Category: Featured

MiraCosta Online Support for Students

Did you know? It’s now a requirement for MiraCosta faculty to “Help students in a DE course section to be aware of MiraCosta College support services and resources, especially those available online.”(MiraCosta Online Class Quality Guidelines)

While there are lots of ways you may do this, here are some important ones to consider adding to your syllabus, your Canvas home page, and/or your introductory week discussions with students:

Student Support Hub

Point your students to the Student Support Hub in Canvas. Share the link and direct them to the Student Support button on the left in Canvas for quick access to online support, including live help, online appointments, and access to key resources from:

  • Library
  • STEM & Math Learning Center
  • Tutoring & Academic Support Center
  • Writing Center
  • Academic Counseling
  • Career Center
  • CARE (including technology device requests)
  • Health Services (including virtual physical and mental health appointments)
  • Open computer lab staff
  • Student Help Desk

Online Help Hut

The Help Hut on the MiraCosta website is a quick way for current and prospective students to connect online with student support areas including Financial Aid, Admissions & Records, Academic Counseling, and the Student Help Desk.

Tech Help in Canvas

The Tech Help button at bottom left in Canvas provides students (and faculty) with quick access to 24s7 phone and chat support from Canvas, as well as local technology support from the Student Help Desk.

Student Orientation to Online Learning Workshops

In collaboration with the library, I’ll be again offering about two dozen Student Orientation to Online Learning workshops this fall – see all dates and times on the TASC site and in Canvas announcements. These workshops help to familiarize students with these great online resources, to become more comfortable with Zoom, and Canvas, and to consider time management strategies. Encourage your students to attend and, if you like, find out which of your students participated in order to incentivize their attendance.

Please let me know if you have questions about any of these great resources!

Jim Julius, Ed.D.
Faculty Director, Online Education

6 Tips for Creating Accessible Course Content

These seven tips are a starting point for creating accessible course content; for additional information or if questions arise, please contact Aaron Holmes, Access Specialist at aholmes@miracosta.edu

  1. Add a Disability Accommodations statement:

    Please review Page 3 of MiraCosta’s syllabus checklist for examples of recommended language:

    Disability Accommodations
    If you have a disability or medical condition impacting learning and have not yet been authorized to receive academic accommodations, you are encouraged to contact the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) office (formerly known as Disabled Students Programs and Services or DSPS). The SAS office can be reached at (760) 795-6658, or by email at sas@miracosta.edu. The SAS office will help you determine what accommodations are available for you. If you’re requesting my assistance utilizing any authorized accommodations, please contact me as soon as possible.

    OR

    If you have a disability, you are encouraged to contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) (formerly known as Disabled Students Programs and Services or DSPS) at 760.795.6658. Their Oceanside campus office is located in Building 3000, adjacent to Parking lot 3C. They will help you determine what assistance is available for you.

    OR

    If you have a hidden or visible disability, which may require classroom or test accommodations, please contact me as soon as possible. If you have not already done so, please register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) (formerly known as Disabled Students Programs and Services or DSPS) at 760.795.6658. Their Oceanside campus office is located in Building 3000, adjacent to parking lot 3C.

  2. Add links to Vendor Accessibility information for specialty products used in your course.

  3. Create instructional content with accessibility in mind. Review and apply the following accessibility principles:
  4. Create accessible instructional content based on application.
  5. Accessibility Checkers: always use the software’s built-in Accessibility Checker (Pope Tech Instructor Accessibility Guide in Canvas, Word, Adobe Acrobat, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). Follow the Repair recommendations provided by the Accessibility Checker to fix errors.

    Resources: 
  6. Ensure Readability Divide large blocks of text into smaller more manageable sections; avoid complex sentences; use sans-serif font at approximately 12 points. Ensure reading order is correct when screen readers are used (beware text boxes and other non-sequential methods for adding text).

    Resources: Website Readability assessment tool

Preparing for Summer 2021 Online Student Success

To all faculty teaching this summer – please take advantage of and share these important resources and opportunities for you and your students!

Support for You

  • Instructional Design help – To request online teaching and course design support from our instructional designer, please fill out our request form. We’ll get you connected! (This is only available through June.)
  • Tech Support – Canvas options include 24×7 phone and chat support. Just click the Tech Support button at lower left in Canvas! Zoom tech support for faculty is available through the MiraCosta employee help desk.
  • Our Canvas start-of-term checklist can help you finalize your summer classes.
  • The MiraCosta Online Class Quality Guidelines were significantly updated this spring and approved by the Academic Senate in May. Please review them to learn more about MiraCosta requirements and recommended practices for online instructors.
  • MiraCosta technologies supporting online teaching and learning – please see the last section of this email for an overview, with links to learn more.

Support for Your Students

  • Student Orientation to Online Learning – In collaboration with the library, I’ll be offering eight of these workshops at the start of the summer semester– see all dates and times on the TASC site and in Canvas announcements. These workshops help to familiarize students with the resources MiraCosta provides online to support them, as well as to adopt habits and attitudes of successful online students. Encourage your students to attend and, if you like, find out which of your students participated in order to incentivize their attendance.
  • Online Student Support Access Points – the Student Support Hubin Canvas, accessed via the Student Support button on the left in Canvas gives quick access to online support from the library, STEM & MLC, online tutoring, writing center, counseling, career center, open computer lab staff, student help desk, health services, and more! The Help Hut on the MiraCosta website is also a quick way for students to connect with all kinds of support services including A&R and Financial Aid.
  • Tech Support – Also at lower left in Canvas is a button for students to quickly access Tech Support options, including 24×7 phone and chat support from Canvas, and our local MiraCosta student help desk.
  • Technology Needs? – Be sure to share the CARE form for students to fill out if they need a laptop and/or hotspot to succeed this summer.

MiraCosta’s Online Education Tools

Click the link immediately after each bullet for a detailed MiraCosta-specific overview of each item below. This is not intended as a comprehensive review of all technologies for online teaching supported by the college, but rather a quick look at the essentials. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions about these or other resources.

  • Canvas – of course is the #1 tool for most faculty.
  • Zoom – Make sure you are using MiraCosta’s professional-level Zoom account to get access to the full set of Zoom features.
  • Canvas Studio – This great tool enables faculty and students to create videos while inside Canvas. Faculty can create interactive discussion or quiz activities based on video.
  • Pronto is an incredible mobile-friendly and Canvas-integrated messaging platform that’s ready to use in every course.
  • Pope Tech  helps faculty detect and correct accessibility issues within Canvas. See also Creating Accessible Course Content for tips on ensuring all the content you add to Canvas is fully accessible.
  • Ally automatically converts content you share through Canvas into multiple formats for students, allowing for listening rather than reading and better access to content on mobile devices.
  • PlayPosit – This video interaction tool offers more complexity and options than Studio. Studio is a great place to start, but if you’re looking for more question types to add to your videos, PlayPosit is a great option.
  • Turnitin – Many faculty use Turnitin to help students learn to properly cite sources and avoid plagiarism, as well as to assist with grading and peer review processes for written work.
  • Productivity Software, Hardware, and other resources for working from home – this AIS website includes a number of links to helpful resources for being fully equipped when teaching from your home.

Happy summer teaching!

– Jim

Jim Julius, Ed.D.
Faculty Director, Online Education

Student Support Guide Module from Canvas Commons

The MiraCosta College Student Support Guide Module is available from the Canvas Commons.

This module has relevant student resources and links that would be appropriate to go within the first week course content within a Canvas course.

Go to the Commons in Canvas and search “Student Support Guide” and you will be able to access it. 

Directions

Student Support Guide

Canvas User Profile Names

Faculty

The first and last name displayed in your Canvas profile is stored in the preferred name field within the Workday HR system. Once your preferred name is updated in the Workday HR system it will then update to Peoplesoft / SURF and update to Canvas during the next scheduled data transfer.

To update your first or last name for your Canvas profile:

  1. Log on to Workday
  2. Follow the directions in the handout: Workday – Manage your Preferred Name.

Any questions about Workday should be directed to the Workday Help Desk.  When a ticket is entered there, it is routed to the individual who can assist.

Human Resources can also be contact via email at :  HRCalendar@miracosta.edu. 

Note: If you update your preferred name in the Worday HR system for Canvas it will also update your instructor name on the SURF class schedule.

Please be advised that your permanent HR and payroll record will reflect your legal name unless you legally change your name and notify HR.

Students

The first and last name displayed in your Canvas profile is stored in the preferred name field within the Peoplesoft / SURF registration system. Once your preferred name is updated in Peoplesoft / SURF it will update in Canvas during the next scheduled SURF data transfer.

Please be advised that your permanent record will reflect your legal name unless you legally change your name through the courts and complete MiraCosta College Change of Information form.

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