Smoother Transition to Online
Created during the "great shift to online" in March 2020, this free Canvas shell contains a basic course structure based on a weekly module approach to deliver an online class. It's a practical resource for any faculty new to online teaching.
Each module has the same content structure:
- Weekly Class Overview (what we are doing this week)
- Content (reading assignments; films links, etc.)
- Assignments (assigned readings; homework; discussion post)
- Discussion Post (student posts moderated by professor)
- Summary (overview of what was covered in the module and transition into the next module)
Although this will not solve all the issues and concerns of moving faculty from face-to-face to an online environment, it does provide a basic Canvas shell that can be used to deliver the essential components of an online course. Institutions of higher education would need to provide the internal support for faculty to modify their course content and importing the information into the Canvas shell.
This resource is made possible by CSULA's Charter College of Education. They brought me onboard to lead this project, along with my colleagues, Dr. Mark Akiyama of Diablo Valley College, and Instructional Designer, Rene Rodriguez. We're the team that will launch a course on higher education pedagogy in Fall 2021, available via the University’s Extension.
Good luck!
Step 1: Download the Free File
Note: Distance education personnel and/or faculty experts in Canvas may need to help faculty download, import/export the file.
Step 2: Import the File
Step-by-step directions to import the file.
Step 3: Customize/Create Content
The shell gives you a starting point. It's up to you to modify to meet your needs!
