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Hello, dear friends of the CTL. We’ve been keeping our heads down over the past couple of weeks, trying to get a grasp on the new “normal”. Our focus has been anticipating and seeking to understand as best we can the teaching and learning needs of the campus community as we weather the COVID-19 storm. During this time of remote work and social isolation, we’ve found ourselves feeling a little adrift from the UT teaching and learning community and eager to check in let you know what we’re up to at the CTL, hear from you about both challenges and moments of light in the midst of all this uncertainty. Be sure to read on about CTL sessions starting tomorrow! How can we optimize engagement, collaboration, and lectures while teaching remotely?
We're Here for You
The CTL’s first priority is to help you prepare to teach on March 30. We’ve been engaged in virtual conversations with faculty, staff, and administrators across campus, assembling resources that we hope will allow you to transition to remote instruction for the remainder of the spring semester as efficiently and confidently as possible. In addition to our campus-wide activities, several campus partners have asked us to join local meetings for groups of faculty. It has been exciting to see the distributed teaching and learning community step up in this moment.
What We Know
- We know there are several training opportunities taking place both centrally and locally. Many will be focused on new and existing technology tools that support remote learning. We wanted to offer sessions with a broader focus of teaching in this environment. Please see the links below, and we hope to see you online.
- Because we won’t be able to gather in person again soon, we are in the process of evaluating all previously scheduled spring semester events to determine if they can be delivered online. We will keep our calendar updated as frequently as possible to reflect new modes of delivery, postponements, and cancellations.
- In addition, we are considering our grant application process and allowing more time for proposals to be submitted. Feel free to continue submitting proposals as we work to settle on a new deadline.
Gratitude
One unexpected ray of light in this stressful time has been the support we have received from across campus. From notes of encouragement, to staff pledging their time to help us scale up our campus response, to newfound collaborations, these generous efforts have offered us so much hope and clarity.
Due the rapidly changing nature of this time, you can expect to hear from us more frequently. We promise to balance information overload while finding ways to support you.
Warm Regards,
Faculty Peer Support for Spring 2020 Remote Instruction
As you transition your course to remote instruction for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester, would you like to hear how some of your peers are doing it? Drop in Thursday and Friday (3/26 & 3/27) for some informal 45-minute conversations on Zoom where Provost’s Teaching Fellows across campus share some insights around pressing questions and facilitate a conversation amongst you and your colleagues. Please RSVP for one or more sessions and share a question you would like to bring to the discussion.
Dr. Veronica Young (College of Pharmacy)
How can I keep students engage in an online setting using tools like Canvas and Zoom?
- Thursday, 3/26, 12:00-12:45pm
Dr. Steven Finkelstein (Department of Astronomy)
How can I get students collaborating this semester in the online setting?
- Friday, 3/27, 12:00-12:45pm
Dr. Madeleine Redlick (Department of Communication Studies)
How can I structure remote lectures for clarity and consistency?
- Thursday, 4/2 1:00-1:45pm
Please RSVP for one or more sessions and share a question you would like to bring to the discussion.