How is this different from the emergency remote teaching UD faculty did during the Spring 2020 semester?

The emergency remote teaching effort (Moving Your Class Online) encompassed the best we could do, given the limited time and constraints of the Spring 2020 pandemic, to help faculty translate face-to-face activities and content to a remote setting in an emergency. Now that we have more time to prepare, it’s important that we shift our approach.

Flexible teaching starts with the principles of course design to create a flexible, resilient course that can withstand any change in modality or delivery.

EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING FLEXIBLE TEACHING
Lead Time Less than 2 weeks 2-3 months
Student Expectations Managed through ad hoc communication; adjusted as circumstances changed. Students introduced to the in-person and/or online components of the course from the start of the semester. Norms set at the beginning for participating in online activities, discussions and live sessions.
Instruction Delivered primarily through the use of live Zoom sessions and recordings for those in different time zones. Lectures pre-recorded offered ahead of class time; instructors also select and curate other content. Some instruction may occur in classrooms and/or via live Zoom sessions.
Content Creation and Delivery Only supplemental materials already available for the course and materials shared on-demand. Content created or curated based on the course design plan before the launch of the course; students have the opportunity to access content on their own schedule and review as many times as necessary.
Learning Technology Isidore, Zoom, and other tools as possible at the time - on the fly. Technologies reviewed, selected, and incorporated strategically based on desired learning outcomes; student access is set up ahead of time. Uses multiple learning technologies and tools at UD, in addition to Sakai and Zoom.
Student Engagement Live Zoom sessions; limited use of breakout rooms for group activities. Limited peer-to-peer or peer-to-instructor interaction. To support active learning, group and team activities are planned before the course starts. Students learn expectations for participation in live or asynchronous discussion, team projects, and other classroom or live meetings.
Assignments Paper-based assignments quickly translated to online versions Paper-based assignments can be rethought from the ground up to be digital first for collaboration and feedback.

Assignments can be redesign to take advantage of online mediums (ex: students might produce blogs or websites; develop videos and multimedia; use web-based presentation and sharing technologies).
Assessments Exams quickly translated to online versions and/or re-conceived as open-book. Exams can be re-conceived to demonstrate applied learning vs. recollection before the class starts. They can also be redesigned to take advantage of question banks, randomization, and other strategies to reduce the possibility of cheating.
Projects Projects and larger assignments continued but presentations, discussion and other learning artifacts varied depending on the situation. Projects and team assignments include designs and recommendations for technologies to use to collaborate as well as standard plans to provide presentations and/or have team meetings online if necessary.

At its best, flexible teaching successfully combines the design, organization and deep preparation of online courses, the agility and choice of hybrid/blended courses, and the student connection and engagement of face-to-face courses. It is important that faculty approach the fall 2020 semester by planning for the classroom to play a large role in engaging students in learning while also being prepared for online learning for remote students.