Featured Resources: Spring 2022
Last updated: June 14, 2022
Additional resources for instructors are available through our Instructional Resources Site, and Technology Resources Site.
For Instructors
Getting Started
As with the start of every semester, making time to plan how you will design and deliver a course is an important part of a successful experience for instructors and students. A well planned course sets clear expectations for students and prepares them to be active participants.
- New! Using Brightspace: A Quick Start Guide
- Course Design: Planning Your Course
- Guide to Teaching Online
Recycling material from remote courses or previous offerings
Over many months, instructors developed course materials using alternative methods that remain valuable to instruction and can be re-used.
- Copy Components from another Brightspace site
- Self-Service Video Hosting
- Recording Lectures: Protecting Privacy
- How Open is Your Course? (recorded webinar)
Using the course syllabus to set student expectations
A course syllabus is a critical document for setting expectations for students registered in a course. Memorial University established a working group to identify statements and strategies that you can incorporate into your syllabus to help address some of the exceptional cases you may experience while teaching this semester.
- COVID-19 Statements
- Syllabus Elements
- University Regulations: Course Syllabus (undergraduate)
- The Graphic Syllabus
Navigating disruptions and changes
At times during the semester, flexibility in your instruction may be required due to policies and guidelines related to COVID-19. This may take the form of synchronous and/or asynchronous online components for students, teaching with a mask, or a temporary shift to remote instruction in order to maintain instructional continuity.
- Using Brightspace to Maintain Teaching and Learning Continuity
- Addressing Informal Accommodation Requests
- Teaching with a Mask
- Flexible Instruction
- Alternatives to Lecturing (with examples)
- Managing Workload and Communications
Reviewing Assessment Strategies
Some students will require alternative forms of assessments due to policies and guidelines related to COVD-19. There are some important considerations in creating alternatives to achieve learning outcomes.
- Assessments: Balancing learning, feedback and workload
- Assessment Strategies: Considerations for remote instruction
- Assessment Guides: Quiz tool, Assignments, Student Presentations
- Creating personal and flexible learning opportunities
Creating a positive learning environment
Managing workload is key to a successful semester and better learning for all. Having a complementary Brightspace site is an effective way to manage communication with students, accept assigned work, create a community amongst students and share relevant content and learning material.
- New!Classroom Management: Building Relationships
- Creating Community in Your Course Site
- Communicating in the Online Environment
- Cultural Humility (recorded webinar)
- Embedding UDI Principles (recorded webinar)
- Soliciting Feedback from Students
- Making Feedback Learner-centred
Other services to help:
- Classroom Support
- Academic Support Representatives (ASRs)
- Teaching and Learning Exchange (TLX)
- Learning Technology Coaches
For your Students
While the Academic Success Centre is available to guide students, here are some resources that you can share to help them have a smooth semester.
Managing Time
Managing time effectively and efficiently is a key component of academic success. Some tactics students can use to stay on top of their work include reviewing course syllabi to make note of important dates and deadlines on a central calendar, creating a weekly schedule, and using prioritized task lists.
Student resources:
Developing a routine
As students adjust to a new schedule, creating a routine that includes scheduled classes, study time, and regular breaks can help them to succeed. Also trying different study spaces and strategies can help them discover how they learn best, both on and off-campus.
Student resources:
Staying connected
Students are never alone at Memorial. They can stay connected by asking instructors for help during office hours or forming a study group with classmates. There are many resources available to help students succeed – in the classroom and beyond.
Student resources:
Learning with Brightspace
Whether students are on campus or online, Brightspace is an easy way to share content or communicate important information. There are many technical resources for students to help them with Brightspace and other learning technologies, depending on your instructional strategies and the tools you use in your course.
Student resources:
Tackling assessments
From assignments to presentations to exams, students may be faced with different assessments in each of their courses. To help students effectively prepare, they can learn more about how to plan their time and break down assignments and study materials into smaller, more manageable chunks.
Student resources:
- Exam strategies
- Brightspace guide: Preparing for an online quiz
- Brightspace guide: Submitting an assignment
Other resources to help students: