Like most other public forums, it’s possible to have a person (who may or may not be invited) disrupt an event that’s meant to bring people together. To help combat this in the remote environment, authors at Zoom Blog created a list of settings to consider that will help keep your sessions free from "crashers" and uninvited guests. Some tips include:

• Not publishing your personal meeting ID for public events.
• Preventing attendees from sharing their screens.
• Password protecting your meeting or allowing only signed-in users to join.

We hope that the first day of remote teaching has gone smoothly for you and your students. We wanted to share a few important updates with you and will continue to do so throughout the week. Additionally, we wanted to make you aware that two virtual workshops that we facilitated on Friday are now available for viewing (information below). 1) Please read the message from Provost Cudd to all Pitt faculty members on March 20. The message addresses significant topics like:

• access to faculty offices and labs for instructional purposes.
• guidance for grading.
• thesis defenses and other milestones.
• teaching assistants and teaching fellows.
• academic term dates.
• summer term planning.
• Student Opinion of Teaching Surveys.
• resources for teaching remotely.

In anticipation of the resumption of class on March 23, please review the details contained in this message to help you launch your courses on Monday.

1. See our new guidelines for communicating with students as classes resume.
2. Visit teaching.pitt.edu for immediate access to resources on instructional continuity in the remote environment.
3. Read the message from Provost Cudd, which contains important information about available resources, as well as information about policies and facilities, and the Provost’s message to students.
4. Please direct technical questions (related to software, home network connections, your computer, Zoom, basic LMS questions, etc.) to the Help Desk, 412-624-HELP. They are open 24 hours.
5. If you contact the Teaching Center (teaching@pitt.edu or 412-648-2832) we will respond as quickly as possible, as we work to triage the calls/emails and get them directed to the right person.
6. Our remote hours of operation for the week of March 23 will be 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

In anticipation of the resumption of class on March 23, please review the details contained in this message to help you launch your courses on Monday.

1. See our new tips for communicating with students as classes move online are available to all faculty.
2. Visit teaching.pitt.edu for immediate access to resources on instructional continuity in the remote environment.
3. Read the message from Provost Cudd, which contains important information about available resources, as well as information about policies and facilities, and the Provost’s message to students.
4. Direct your technical questions (like basic Blackboard/Canvas, Zoom, software, home network connections, etc.) to the Help Desk at 412-624-HELP. They are open 24 hours.
5. If you contact the Teaching Center (teaching@pitt.edu or 412-648-2832) we will respond as quickly as possible, as we work to triage the calls/emails and get them directed to the right person.
6. Our hours of operation for the week of March 23 will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Provost Ann Cudd has provided additional guidance and direction for the University. Please visit the Office of the Provost’s March 20 message for important updates on:

• Access to faculty offices and labs for instructional purposes
• Guidance for grading this semester
• Graduate classes
• Thesis defenses and other milestones
• Teaching Assistants and Teaching Fellows
• Academic Term Dates
• Summer Term Planning
• Option to Extend Tenure Clock
• Student Option of Teaching Surveys
• Available resources for teaching remotely

Pitt Information Technology has introduced new web pages for additional and expanded resources to assist with the transition to remote learning.

• 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 Computing Lab on campus.
• IT Resources to Support Remote Work: You can leverage Pitt IT resources to work productively from any location.
• Important Message Regarding Zoom: Faculty with pre-existing and/or personal Zoom licenses have expressed interest in switching to the University enterprise Zoom account. Visit Pitt IT’s Zoom page for more information about using your University Zoom account with an existing Zoom account.