Tips to be ready for your first remote session

1. Set up a few things in advance.

• Get your tech ready early. Well in advance of class, update and secure your machine(s) (laptops, ipads, smartphones). See advice from Computing Services.
  
• Post session-related materials to Canvas in advance. Post to Canvas any lecture notes, slides, demos, or other materials you will use in class. Let students know where these resources can be found, and encourage students to review and/or have them ready (can be a good back-up if video quality or other technical issues arise).

2. Decrease potential for interruptions and distractions

• Tidy your computer desktop. If you will be sharing your screen, pre-set the applications, tabs, and windows you will be using, and close any tabs or windows you don’t want students to see. Do the same on any phone or tablet you’ll be screen-sharing.
• Stop notifications. Use Do Not Disturb on your computer to turn off sounds and notifications that may pop up during class: Macs, Windows. Similarly, use Do Not Disturb on your phone or tablet to silence phone calls, texts, and miscellaneous dings: iPad and iPhone, Android.  Also consider turning off sleep modes and/or screen savers, as appropriate.
• Plug in your tech. Battery power can get used up quickly with constant use, video on, and power savers off.
• Use headsets. Get your headsets ready and on (and encourage students to do so as well, if they have them). This can really help sound quality, decrease distractions, and keep class discussions private, if students don’t have a quiet, private physical space.

3. Take some time during class to orient students to your remote class environment

• Log in to Zoom early. Log into your CMU Zoom account at cmu.zoom.us (on your computer) or via the Zoom app (on your smartphone) using your Andrew credentials (instructions here). Then, take a moment to test your microphone and video one more time.
• Plan some time to review online class etiquette and orient students to the remote learning environment.
  • After greeting students, if you are recording the session, let them know you are doing this for students who are unable to participate in real time.
  • Then, take a moment to explain how you expect them to participate within Zoom (e.g., click the “raise hand” button to be recognized; stay muted until you wish to speak) and then give students a chance to practice a few key interactions (e.g., ask students to demonstrate they can enter a chat). While students will likely go through these steps multiple times in their first several classes, explain that your goal is to help all students feel ready to participate and that repeating some steps in your class will increase everyone’s fluency with the specific practices you are using in your course.
  • Explain where students will find essential course resources and tools (e.g., any readings, assignments or quizzes in Canvas) and how they will perform basic activities online (turn in assignments, receive feedback and grades on work, participate on discussion boards, submit questions to instructors, etc.). 
• Ask your TA to attend class and moderate the Zoom session. If you have a TA who can attend your live class sessions, enlist them to help moderate students’ participation by monitoring and alerting you to students’ chat messages and hand-raises. TAs attending your class session can also help out if technical problems arise. Consider adding TAs as or co-hosts (to help moderate) or alternative hosts (in advance of the meeting, if you want them to be able to launch the session), to maximize their access to Zoom features. 
• Have a plan for troubleshooting. Think about how you can partner with your TA and/or students to address issues that may arise. For technical help with Zoom during your live class sessions, call CMU’s IT-Help Desk at 412-268-4357.

Eberly colleagues are here to help!

As you prepare your course for hybrid or remote instruction, please feel welcome to contact the Eberly Center with questions or to request a consultation. Email: eberly-assist@andrew.cmu.edu.