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Student Life Disability Services (SLDS), in conjunction with the Office of Institutional Equity, will work with students who are vulnerable to COVID-19 or face particular challenges because of the pandemic to ensure that they have the necessary resources to participate in university life as safely as possible. You should direct students to the Accommodations page on the Safe and Healthy website for more information. SLDS is also available to provide support for disability accommodations.

If an accommodation is required for a student, the ADA coordinator’s office will facilitate an interactive process that includes Student Life Disability Services, the instructor and the department/college.  

You should be prepared to record your class sessions using Zoom in the case of students who need an accommodation where they're unable to physically come to class or connect to Zoom for a live virtual class session.  

If live captions are required for a student attending remotely, you should follow guidance from the Digital Accessibility Center. For recordings, Zoom will automatically caption lectures recorded to the cloud, but those captions should be reviewed by the instructor for accuracy. For other questions about captioning or accessibility of course materials and technologies, contact the Digital Accessibility Center.

Encouraging that students turn on their cameras during live lectures can be a great way to build connection and create an inclusive learning space. However, keep in mind that not all students will be comfortable sharing their home life or may be learning from a busy household. They may need to step away for childcare or their siblings could be present in the background. Be empathetic if a student chooses to turn off their camera during your course.

As an instructor, you can also model virtual backgrounds as a way to see faces without infringing on your students’ home lives. Use Zoom backgrounds as a fun icebreaker to get to know your students better and build connection. If you want to add a professional touch, encourage use of the official Ohio State backgrounds.

Whatever you choose to do, allow as much flexibility as you can to accommodate student needs, and be direct in your syllabus. Let them know how you expect them to participate—video, audio, etc.—and be sure to let them know when you will be recording sessions.

Announcements posted in CarmenCanvas are collected in the “Announcements” section of the course. This makes it easier for students to see all of your important communcations in Carmen whenever they access your course. Additionally, GTAs or anyone else who needs to step into the course in an emergency will be able to see a history of those communications. Announcements can be pre-programmed to be published on a particular date and time (allowing you to think ahead and prepare communications for the semester). As long as students have appropriate Carmen notification settings in place, they will also get an email, which can be a nice reminder for them to check announcements.

You are not alone—utilize the supports available to you if this is your first online teaching experience. Your first steps should be to complete the Carmen Key Four. Watch the video tutorials and recorded workshops, and if you’re still struggling, get direct support. There are both live and on-demand resources available. Finally, lean on our Buckeye community; reach out to peers who may be a few steps farther along than you and ask for help and offer help to those who ask.

Students are receiving general guidance at the Keep Learning site and basic directions for accessing Carmen and other key tools. Your role as their instructor is to prepare and communicate expectations for how to navigate and keep learning in your specific course. Use the Carmen Announcements tool to orient them to what you’re planning and what their next steps should be.  

You may choose to meet virtually with your class, for example, once a week during your normally scheduled class time. You may also have asynchronous portions of your online course, allowing students to complete activities at different times. Using features in Carmen, you can keep those asynchronous activities very engaging. Consider utilizing discussion boards for class interaction, encourage small group activities and assignments and continue using announcements throughout the semester to engage with students and keep them informed as your course progresses.

Remember that your regular presence and interaction with students, through whichever of those means, is the most important factor for students' engagement and success in your online course.

The Registrar’s job aid for class labels sums up the differences between in-person, hybrid, distanced-enhanced and distance learning classes. A hybrid class will include a combination of in-person instruction and online instruction. The basic approach for teaching a hybrid course would involve all students attending class in-person together for a reduced amount of time (say, one class session per week). All students would also participate in online learning experiences through CarmenCanvas outside of the scheduled class time, with the instructor engaging with students via virtual announcements, videos, discussions and feedback. Other hybrid approaches exist but involve additional challenges. Review the hybrid strategies page or check out the recording of the Teaching Strategies for Different Course Modalities workshop, which includes a discussion of the various hybrid methods. You should also talk to the curricular leaders in your college or department to discuss specific approaches and expectations in your area.

You can visit the classroom search page to find out more about the technology available and the layout of centrally supported classroom spaces around campus. You should work with your college or department if your assigned classroom is not centrally supported or you require additional equipment or accommodations.

You should connect with your college or department if you require additional technology resources while teaching remotely. If equipment is still hard to come by, you can explore low-cost options and learn new ways to use the devices you already have with you. ODEE’s Instructional Design Video Coordinator, Scott Nelson, provides inspiration on his Teaching for Tomorrow YouTube channel.

Continue to employ security best practices as you work remotely, including keeping your systems and software up-to-date, running anti-virus software and backing up your data. If you are working with sensitive information, be sure to keep any paperwork secured and to lock your computer when you are not using it. When using Zoom for live discussions, don't share your Zoom meeting links publicly. Consider choosing the option "Only authenticated users can join" in your Zoom meeting settings to avoid unwanted attendees.

Also, be on the lookout for an increased number of COVID-19 related phishing emails and scams. Even if they are offering accurate information, if you click on the link in an email or open an attachment, it could infect your computer with malware. If you think you have received a suspicious email, forward it to report-phish@osu.edu.

Review more tips for working remotely in the Cybersecurity For You (C4U) platform.

You should consult the Safe and Healthy Buckeyes site to learn more about classroom layouts, furniture and cleaning expectations; safety measures put in place to protect faculty and staff; daily health check information and so much more.

In a prominent place in your Carmen course, you should share some essential resources with your students:

• Safe and Healthy Buckeyes: Students can find information related to campus safety precautions, mental health resources, requirements for dorm life and more.
• Student Life: The We Are Here For You page provides several mental health resources, as well as information on housing and emergency funding.
• Keep Learning: This site provides key tips and resources to help your students shift to new modes of learning and shares strategies to help them succeed. This site also provides guidance for accessing necessary tech devices.
• Drop-In Spaces: If students have back-to-back online and in-person classes and need a drop-in space to attend their online class, this site can help them find available rooms with limited, physically distanced seating.
• The Office of Academic Affairs created a Coronavirus: Academic Decisions page to keep track of all changes to the academic process, including dates for final exams, library services, travel policies and more.

Overall, remember that this is a challenging time for everyone. Be compassionate with yourself, and show compassion towards your students in your communications and in the way you structure your course. Be understanding, and remember to breathe (and share YP4H’s JustBreathe resources)!