Teaching Online: Options and Considerations

The information in the following pages is designed to help staff continue to deliver your teaching online using the technologies currently supported by the University of Bath. This does not reflect our normal advice on planning and teaching for online-only delivery, and instead our guidance focuses on the basics that staff will need during this time.

As a general rule, we would encourage you to follow some very basic principles:

• Keep things simple
• Use the tools and technologies that are supported by the University and that you are already familiar with
• Set clear expectations to preserve both your and your students’ well-being
• Avoid trying to replicate what you do when you teach face-to-face as this will be difficult both for you and your students
• Use of live content should be kept to a minimum

The University’s online teaching platform is Moodle and you are advised to use this as your main hub for interacting with students. You will already be familiar with many of the tools available in Moodle. We are creating additional guidance to support you on using some of the activities you may not have explored yet. However, try not to be too ambitious and focus on things that are quick and easy.

We do not suggest you try to deliver your hour-long lecture online. Staff and students are going to be geographically spread over different time zones and will have variable internet access. Instead of running a live session, maybe record a shorter video and upload it to the Unit folder in Re:View so that students can watch when they are able. Supplement this recording with an asynchronous online discussion activity using a forum in Moodle.

NEW: We have developed some guidance to help support students with the move to studying remotely.  We encourage you to share this resource with your students.

Please refer to the guidance we have provided here but, if you are still unable to work out how you should proceed, please email the TEL Team.

NOTE: Please do not use personal email addresses as we will be unable to deal with your query as quickly, always use tel@bath.ac.uk

If you have any additional suggestions to help the University continue to provide high quality learning and teaching during this difficult time, please let us know below.

Online Teaching Suggestions