FAQ

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FAQ Table of Contents

Q: Proctoring: Does CDLI provide online proctoring solutions for examinations?

A: Currently CDLI does not provide or support online proctoring solutions. We are, however, happy to talk with you about other ways to promote academic integrity in distance courses.

Q: Student technology: What technologies will students need to access online courses?

A: Students will primarily be using Canvas and Zoom which are supported widely across many different computer systems and devices. Students will also need a working webcam and microphone, which are usually integrated into laptops, smartphones, iOS and Android tablets, and Chromebooks.

Canvas System Requirements

Canvas recommends the most up-to-date version of Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari. These browsers can run on almost any computer including Chromebooks, smartphones and iOS and Android tablets.

Canvas on Mobile Devices

Canvas can also be accessed from most up-to-date mobile browsers, and has native mobile applications:

Canvas Teacher for Faculty

Zoom System Requirements

Zoom will run on almost any computer or mobile application on iOS, Android, or Microsoft Surface. Check out the System Requirements page for full details. A webcam and microphone are recommended for full participation.

Join a Zoom Meeting via Phone

Students or faculty with poor internet connections or hardware issues may also join or host a meeting on Zoom by telephone audio. Check out the guide:

Test Zoom

Both students and faculty can test out their broadband connection to Zoom and ensure their webcam and mic are working, by going to:

Q: Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Distance Delivery: What are they and what does CDLI recommend?

The definitions below are from Stanford University’s “Teaching Effectively During Times of Disruption” Google doc.

Synchronous Delivery

Instructors and students gather at the same time and interact in “real time” with a very short or “near-real time” exchange between instructors and students.

Advantages of Synchronous Teaching
  1. Immediate personal engagement between students and instructors, which may create greater feelings of community and lessen feelings of isolation
  2. More responsive exchanges between students and instructors, which may prevent miscommunication or misunderstanding
Disadvantages of Synchronous Teaching
  1. More challenging to schedule shared times for all students and instructors, especially students in different time zones.
  2. Some students may face technical challenges or difficulties if they do not have fast or powerful networks available; this may result in student not being able to use video or share their screens.

Asynchronous Delivery

Instructors prepare course materials for students in advance of students’ access. Students may access the course materials at a time of their choosing and will interact with each over a longer period of time.

Advantages of Asynchronous Teaching
  1. Higher levels of temporal flexibility, which may simultaneously make the learning experiences more accessible to different students and also make an archive of past materials accessible.
  2. Increased cognitive engagement since students will have more time to engage with and explore the course material.
Disadvantages of Asynchronous Teaching
  1. Students may feel less personally engaged and less satisfied without the social interaction between their peers and instructors; building opportunities for community building and social connection is recommended.
  2. Course material may be misunderstood or have the potential to be misconstrued without the real-time interaction; can be addressed through office hours and other voluntary live events.

Our Recommendation

Given our current situation and level of faculty experience using distance technologies, CDLI recommends that in most cases faculty should primarily use synchronous delivery via Zoom web conferencing and supplement with asynchronous instructional methods as time allows to provide more flexibility. CDLI staff would be happy to meet with faculty to provide guidance on easy to implement asynchronous instructional techniques including discussions.

Why Synchronous?

The strengths of synchronous teaching—immediate personal engagement with the instructor and fellow students and the feelings of community that proceed from that--are very much in line with the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm and cura personalis. It is also much less time-consuming for faculty--especially those who have not used technology before--to convert their courses to synchronous delivery.

Why not Asynchronous?

Look, we love asynchronous delivery at CDLI. Our Course Development Program focuses on working with faculty to build high-touch asynchronous courses that create the student engagement and community one typically finds in Seattle University’s face-to-face courses. But it takes a long time to do this --typically 6-12 months to develop an asynchronous course that can meet CDLI’s course review standards. Most of just us don’t have that much time.

If you’ve already developed an asynchronous course with CDLI that has passed course review, we absolutely encourage you to offer it during spring quarter. We also encourage faculty to include asynchronous activities in their synchronous courses. For more information on how to do this, we recommend faculty attend one of our Instructional Continuity Workshops.

However, if because of technical issues or personal preference you would rather offer your course in asynchronous modality we strongly recommend you implement some of the suggestions outlined in our Best Practices section.

Q: I have students who require disability accommodations such as captions on videos or live captioning during a Zoom session, are these services available?

A: Yes. Captioning services are available for videos created by faculty and posted to Canvas, and Disability Services is partnering with 3rd party vendors to provide live captioning for Zoom class meetings. Students should reach out to Disability Services for all accommodation requests.

Q: Internet Access: What if my students don’t have reliable access to the internet?

A: A number of Internet Service Providers around the country are offering reduced service to help mitigate the demand for desktop and mobile internet access as institutions move their work online – check with Internet Service Providers in your area about options.  In addition, the Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons has resources to assist students experiencing internet connectivity issues. Finally, the City of Seattle has low-cost internet options and equipment for Seattle residents including low-income students who attend Seattle University.

Q. CDLI recommends recording all synchronous class meetings. Is that FERPA compliant?

A: Yes, given the following: a class recording that includes student participation and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) can be posted on Canvas for the students in the class to view--the key is that access must be limited to students in the class

If you record your classes, University Counsel suggests including the following language in your syllabus:

  • Class Recordings: Zoom meetings of this course may be recorded. Any recordings will only be available to students registered for this class. Recordings may not be reproduced, shared with those not in the class, or uploaded to other online environments.

Q. How do I begin building my course prior to having access to SU systems?

Due to FERPA and SU Policy, instructors are not able to access SU systems including Canvas until they are fully on-boarded by Human Resources.

While waiting, instructors who are interested in starting to develop their course can register for a free Canvas Free-For-Teachers account and are welcome to attend CDLI workshops.

Content can be exported from a Canvas Free-For-Teachers course and imported into SU's Canvas in a few minutes using these guides: