Learn more about the availability of a Temporary LMS Extension for CourseWeb users.
With all summer courses being delivered remotely this year, we have outlined a wide range of information, services, and support that can supplement your summer teaching. Below you will find information and updated resources available to instructors, as well as some reminders about important tools.
Previous virtual workshops on various topics are available for viewing. Please note that captioning is an ongoing process and some presentations contain audio only.
Instructional Continuity Workshops (Recorded March 16-April 22)
All workshops will be conducted via Zoom, are approximately one hour in length, and all times are EST.
The Teaching Online @ Pitt (TOP) course is now available. This is a self-paced, à la carte online course and instructors are free to explore what modules and topics are most relevant to their needs. These resources are designed to help instructors expand their pedagogical understanding of the practices that make for successful online teaching and learning. You can enroll in the Teaching Online @ Pitt course today.
Assess and Plan: Instructors should consider their familiarity with and current use of relevant instructional technologies (e.g., Blackboard, Canvas, Panopto, Skype, etc.), the structure and level of your course, the requirements of your discipline, the assignments and assessments you will need to deliver, and the particular needs of your students.
- Instructors should determine realistic goals regarding what can be accomplished.
- What learning outcomes need to be accomplished? What knowledge, skill or abilities do student still need to develop?
- What aspects of your original syllabus can you maintain in an online version of the course?
- Which assignments should you keep, and which should you modify or omit?
- What assessments or exams will you need to administer? How will you administer them?
- Determine your familiarity with the University’s LMS platforms. (Blackboard/CourseWeb and Canvas)
- How do you currently use Blackboard/CourseWeb or Canvas?
- Will you need support in setting up or putting your course materials into the LMS?
- What access do you have to the internet and to necessary educational technologies?
- What new technologies do you need to learn?
- Do you know where to get support and assistance with educational technologies?
- Evaluate your students’ access to technology.
- Do your students have access to the internet?
- Do your students have access to the devices necessary to participate in online/remote class activities, assignments and assessments?
- Determine how your course will be delivered.
- How will content best be delivered (synchronous vs asynchronous)?
- What technologies will you use (e.g., live video, web conferencing, Panopto recorded lectures, readings, discussion boards)?
- Can you use existing resources (e.g., Open Educational Resources (OER), YouTube Videos, Lynda.com, Kahn Academy, Ted Talks)?
- What new materials do you need to develop or create?
- Can you make any of your remaining assignments optional?
- Determine how you will assess your students?
- Will you need to administer quizzes, tests, final exams?
- Will students be completing final projects or presentations?
- Will you need to change your grading structure?
- Should you consider alternative weighting for assessments and grades?
- Should you adjust the timelines for assignments, exams and other course deliverables?
Remote Learning: Communicating with Students
Instructors should conduct an initial communication with their students to determine students’ expectations and needs. (Consider also watching this student panel, held 3/20/20, during which students shared some experiences with the shift to remote instruction.) It’s important to keep channels of communication open: now is a great time to reach out to your students to check in on their well-being and preparedness. Convey your continued investment in your students’ success in the course, and ensure they’re prepared for upcoming assignments and assessments. (In addition to the suggestions below, you may wish to direct them to Student Strategies for Success in a Remote Environment.)
Encourage students to …
- Take care of their health.
- Continue to maintain open communication with you.
- Reach out for help when they need it.
- Remain engaged in the course
- Important: If you have students who have been disengaged since resuming classes remotely (not submitting online work, not logging into the course site, etc.) you should attempt to reach out directly to them immediately to engage them. If they are unresponsive, consider notifying your department.
- Update you on their progress and communicate the need for support and/or flexibility with course deadlines.
- Communicate with Disability Resources Services as appropriate.
- Remember that success in the course is still possible.
Ask your students …
- How they are doing, and indicate your concern for their health, both physical and mental.
- What else you can do to support their learning during this time. As an instructor, you should keep in mind that this situation may exacerbate pre-existing inequalities and practice compassionate and equitable leadership.
- Whether or not they have the technology, time, and space necessary to complete assessments as (re)designed? (For example, if students need to record their presentations, do they have access to a webcam?)
- Are they spending a comparable and manageable amount of time on course work? Students can feel like written “participation” in an online discussion board takes more time and effort than spoken contributions in a face-to-face format. You might discuss how, in remote instruction, both “in-class” time and “homework” time are spent online, while at the same time adjusting/adapting workload to address the significant, unexpected pressures students are facing.
Share available resources:
Basic Considerations for Teaching Online
Important Information About Recording Your Classes
NOTE: In order to facilitate the free exchange of ideas during lectures, if a faculty member intends to record their lecture with student participation, they must advise the students, via e-mail and at the beginning of the lecture, that the lecture, including their participation, is being recorded. Students should not be required to participate in the recorded conversation and should be encourage to ask questions off-line. Further, the recorded lecture may be used by the faculty member and the registered students only for internal class purposes and only during the term in which the course is being offered. Faculty who have questions should contact faculty@pitt.edu.
Consult the University policies for additional information on copyright.
These items identify the fundamental issues you will need to consider in order to deliver your course(s) from home or an off-campus location.
| Access your CourseWeb (Blackboard) or Canvas course shell |
Blackboard course shells can be accessed through MyPitt using your University email and password Canvas course shells can be accessed at the Pitt Canvas site using your University email and password |
| Have you posted course content on your CourseWeb (Blackboard) or Canvas sites? | |
| Establish a mode of communication | |
| Decide how to deliver your course content in the online environment | Synchronous/Asynchronous
SyncrhonousDescription: Learning that takes place when the instructor and students interact in real-time (at a scheduled time) using video conferencing, audio conference calling, or other web-based technologies. Useful contexts: Courses that are smaller, use discussion-based formats, and have content that is more complex in nature Relevant Tools: Telephone, Audio Conferences, Web-based video sessions, and chats AsyncrhonousDescription: Learning takes place through instruction and activities that are delivered through the University’s LMS. Students interact with content and complete assignments independently, at a time and pace of their choosing. Useful contexts: Courses that are larger, use lecture-based formats, and have content that is less complex in nature Relevant Tools: Blackboard, Canvas, Email, Video lectures, Discussion boards, Voice-annotated PowerPoint, Social Networking, Podcasts |
| Communicate expectations to students regarding class requirements during an emergency | Emergency Preparedness for the University of Pittsburgh |
| Confirm technical capacity to deliver your course from home or a location outside the classroom | |
| Accessibility |
Instructional Accessibility at Pitt OCR Short Webinar on Online Education and Website Accessibility |
| Administering Course Surveys | OMET Teaching Surveys |
Course Delivery Options
These items provide pointers to help you prepare course content and activities that align with the type of course you teach.
| Consider how you will deliver content in a lecture-based course | 1. Post documents, presentations, readings, and assignments the Learning Management System
2. Provide alternative activities such as additional readings or viewing online resources that cover relevant course content 3. Record and post class lectures for students to view
4. Use the Assignments tool in the Learning Management System to have students submit reports, papers or projects |
| Consider how you will deliver content in a discussion-based course | 1. Use the Learning Management System’s discussions boards
2. Use web conferencing to hold online real-time meetings 3. Use the Assignments tool in the Learning Management System to have students submit reports, papers or projects 4. Use telephone audio conferencing |
| Consider how you will administer assessments and assignments |
Using the Assignment Tool in Blackboard Using Grade Center in Blackboard Using the Assignment Tool in Canvas |
| Consider how to conduct lab-based activities | 1. Record and post class demonstrations for students to view
2. Consider alternate lab activities that can be performed at home 3. Locate virtual labs online for students to complete 4. Use the Assignments tool in the Learning Management System to have students submit reports, papers or projects |
| Holding virtual office hours |
Using Collaborate in Blackboard |
| Learn how to make video content for your course | |
| Learn how to make digital copies of course materials and documents |
How to Create a Portable Document Format File (PDF) in Windows |
| Learn how to conduct an audio conference call | |
| Learn how to conduct a web-based conference session |
Using Web Conferencing in Blackboard |
Beginning of the Course Canvas Checklist
Remote Instructional Design Checklist
Assessments, Exams, and Finals in the Online Environment
During the term, you may need to evaluate your finals, exams, and other assessments for delivery in an online/remote format. Many assessments (e.g., research papers, written projects, essays) can be administered through one of the University’s LMS (CourseWeb/Blackboard or Canvas) or other web-based technologies (e.g., email). Often, these may need little or no modification.
However, some assessments (e.g., multiple-choice exams, finals) often require the instructor, TAs or a proctor to be present. If that is the case, it may be helpful for you to think about alternative ways to assess your students in the event that traditional face-to-face administration of exams is not available. Below are some key considerations for thinking about course-level assessments (particularly, multiple-choice exams) in a modified instructional environment and some alternative formats for assessing student learning that may be helpful if you suddenly have to move your class online.
Remote administration and proctoring of exams. Social distancing and the avoidance of gathering in groups is an important directive in the current disruptive context. Therefore, proctoring of exams at the University of Pittsburgh Testing Center will not be available.
Many vendors have been contacting the University through direct marketing campaigns with offers of free access to their remote proctoring services. While these technologies may appear attractive given our current remote teaching situation, there is no one-size-fits-all product, and a university-wide solution will not be integrated in time for finals for a variety of reasons.
It is important to note that some faculty have already used Zoom to successfully proctor synchronous exams, while others have modified their exam formats entirely. The Teaching Center recommends that faculty consider alternatives to traditional exams at this time, and we are available to help.
Set realistic expectations to help both you and your students. Let students know that you may need to make changes that will help them continue to learn, and that these changes may require some adjustment from instructors, TAs and students. Communicate with your students early and often about any changes you may make and reassure students that you are taking into account any unusual external circumstances in assessing their work in the class.
Recognize that learning can be demonstrated in many ways. Multiple-choice exams are a common method of assessing student learning in higher education, and they have many advantages. It may be helpful, however, to explore other assessments you can assign to allow students to demonstrate their learning. Multiple-choice exams tend to be very effective for committing key concepts to memory and for prompting recall, both of which are fundamental to learning. However, assessments that call on students to analyze, synthesize, evaluate and apply information are also very effective, though they may require more time from instructors to plan and evaluate.
Evaluate course changes for impacts on equity and inclusivity. Changes made to your teaching should not adversely impact students. When considering a possible change, ask yourself if the change has the potential to disadvantage any particular group of students in your class.
Recognize that each assessment method has both advantages and disadvantages. Each of the methods identified below has strengths and weaknesses that you will need to determine and assess based on your instructional context. Weigh your concerns about integrity of the testing process against the possible consequences for students from changing your tests/assessments. You may also want to consider the amount of time you and your TAs (as relevant) will need to modify the tests/assessments and to grade or give feedback on them.
Is a Final Examination required or necessary?
The first question to consider is whether or not a final examination is required or necessary. It may be that students have produced sufficient content to demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities for your course. In such instances, a final exam may not be necessary. Check with your department chair or dean to identify appropriate policies and guidelines regarding the administration of final exams.
- Use the Final Exam Decision Tree to help determine if and how to administer a final exam.
- Additional guidance on is available on whether you need to put your exam online.
What alternatives exist to face-to-face finals and exams?
The following suggestions are designed to address issues of academic integrity that can arise when exams are administered outside of the classroom.
Shift to an Open Book exam format. This format promotes student learning and can help to neutralize the possibility that students will inappropriately rely on other resources to complete the exam by allowing them to consult other resources. The following elements can be added to the exam (alone or in combination) to help ensure that students maintain academic integrity when course assessments happen outside of the classroom.
- Add a section to the exam that requires students to give the course-related sources they used to answer each question (including page numbers, where appropriate), as well as the citation information of any other resources they used. Consider telling students they can use outside sources if they also give a well-considered recommendation as to whether the outside sources should be incorporated into the class in future quarters.
- Add a question that asks students to write a short reflection on what they learned either about the content or about their own learning processes from the process of researching the questions.
- Have students choose one question or problem on the exam that was difficult and explain the process they went through to find the answer and/or to solve it.
- Have students choose the most interesting question or section on the exam and write a short paragraph explaining why they think it was interesting. A variation on this: Have students choose the question or section of the exam that targets information they feel is most applicable to their future careers and explain why they feel it is valuable for them to know this information.
Using the Closed-Book format, you may find the following suggestions helpful. Consider reducing the number of single-choice answers (e.g., multiple-choice questions) in order to add:
- Short answer questions. Adding several short answer questions that have been tailored to information presented in lectures gives students a chance to display what they have learned. It also encourages students to maintain academic integrity by tying their responses to what they learned by attending your class.
- A metacognition task. Insert a section where students look at errors on a past exam and explain the correct answer to earn a certain number of points determined in advance by the instructor. This develops metacognition, helps students improve their learning, and makes connections to students’ past class performance.
- A transformative reflection. Provide a question asking students to write a short reflection on how the course has changed their thinking about the course topic or about a course sub-topic. This helps students to become more aware of the effect your class has had on them intellectually.
- Resource recommendations. Have students give a recommendation for two scholarly articles, news articles, videos, or other instructional media that the students have researched by writing a short (1-2 paragraph) explanation of how these pieces could help future students understand the course material.
- An application task. Have students choose a question from the exam and explain how the knowledge it tests is important when applied to the field. Make sure you have discussed applications in class, and if not, it may be helpful to let students know that you encourage innovation on this task. If application is something you have not discussed in class, you may want to modify your grading criteria to reflect this.
- Move to an entirely short-essay exam format. If possible, convert your multiple-choice questions to a series of questions that require students to write one-to-two-paragraph responses synthesizing course content. Tailor the questions to your course’s specific content to encourage students to produce their own work and to discourage inappropriate reliance on outside sources (i.e., plagiarism). Be sure to let students know the criteria you’ll use to evaluate their responses (e.g., a rubric) before they take the exam. If students have been expecting a multiple-choice test throughout the quarter, you may want to be mindful of the effect a sudden change in format can have on students’ ability to be successful on the exam, and weigh this against any changes you might make. If you feel the change is warranted, explain to students the reason for the change, and reassure them of your concern for their learning.
- Assign an annotated bibliography. If a traditional exam is not possible, and it serves your learning outcomes for your students, you might consider having students write an annotated bibliography in which they choose 5-10 key scholarly articles from the course readings and write a short critical summary for each, explaining what the article is about and then giving their assessment of the article’s value to the field. Initially, students may think this is a difficult task, especially if they have never encountered such an assignment. Giving students a model for the task can be helpful and reminding students that it builds on skills they likely already possess (writing summaries, for example) can go a long way to ease their anxiety. If this is a novel task for students that is being introduced, due to external circumstances affecting your course, you may want to adjust your grading criteria accordingly.
- Assign an application task. Give students a real-world problem-based application of the concepts (or just a single key concept) from your course and ask them to explain they would use the information learned in your class to solve the problem. This would require students to analyze the problem and then synthesize a response to it by revisiting the concepts learned in your course and applying them to the scenario you have described. This, again, could be difficult for some students. If application is something you have not discussed in class, you may want to modify your grading criteria to reflect this.
If I decide to administer a multiple-choice exam, how do I do it online?
| Consider how you will administer tests and assessments online. |
Tests and Quizzes in Blackboard Creating Test in Blackboard Using Word or Text Documents Using the Assignment Tool in Blackboard Using Grade Center in Blackboard |
Common Educational Technology Tools
The Teaching Center and Pitt IT have full support resources available for:
Blackboard – Teacher Help
Blackboard – Student Help
Canvas
Panopto (Lecture Capture and Video Streaming Platform)
Zoom (Web Conferencing Platform)
* Tips for Keeping Your Zoom Conference Private and Secure
Help for Beginners
Where should you start when moving your class to a remote delivery format using the technology tools available at Pitt? Currently most courses at the university are still using Blackboard as the learning management system (LMS), so these help resources will focus on Blackboard. If you’ve never used Blackboard to deliver course materials before, you can log in to it at Pitt’s Blackboard website or from the link located on the My Pitt Portal.
- Make your course in the LMS available to students
All courses in the university catalogue have a Blackboard course shell ready and waiting, whether or not you have ever used Blackboard to delivery your course before. Courses are not accessible to students until the instructor makes them so. - Get to know the Blackboard course environment
A guide to user-interface you will find in your Blackboard course. - How to upload documents and files to share with your students
- How to create PDF (portable document format) files on Windows or Mac
- How to make an announcement or send your students emails from Blackboard
Please also see our information about the importance of communicating with your students during this time, and recommendations for best practices
Help for Delivering Courses Asynchronously
Asynchronous course delivery refers to delivering your course in a way that is not bound to a particular time or location. Course content and assessments delivered asynchronously leaves it up to the students when they participate in your class. Students who have other responsibilities or less frequent access to technology will benefit from asynchronous course delivery methods such as:
- Creating a space for students to upload their assignments electronically
The Blackboard assignment tool will accept uploads of virtually any file format, including images, PowerPoints, spreadsheets or multimedia files. - Giving tests and quizzes using Blackboard
Please see the Teaching Center’s page about remote assessments for more information about creating assessments for online courses, and consider these best practices and tips for delivering tests in Blackboard. The university does not have remote exam proctoring software available for faculty and student use. - Creating discussion boards for your students
The Blackboard Discussion Board tool can be used for student-to-student interaction, as well as instructor-led discussions or a Q&A forum where students can ask questions about practical considerations, dates and scheduling, etc…. - Facilitating online group work
The Groups tool in Blackboard can give small groups of students areas to collaborate on projects even when they’re participating fully online. - Creating videos for your students to watch on their own time
Panopto is available to record and stream videos to your students that they can watch at any time. This may be a preferable means of providing lecture content to your students than doing a synchronous (live) web conference, as it means that students can participate even if there are other disruptions in their lives and can go back and watch multiple times to improve comprehension and retention. - Enabling students to upload their own videos made with Panopto
Usually, students are “viewers” in Panopto but they do not have the ability to create and upload videos of their own. However, you can make some adjustments in order to enable video creation and upload. Panopto help for students is available online. - Enabling students to upload paper-and-pencil work for you to assess using Gradescope.
Gradescope allows students to take pictures of paper-and-pencil work using their mobile devices and upload that work so that you score it and give feedback electronically. Gradescope is integrated with both Blackboard and Canvas.
Help for Delivering Courses Synchronously
Synchronous course delivery refers to delivering course material to students at a particular time, all together. Course content and assessments delivered synchronously require students to participate in your class at a particular set time or window of time. Students who have other responsibilities or less frequent access to technology may need special accommodations such as recording live sessions for later viewing by those who were unable to participate.
NOTE: In order to facilitate the free exchange of ideas during lectures, if a faculty member intends to record their lecture with student participation, they must advise the students, via e-mail and at the beginning of the lecture, that the lecture, including their participation, is being recorded. Students should not be required to participate in the recorded conversation and should be encourage to ask questions off-line. Further, the recorded lecture may be used by the faculty member and the registered students only for internal class purposes and only during the term in which the course is being offered. Faculty who have questions should contact faculty@pitt.edu.
- Getting Started with Zoom
Zoom is an online and mobile meeting solution that combines real-time chat, content sharing, and video in an easy-to-use interface to enrich teaching and learning. It integrates with Blackboard and Canvas to facilitate remote teaching and learning. Tips for Keeping Your Zoom Conference Private and Secure - Using Blackboard Collaborate
Blackboard Collaborate is a web conferencing platform accessible directly inside Blackboard. Collaborate features screensharing, breakout rooms, polling, and collaborative whiteboards and can even be accessed by users who do not have Pitt logins (i.e., guest speakers). - Using Panopto to Livestream
Panopto’s livestream function is less fully-featured than Blackboard Collaborate (chat is available, but there are no breakout rooms or other features) but can be used to broadcast lectures and presentations live.
Help for Canvas Users
As always, 24/7 help for these tools is available via the Help button in the global navigation menu.
- Creating discussion boards
The Canvas Discussions tool can be used for student-to-student interaction, as well as instructor-led discussions or a Q&A forum where students can ask questions about practical considerations, dates and scheduling, etc…. - Creating groups of students
Creating groups in Canvas for students to work on projects together has the advantage of allowing you to view what they are working on . - Using Panopto with Canvas
You can use Panopto to create and give students access to recorded lectures and other multimedia resources. - Synchronous classes using the Conferences tool
Canvas is currently configured to use Big Blue Button as its web conference tool. You can use Big Blue Button to hold synchronous online lectures and discussions, or virtual office hours. Note: Our license with BBB keeps recordings available for 14 days and does not permit downloading. For a more fully featured tool, consider using the Zoom Canvas integration.
Guidelines and Best Practices for Quality and Accessibility
- Guidelines for creating Instructional recordings
- Using SensusAccess to create accessible course materials for students with disabilities
- Adding Captions to Your Panopto Videos
- Adding Subtitles and Captions to your YouTube Video
Other University Technology Tools and Services
These tools and services are managed out of Pitt IT and help for them can be had 24/7/365 from the Pitt IT Help Desk.
- Virtual Lab
The Pitt IT Virtual Lab enables you to access much of the same lab software and resources that you use while sitting in a Pitt IT Student Computing Lab on campus. - Pitt email and calendar (Outlook)
- Skype for Business
- Microsoft Teams
- Pitt Virtual Private Network (VPN)
- Pitt Software Services
- The Study Lab On Demand, offered by the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, provides online modules to help you succeed in a new learning environment. The modules are free and available to any Pitt student.
- Study Lab also continues to offer one-on-one peer tutoring and academic coaching sessions to Dietrich School undergraduates. All appointments are held in a virtual classroom and can be scheduled online.
Stay informed: Gather information to inform and guide your course modification plans and to stay abreast of changing information, guidelines and recommendations.
- Monitor national, local and university information.
- The University of Pittsburgh, Office of Public Safety & Emergency Management page
- The Allegheny County COVID-19 page
- The CDC COVID-19 Situation Summary page
- The World Health Organization Situation Reports
- Locate and review relevant policy
- University of Pittsburgh Course Cancellation Policy [PDF]
- University of Pittsburgh Grading Policy
- University of Pittsburgh Work from Home Policy
- US Department of Education memo from March 05, 2020 regarding Guidance for Interruptions of Study Related to COVID-19
- Consult with:
- Your School and department regarding plans to best continue with classes in the event of changes to normal campus operations
- The University Center for Teaching and Learning for instructional strategies to inform instructional continuity and assistance with CourseWeb/Blackboard, Canvas, and other educational technologies to support online education
- Your instructional team, including co-instructors, TA’s, course coordinators, etc.
ResourcesBeginning of the Course Canvas Checklist Remote Instructional Design Checklist Strategies for Faculty to Communicate with Students Pitt Information Technology maintains a list of IT resources to support remote work. Important information and updates relevant to the University community will be posted at the Office of Public Safety & Emergency Management. For student health concerns: Pitt Student Health Service For those traveling or abroad: Pitt Global Operations Support Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on COVID-19 and travel alerts U.S. Department of State travel advisories |