Provide clear, concise, step-by-step instructions, created by you or others (curated from existing resources). These can include one or more of the following:

• Written text-based instructions
• Diagrams or schematics
• Screen shots
• Live demonstrations or tutorials., which can take place in front of in-person students, distributed synchronously to remote students, and recorded for asynchronous students.
• Video recordings of demonstrations or tutorials

• Allocating 2-3 minutes of your lesson plan to explicitly discuss or have students read the directions on their own.
• Having students review instructions and ask questions before sending them to breakout rooms, if the work is in groups.
• Flipping your session and having students watch pre-recorded demonstrations of steps or processes before class. Include watching these demonstrations as part of your participation requirements.
• Using the poll feature to give a low-stakes quiz on the steps involved in a complex lab/studio-based activity. This helps ensure that students understand key instructions or processes.
• Fostering your students’ independence as learners by encouraging them to research a topic, process, or procedure before class (for example, “SPSS how to ANOVA,” Titration,” or “Sampling error calculation”). Provide keywords to support this effort.

If special software is needed:

• Provide specific detail about the needed software (e.g., version, requirements, etc.).
• Provide contact information for Pitt IT for guidance related to access, license, and download information.
• Create a Canvas page with instructions and relevant links for students to download needed software at the beginning of the semester. You can set up a student To-Do list to support this effort.
• Include tutorials, using existing materials created by others to support students’ use of software (e.g., YouTube, Khan Academy) or create your own.

Use questions to frame or provoke thinking. When posting course materials in Canvas, add 1-3 critical thinking questions for students to consider as they read or review.

You can also begin classes by placing a short, provocative quote from the day’s reading assignment (or a related quotation from another source). Give students five minutes to respond to the passage. They can do this collectively as a class in a Canvas discussion board, Microsoft 365 document, or a Google doc by writing notes, paragraphs, lists, or mind maps about what the passage means and why it is significant to the course or to the subject matter of the day’s session. Review and respond to entries to facilitate an opening discussion of the day’s topic or review them after class after giving students an opportunity to share their thoughts as a way to frame the day’s discussion work.

• Plan for pair/small-group work in formative stages. This allows students to collaboratively problem-solve in support of independent work and helps build metacognitive and self-regulated learning skills.
• When using groups, assign or suggest member roles, which can rotate. These could include:
  -Leader/director
  -Moderator
  -Note-taker/recorder
  -Data collector
  -Data analyst
  -Report writer
  -Safety/protocol/process monitor
  -Trouble shooter
• Where appropriate, allow students to work collaboratively to write lab notes and reports using shared document technology.
• You can use Zoom breakout rooms to foster interaction, collaboration, and increased student engagement and also for providing additional support to individual students. It is helpful if at least one of the group members has smart-phone or tablet access so that (with the device added to Zoom) you can troubleshoot problems remotely.
• For pair or small group tasks: 1) drop in on the groups to check for problems, assess comprehension, or answer questions, 2) allow for a few minutes of independent work before you drop in, and 3) broadcast a message to all breakout rooms to let them know you will start “circulating” through individual groups.

• Create a breakout room for individual consultation that remains open through your lab or studio session.
• Individual students can hop in and “request assistance” to signal they need additional clarification that cannot be easily delivered through Zoom’s chat window.
• You can orally address one-on-one questions, needs for clarification, concerns, or problems about the task at hand, minimizing the risk of distracting students working independently.