Preparation for Remote Teaching

This page outlines resources to help Homewood instructors prepare for Remote Teaching. The page is structured according to recommended process for faculty to design, develop, and then teach a course online. Even if a course is offered on campus, students will need to have the option to receive the same content online because of the pandemic. Therefore, all faculty are strongly encouraged to attend training about how teaching online compares to teaching in the classroom. 

Start with Training

Numerous, diverse workshops will be offered on online teaching strategies along with training on the educational technology commonly used in online courses. All faculty are strongly encouraged to review the Online Teaching Orientation. A list of workshops and registration links is below and will be updated regularly.  Other online workshops offered across the University are listed at https://ctei.jhu.edu/programs-and-services/teaching-workshops.  You can also watch a series of self-paced videos about preparing to teach online (in any subject) from the Whiting School of Engineering.

NOTE: All training times are Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Trainings: Teaching Strategies

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Online Teaching Orientation

The "Online Teaching Orientation" is a workshop to prepare faculty for teaching online.  The objectives are to help participants compare how online teaching differs from teaching in a classroom, list assessment strategies for online courses, describe ways to engage students, describe communication strategies, and list resources available to help faculty prepare.  The workshop will be facilitated with a discussion of case studies of Homewood online courses. No dates currently planned for Fall 2021. Please contact ctei@jhu.edu to schedule an individual consultation or watch a Pre-recorded Session from 6/22/20 available here.

University-wide Teaching Workshops

Find more teaching workshops hosted by teaching-learning centers across the university and open to all divisions by visiting the Teaching Workshops webpage.

Trainings: Tools & Applications

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Blackboard (BB) Training

Blackboard is the primary space where faculty host course content for students.  Instructors can also use Blackboard to facilitate tests and student submissions for assignments.

• Introduction to Blackboard: Pre-recorded Session available here
• BB Tests: Pre-recorded Session available here
• BB Assignments: Pre-recorded Session available here
• BB Communication and Collaboration: Pre-recorded Session available here
• BB Tips for Instructors: Pre-recorded Session available here
• BB for TAs: Pre-recorded Session available here

Piazza Training (Using Piazza for Q&A in Your Course)

Piazza is an online gathering place where students can ask, answer, and explore 24/7, under the guidance of their instructors. Please see message on Piazza page regarding recent changes to their licensing model.

• Pre-recorded Session from 7/20/20 available here

Zoom Training

Zoom is a web-conferencing tool faculty can use to host live, synchronous class sessions with students.

• Intro to Zoom: Pre-recorded session from 8/19/20 available here(JHU log in required)
• Zoom Breakout Rooms Training: Pre-recorded session from 8/13/20

Trainings: Studios

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The Krieger School of Arts & Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering are offering faculty designated course studios: these are AV-equipped, high-speed internet classrooms that can be used for course recordings or live delivery (details differ per school). These studios are not managed by the CTEI. For training and more information, please follow the links below:

Krieger School of Arts & Sciences:

• Teaching Studio Information
• COVID related classroom information
• COVID FAQs considerations
• Questions should be directed to kitcats@jhu.edu

Whiting School of Engineering:

• More information
• Schedule training

Course Design 

Faculty should consider how they would to structure and facilitate an online course. That way, they are prepared to start developing course materials according to their preferred teaching modality (online, hybrid, etc). Faculty should consider closely how they will do the following.

• assess students online
• engage students and build community online 
• communicate with students on a regular basis

A team of instructional support staff and faculty with experience teaching online are available to help you prepare. Faculty can request help by emailing ctei@jhu.edu.

Course Development

Faculty should consider accessibility best practices when developing their materials to make it easier for all students to access their content.

• Johns Hopkins University accessibility guidelines  and resources
• Resources from JHU's CTL on making PDFs and MS Office documents accessible

Consider conducting a pre-semester or early-semester survey to help you finalize your course preparations. This can help you identify and accommodate unique concerns or barriers students are facing. It can also help you build community and communicate to students that you are committed to their success. 

Students may have concerns about taking courses online. Consider sharing these tips to help students prepare for taking an online course in your Blackboard site or via email as the semester begins.