After several semesters of remote and hybrid teaching, we are more aware than ever of the need to design courses to be flexible and resilient in the face of unexpected disruption.

As you plan for the semester, take a moment to consider modifications to help your courses run more smoothly and adjust more easily when unexpected changes occur. Make your plans clear in your syllabus and discuss them with students.

The modifications suggested below emphasize trust, kindness, and flexibility. Included are references to appropriate UVA learning technologies. Not all modifications are appropriate for all courses. Meet with an A&S Learning Design & Technology Instructional Designer to discuss the specifics of your course.

Designing for resilience to disruption

• Identify the channels you will use to communicate with the class and use them consistently.

• Add the Online Meetings tool to your UVACanvas site for each course. In each course site, create two meetings: 
  • Create a Class meeting. Unless you intend to record every class, you can set the recurrence of the meeting to 'no fixed time.'
  • Create an Office Hours meeting with a waiting room. 
• Provide easy access to student support resources.

Designing flexible and resilient class meetings

• Before or after class, provide slides or lecture notes to students via UVACanvas Files or Modules.
• Ask students to take turns posting their notes for the class. Several tools can be used for this; find support via A&S LDT or UVACanvas.
• Record and share an in-person class meeting via Online Meetings or Lecture Capture (contact UVA Classrooms or A&S LDT for training). Take note of existing UVA policy for class recordings.
• Meet students during office hours or by appointment for additional support (online or on Grounds).
• Provide materials for independent, asynchronous work (pre-recorded lectures, readings) on UVACanvas.
• Pose questions for students to engage in independent inquiry. Have students share their findings centrally.

• Provide remote access for students to attend a class from off-Grounds (via Online Meetings). Managing live hybrid courses can be challenging; consider how remote students might participate. 
• Hold an online class session (via Online Meetings) to allow all students and instructors to participate remotely.

Designing more flexible assignments and assessments

• Adjust due dates as needed, prioritizing instructor and student well-being.
• Where feasible, reduce material covered, in favor of a deeper dive into available material.
• Design for students to take more control over their learning activities.
  • Offer more flexible due dates for some or all assignments.
  • Consider untimed exams for all students.
  • Offer a 'token’ for students to 'cash in' for a late or missed assignment.
  • Offer choice by accepting multiple formats for projects (choice of essay, video, podcast, etc).
  • Promote self-assessment and peer-assessment.
• Simplify grading to focus on providing meaningful feedback.
  • Grade some formative assignments for credit/no credit.
  • Consider peer-graded or peer-learning assignments.
  • Use iRubric (or another rubric-builder) to provide speedy qualitative feedback.
  • Consider auto-grading activities (using H5P or Tests & Quizzes) or AI-assisted grading (Gradescope).

A&S and University Resources

Review Academic guidance given during the pandemic by the Office of the Executive Vice President & Provost

Review further COVID-19 response guidance for all instructors by the Office of the Executive Vice President & Provost