Teaching online during inclement weather
When campus closes unexpectedly due to weather, emergencies, or other disruptions, we have resources available to help you keep your classes running and your students on track. This guide includes information to transition to online instruction for the day: how to communicate changes, how to connect with your class online, and how to stay informed about campus status.
If you need support for moving your classes online, please contact the ITS Help Desk, and they will connect you with staff from the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology who can help with your questions.
Communicate
ICON Announcements are a way to quickly alert your students to information when they log into your course site. If your students have set up their notification preferences, students can automatically receive information via email or text when you publish an announcement. This makes Announcements the easiest way to reach your entire class quickly.
Instructors who wish to email their class from their ICON course can use the email feature from the options menu within MAUI in ICON.
Post an announcement or send an email as soon as you know what changes may be happening to your class and let students know when they can expect to hear from you again with more details.
Tell your students whether class will meet online and how. If you're adjusting assignment due dates, spell out the new deadlines clearly. Let them know what you expect for attendance and participation during this period. If you're modifying assignments to work better in an online format, provide updated instructions. Share your office hours schedule and whether you'll hold them virtually.
Meet Online
The university provides two ways to meet online: Teams Meetings and Zoom. Both platforms allow you to meet with your class synchronously when in-person instruction is not possible. Be mindful that live video participation may not be feasible for all students depending on their internet access, device constraints, or competing responsibilities. When possible, consider flexible participation expectations and provide asynchronous access to course materials, such as recordings or posted content.
Teams
Microsoft Teams is a campus alternative to Zoom for online meetings. Along with being able to host online meetings and webinars (all for free with up to 1,000 participants), Teams offers many robust collaboration abilities and tools. Use the MAUI in ICON Class List to download the class list and invite students to your Teams meeting.
Zoom
Zoom allows users to meet in online meetings, share audio and video information, and much more. All faculty, staff, and students are licensed to use Zoom to host meetings with up to 300 participants. Meetings can last for up to 30 hours or 40 minutes of being idle (1 person remains in the meeting for 40 minutes).
Stay informed
All students and employees are encouraged to review and update their Hawk Alert settings using MyUI and Employee Self Service.