Resources for Faculty

Getting started as a new instructor at TVCC. 

This page is a resource guide to address the challenges and possible solutions for continuing work if coming to the office on campus is not possible. As epidemic outbreaks, natural disasters, or other unexpected events can disrupt scheduled courses, the tools and strategies described here can minimize the effects of those unexpected situations.

Best practices for teaching remotely include live or synchronous classes, where you meet and communicate remotely through email, chat, video conference, and other options. You could also conduct self-directed work through recordings, video or audio media, PDF's, quizzes and other assessments or other possibilities.

Two important measures you can take to prepare yourself involve becoming familiar with the use of two key technologies:

  • Canvas - The Learning Management System (LMS)
  • Zoom - Online Collaboration and Video Conferencing Tool

Step-By-Step Guides

Make sure your HR information has been completed, as this will facilitate the creation of usernames and password information for various college IT systems.

Test your TVCC login and password. The simplest way to do this is to log in to the MyTVCC website. This login also should give you access to the Canvas LMS, Zoom video conferencing, Office 365 applications, and TVCC-provided virtual desktops.

Prepare for remote work by reviewing the College’s best practice checklist for working remotely.

Review the course master for the course. This should be provided to you by either your department chair or the Academic VP’s office. Of specific interest should be the learning outcomes identified in this document, as these should guide your curriculum design.

Consider including specific language in the syllabus regarding distance delivery methods being used during the COVID-19 emergency: Check out some tips for setting up a communications plan with students.

Consider including specific language about your preferred communication methods and times. Don’t forget to look up which holidays fall in the term and determine whether they’ll impact your course meeting or assignment dates.

If you need a template for a TVCC syllabus, you can download a sample here, but you should contact your department chair for more specific departmental language.

During the COVID-19 emergency, it may be a good idea to focus only on developing the first two to four weeks of your courses in the Canvas shells, as changes in conditions may change the course delivery methods. Think carefully about the distinction between “must have” and “nice to have” outcomes as you develop your coursework

A common tool for establishing student attendance early in the term for the purposes of verifying financial aid eligibility is some sort of simple quiz; during the COVID-19 emergency, it may help instructors to combine this assignment with a quiz about the student’s preparation for distance education. A few simple questions about their available personal technology and internet service, as well as prior history with any online coursework, may help you identify students who may be particularly at risk during the coronavirus emergency.

Review the “Setting up courses in Canvas” subsection of the Faculty Help Documents in the MyTVCC website.

Canvas includes a pre-publication checklist in every course shell; it’s a good guideline to make sure it’s complete before classes begin.

It’s never too early to reach out to the College Bookstore to make sure they can get and stock any materials you expect students to purchase. Consider using Open Educational Resources (OERs) to reduce the cost of course materials for your students.

Consider placing copies of any of your required texts on reserve at the TVCC Library. You may also want to explore whether they offer digital versions of these texts to students, and explore other resources offered by the Library to instructors. Visit Library Resources

All TVCC students and faculty have Zoom accounts, but it takes a little bit of time to configure and familiarize yourself with Zoom. The IT department has developed a number of tutorials on how to use Zoom. Check out the working with Zoom section on the MyTVCC website.

Schedule your course meetings in Zoom. If you schedule all your course meetings as a single event with recurring meeting times, the URL for those meetings will all be the same, and you’ll be able to post it in Canvas easily. Consider adding an assignment with the zoom meeting each week.  This will add the zoom meeting on the students calendar.

Publish all Canvas course shells.

Send a first “welcome” message – you can do this by creating an Announcement in the Canvas course shell, which will email all students in the class, or you can send a group email to course students through the Inbox tab of Canvas.

Review your course registrations in my.tvcc.cc and Canvas – student registrations should be the same in both locations, but there can be a lag (up to overnight) between a student’s registration on the my.tvcc.cc and seeing them show up in Canvas. If you can’t wait for the nightly user import to occur, add the student to your course manually through the People section of your Canvas course shell.

Send a copy of your course syllabi to the Academic VP’s office.

Submit student participation information in my.tvcc.cc. If you have previously taken attendance in person, during the COVID-19 emergency you may need to use a short quiz or assignment to post on a Canvas discussion board to confirm student participation.

The deadline for a student to drop a course and get a full refund is 5 p.m. on the second Friday of the term. During the COVID-19 emergency, it may be a good idea to remind students of this deadline early, since they may need some additional time to get assistance from the Student Services staff.

The deadline for a student to withdraw from a course and not get a W is Friday of the fourth week of the term. During the Covid-19 emergency, it may be a good idea to remind students of this deadline early, since they may need some additional time to get assistance from the Student Services staff.

Midterm grades are generally expected in week 5; these are entered in my.tvcc.cc, and you only need to enter S or U grades.

The deadline for a student to withdraw from a course and not get a grade is Friday of the eighth week of the term. During the Covid-19 emergency, it may be a good idea to remind students of this deadline early, since they may need some additional time to get assistance from the Student Services staff.

Host office hours. This means being available for student questions and consultation during a specific period of time that you’ve posted in your syllabus and/or Canvas. You can use Zoom to do this, or just use phone and email – whatever works for your course.

Resource Guides for TVCC Academic Continuity Plan

Academic Continuity Plan