The #InVinoFab Podcast - Episode #63: #CovidCampus: Doing the Best We Can to "Go Remote"

Mar 16 2020 50 mins

On this @InVinoFab episode we bring you a timely conversation in light of the evolving situation and events due to the Coronavirus. We have a digital roundtable all about going remote, that is, what it is like to transition to remote teaching, learning, students support, and work in higher education with @ Katie__Linder, @jeffjacksonTX, & @bonni208. Based on the issues we are all facing to prepare, we decided to come together for a purpose to reflect and share about the state of things and how college and university institutions might prepare as they shutdown face-to-face operations and encourage everyone to move online. We talk about a range of plans, support, and strategies to be implemented and how we are “doing the best we can” as COVID-19 impacts our campus communities.

Advice to take care of yourself, family & work team:

Take a walk or go for a run
Get outside for fresh air
Keep a full-nights’ sleep & rest
Meditation: Apps to try? Calm, 10% Happier (free), & Headspace
Eating healthy
Get silly & social with those at home
Clean your house
Ask who needs help – childcare, tech support, etc.
Read books
Relax from your typical routines
Keep to your fitness routine
Enjoy the quiet/down time now
Just breathe
Show gratitude

How do you ensure your remote plan to go digital is accessible and does not exclude anyone? This might be remote teaching, learning, student support, or work for your staff/faculty. How are you preparing for these potential barriers and needs to accommodate your campus stakeholders?

Closed captioning for Microsoft Streaming for Teams
MS PowerPoint present with live-captioning or subtitles
Zoom Setting: Auto-record transcript (option for paid version) timed side-by-side OR use Zoom closed captions
Need to adjust course deadlines & radical flexibility for learning expectations
Trust Your Learners! Pivot to Online: A Student Guide via @slamteacher
Grading Considerations: Is pass/no pass an option for your course? At your campus?
Rely on the resources at your campus for support & suggestions: instructional designers, accessibility office, librarians & more!
Do what you can & know you’re doing the best you can right now
Phone tree system with team to check-in, share information, & answer questions
What if Someone Gets Sick: plan & design courses 1 week ahead of time; set up a buddy or “on call” system
Email: Online teaching with the most basic tool from @tanbob
What if the technology or remote ____ plan fails? Do the best you can and think about how you might need to shift to some alternative solution
Be transparent and open with your communication – inform them the best you can!

Resources to “Go Remote”:

ECEC - Remote Teaching | College of Engineering | University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Keep Teaching: Resources for High Ed Might Network from Kansas State Online
Zoom (web conference)
WebEx (web conference)
Microsoft Teams (web conference and collaboration)
Discord (voice chat)
Slack (communication channel)
Pinboard (social bookmarking)
Diggo (social bookmarking)
Hypothes.is (annotation)
Descript (podcast + transcriptions)
Otter (transcriptions for audio & video)
Droplr (record screen and annotation)
Remind (text messages)
Qualtrics (survey)
Poll Everywhere (survey & meetings)
EMAIL – use tools you already know/have to communicate with campus stakeholders! OR message on your website, learning management system, etc.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) – “Plus-One” from @thomasjtobin – what’s the one thing you can do?
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön

Curated docs with resources:

Higher Ed Support & Guidance During COVID-19: Teaching, Learning & Student Support
[Share this URL: http://bit.ly/higheredcovid19]

Remote Learning: Digital Tools to Quickly Transition Teaching & Student Support Online

[Share this URL: http://bit.ly/remotelearningcovid19]

How are you dealing with COVID-19? What's happening during these evolving times? Do you want to talk about it? Let us know & stay in touch -- send us a social tweet/private message or email at [email protected]