

1. As a minimum, it is suggested to hold synchronous office hours.
2. Recommend keeping all synchronous sessions to 45 minutes or less to avoid Zoom fatigue.
3. Record all synchronous sessions.
4. Make sure pre-recorded videos synchronous lectures stay within a total of three hours. Recommend aiming for less than three hours of video, keeping in mind that lectures often contain time that is not lecture, so they rarely are equivalent to three hours of video content.

What course assignments are you planning?

1. Recommended practice: for major assignments, break into structured pieces.
2. Provide for formative assignments to help keep students on track and to receive regular feedback (low-stake or participation points only).

How will you engage with students weekly?

1. Office hours (see above)
2. Discussion boards: what are your expectations for participating in discussion boards versus teaching/learning assistants
3. Recommendation: create a weekly 5 minute video summary of the week to engage with students asynchronously

How will students engage with each other?

1. Discussion board assignments – how will this be graded (decide on participation versus content)? How many? In groups or as individuals?
2. Provide for a weekly “team activity” to help students stay engaged with each other and the course

Decide on major course assessments

1. How are they aligned with course goals?
2. Recommendation: avoid proctored exams and exams that must be at a single fixed time. Both of these create risks associated with time-zone and internet reliability.
3. Consider and emphasize academic integrity, but understand this is not your primary role as instructor.
4. Learn more about remote assessment considerations →