CTL/BCTC support updates

March 14, 2020

From: Allison Lehr Samuels, Director, CTL and Lecturer, Narendra Paul Loomba Department of Management

Dear Colleagues,

BCTC and the CTL would like to share some important updates regarding resources that are available to faculty as they transition their course to the online format. Details can be found on “Resources for Maintaining Instructional Continuity” on the CTL website.

Zoom
and Webex web-conferencing is now available to
all Baruch faculty, staff and students

The
CTL is offering a growing number of online
workshops and meetings using Zoom. They
are updated on a daily basis on the
CTL events page.

Many
workshops will be recorded and later shared
so that colleagues who aren’t able to join synchronously may access the material at a time of their convenience. (This should be in place early next week.)
Please note: we are not holding in-person
workshops at this time.

We’ve
added information on creating online quizzes
and tests.

If
you would like to share a resource/article/digital tool that might be of interest,
please
submit the information here. We anticipate
adding additional resources in the coming days.

We ask that faculty:

Please read and review what’s already posted in preparation for going online when classes resume on March 19. Given the large demand for assistance and finite resources, we ask that everyone first read the resources that are already provided (see above) and participate in/review a webinar/online meeting before requesting an appointment. We hope to have capacity to offer more one-on-one appointments.

Develop low-tech ways for students to participate in their class. Using synchronous technology such as Blackboard Collaborate and Zoom are attractive because they seem like they will replicate the classroom experience. Be mindful that sometimes there are wifi issues using these technology and that students may not have the privacy to engage in a class discussion or might be joining by a mobile phone which makes it more difficult to see the material. We strongly recommend that faculty focus on asynchronous teaching, in which students are not required to gather at the same time. We will cover this more in our workshops.

Have a flexible mindset when approaching this transition. We understand and agree that this transition is disruptive! We are empathetic that most faculty have a way of teaching their course that has been successful for them. However, it’s helpful to manage expectations and anticipate that in most cases faculty will not be able to exactly replicate the in-person experience online. This is a time when faculty might have to try out something new that may not be perfect, and that may not be in the faculty’s comfort zone.

Thank you for your patience, support and flexibility as we move forward. I anticipate that the nature of our support will evolve in the upcoming weeks as new questions and needs arise.

Best,

Allison

Allison Lehr Samuels
Director, Baruch Center for Teaching and Learning
Lecturer, Narendra Paul Loomba Department of Management
Field Mentor, Lawrence N. Field Programs in Entrepreneurship
Baruch College, The City University of New York
http://ctl.baruch.cuny.edu