Consider the following “Quick Guide”, sourced from Furman faculty who have participated in FDC workshops, consultations, and conversations as well as the lessons we learned from spring 2020 remote instruction before launching your online or hybrid course planning efforts. To access a series of email messages from the fall semester that distill key components of the online or FurmanFlex preparation process, please visit here. You may be interested in using this planning grid to support your process. For a downloadable version of this “Quick Guide” information click here.
Before your course launches, review your course(s) designs, polish up and post welcome announcements in online learning platforms, and make sure instructor contact information is current. Several pre-course preparation steps (below) will help your course unfold more smoothly for you and your students.
Once your course time and meeting modality are confirmed, communicate with your students your plans for achieving interaction. Especially for students who opt to learn remotely who will need to order books online, a two-week lead time to the start of classes will be crucial. The following pre-course design tasks will help you zero in on your course plans:
Course Design
Preparing Your Online Learning Platforms
In the First Week of Class
The first week in an online or FurmanFlex course is a crucial time to engage students and address any questions or concerns your students may have about the course and learning platforms, especially those that may be joining you online only. Students will benefit from early modeling of the “go-to” technology you plan to use under various instructional scenarios throughout the semester. For information on Furman-supported technologies and tips integrating them into your course visit this link. Some ideas to consider:
A weekly note to the class with the week’s details and a link to your schedule (with any changes or updates) will prevent them from struggling to figure out the modes of instruction you will use (e.g. online forum, synchronous Zoom session) and what is due, so they can focus on understanding content and developing skills, rather than a confusing schedule. Announcements posted in Moodle are automatically emailed to all students enrolled in the course. For more information about how to prepare your students for success in online or hybrid flexible environments, visit our Preparing Your Students page.