What students said about teaching in Fall 2020... and how you can adapt in Spring 2021
Our students shared their gratitude and appreciation for your efforts in a challenging semester, and provided valuable suggestions for the spring. We share student feedback from the CIF and Student Pandemic Academic Experience Survey, organized into commonly reported themes with research-based action steps recommended by Notre Dame Learning in What students said about teaching in Fall 2020... and how you can adapt in Spring 2021.
A similar document, Partner with Your Professor to Enhance Your Learning this Spring, was distributed to students on 2/10/2021.
How can I support student well-being?
Instructors have the opportunity to regularly impact and support student well-being by facilitating an online, in-person, or dual-mode environment that fosters a sense of connection and community. For information on how to support well-being see this guide.
Where can I get training and advice?
Notre Dame Learning units (the Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence & Office of Digital Learning) along with OIT’s Teaching and Learning Technologies team are offering drop-in online office hours, group consultations, online workshops for all Notre Dame instructors. Click here to learn more or register. In addition, we have developed a self-paced Mini-Course on Resilient Teaching designed to accompany you as you plan for the teaching.
How do I teach online?
Please refer to the Online Teaching in a Hurry Checklist for information on moving to remote teaching.
For more extensive guidance on how to teach effectively online, please see the Effective Online Teaching guide. More information can be found in the Resilient Teaching Playbook and in the online mini-course. Additional information can be obtained from ND Learning workshops, open office hours, and individual consultations.
What are the best ways to assess student learning?
For guidance on administering exams, please see the Assessment Planning chapter in the Preparing for Fall Teaching playbook. For additional guidance, please avail of the ND Learning workshops, open office hours, and individual consultations.
Is there guidance for Exam Administration?
Notre Dame Learning along with the Faculty Task Force, the Advisory Committee on the Academic Code and Policy (ACACP), and the Covid Response Unit drafted this document to support you as you administer your Fall 2020 final exams. We offer information and suggestions regarding exams for students with red/yellow passes and in Quarantine/Isolation, general strategies for administering exams in these conditions, and things you can do to support academic integrity.
What technology is in my dual-mode classroom and how do I use it?
For information on what technology will be in your dual-mode classroom and how to use it, please consult the Fall 2020 Registrar and Departmental Classroom Technology List and the Getting Started with Classroom Technology guide. Additional information can be found in the Using Dual-Mode Classroom Technology in Fall 2020 section of this website.
A limited number of classroom assistants (trained student workers) will be available to support instructors and facilitate engagement of remote students using dual-mode technology in discussion-intensive courses. This program is administered by OIT with the feedback and collaboration of ND Learning. Find out more about eligibility criteria (including room capacity limitations) and request support here.
How do I make learning materials for resilience?
To begin, we recommend reviewing the Re/Designing for Equitable Resilience section in the playbook. The Creating & Integrating Media, Worked, Example, & Screencasts chapter provides information on best practices, recommended tools, etc. for producing screencasts and worked examples. To learn more about creating learning materials for resilience, consider signing up for or reviewing a recording of the “Selecting and Creating Asynchronous Content” workshop.
How should I set up Sakai to work well?
ND Learning and the OIT Teaching and Learning Technologies group offer a number of workshops on Sakai, such as "Creating Assessments in Sakai", and "Optimizing Sakai for Resilient Teaching". Additionally, the OIT has compiled many useful Knowledge Base articles on setting up and using Sakai effectively. See Workshops & Programs for the workshop schedule and recordings of previous workshops.
How do students report classroom seating locations/Are there seating charts?
Permanent seat assignments in classrooms are critical to the contact tracing process. All usable seats have been numbered. Instructors should remind students to report their seat location to the Coronavirus Response Unit (CRU) using here.nd.edu/seat. Students should choose a permanent seat at the end of the Add/Drop period and keep it. After the final list is submitted, students will no longer be asked to report seats to the CRU. If a seating change is necessary later in the semester, the student must report their new seat location to indicate the change. Instructors do not report attendance to the CRU.
You can access your student seat number reports and blank classroom seating charts if you would like to create a seating chart for your classes.
You can also download the Instructions for Students.
