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When moving all or parts of a course online, first consider:

This worksheet can help you develop a basic continuity plan for your courses when moving online.

For easy access to workshops and staff contacts, visit the Resources and Support web page.

For more visual/audible learners, a pre-recorded workshop session covering the below information is available:

Checklist for Moving Your Course Online

1. Review your course schedule.

2. Revise your syllabus.

Try to reduce content while still meeting the learning objectives. Think about cutting some of the interesting but not vital material.
Do you need to change any policies, due dates, assignments, etc.? If so, communicate these changes to your students.
You can change assignments and assessments to be more suitable for an online environment. Ensure learning outcomes stay the same to keep in compliance with our accrediting body, The Higher Learning Commission.
If your class includes an assignment that requires students to use library resources, share that assignment with your subject librarian so they can help you link to library resources.

3. Select familiar tools and approaches.

4. Set expectations

Set expectations about where you will post information (e.g., University email, Blackboard announcements, etc.).
Consider your expectations (e.g., participation, communication, deadlines, etc.) for students who may be impacted by this instructional modification by becoming ill, caring for family members, and/or lacking power or internet connections, and be prepared to manage requests for extensions or other accommodations equitably.
Students may not have reliable, if any, internet access. Consider creating a questionnaire (either via Qualtrics or email) to assess their tech status and needs.
- Watch this Qualtrics workshop recording about creating, distributing, and reviewing results from a basic survey.
- Read through these questions to consider.

5. Communication is key.

Explain, as clearly as you can and in a variety of places, what students can expect about the course in the next few weeks.
Let students know how often they can expect to hear from you (e.g., daily, weekly, etc.) and through what channels (e.g., email, Blackboard announcements, etc.).
Provide information about how and when they may contact you (e.g., email, online office hours, phone, etc.) and let them know your expected response time.
Point students to centralized resources, such as the OHIO Alert page, for general updates.

6. Set up your course in Blackboard.

You can update and upload your syllabus on the Blackboard file upload after making your course available to students. Watch our pre-recorded workshop on setting up a Blackboard course.
For courses that have a lab, studio, or experiential learning component, University experts have compiled this PDF of considerations for how to transition these courses to an online environment.

7. Manage assessments (exams).

8. What should I do next?