Working With Online Students

A Guide for Teaching Assistants (TA)

• Determined by the instructor

• Based on the needs of the course and students

• You may be asked to do some, or all, of the following:

  • Grade student work

  • Manage the course Canvas site

  • Run Sections

  • Attend online classes to assist students

Zoom for DCE Courses

Cross-listed FAS-DCE classes

• Most use Zoom webinars

  • No interaction between FAS and DCE students

  • DCE students can’t turn on their cameras or microphones

  • DCE students can engage with teaching staff through the Q&A function and, in some cases, the chat function

  • Breakout Rooms are not available
    
    

• Zoom meetings can be used for classes that want FAS and DCE students to interact

  • Students can:

    • Turn on their cameras and microphones in Breakout Rooms only

    • Use chat (level of interaction can be determined by course staff)

    • Interact in Breakout Rooms:

      • The configuration of who is in which Breakout Room can be determined by course staff

      • Breakout rooms are not recorded

View a Zoom support document comparing webinars to meetings.

Courses with DCE Students Only

Check out Web Conference Resources provided by the Teaching and Learning Department:

• Basics of Teaching with Zoom

• Zoom Best Practices

• Tech Check and Speed Test

• Using Zoom at DCE

• What’s New in Zoom?

• Zoom and Your Students
  
  

Attendance Not Required Courses:

• Use Zoom meetings 

• All classes are recorded

• Your course will have a producer

Attendance Required Courses

• Use Zoom meetings

• Teaching staff is responsible for managing Zoom technology, with help from the web conference support team

• Teaching staff decide whether or not to record and publish all, some or no classes

TA Role During Live Class with DCE Students Only

• Some instructors, but not all, require TAs to be present during the live class 

• Let the instructor know when a student has a question or comment

• Lower students’ hands and mute students when needed

• Answer students’ questions via chat when you can

• Create breakout rooms

• You may find these Tips for Running a Large Class Over Zoom helpful

TA Role During Live Class for Cross Listed Courses

• If chat is used, may manage activities via chat while FAS students are working in small groups

• Be sure your computer is on the Harvard Secure network

    TAs     - relaying questions or comments from the chat during lecture  

        - if there are small group activities in the live class 

          know how to engage online students via chat

    IF a Zoom meeting and BO rooms are used - protocols  

Breakout Rooms

• Used when the instructor wants students to meet in small groups during class

• TAs are usually responsible for creating and managing breakout rooms

• Breakout rooms are not recorded

• Sign up to attend a Breakout Room Training

Create a Zoom section meeting

•  Use Gather to create a meeting with no fixed time so you have one meeting you can use all semester

• For courses with more than one TA, sometimes each TA has their own Zoom Section

Choosing topics 

• Give priority to topics your instructor wants you to cover

• Exam review

• Project preparation

• Let Students Decide Topics:

  • Getting input from students about what they want to discuss shows you care about their learning and helps to build trust

  • Get input before section, with the instructor’s permission

    •  Minute paper or Survey on Canvas

    •  Discussion board posts

  • Get input at the start of section

    • Create a Zoom Poll with possible topics before section, then launch at start of section

    • Brainstorm topics    

      • Write topics on whiteboard or share a document you can write on while students suggest topics

        • Depending on the number of students, they can vote by raising hands on camera or using reactions tool to virtually raise hand or vote yes/no

Tips for Running Sections

• Sections are opportunities for students to:

  • Further understand concepts introduced during class

  • Get help with problem stets and assignments
    
    

• Give students time to think and process before providing answers so they learn to solve problems and think for themselves

• Provide significant learning experiences
  
  

o   Use real-life examples or try to have examples that may relate to their lives

• Teaching Tips from the Department of Teaching and Learning

  • What to Do in Your First Class Online

  • Community

  • Engagement

  • Grading

  • Exams & Assessments

  • Peer Learning

    Link a lot of the BOK Center materials