{"id":8668,"date":"2026-03-05T16:39:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T21:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/itds\/?page_id=8668"},"modified":"2026-03-10T08:47:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:47:28","slug":"remote-teaching-checklist","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/itds\/essentials\/remote-teaching-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Remote Teaching & Course Continuity"},"content":{"rendered":"
Whether you are preparing in advance or responding to an unexpected campus closure, this resource will help you keep your course on track with minimal disruption to teaching and learning. Use the checklists below to guide your preparation and your response when a shift to remote instruction is needed.<\/p>\n
Faculty who have taken a few proactive steps in advance are better positioned to maintain course continuity and reduce stress for themselves and their students. Designing your course with online-ready elements from the start means that any interruption causes far less disruption to the learning experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>
These are steps to take at the start of each semester so your course is ready if a disruption occurs.<\/p>\n
Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n When a disruption is announced and you need to shift to remote instruction immediately, work through the following steps.<\/span><\/p>\n Move your office hours to Zoom for the duration of the disruption and post the Zoom link and updated hours in a Canvas Announcement or on your Canvas course homepage.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Remember to keep your workload expectations consistent with what you would have covered in a normal class session. A common and understandable mistake during emergency pivots is assigning additional work to compensate for lost class time, but this increases student stress and cognitive load without improving learning outcomes (Sweller, 1988). When in doubt, do less, and do it well.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n It is recommended that you include a statement like the following in your syllabus at the start of each semester so students know what to expect in the event of a disruption.<\/p>\n “In the event of an emergency, course requirements, deadlines, and grading percentages are subject to change when necessitated by revised course delivery, semester calendar, or other circumstances. Information about changes in this course can be obtained on the Canvas course page or by contacting me at [your email address]. If the course is not able to meet face-to-face, students should immediately log onto Canvas and read any announcements and\/or alternative assignments. Students are also encouraged to continue readings and other assignments as outlined on this syllabus or any subsequent communication.”<\/em><\/p>\n Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n When shifting to remote instruction, one of the first decisions to make is whether to hold class synchronously via Zoom or to provide asynchronous activities. Use the following guidance to help you decide.<\/p>\n Note:<\/strong> You can also combine both approaches. For example, you might post a recorded lecture asynchronously and host an optional Zoom session for questions.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Before finalizing your plan, take a moment to review any accommodation letters for students in your course. A shift in modality can affect students whose accommodations depend on in-person formats, such as captioning, extended time, or note-taking support. If you have students with active accommodations, consider reaching out directly or contacting the Disability Resource Center<\/a> for guidance on how to honor those accommodations in an online format.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n Maintaining assessment continuity during a disruption does not need to be complicated. Here are some practical approaches:<\/p>\n Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n In certain emergency situations, some students may face challenges accessing course materials due to limited internet connectivity or access to a personal computer. When possible, avoid requiring students to complete high-bandwidth activities such as streaming lengthy videos on a tight deadline. Provide materials in multiple formats where possible. For example, if you post a video lecture, also provide a written transcript or outline. This supports students with limited connectivity as well as students with disabilities.<\/p>\n Consider extending deadlines by 24 to 48 hours during a disruption to account for varying student circumstances.<\/p>\n Students who need technology support should contact the University IT Service Desk at itservicedesk@montclair.edu or (973) 655-7971, option 1. The university offers support resources including loaner equipment for eligible students.<\/p>\n Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n Accessibility matters in every learning environment, and a shift to remote teaching is a good opportunity to make sure your materials are reaching all of your students. Here are a few tips to help ensure accessibility standards are met:<\/p>\n For more information, visit the ITDS Designing Accessible Learning Environments<\/a> page and the Universal Design and Accessibility<\/a> resources in the Canvas Faculty Orientation course.<\/p>\n Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n Canvas<\/a> is 麻豆传媒在线’s Learning Management System (or LMS). All 麻豆传媒在线 courses have a Canvas site which can be used for posting course content, communicating with students, managing assignments, and grading. Visit montclair.edu\/canvas for more information.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n All 麻豆传媒在线 faculty and staff have access to Zoom Licensed, which places no time limit on meetings. You can access Zoom via SSO at montclair.zoom.us using your NetID and password.<\/p>\n For additional Zoom support, contact the IT Service Desk at itservicedesk@montclair.edu or (973) 655-7971, option 1.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Panopto<\/a> is a video recording and hosting platform that is integrated with Canvas. Use it to record lectures, share video content, and provide auto-captioned recordings to students. Visit the ITDS Panopto page for documentation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Google Workspace for Education<\/a> is available to all 麻豆传媒在线 faculty and students through your 麻豆传媒在线 email. The Google Workspace includes tools for collaborative or independent assignments, including Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Forms.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Canvas discussions<\/a> provide an easy way for instructors to create and facilitate interaction amongst students. Online discussions encourage active participation from students and help replicate discourse that may occur in a face-to-face classroom. Discussions can be created as an assignment for grading purposes (which is integrated with Canvas Gradebook), or simply serve as a Q & A to answer students\u2019 questions, or a forum for students to share information. Group discussions may be set up so that small groups of students may converse.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Canvas assignments<\/a> are used to accept submissions by students, such as files, images, text, URLs, etc.\u00a0 Assignments can be created for everyone in the course or differentiated by student, section, or student groups.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Canvas Quizzes<\/a> allow for a variety of question types and can be used for formative and summative assessments. These quizzes can be configured for automatic grading or feedback, depending on the question type, and many additional settings. A column in the grade book is created for each quiz where you can manually enter a grade for quizzes or exams taken on paper.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Padlet<\/a> is an online collaborative bulletin board where students can post text, images, links, and videos. Useful for brainstorming, sharing work, and replicating class discussion activities.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n These social annotation tools allow students to collaboratively annotate readings and digital texts. Both Perusall<\/a> and Hypothes.is<\/a> are available to 麻豆传媒在线 faculty and can be seamlessly integrated into Canvas.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n Remember: you are not on your own. The following contacts and resources are available to help.<\/p>\n For broader strategies on maintaining instructional continuity, visit the Planning for Disruption<\/a> resources hosted by the Office of Faculty Excellence.<\/p>\nQuick-Start Checklist (Day-Of Steps)<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
Syllabus Course Continuity Statement<\/h2>\n
Synchronous or Asynchronous?<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
Managing Assessments & Grading Remotely<\/h2>\n
\n
Supporting Student Access & Equity<\/h2>\n
Accessibility in a Remote Learning Environment<\/h2>\n
\n
Teaching Tools & Resources (at a Glance)<\/h2>\n
\n
Additional Support<\/h2>\n
\n