Resources for Working Remotely
Having access to the right technology tools and resources is important, whether you are working from campus or remotely. Faculty and staff may visit the Resources for Working Remotely page to find general information about things like accessing email, installing software, taking work phone calls at home, video conferencing, antivirus, and more.
Information to Assist Faculty with Online Teaching
The information below provides you with a list of resources and tools that you can utilize when you are teaching online.
Communicate with Your Students
Effectively communicating with students is always an important aspect of teaching. This becomes even more important when teaching online.
Canvas Announcements
All Ball State courses have a Canvas course associated with them. Even if you don’t use Canvas to deliver course content, you simply need to publish the Canvas course and then you will be able to use the Canvas Announcements feature to share information with your students. This is a great way to let them know about changes to course schedules, the addition of new course content, and other course-related information. Review the Canvas Announcement FAQ to learn more.
Ball State Email
Log into your Ball State email account from anywhere by visiting www.bsu.edu/webmail.
Deliver Course Content and Manage Assignments via Canvas
To utilize your Canvas course, you will need to access Canvas, click on your course, and then publish the Canvas course. Once your course has been published, you can add content.
Share Files with Your Students
Adding slide presentations, class handouts, or reading materials to Canvas is a quick way to share course content with your students. Once you have logged into Canvas, you will need to follow the steps below to add a file to Canvas and then provide your students with a link to access it.
Step 1: If you have not created a Module in Canvas, you will need to Create a Canvas Module so that you have a place to add a link to your file.
Step 2: Upload the file to Canvas.
Step 3: Create a link to the file from within a Canvas Module
Start a Discussion
Canvas has a Discussions tool. This gives you the ability to create a Discussion to facilitate interactive communications within your class. As the instructor, you can start a discussion with a posting and then invite students to share their ideas as well as post responses to information added by other students.
Create Assignments
When you add an Assignment in Canvas, you can provide information about the assignment including deadlines and points, as well as give students a way to submit their work online. A column will automatically be added to the Canvas Gradebook for your Assignment.
Grade an Assignment Submitted via Canvas
The SpeedGrader function of Canvas is a great tool to use to grade an Assignment that students have submitted via Canvas. It also allows you to provide feedback to each student. Grades entered via SpeedGrader automatically show-up in the Canvas Gradebook.
Add Grades to the Canvas Gradebook for Assignments not Submitted via Canvas
You can manually create columns in the Canvas Gradebook to record grades for assignments not submitted to Canvas.
Record Course Lectures with Mediasite
Request a MyMediasite account (if you don't have one), use Mediasite to record class lectures that you can post in Canvas, and then learn how to enable Mediasite within Canvas.
Visit the Faculty Canvas Community
For additional assistance learning about Canvas and utilizing it in your classes, the Division of Online and Strategic Learning has created a Canvas Community for faculty, that includes brief instructions on communicating with students, sample templates and modules, how-to videos and instructions, as well as sample prompts for critical thinking/reflective exercises for assignments and discussion boards.
Excellence in Online Teaching and Learning
As experts in online education, we provide resources to help our faculty maintain excellence in their classes, no matter the modality! Learn more.
Administer Student Exams Utilizing Respondus Monitor (for Faculty)
Respondus Monitor allows you to administer Canvas exams outside of the Testing Labs by using a student’s webcam and facial detection software to deter cheating. It works in conjunction with Respondus Lockdown Browser and a webcam to record and analyze each exam session. After the exam sessions are recorded and analyzed, faculty have the opportunity to review the analysis and can watch the recorded exam sessions.
Taking Exams Utilizing Respondus Monitor (for Students)
Online File Storage and File Sharing
Microsoft OneDrive
OneDrive is a cloud storage solution from Microsoft. As part of your Ball State Office 365 account, all Ball State students, faculty and staff have free online storage on OneDrive. Utilizing OneDrive provides you with an easy way to store and access your Ball State work as well as share files with others.
If you need to share large files with others (those over 25 MB), you should share from OneDrive as opposed to loading those files into Canvas. To find out more about OneDrive, visit www.bsu.edu/onedrivehelp.
Conduct Class Virtually with Video Conferencing
Video conferencing is a great way to meet virtually. Ball State offers multiple video conferencing platforms for things like hosting class, facilitating virtual office hours, conducting tutoring sessions or hosting meetings. Be sure to record your session and add a link to it in Canvas, so that
students who cannot participate during the session, can view it later.
Zoom
Zoom is an excellent tool for all teaching modalities. Whether teaching in a Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) teaching structure or providing an asynchronous (non-HyFlex) learning experience for students, Zoom can be used to record lectures/presentations for sharing within the same course section, facilitate virtual office hours and meet-and-greets, host guest speakers, or coordinate small group meetings for students. Access helpful information about using Zoom and integrating it into your course at www.bsu.edu/zoomhelp.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a team chat and collaboration tool that allows many ways of communication, including group chats, private messages, video and audio conferencing as well as screen sharing. Visit www.bsu.edu/msteamshelp to learn how Microsoft Teams can help you communicate with students and coworkers.
WebEx
Learn how to create and manage a WebEx session. Up to 200 people can participate in a WebEx. Attendees can dial-in via a standard telephone for an audio only connection. Anyone with a PC, Mac, or Smartphone can join for a complete audio, video, and collaboration experience.
Connect Your Students to Online Library Resources
Even if you and your students cannot visit the University Libraries, we provide online access to a wide range of library resources and services, available 24/7/365. You can always access research databases, full-text articles, e-books, reading lists/course reserves, streaming video, and more. You can receive virtual research assistance from library professionals, and online document delivery and interlibrary loan services are also available. Get started here.
Additional Important Resources
Adobe
Ball State University offers the full suite of Adobe Creative Cloud applications to current enrolled students. Full-time faculty and staff may download Adobe Creative Cloud applications on a work computer as well as for work-at-home purposes on a personally-owned computer. Learn more about acquiring Adobe Creative Cloud.
Udemy
Udemy is an online teaching and learning platform that provides self-paced training courses that help you learn a new skill or expand your knowledge on a wide-range of topics . Ball State students and employees have free access to Udemy. Udemy courses can be used by faculty to supplement course content and also provide an effective way for supervisors to help employees expand their skill set.
SPSS
IBM is granting free access to SPSS for home use for the duration of our current agreement, anyone needing SPSS for work, research, or study can obtain SPSS for home use, free of charge.
Special Considerations for Teaching Online
Information Technology Requirements for Working Remotely
If you are a Ball State employee who is planning to work remotely, review the information technology requirements document. It provides information about approved computer equipment, taking Ball State equipment home, a list of essential skills for remote work, as well as information about how to get technology assistance.
Security Tips for Teaching Online
There are things we can all do to protect ourselves from cyber criminals. Everyone that is working remotely is encouraged to carefully review the Security Tips for Remote Workers to learn more.
Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Some Ball State computing resources will require you to utilize Ball State’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) to gain access when you are not on campus. Learn what systems require VPN for off-campus access. If you need to use VPN, you may review the Ball State VPN FAQ to view step-by-step instructions for installing and using VPN on your computer.
Access your Ball State Phone with Cisco Jabber
Using Cisco Jabber on your laptop/macbook is a great way tomake and receive calls from your Ball State number, over the internet, when working away from campus. If you have a telephone and number assigned to you on campus, you can download and install Jabber at any time. You can also use Jabber as an instant messaging tool to communicate with your co-workers who may also be on or off campus.
If you’d like to use Jabber on your smartphone or tablet, request Cisco Jabber be setup for your device. Be sure to include your Ball State number (285-xxxx) and the type of device (tablet, iPhone or Android smartphone). Once the appropriate Jabber profile has been created for your mobile device, simply download Cisco Jabber from your device’s app store. The app is free, and any calls made to/from your device will utilize WiFi when connected or your mobile data plan.
Help Resources
support ticket
Alternatively, you may choose to request assistance with Canvas by submitting a support ticket. Support tickets will be responded to during HelpDesk business hours.
The Division of Online and Strategic Learning
Faculty who would like assistance with online course delivery in Canvas may also contact the Division of Online and Strategic Learning to collaborate with one of their experienced instructional consultants.
Digital Accessibility Services - Accessible Technology Lab
Digital Accessibility Services provides a variety of resources to all members of the Ball State community, living with disabilities, to accomplish career objectives and coursework. Please contact Digital Accessibility Services (ACT Lab) by phone at 765-285-8275 or send an email to actlab@bsu.edu.