In response to the massive upheaval caused by Covid-19, Georgian College has created the Georgian Learning Guarantee. This states that “at Georgian, we guarantee a learning experience of exceptional quality, where you’ll achieve your learning outcomes whether you’re studying remotely, in-person or a combination of both. We’ll support you every step of the way, whether you need career advice, tutoring, personal and academic counselling, technical help, financial assistance, and so much more.” (GC Georgian Learning Guarantee, 2020)
In order to return to studies in the safest way possible, Georgian will be offering courses in three ways: Remote, Hybrid, In-Person.
At this time, Dual Credit courses are predominantly being delivered as hybrid courses, though a small number will be fully remote. For both hybrid and remote courses, teaching and learning will be done both synchronously and asynchronously.
“An instructional delivery format which blends online and face-to-face teaching and learning strategies, where learning occurs in a combination of online and face to-face environments. Learning facilitation in online and hybrid environments requires appropriate and specific knowledge and skills to design, develop, and facilitate high quality learning that mirrors or runs parallel with learning experienced in face-to-face teaching environments.” Georgian College Centre for Teaching and Learning
“This is used as a short to medium term solution when interruption of face to face class delivery occurs and the only option to continue delivery is through remote means. It is an alternate delivery mode that uses synchronous and asynchronous technologies to best meet the learning outcomes. Facilitating a course remotely in this manner helps provide continuity in the curriculum however it is not intended to replace the level of robust online course delivery that occurs when courses have been developed using a comprehensive on-line course development process. The goal is to complete teaching and learning of the course learning outcomes through a variety of remote techniques leveraging Blackboard and other technologies (e.g., WebEx, Screencast, etc.) as much as possible. The understanding is that courses taught in this manner will eventually return to the delivery model for which the courses were designed.” Georgian College Centre for Teaching and Learning
“Synchronous learning refers to a learning event in which a group of participants is engaged in learning at the same time. For that, they should be in the same physical location, such as a classroom, or at the same online environment, such as in a web conference, where they can interact with the instructor and other participants. There is real-interaction with other people.” easy-lms.com
“If synchronous learning takes place at the same time, asynchronous learning refers to the opposite. The instructor, the learner, and other participants are not engaged in the learning process at the same time. There is no real-time interaction with other people.” easy-lms.com
VIDEO – “Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning in an Online Course” – Video created by UMass Boston
ARTICLE – “Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Learning: What’s the difference?”
As a teacher, you do not need to deliver 3 consecutive hours of class. There are options for remote delivery so that some coursework is done separately, (students watch/listen/read on their own) and then you come back together as a class to discuss.
Some options for students to explore asynchronously:
Podcases can supplement your material, or depending on your course, can provide source information. A few examples of podcasts that are fairly well-researched, with well-cited sources for stories of relevance and interest include:
For a more detailed list of suggested podcasts, please visit the Educational Technology Resource Bank.
Documentaries are becoming more accessible with the growth of Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming services. Many are also available through public streaming sites like CBC, TVO, NPR, etc. as well as some quality documentaries that are available from YouTube, in full length or sometimes in sections (as in the Terry Fox story). Many documentaries are available through public broadcasters have closed captioning and/or transcripts (an important option for accessibility).
Either created by you, the faculty, or externally, there are many screencasts are already available through CTL. These can be used to illustrate material for your particular class OR to show students how to access the asynchronous learning tool you have set up. For example, a screencast could be used to explain WebEx, Flipgrid, BlackBoard, etc.
CTL has a number of workshops for teaching faculty how to create screencasts. You can direct your students to a Student Remote Learning Kit, prepared by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, that includes instructions and tips on using all of the tools they will need for Remote Learning. This is also a helpful resource for faculty to check out.
The Centre for Teaching and Learning has a massive collection of resources and tips for teaching remotely available online.
Every Georgian College faculty will connect with their class in real-time (synchronously) using WebEx.
Using WebEx for Remote Learning:
Georgian Faculty will communicate with their students and post all class materials and links on the college online learning system: Blackboard.
Centre for Teaching and Learning
New Faculty Orientation with a focus on remote teaching available through CTL
Screencasting and Video Tools (coming soon)
Screencast-o-matic (coming soon)
Flipgrid (coming soon)
Adobe Spark (coming soon)
Screencasting & Video support through CTL
ARTICLE – “8 Ways to Improve Your Online Course”
ARTICLE – “Engage Your Students in Your Online Course: 20 Proven Ways”
WEBSITE – Government of Ontario Site: Study Online
We are in a time of unprecedented uncertainty for both students and faculty. It makes sense that we all need more ready access to mental health supports and tools. Here you can find links to mental health resources, articles, and videos, some of which are created by Georgian College and some that are external. If you have an excellent resource you would like to share, please contact Sammi Marriner.
First and foremost, check out the resources curated especially for the Dual Credit and SWAC programs in Georgian’s SharePoint.
Campus Mental Health: Well-Being and the Online Environment
Upcoming Mental Health Workshops
For more information, email: mhwb@georgiancollege.ca
WEBINAR – “Scaling Inclusion in the Transition to Remote Teaching: Barriers to Access and Opportunities for Transformation” with Dr. John Scott, Product Manager with Blackboard Ally