To help your students learn how to use educational technology tools and strategies they will need to succeed in hybrid and online courses, the Teaching Center has created a Canvas public course, the Online Student Toolkit.

This toolkit, which should take students approximately two hours to complete in its entirety, covers:

• How to use My Pitt to access email and download software
• How to navigate and use Canvas, including setting preferences, accessing files, using discussion boards and netiquette, assignments and Turnitin, taking quizzes, working in groups, checking grades and instructor feedback, and how to use Canvas help resources
• Basic overviews and tutorial links for using Zoom, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Panopto, Gradescope, Top Hat, mobile apps, Chrome extensions and Firefox add-ons, and virtual computer labs
• Strategies for online student success including how to stay organized, creating a designated learning space, practicing with technology, clarifying understanding of instructor expectations, managing time, communicating proactively with instructors and classmates, and self-care resources.

Once students complete the toolkit, they will be prompted to take a short assessment in Qualtrics to check their understanding. Students need to earn a 16/20 to pass the assessment and will receive a certificate of completion listing their name, score, and the date they took it once they are done. Instructors who would like their students to complete the toolkit can request or require that students send them a screenshot of their certificate. Students can retake the assessment as often as needed.

Students can access the toolkit as often as they like and do not need to complete it in one sitting or review the entire toolkit each time they use it.

We encourage you to review the Online Student Toolkit to determine whether it would be useful for your students. To use the toolkit in your courses, simply copy/paste the same link into your Canvas course shell. If you would like assistance planning how to integrate this resource into your course, please contact us at teaching@pitt.edu to request a consultation.

The Teaching Center would like to thank Bernie Picklo, Academic Technology Integrator and Dr. Emily Williams, Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs at Pitt-Bradford for creating this resource, which was adapted for full institution use.