IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT ONLINE INSTRUCTION FROM DR. RYAN CORNNER

Dear Faculty,

In response to the spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19, there is now a concentrated Districtwide effort to ensure that our core mission of educating students can be maintained. Working with representatives from our faculty and staff, the District has created a response plan to address various scenarios that may arise during this public health emergency, including the potential closure of our colleges by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH).

While Health Officials continue to advise that the risk to an individual remains low in Los Angeles County, LACDPH has also advised us to have plans in place for any disruptions to normal business operations and classroom education.  While are colleges will remain open as long as possible, we are being vigilant and proactive in our planning to transition all courses to an online format when possible.  I wish to thank the District Academic Senate, the LACCD COVID-19 Response Team and our Distance Education Coordinators for the quick response and assistance with these plans outlined below.

The District Academic Senate has approved a recommendation to provide all faculty with Canvas shells for their courses and the AFT Faculty Guild has temporarily lifted online training requirements during the coronavirus response. Canvas shells will be available to all faculty starting tomorrow morning, March 11. We are asking all faculty members to begin preparing for a potential move to online instruction. To do this, faculty are asked to learn the basic elements of Canvas, which will provide the ability to move course materials and assignments online, and/or provide synchronous lectures through Zoom-enabled Canvas. As we work to provide maximum flexibility to support our students, the following training materials are available to support your efforts.

Instructors–Resources for Using Canvas 

• Video: Accessing Canvas through PeopleSoft (Tip: It’s best to use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox when using Canvas)
• Canvas Overview (Instructors)
• Modules Overview (Instructors
• Announcements Overview (Instructors)
• Assignments Overview (Instructors)
• Quizzes Overview (Instructors)
• Discussions Overview (Instructors)
• Gradebook Overview (Instructors)
• Chat Overview (Instructors)
• Publishing a Canvas Course (Instructors)

Options for Synchronous (Real-Time) Interaction through Web-Conferencing

1. ConferZoom

·        Utilizing Zoom

·        Canvas Instructor Guide for Zoom

·        ConferZoom Video Tutorial–Setting Up an Account and Web-Conferencing 

2.      Canvas Conferences

·        Canvas Conferences Overview (Instructors)

·        Canvas Conferences Video Tutorial

·        Conferences Detailed (Instructors)

Additional information can be found at Canvas Help. The Vision Resource Center, accessible through the SIS landing page, also features Canvas training videos accessible by clicking on “Training Search,” and entering “Canvas” as the search term. In addition, the District will be working with each college to provide training through the college DE Coordinator. We recommend every faculty member begin to identify a means of converting their course materials, assignments and activities to modalities available in Canvas. To do so, please refer to the checklist below:

 1. Put your course materials online

Yes	No	Question
		I have a Canvas course for each of my courses that contains the most current course information.
		I have a way to distribute assignments to my students online through the Canvas course site.
		I use audio or video materials in class, and I know how to share these with my students.
		I use the Canvas LMS to make materials available to my students.

2. Establish channels of communication with your students and colleagues

Yes	No	Question
		My students know how to contact me remotely if they have a question.
		I have a way to facilitate discussion with groups of students remotely.
		Students have a way to contact each other and collaborate online.

3. Establish ways to conduct your class at a distance

Yes	No	Question
		My students can read, listen to, and/or watch my lectures online.
		My students can turn in homework and take exams online.
		I have a way to respond to student work and securely publish scores online.
		I know how to submit final grades to the Registrar online.

4. Set up remote access to important resources

Yes	No	Question
		I have a computer or laptop at home that has the software and Internet connectivity I need to work remotely.

Should you answer “no” to any of these questions, please refer to the training materials linked above and reach out to your college DE Coordinator if additional assistance is required. By moving materials to Canvas now, you will be assisting students who require flexibility due to illness and preparing should there be a need to convert courses to online modalities.

For activity, lab or other courses unable to move to online modalities, the District will be working with faculty and administration to determine means to support the continuation of instruction for these classes.

Thank you.

Dr. Ryan M. Cornner, Vice Chancellor

Educational Programs and Institutional Effectiveness

LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT

770 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90017

www.laccd.edu

CITY / EAST / HARBOR / MISSION / PIERCE / SOUTHWEST / TRADE-TECH / VALLEY / WEST