January 17, 2018
As kids, we exuberantly embraced holidays created by Mother Nature. As instructors, however, cancellations create scheduling complications and concerns about missing important content. Cancellations take many forms. No matter if they are related to campus closures, taking care of ourselves or others, presenting at conferences, or attending meetings, missing days can wreak havoc on our teaching schedules. Many of us reach for the “library day,” “research day,” or “study day” to ensure our contact hours are met, but here are some other ideas for creating Plan B that doesn’t mean missing content:
- Consider using Blackboard to cover any lost content.
- Find a reading or video that can cover the content.
- Offer quizzes or reflection papers to ensure comprehension.
- Create a discussion board and make it to count for attendance.
- Phone a friend: do you have a colleague who has taught your course in the past? Consider a class swap in which you can guest lecture for each other.
- If you have a research or library day, work with your librarian to make it outstanding!
- Record a “Voice over PowerPoint” in place of your normal lecture. Here are some quick directions for how to do it:
Whatever you choose, be sure to communicate with students about what to do when class is cancelled and how you will make up course content. Not sure how to get your content into Blackboard? Contact Online Learning or schedule a consultation with TLS.