Instructional Continuity

INTRODUCTION

This page provides information for faculty on a variety of different resources and strategies to support remote instruction in the context of the COVID-19 remote learning period. Please note that it may change regularly.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

At a school like Trinity, where all instruction is planned for in-person class sessions, retrofitting classes for remote delivery is an exercise in expectations management: What learning outcomes are essential, and how can they be achieved online? How will faculty and students communicate, and how often? Planning ahead to the extent possible is enormously helpful. Testing some of the available tools can ease anxiety for faculty, students, and, well, everyone really.

An important consideration is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous methods. Synchronous methods, where everyone in the class is participating at the same time, are sometimes intuitively appealing, because they feel like a regular class. Asynchronous methods, by contrast, can feel more abstract, and require a bit more advance work. However, they are important for structuring an online learning experience. We believe that thinking of remote learning as a special type of flipped classroom will be most effective: use asynchronous methods to deliver content outside of class time and to prepare students for engaging more richly with the course during the scheduled class itself.

Two resources that will be helpful for remote teaching:

  • We have compiled an Online Learning Resource Guide for Faculty, which pulls together resources on how to think about online instruction as a method, key tools to help you through the process, and contact information for Research, Instruction, Technology staff who can help.
  • The Summer 2020 Design Studios, which included a series of recorded workshops and presentations on various aspects of remote teaching. 

STAFF CONTACTS