Flex-Hybrid and Remote
Backgrounds, Real and Virtual
Montreal faculty member Adam van Sertima – a self-described “Dad, philosopher, art historian and Games Studies specialist” who teaches film... ... Read More
Make Recording Lectures Easier on Yourself
Montreal faculty member Adam van Sertima – a self-described “Dad, philosopher, art historian and Games Studies specialist” who teaches film... ... Read More
Creating Good Video Lighting with Stuff You Already Have
Montreal faculty member Adam van Sertima – a self-described “Dad, philosopher, art historian and Games Studies specialist” who teaches film... ... Read More
Virtual Learning Spaces
There are four principles for making the virtual spaces in your course pleasant and conducive to learning: Keep them psychologically safe; Make them simple and familiar;
Add visual appeal; Pay attention to physical comfort. ... Read More
Inclusivity in Virtual Discussions
Making sure that everyone participates in class discussions is vital for building community in a flex-hybrid course.
We know how to get students to participate in discussions in our physical classrooms, and the good news is that we can emulate those same techniques for virtual or hybrid class meetings as well.
In some cases, it’s even easier to use these techniques virtually than in-person. This is because flex-hybrid teaching naturally lends itself to using a wider range of modalities for discussion, which allows a more diverse set of voices to “have the floor”.
Here are some techniques that you can use to include everyone in your flex-hybrid class discussions. ... Read More
Making Screen Reading Easier
As you’ve probably noticed, reading on a screen is hard! It strains the eyes - and research suggests that it reduces comprehension and concentration.
In a flex-hybrid course, some screen reading is inevitable, but there are steps you can take to make it less taxing for your students. Here’s how. ... Read More
Building Community at the Start of Your Course
The first day of class is a very important one in terms of creating community in any course, and particularly so in a flex-hybrid course.
In fact, you can even start building community in advance of the first day. ... Read More
Developing Community with Breakout Discussion Groups and Other Group Work
Breakout group activities during synchronous class sessions can be a great way to build community, and although they require a bit more initial setup for video class sessions than in a fully in-person classroom, once you have the basic infrastructure in place, breakout groups are quite easy to manage. In fact, in some ways the management of virtual breakout groups is easier than in-person breakout groups. ... Read More
Supporting Informal and Impromptu Conversations in Virtual Learning
In-person teaching allows for unplanned informal discussions before, during, and after class. These discussions are vital for creating and maintaining both strong and weak social ties among students and faculty.
While such conversations are harder to recreate in a flex-hybrid classroom, it is possible - and this year, it might even be easier to have these conversations in a virtual space than a physical one. ... Read More
Fostering Community During Remote Synchronous Class Sessions
There are lots of ways to build community during synchronous class sessions - here are a couple of lighthearted ideas. ... Read More
Leveraging Google Sites
Google Sites is a website builder that works well for presenting simple information. The learning curve is relatively quick compared... ... Read More
Getting Started with Zoom
Please note: Champlain College no longer provides Zoom accounts to faculty unless there is an exceptional need approved by a... ... Read More