Keep calm and keep teaching

I am still trying to figure out why everyone seems to be freaking out but given that they apparently are, we are seeing more and more campuses closing / moving classes online (including my own). If you are among the many instructors who are now scrambling to keep your classes on track, I have some suggestions for dos and don'ts...

• DO wash your hands, and DON'T touch your face. Is anyone else feeling sort of appalled at how bad their personal hygiene apparently has been up to now? I'm surprised I don't get sick way more often than I do...
• DO get good information about COVID-19 in general. The Atlantic, which normally limits the number of articles you can access without a subscription, is giving everyone free access to some of their coverage and it is all excellent.
• DO check your readiness to use the technology you will need. Some institutions have developed readiness checklists (like this one from San Jose State). In my mind, the two big tech-related questions are:
• Have you used Zoom / Skype / whatever system your campus uses for remote conferencing? 
• In addition to simply starting a session and knowing what all the settings are, I think you also need to know 1) how to share your screen, 2) how to use interactive tools like chat, polling and 'raise your hand' features, and 3) how to record your session (and then how to make it available to students).
• Are you set up in Blackboard / Canvas / Moodle / whatever learning management system your campus uses? 
• In addition to simply logging in and having your course there, I think you also need to know 1) how to upload documents and other files, 2) where and how to post announcements, 3) where and how to create quizzes and surveys, and 4) where and how to use interactive discussion boards / journals / other reflective writing features. 
• DO track down the people who can help you; at San Diego State, that unit is called Instructional Technology Services but they might be called Academic Technology on your campus. You also should know how to contact your Center for Teaching and Learning (which can also have lots of different names on different campuses). Almost every campus has someone who does faculty development and who is currently very stressed out trying to figure out how to help you. 
• DO find the online resources designed specifically to support instructors when there are campus disruptions; if you haven't already gotten something from your administration, you can see if your institution is on this list of remote teaching support sites. If it isn't, Indiana University's Keep Teaching site is often held up as a fantastic resource.
• DON'T focus just on the technology and DO think about your pedagogy! The Chronicle article on Going Online in a Hurry has 6 steps of excellent advice which largely boil down to: Think about what you want students to learn and how different aspects of your current face-to-face class support that learning, then consider how that same learning might happen online. And COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE. 
• DO try to be as flexible and accommodating as possible, and DON'T make assumptions about your students. In particular, please DON'T assume that all your students have computers and stable internet access. Hopefully, if your campus is closing, your administration has considered this and is working on accommodations for students who rely on campus computer labs and internet services. Find out what those accommodations are and share with all of your students. If your institution is not providing this information, you should be bugging someone in your administration (I'd suggest starting with your CTL Director or Chief Diversity Officer) to make sure every student has equal access to your class.
• Along similar lines, DON'T assume students know how to use all the technology they will need. Even if they are "digital natives" when it comes to using technology for social purposes, many students are not very savvy about how to use technology for learning purposes, and they do not always ask when they don't know. Make sure to post links to How To videos on using Zoom and other tools, and provide super-clear instructions about whatever you ask to do within the learning management system.

And last, but not least...

DON'T BE RACIST. As an Asian-American, I may be more aware than most people that a LOT of the media coverage of COVID-19 has featured Asian people in the pictures and visuals. At first, that made sense, since the stories were about China and South Korea. But when stories about cases in the United States are still using those same visuals, I definitely noticed; after all, most of the time, there is a relative dearth of Asian faces in the media so when I see predominantly Asian faces in pictures about new cases found in Washington, California or New York, I notice. Or, as I recently posted on Facebook, "I didn't realize there were so many Asian people in America but there must be because every story about Covid19 cases in the U S. shows Asian people, which of course must mean we are a huge share of the population, right? Oh wait..." Throw in the media referring to "the Chinese virus", and the fact that the general response to this whole thing has felt irrational, it is not surprising that anti-Asian discrimination and harassment has spiked. So please, be aware that your Asian students and colleagues - the vast majority of whom I am pretty sure are no more likely than you to have this thing - are likely walking around with an even higher sense of anxiety. Take a minute to consider: Could your own words and actions be contributing to that anxiety, or helping to alleviate it? I hope you will focus on the latter...

In the coming days, I am planning to post more resources to help instructors who are trying to move online. In the meantime, keep calm, wash your hands, and be kind...