Canvas

For Instructors

With little notice to prepare, instructors were thrust into teaching in virtual classrooms in March when campus closed. As they began to only see and interact with students from behind a screen, teaching faculty faced a series of new and unexpected hurdles to tackle. “Very quickly we were getting urgent questions from faculty that needed answers,” Briandy Walden, associate director of OIT’s student and academic services explained. “How do we keep students engaged? How will testing be administered fairly? How can we deliver the same high-quality education in a new setting? We worked closely with our campus partners to help address each issue.”

OIT’s academic web technologies team went to work immediately, planning for and implementing a new support and training model to help instructors transition successfully to this new learning environment. In collaboration with the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation, they created ‘Teach Anywhere,’ a website specifically designed for instructors to find answers to some of their biggest questions and concerns. Within 10 days of campus closing, the team hosted a webinar called, ‘Teach Anywhere: Intro to Canvas,’ which featured all of the basics for setting up an online classroom, creating assignments, assigning quizzes and communicating with students via Canvas, UCI’s learning management system.

“In response to drastic changes in delivering teaching content, faculty and teaching assistants were provided with 24/7 support via phone, email and chat, in addition to the existing local support by OIT staff during business hours,” said Shohreh Bozorgmehri, divisional director of student and academic services. “We ensured that instructors can navigate online learning tools regardless of their location or time zone and have their questions answered in real time.”’

Canvas Team

OIT’s Academic Web Technologies Team

OIT’s academic web technologies team went to work immediately, planning for and implementing a new support and training model to help instructors transition successfully to this new learning environment. In collaboration with the Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation, they created ‘Teach Anywhere,’ a website specifically designed for instructors to find answers to some of their biggest questions and concerns. Within 10 days of campus closing, the team hosted a webinar called, ‘Teach Anywhere: Intro to Canvas,’ which featured all of the basics for setting up an online classroom, creating assignments, assigning quizzes and communicating with students via Canvas, UCI’s learning management system.

“In response to drastic changes in delivering teaching content, faculty and teaching assistants were provided with 24/7 support via phone, email and chat, in addition to the existing local support by OIT staff during business hours,” said Shohreh Bozorgmehri, divisional director of student and academic services. “We ensured that instructors can navigate online learning tools regardless of their location or time zone and have their questions answered in real time.”’

The team also worked collaboratively with campus partners, including procurement and security, to accelerate the integration of third-party teaching and learning applications into the Canvas system, ensuring faculty had a comprehensive suite of tools at their fingertips. In addition to the substantial upgrades to Canvas, a new ServiceNow-based help center was created to offer individualized support for instructors needing assistance with Canvas and EEE+ tools.

The hard work didn’t go unnoticed.

During a turbulent transitional time for instructors, OIT has consistently provided outstanding service for continuing effective course facilitation.

Matthew Mahavongtrakul

Postdotoral Scholar, Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation