As you know, we have been working with the University of Alabama System to closely track the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and its effect in our community. The UA System and UAH, because of our concern for the health and well-being of our students, have decided that on Monday, March 16th, UAH will transition from face-to-face classes to remote delivery classes through online delivery or other means.

The campus will be undergoing a phased soft closing and suspension of on campus activities. All face-to-face on campus classes including laboratories and studios are suspended beginning Monday the 16th. We will continue teaching all of our courses remotely for the next two weeks and then will have Spring Break as planned on March 30th to April 3rd. We will return to teaching our classes on Monday, April 6th in a format yet to be determined.

The campus will remain open for faculty and staff to perform their duties. Graduate students can continue to do their work in their laboratories as can undergraduates who are engaged in laboratory research with a faculty member. Further guidance for alternate, flexible work schedules for staff is forthcoming.

Below is guidance to Academic Affairs colleges and academic units regarding continuity of academic operations. If on-campus classes and activities are suspended, we need to make every effort to complete our spring semester classes for the benefit of our students, particularly those scheduled to graduate this semester.

A working group, in collaboration with Enhanced Teaching and Learning (ETL), has developed a set of operational guidelines for faculty and staff to teach remotely. After reviewing actions taken by other universities, and considering our capabilities, the group has prepared the attached document. In addition, this information may be found online and will be continuously updated via the banner, Important Information About Working and Teaching Remotely, on the ETL website: www.uah.edu/ETL

Highlights of our approach include the following:

  1. Try to be as flexible as possible and communicate frequently with your students. Keep in mind that students ability to access information may vary greatly. Lower tech options may prove to be more consistently accessible for more students. Please make clear to your students your means of communicating with them. Please ask for a confirmation of your first message to make certain that they are connected.
  2. Fully utilize CANVAS to post as much course material as possible including syllabus, assignments, lectures/notes, videos, etc. Information and tools available for giving quizzes, tests, and exams online are included on this page.
  3. Help is readily available if you need assistance in altering your course for the remainder of the semester. Tools available and instructions for their use are detailed in the attached document. Individuals in Academic Technologies, Online Learning, OIT, Testing Services, and others are available to assist you. helpdesk@uah.edu or 256 824-3333.

Thank you for taking these steps to ensure the educational resilience of our campus and to support our students’ academic success, in the face of the challenges posed by COVID-19.

ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE FOR TEACHING REMOTELY

The current situation with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) requires us to be prepared. The CDC and state health experts predict the number of cases in the U.S. to rise, and eventually affect every state. The University of Alabama System and UAH, because of our concern for the health and well-being of our students, have decided that on Monday, March 16th, UAH will transition from face-to-face classes to remote delivery classes through online delivery or other means. We must complete the spring semester for the benefit of our students, particularly those scheduled to graduate this semester. Faculty are expected to complete their courses by adjusting their instructional methods and teach remotely. Staff are expected to continue performing their duties under guidance provided by their supervisors.  Please read through this entire document for pertinent information.

UAH provides an array of tools that allow faculty to continue teaching remotely. These tools can also be used to continue hosting office hours and regularly scheduled meetings. While the methods listed below are helpful, the overarching principles for maintaining continuity of instruction for our students are cooperation, flexibility, and communication. 

Below is information about the tools available for UAH faculty to teach remotely.  Information is also given on how and where to seek assistance. If you want to receive instruction on any of these tools, please contact helpdesk@uah.edu or call 256-824-3333.

For Instructors: Teaching Remotely

COMMUNICATION METHODS

Canvas

Canvas is the easiest way to stay in touch with your students and update them on how you will manage your course. There are a variety of communication tools within the system. If you don't see these tools on your course navigation, you can enable them in course Settings.

  • Announcements allow you to post course messages that broadcast to all users in that course. Announcements appear at the top of the course page when a user visits the course. Instructions for posting an announcement can be found here.
  • Inbox is a messaging system built into Canvas which allows you to communicate with other Canvas users, similar to an email system. Instructions for using the Inbox in Canvas can be found here.
  • Discussions feature allows for asynchronous, threaded course communications, much like an internet message board. Instructions for starting a discussion in your course can be found here.

Google

In the event that Canvas is not available, Google has several helpful communication tools:

  • Your UAH Gmail account may be used to communicate and share content with students in the event that you are unable to do so via Canvas.
  • Google Hangouts allows you to chat with students either in voice only or video formats. You can also share files through the messaging. For this resource, you do have to invite each participant individually.

PROVIDING CONTENT

Canvas

Google

  • Your UAH Google account may be used to communicate and share content with students in the event that you are unable to do so via Canvas. Google Drive provides cloud storage and content can be shared with other users easily.

TEACH

Virtual Lecture Options

Every faculty member at UAH should have received an invitation to create a Zoom account. Click on the link provided in the email and follow the directions to activate your account. If you did not receive an invitation, please contact the helpdesk@uah.edu immediately. This account should allow you to hold meetings of unlimited time for up to 300 people.

Schedule a Meeting on Zoom:

Schedule a Meeting on Google Hangouts or Meet:

  • Google Hangouts is an alternative to Zoom and provides a service called Meet, up to 250 participants (until July 1, 2020), video, voice, chat and screen share (view only, not remote control). Meetings created by people at UAH will automatically include dial-in phone numbers and PINs. Meet is free for non-international calls.

Pre-Recorded Lectures Options

  • Use Panopto to record a lecture. Panopto integrates with Canvas, and Panopto recordings are automatically made available to the students in your course. 
  • Powerpoint has a voice-recording feature built-in. You can easily record an audio narration of your slides and then deliver the Powerpoint presentation to students.

ASSESS

Assessment Types

  • Canvas Assignments allow you to distribute assignment instructions, publish assignment due dates, and create a location for digital assignment submissions.
  • Turnitin can be enabled in a Canvas Assignment to accept submissions, generate similarity scores, and provide a feedback platform.
  • Canvas Quizzes allow you to create online quizzes, tests and exams with a variety of question types. Respondus LockDown Browser can be enabled for added security for Canvas Quizzes.

Please Note

Any student with a documented accommodation must continue to receive that accommodation once course content is online. In the event of an online timed quiz, students who receive additional time face-to-face must still be granted that additional time in the online environment. Learn how to give extra time to students on timed quizzes in Canvas.

Grading

  • Access Grades on the Canvas course menu to enter grades directly in the Gradebook.
  • Use SpeedGrader to view submissions and provide feedback in the form of annotations, rubrics, and/or comments.
  • Turnitin assignments have their own grading interface that allows instructors to view similarity scores, provide feedback, and make annotations.

 For Faculty and Staff: Working Remotely

  1. Forward your office phone: You can forward your office phone in order to continue receiving calls on a phone of your choice.
  2. Meet online: Zoom allows you to meet with groups of up to 300 participants and allows you to share presentations and files in real time. Zoom has a built-in recording feature for participants who cannot attend the meeting.
  3. Google Hangouts provides Meet, up to 100 participants, video, voice, chat and screenshare. Meetings created by people at UAH will include dial-in phone numbers and PINs. Free for non-international calls.
  4. Access your UAH voicemail: You can access your office voicemail from off-campus by following the instructions.
  5. Duo two-factor authentication: You can use Duo without an internet connection if you have the app downloaded to your smartphone. For more information, see “Passcodes”.
  6. Virtual Private Network (VPN): Some UAH systems require the user to establish a VPN connection before those systems can be accessed from off-campus. To get started with the Pulse Connect Secure VPN software, follow these instructions.
  7. Store files in the cloud: Use Google Drive to store your files in the cloud so they can be accessed from anywhere. Be sure to login with your UAH ChargerID.
  8. Hold conference calls: You can hold a conference call using UAH’s conference calling service, Conference Now.
  9. Be prepared: Keep a printed copy of all the phone numbers for all faculty and staff in your department at home.  Google contacts and the directory on www.uah.edu contain this information as well.
  10. If you’re backing your desktop files up to Code42 for Enterprise, you can access files that you backed up to the cloud if your desktop becomes unavailable. 

 Getting Help:   

  1. If you have issues logging into a Single-Sign-On (SSO) account with your ChargerID, reset your password, or email helpdesk@uah.edu or call 256-824-3333.
  2. For assistance with Canvas, help is available 24/7 for all faculty and students within Canvas by clicking the “Help” icon or by calling 833-519-8478 (faculty support) or 844-219-5802 (student support). Review UAH’s Canvas Training and Resource Guides.
  3. For assistance with Panopto, help is available 24/7 for all faculty and students. To contact Panopto Support during business hours (weekdays from 7 am to 7 pm), call 855-726-6786, extension 443. After hours and weekends, call 855-765-2341. For non-urgent Panopto support, you may email support@panopto.com. Please be sure to send your request from your UAH email address. Review UAH’s Panopto Training and Resource Guides.
  4. For assistance with Turnitin or Zoom, visit UAH’s resource guides for Turnitin and Zoom, or email helpdesk@uah.edu.
  5. The OIT Help Desk is able to provide phone support 24/7 through a partnership with Blackboard Student Services.

To submit an announcement, contact omc@uah.edu.
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