Online/Internet courses allow for flexible, asynchronous instruction.
Online/Internet Instruction Defined
Online/Internet courses are delivered online, asynchronously. While online courses may require proctored exams, there are no other place-bound requirements. Regular interactions between students and instructor are a part of the teaching and learning process.
Set up Your Blackboard Course
Blackboard Learn will serve as your main tool in providing course content for students.
Instructor Quick Start for Blackboard Learn
Tips for Teaching Online – from the experts at the College of Continuing Studies (CCS)
Lecturing Asynchronously
Online/Internet courses offers asynchronous instruction. Record your presentations so students may watch them in their own time. Several tools are available for lecture capture, review the options below.
Teaching and Presenting Tool Comparison Chart
Record Your Lecture from Your Home or Office with Panopto
Getting Started with Zoom
Ensure Access
Accessible course content makes it easier for everyone to read and access your materials and can help improve overall quality and usability. Visit the Accessibility Resources page for more in-depth guidance on how to create accessible documents, images, audio, video, and web content or contact the technology accessibility team for help.
- Blackboard Ally for LMS is available in all Blackboard courses.
- Convey content in multiple ways; don’t just use images, color, video, or audio.
- Follow these accessibility best practices when creating online course content: Blackboard Accessibility Checklist
- Use the Microsoft Office Accessibility Checker to make sure your Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and other Office content is easy for people of all abilities to read and edit.
- Use the Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker to ensure your PDFs have searchable text, tags, and other features to support reading and navigation.
- Ask for or create a captioned or transcribed version of any media you use.
- Captioning grants are available to caption and/or transcribe UA-owned video and audio that will be shared on public or campus-wide web sites and select online course content.
- Add and edit machine-generated captions and/or transcripts when recording with Panopto.
- UA Libraries has many captioned and/or transcribed videos available via video databases:Captioning Options for Streaming Video Databases at UA Libraries
- Foster awareness of accessibility and accommodations.
- If a student needs accommodations, refer them to the Office of Disability Services. Faculty and staff can contact the Department of Human Resources.
- Access isn’t just about technology. These resources can help you make sure remote instruction is inclusive, equitable, and accessible.
- Inclusion, Equity, and Access While Teaching Remotely (Rice University Center for Teaching Excellence)
Ensure Course Material Security
When making course content available online, it’s important to know who has the ability to access and download those course materials. Review these tips to enhance the security of your course materials.
Encourage Communication
Offer the opportunity for instructors and students to meet with one another virtually.
Hosting Virtual Office Hours with Zoom
Communication Features in Blackboard Learn webinar (Recorded Mar 27, 2020)
Track Attendance
Using the Blackboard Attendance Tool
View Zoom meeting participant details
View Panopto Session Statistics for participation information
Online Polling with PointSolutions Pro
Blackboard Retention Center
Class Interaction and Collaboration
Encourage interaction and collaboration among students in your course.
Hypothes.is – Collaborative annotation tool integrated with Blackboard
UA Box – Collaboration tools for sharing, storing, and editing documents
One Drive Cloud Storage – Sharepoint for collaboration
Flip – Interactive, asynchronous video and voice notes
Blackboard Discussion Boards – Asynchronous discussion for introductions and prompts
PeerMark Turnitin Assignments – Peer review essays & research papers
Assessment
You can use Blackboard tests to measure student knowledge, gauge progress, and gather information from students. Use online tests to give students quizzes and exams during a specified window of time. Best practices for testing include:
- Share our Testing Tips for Students with your class to help them avoid typical technical problems.
- Prepare a practice test, in Blackboard, that has similar types of questions and settings to graded tests for your course.
- We do not encourage the use of the Force Completion test option. Any issues with Internet connectivity can cause the student’s test attempt to submit before they have completed the test.
- Be aware that Blackboard has a 3-hour inactivity time limit. Ask students to save their answers after answering each question, and save essay questions frequently to avoid timeout
- A Submission Report shows after students submit their test. You may ask the student to print or email you a screen capture of the report in case of a technical issue.
Blackboard Test Security
- When creating or editing a question, there is a Randomize Answers checkbox for question types with multiple options.
- Utilize these settings in Test Options:
- Set a timer for the test.
- If using a timer, turn on Auto-Submit.
- Use Display After and Display Until to control when the test link is available to students. Note: It does not have to be available for the duration of the test. If the test should last from 9AM-10AM, and your link is also available, students can start the test at 9:59 AM.
- Uncheck all boxes under Feedback to Students to show only the score after an attempt.
- Check the option to Randomize Questions.
For more test security, you may use Respondus Lockdown Browser & Monitor. Respondus Lockdown Browser closes all computer programs while testing in Blackboard. Respondus Monitor is an add-on feature that requires students to use a webcam while testing to remotely proctor the assessment.