During periods of inclement weather, it may be necessary for classes that can be held remotely to move to an online format. Faculty should communicate directly with their students about the status of their courses.
The Poorvu Center reminds you that there are options available to help you connect with and teach your students as planned. And we’re here to support you with guidance on using these tools effectively to engage your students, despite the temporary change in plans.
Teach Live with Zoom
Zoom is available on every Canvas course site, allowing instructors and students alike to easily join the online class meeting directly from the Zoom button on their course site.
Zoom supports a wide variety of tools and functions that can help provide an engaging learning session, such as screen sharing, polling, and breakout rooms.
Share Video Recordings with your Students
Panopto is our lecture capture tool that allows you to easily record yourself, your computer screen, and your audio, and then share the combined video with your class. This is a useful approach if you would like to share all or only parts of your planned remarks before attending a live Zoom session.
Engage Your Students
If your class cannot meet in person, it is still possible to run an engaging Zoom session. Here are a few tips informed by suggestions gathered through surveys of Yale students and instructors:
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Acknowledge the change in learning environment with your class.
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Use Zoom chat or polling in real-time to assess student understanding, or receive feedback on activities in your session.
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A remote session can be an opportunity to promote quieter voices of students who are more comfortable asking questions in discussion boards, Zoom chats, or email.
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If using self-recorded capture to share your remarks before class, please keep in mind that students prefer a concise focus, with lectures chunked into 15-25 minute videos.
We’re here to help!
Reach out to the Poorvu Center team if you have any questions or to learn more about our programs.