This update is provided for archival purposes only.

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Teaching the the Faculty of Mathematics in spring 2020

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

This message was originally sent to instructors in the Faculty of Mathematics

Logistical Concerns

  1. Classes run from 11 May to 4 Aug and will be delivered wholly and solely online.
  2. All courses become single section courses.
  3. Each course with more than one instructor will have a coordinator identified by the Chair, Director or Associate Dean.
  4. For those courses with pre-existing digital assets, those assets will be used unless an alternate arrangement is approved by the Chair or Director.
  5. For those courses without pre-existing digital assets, the coordinator will determine how and by whom the content is built. The whom may include members of the teaching team, CEL, DAG or the use of a textbook.
  6. Be explicit about who on the teaching team is doing what in which time frame. Identify as early as possible the specific tasks in content creation, content review, assessment creation, assessment review, answering student questions and marking. Divide the work fairly. Responsibly complete your share of the work.
  7. Non-CS courses should make use of a LEARN course shell. CS courses should be guided by the School’s established practices on course websites.
  8. The default expectation is that all courses will be delivered asynchronously. If synchronous delivery is needed, instructors must check with their Chair or Director by the end of day Monday, Mar 30.

Content Creation

  1. Be careful not to be overambitious. Consider a scaffolded approach.
    1. If the content already exists as a pre-existing online course, course notes or standard textbook, begin there. If not, prepare notes even if they are skeletal. The notes will provide a point of reference for later work and a low bandwidth solution for students whose web access may be constrained.
    2. Consider adding additional material that addresses points of difficulties or demonstrates worked examples. This may include recorded lectures or worked problems.
    3. Synchronous tutorials or office hours may be considered. Guidance will be provided later about the advantages, disadvantages and supports for various choices.
    4. Sophisticated delivery should only be undertaken by those who are technically able and willing to invest the time.
    5. Start now.
  2. Consult the websites https://uwaterloo.ca/keep-learning/, https://uwaterloo.ca/math/digital-assets-group and https://uwaterloo.ca/computer-science-computing-facility/getting-help/online-teaching for detailed guidance.
  3. For courses with more than a single instructor, there should be careful deliberation with respect to the content to build, who builds it, who edits it, and what the timelines are.
  4. If you would like to make use of DAG or CEL support, please contact Peter Wood (peter.wood@uwaterloo.ca).

Answering Student Questions

  1. Make use of Piazza or the LEARN discussion boards to help manage student questions and answers.
  2. Reserve email for personal questions, questions that may reveal information you do not want publicly disclosed, detailed discussions for an individual student concern, and for students who wish to be private.
  3. Distribute the workload for answering questions carefully through the teaching team. Pay attention to the workload that some members of the team may have in content or assessment creation.
  4. Aim to have responses within 24 hours Monday to Friday.

Assessment During The Term

  1. In this regard, teaching online is no different than teaching face to face. Students gain from doing work regularly and receiving frequent feedback.
  2. Course milestones will likely be assessment due dates. Ensure that these are regularly distributed throughout the term.
  3. Assignments should be distributed and collected via Crowdmark, LEARN or MarkUs.
  4. Consider using quizzes or self-assessments. Especially for mathematics courses in the first two years, Mobius quizzes can generate randomized questions that can receive answers which are more sophisticated than multiple choice or numeric, and can grade questions automatically. If you wish to use Mobius, contact Peter Wood who will attempt to provide support through DAG or CEL.
  5. Remind students frequently about the importance of academic integrity.
  6. Ensure that enough weight is given to the term work that in case there are problems during the abbreviated examination period you are still able to make a reliable judgement of a student’s progress.

Assessment During The Final Exam Period (Aug 7 - 15)

  1. As of the drafting of these guidelines (23 Mar) there are still a large number of uncertainties regarding the final exam period.
  2. The President’s memo of 20 Mar asserts “there may be online exams or final assessments due”. We are investigating to see what proctoring services are available and what, precisely, “online exam” means. We are also considering the reasonableness of a requirement of the form “you must pass the proctored final to pass the course”.
  3. Be conscious that students may have four or five final assessments due during this week and so their available time will be limited.