Selecting Online Teaching Tools

The Center for Teaching Innovation can help you actively engage your students in their learning. To do so, we have assembled a series of recorded webinars, consultation services, and resource materials to help you get started with online teaching. The side navigation links provide specific consultation services, quick start guides, accessibility tools, and the resources below will help you to plan, prepare, and teach your courses in an online environment.

Many of the actions you will likely want to take will be implemented through Canvas. This powerful hub provides access to a number of tools useful for communicating, teaching, and assessing in an online setting.


Readiness Quiz (Start Here)

Establish effective communication channels with your students

QuestionYesNo
I am prepared to communicate updates, changes, and other relevant information to my students.  
I can create channels where students can respond to me  
I can schedule live sessions  
I can create opportunities for students to contact each other and collaborate online  
I can hold online office hours  

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, learn more in our guide to remote communication with students.

Put your course materials online

QuestionYesNo
I currently have a Canvas course site or course website that is up to date  
I use Canvas to make course materials available to my students  
I can pre-record my lecture materials and share them with students  
I can set up course sessions via Zoom to deliver live lectures  
I can record and share PowerPoint slides online  

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, learn more in our guide to delivering course content online.

Assess your students online

QuestionYesNo
I can create quizzes in Canvas to verify that students understand the material  
I can collect student submissions online  
I can facilitate student presentations online  
I can grade assignments, exams, problem-sets, etc. online  

If you answered "no" to any of these questions, learn more in our guide to assessing student learning online.

This readiness quiz was inspired by information published by University of Washington Information Technology, Seattle.


Strategies & Resources

There are many ways to teach successfully online. The following tables list tools to immediately facilitate various online course activities. Each tool is identified as synchronous (tools that are used in real-time/live) or asynchronous (tools that facilitate learning free of time constraints).

Communicate with students | Deliver course content | Assess learning


Communicate with your students

Clear, consistent communication is an important part of successful online teaching. Your students will need information about how your class is changing and what they are expected to do. These tools help you communicate with your students and can help them communicate with each other.

ActivityToolSynchronous/Asynchronous
Communicate updates, changes, and other relevant information. If you plan to use Canvas Announcements, have students verify their settings to allow announcements to be forwarded directly to their email address. That way, messages will reach students even if they are not signed into CanvasCanvas AnnouncementsAsynchronous
Communicate information and allow students to respond at any timeCanvas ConversationsAsynchronous
Communicate information and allow a live responseZoomSynchronous
Facilitate written discussions among students and instructorsCanvas DiscussionsAsynchronous
Facilitate live discussions among students and instructorsZoomSynchronous
Hold remote office hours to provide an opportunity for live, one-on-one or small-group communication with youZoomSynchronous

To learn how to combine these communication strategies into a holistic online teaching approach, visit Remote Teaching Scenarios. For more on assistance available through the Cornell Libraries, visit Library Support for Hybrid/Online Teaching.  


Deliver your course content

There are a range of ways to share course content with your students, depending on whether you want, or need, to meet in real-time or not. As always, ensuring the accessibility of your course content is a key part of successfully delivering that content to students.

ActivityToolSynchronous/Asynchronous
Deliver live lectures (and record for later use)ZoomSynchronous
Pre-record lectures as videos including slidesPanoptoAsynchronous
Upload videos to stream to students (including Zoom recordings)KalturaAsynchronous
Record a slide show with narrationPowerPoint VoiceoverAsynchronous
Share files with your studentsCanvas FilesAsynchronous
Share a whiteboard session with your studentsZoom WhiteboardSynchronous

To learn how to combine these course delivery strategies into a holistic online teaching approach, visit Remote Teaching Scenarios. For more on resources available through the Cornell Libraries, visit Library Support for Remote Teaching.

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Assess student learning

Online tools can provide additional ways for students to demonstrate their learning. These tools help you collect student work online, create quizzes and exams, and grade digital submissions.

ActivityToolSynchronous/Asynchronous
Collect student submissions onlineCanvas AssignmentsAsynchronous
Check if students understand the materialCanvas QuizzesAsynchronous
Facilitate student presentations ZoomSynchronous
Grading assignments, exams, problem sets (etc.)Canvas SpeedGraderGradescopeAsynchronous
Paper exam (requires students to print the exam, scan their work, and then submit)GradescopeEither
Term paperBox | Canvas AssignmentsAsynchronous
Recorded individual oral presentation or a transcript/annotated presentationCanvas AssignmentsAsynchronous
Portfolios (A series of smaller assignments might be an appropriate substitute for a final exam/project.)DigicationAsynchronous
Group paperCanvas Assignments (supported by Canvas Discussion Forum)Either
Group presentationZoomEither

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