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Learning Management System

Learning Management System Texas A&M University Learning Management System

Teaching and Learning


Welcome Online, Faculty!

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Keep Teaching is a comprehensive guide to using the digital learning environment to deliver course instruction across the five modalities currently supported at Texas A&M University. We encourage you to start with the end in mind as you design your course for delivery across these five modalities. Doing so will ensure you maximize the learner experience; leverage technology for greater engagement and efficiencies; and limit complexity for both course instructors and students. 

Resources to Support Remote Instruction

Should an instructor need to self-quarantine and/or self-isolate and is without someone to cover the course, in consultation with their Department Head they may need to temporarily switch to remote instruction. Should that need arise, resources to support remote instruction under these circumstances are provided below. 


The Basics of Remote Instruction

This content is applicable to both course instructors and students.

Getting Started with Remote Instruction

This content is applicable to course instructors
All course sections have a corresponding course shell in Canvas.
We encourage you to schedule Zoom meetings using the Zoom integration in Canvas to ensure meeting URLs are in one place for students. A guide to teaching with Zoom in Canvas can be found here.
Due to the loss of student data, the window to request section merges is Canvas is no longer available. Instructors can merge course sections using ORCA by the deadline identified on the Course Availability in Canvas table to create combined courses that will appear in Canvas. Courses will not be merged past the course merge deadline due to the possible loss of student interactions.
If you need to add additional course associate roles to your Canvas course, please follow these steps. FERPA and Information Security Awareness trainings will be required. To add a non-employee in a course associate role, please follow the non-employee steps for training requirements. 
Remember to publish your course and modules in Canvas to ensure students can see your course content.
Standard Texas A&M University Zoom licenses can accommodate 300 concurrent participants. If you will have more than 300 concurrent participants on a Zoom session at once for a course section that is eligible for remote instruction, please email zoom-requests@tamu.edu with the following information: Faculty name and email address
If physical content is being shown in the room (either on a piece of paper, on a whiteboard, or some other content that is not displayed on screen), use the document camera or web camera in the room (making sure to select the appropriate camera under the “Start Video/Stop Video” button in Zoom).
If virtual content (i.e., a PowerPoint presentation, website, or other computer software) needs to be shown in the Zoom meeting, use the “Share Screen” feature in Zoom and select the content you wish to share. If you are sharing videos with sound, please make sure to select the checkbox to share computer sound on the share screen.

Classroom Technologies

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This semester, you may need to use classrooms differently than they have been used before. Please consult the instructions below for guidance.

Non-Traditional Classroom Instructions PDF 


If you encounter technical difficulties while in the classroom, contact HelpDesk Central.

Online

In Person

Hours: By appointment (call 979.845.8300)
Location: Computing Services Center,
Room CS00

Best Practices in Instructional Design

Below are best practices for online teaching and learning. You will find these best practices integrated into the tools we provide throughout Keep Teaching. We encourage you to take these into consideration to optimize the online learning environment for you and your students. 

Canvas Connection

The following 5 best practices are agnostic of the learning management system and technology. Gains you can make now will carry over as you transition to Canvas and be supported by its tools and features.  




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Designing an online course creates an opportunity for you to plan what you want your learners to experience. This section will provide resources to help you:
  1. Map your online course so that you create alignment between course objectives, assessments, and instructional materials.
  2. Organize your course content into modules.
  3. Utilize a Course Design Checklist to guide you through the course design process. 
  4. Watch Module Overview Video here.

Learning Technologies

We encourage you to use the step-by-step guides below to learn the mechanics of the learning technologies Texas A&M University supports. In time and with practice, the learning technologies we use for online teaching and learning can fade into the background. Texas A&M University supports and encourages the use of the following learning technologies. 
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We encourage you to use the resources in this section to create a consistent and high-quality exam experience for your students. Given variability across Texas A&M University’s many degree programs, course instructors will need to account for diverse exam types, assessment objectives, and relative importance of exams while using these resources. A special thanks to the Fall 2020 Exam Experience Committee for thoroughly curating easy-to-use guides and checklists targeting both course instructor and student responsibilities.

Remote Exam Checklist

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Please note that course instructors should use the learning management system, Canvas, which requires student identity verification, to provide student access to exam materials. Course instructors may choose to proctor online exams using Zoom (or any university-approved video conferencing application) or other university-approved proctoring solutions (Respondus and Honorlock).

Academic Integrity is a Shared Responsibility

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Course Instructor Responsibilities

Course instructors should consider the student experience and not create needlessly complex exams as a means of deterring cheating. Course instructors should also be cognizant of increased student anxiety during COVID-19 and not assume that all students have high proficiency with online learning technologies. Acceptable examination conditions must be communicated to students. 
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Student Responsibilities

Students must abide by the Aggie Honor Code. They must adhere to exam conditions and they must communicate technical troubles to the appropriate person or entity.

Considerations for Online Proctoring Options

Course instructors should carefully consider the strengths and weaknesses of online proctoring solutions. They should design assessments in accordance with learning outcomes, assessment goals, and limitations imposed by the format.
 

Ensuring Academic Integrity with Learning Management System Assessment Tools


Best Practices for Ensuring Academic Integrity when Creating an Exam in the LMS 

Several recommended Canvas best practices can help ensure academic integrity. They can be applied when creating an exam with or without the proctoring options mentioned above.

Online Exam Proctoring Options

Texas A&M University supports four options to promote academic integrity when administering online exams