Getting ready to teach
Prepare your course for the fall 2023 term.
Plan for continuous learning
Even with the return to classes on-campus, you may have students who fall ill and will have to isolate. To ensure continuous learning, you should be prepared to share digital course resources (teaching content and learning activities) with your students and to build a strong class community with open lines of communication between you and your students and your students and their peers.
Activate your Moodle page
Activate your MOODLE page to ensure there is a simple, single place where students can locate your course resources.
Resources
Make your course content available online
The content could be anything related to key course concepts that students can read or watch at their own pace (e.g., PowerPoint slides, lecture recordings, simulations, supplemental videos, etc.) and should be shared through your course Moodle page.
Resources
- Consult our practical tips on lecture recording and creating video lectures
- Record a video lecture with YuJa
- Create instructional videos with Lightboard Studio
- Add audio narration to your PowerPoint slides
- Edit or trim your Zoom recording in YuJa
- Make your Zoom recordings available on Moodle to share them with students
- Upload your Zoom recording to YuJa by adding a sub-channel to a course channel
- Tip: Use Zoom webconferencing to record a lecture (live or ahead of class) by opening a Zoom session and selecting Record. You can pause recording as needed.
Design your essential learning activities online
Design your essential learning activities online to ensure students who are ill or isolating have opportunity to deepen their understanding of the knowledge, skills or attitudes your course targets. Activities could be group discussion (synchronous or asynchronous), practice activities, project work.
Resources
- To plan online learning content, consult our guide on planning for blending your course
- Plan online or group discussions
- Create discussion forums in Moodle
- Plan activities with non-verbal Zoom feedback tools
- Plan activities with Zoom polls
- Redesign your course in a blended format
- Consult guidelines on creating well-structured, transparent course assignments
- Consult the UDL information for instructors to ensure your assignments are accessible
Build a classroom community
Build a classroom community to ensure students can engage with you, their peers, and the course content throughout the term, even when they are not able to attend.
Resources
- Consult practical tips and an e-learning kit on building a community in your classroom
- Use icebreakers to jumpstart the classroom community at the start of the term
- Use Moodle to provide students an opportunity to offer you feedback during your course
- Encourage your students to join study groups supported by the Student Success Centre (available only for certain classes) to extend their opportunity to learn beyond scheduled class time
Establish a communication plan and a feedback plan
Establish a communication plan and a feedback plan to ensure students can interact with you and with their peers synchronously and/or asynchronously.
Communication plan resources
- Plan virtual office hours in Zoom
- Plan how you will use Moodle as a communication tool
- Use Zoom chat to create opportunities for students to interact with you and their peers
- Engage students with Zoom breakout rooms to create synchronous group work
Feedback plan resources
Writing support
Send your students to Concordia University’s Writing Centre with locations downtown and at Loyola. Our tutors help undergrad and grad students improve as writers while strictly adhering to Concordia’s Academic Code of Conduct.
Bookable appointments or quick drop-in sessions are available online or in-person, in French or in English. Students will find friendly peer-to-peer help at any stage of the writing process.
Syllabus guide
Refer to the syllabus guide when developing your course to ensure you have included all pertinent information for students.