Remote Instruction – Ongoing Resources and Support (Thursday, April 2, 2020)

Hello, Faculty Community! 
We are nearly at the end of our first week of remote instruction and we want to make sure you are getting the support you need to make the most of the rest of the spring semester. Below, we have included some external professional learning opportunities, MiraCosta-developed resources, and ways to stay connected to support for anything that comes up! 

We are offering multiple Student Orientation to Online Learning workshops this week and next especially in support of students new to online learning – please direct your students to the signup form.

After consultation with Academic Senate leadership and our PDP Committee Chair, we are pleased to inform you that all of the workshops, 1-1 support, and external webinars that were offered last week are FLEX-eligible. The following upcoming and recorded professional learning opportunities pertaining to remote instruction are also FLEX-eligible:

• ASCCC: Governance, Remote Teaching, and Discipline Discussion – The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is providing professional development workshops on remote instruction, counseling, library services, and remaining equity-minded in the midst of crisis.
• CVC-OEI Remote Instruction Workshops and Faculty Support Hours – The California Community Colleges Online Education Initiative is offering and promoting many remote instruction workshops and open office hours to support CCC faculty in this time.
• U.S. Department of Education: FERPA 101 For Colleges and Universities – This course addresses FERPA basics, explores requirements for the protection of student records for Colleges, Universities and other post-secondary institutions, addresses who may and may not access student records, when those records may be shared, and discusses several of the applicable exceptions to the FERPA requirement for consent.
• ACUE: Effective Online Instruction Webinars – Join nationally recognized experts in online teaching and learning for a virtual discussion on best-practices in key areas to ensure quality online instruction for student success.

We also want to remind faculty of the MiraCosta homegrown resources and recorded workshops supporting your shift to remote instruction: 

• Zoom tips 2-pager – Review this document to learn ways to help make your zoom sessions secure, engaging, and overall, a great experience
• MiraCosta Transition to Remote Instruction Workshop Archives – Here you will find all of the MiraCosta workshops and webinars offered last week 
• The Remote Instruction FAQs are an important reference for faculty if you have questions about the shift to Remote Instruction
• The Canvas module on Instructional Continuity contains lots of practical advice and links to tutorials to help you through your transitional process and beyond
• There’s an open Google doc for MiraCosta faculty to share remote instruction resources and ideas – there are lots of great contributions already. Feel free to add anything you find! 

As issues arise, please reach out to the following online support resources:

• 24-7 Canvas hotline for faculty: 1-833-345-2890
• Canvas Instructor Guides – comprehensive step-by-step tutorials on all Canvas features
• MiraCosta Canvas support home for faculty and MiraCosta Canvas tutorials -locally created guides on key Canvas features, how MiraCosta faculty are using Canvas, how Canvas works with SURF, and more
• MiraCosta Online Instructional Technologist, Karen Turpin, kturpin@miracosta.edu | for questions specific to Canvas’s operation at MiraCosta
• MiraCosta Faculty Director of Online Education, Jim Julius, jjulius@miracosta.edu | for questions about effective uses of Canvas and other online education technologies 
• MiraCosta Joyful Teacher in Residence, Sean Davis, sdavis@miracosta.edu | for support in moving from on-ground to Canvas
• MiraCosta Employee HelpDesk: 760-795-6850 for account and password issues

We hope things are going smoothly for you! If not, please use the resources above and/or contact us. 

In solidarity,

Sean and Jim