Communicating with Students has never been easier

Within Moodle or Canvas, please use the Announcement forum/tool in the course shell to communicate with students. This Announcement forum posts in the course and automatically is sent to student UM emails. You may also want to communicate with students directly through UM email - the Quickmail tool with the Moodle course dashboard will provide an easy way to send emails directly to students, both individually or the entire roster. Maintain regular communication with students to send reminders, updates and changes. 

Clarify expectations. Keep in mind situations may change for students' ability to meet expectations including; illness, lacking power, no Internet connection or needing to care for family members. You may need to reconsider some expectations for students including participation, communication and deadlines. Be ready to handle requests for extensions or accommodations equitably.

Provide detailed communication. Students may have a lot of questions, consider how you will manage requests. A useful communication plan lets students know how soon they can expect a responese.

Set up Virtual Office Hours to Meet with Students

Using your webcam, you can meet with your students and share your screen or collaborate using Zoom's whiteboard features. 

Pedagological Recommendations:

Keep the link to the Zoom room you’re using for your students in a central place on your course Moodle site. The main factor to consider when holding office hours or conferences with students via Zoom is your accessibility as an instructor. Make sure they know how to find your “office” (just as you might offer them directions to your office on-campus).

Encourage students to share their screen with you. Screen sharing is possible not just for the instructor in Zoom, but for students too. Help students navigate towards a screen sharing option so they can show you the work on their screens.