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Course Materials

You will likely need to provide additional course materials to support your changing plans, from updated schedules to readings that allow you to shift more instruction online. In a pinch, providing some new readings and related assignments may be your best bet for keeping the intellectual momentum of the course moving. Considerations when posting new course materials:

  • Make sure students know when new material is posted: Let students know what you posted and where (i.e. Course Reserves, Canvas, Google Drive, etc.). If you need to put materials on electronic course reserves, contact the ZSR Library’s Course Reserves team. If you need assistance identifying electronic versions of materials or alternatives to unavailable physical materials, contact your library liaison or Research Services. They can also help identify streaming options for media, or help you identify alternatives if streaming options are not available.
  • Consider alternative materials: In an emergency situation, some of your students will not have access to their print textbooks. Consider using a free, peer-reviewed alternative, such as those made available through the Open Textbook Library, or search for other free and open course materials through the OASIS search tool. Also consider materials that might be available through ZSR Library including ebooks, streaming video, and other multimedia.
  • Keep things accessible: In a crisis, many students may only have a phone available, so make sure you are using mobile-friendly formats. Moreover, new modes of delivery and access can create issues for learners of different abilities. Keep in mind strategies that better enable access and remain flexible to accommodate people as needed. PDFs are often mobile-friendly, but they can present access issues if improperly formatted: ensure accessibility of PDFs. Consider saving other files (for example, PowerPoint presentations) as file types that are easier to read on phones and tablets, and keep the file size small. Downloading videos take lots of bandwidth, so consider what tools and delivery methods you are using for videos.