Transition Checklist

Any disruption to teaching is stressful for you and your students. The following checklists are guides intended to help alleviate some of the stress and smooth the transition to online, hybrid, or hyflex teaching. The first checklist includes things to consider before any disruption occurs; the second covers things to consider after a disruption.

Note: If your School uses a learning management system other than UVACanvas, contact your School-level support for resources on specific tools.

Before a Disruption

Identify the computer you will use if you cannot come to Grounds. The computer will need to have at minimum internet access, a webcam, and a microphone. Practice setting everything up and test everything from time to time.
Verify that your internet connection is reliable enough for your needs. For online class sessions, you will need to have a video conferencing tool running (e.g., Zoom) and enough remaining bandwidth to share, for example, website content, lecture slides, and/or live streaming video.
Ensure you have set up your course site in your school's learning management system (LMS) and that you can connect to it remotely. Be sure to add your syllabus and any digital course materials.
- A course site in UVACanvas is automatically created for each roster in the Student Information System (SIS). If you would like to combine roster sections into a single site, follow the steps in How do I combine/cross-list multiple courses or sections into one course site?
- Review How can I get started setting up my UVACanvas course site? for steps to add course content.
Be familiar with the communication tools in UVACanvas. Review how to:
- Post an announcement in Canvas and use the Canvas Inbox.
- Create a course email address in UVACanvas and send email to your course.
Learn how to set up and manage Zoom Online Meetings for your course site: Tips for Teaching Online in Zoom.
Add a contingency plan statement to your syllabus so that students know what to do if teaching is disrupted. See sample contingency plan statements for examples.
Consider alternatives for activities and assessments that rely on in-person presence.
Determine how you will hold remote office hours. For example, you can follow the steps in How do I set up online office hours in Zoom?
Recognize that disruptions can affect your students differentially. Consider adjusting your course policies and expectations to ensure all your students are able to fully participate in class activities. This might mean being flexible on due dates, attendance policies, etc. And, encourage them to reach out to you if they have extenuating circumstances that make engagement and learning especially difficult for them.
A&S's Learning Design and Technology team offers additional tips for how to make your course more resilient to disruption.

After a Disruption

Stay informed about University updates by monitoring UVA's Operations Status Board and other communication channels.
Send an announcement or message using the tools in your LMS to notify students of your plan for continuing teaching.
Conduct synchronous classes using Zoom Online Meetings.
Use tools in your LMS course site for asynchronous activities.
Convey to your students in writing any changes to assessments or grading caused by the teaching disruption.
Communicate regularly with your students to help ease concerns and ensure they understand your expectations.
Recognize that disruptions can affect your students differentially. Consider adjusting your course policies and expectations to ensure all your students are able to fully participate in class activities. This might mean being flexible on due dates, attendance policies, etc.