I know, from the calls and emails my team and I have been receiving, that many of you are working extremely hard on preparing to teach remotely next week. This would be an ideal time to reach out to your students.

The resource I have for you today is a quick survey you can send to your students, to assess their needs and their readiness to resume class, and an easy way to contact them.

Student Survey

The survey asks about students’ readiness to switch to remote learning and access to basic needs.

• Do they have access to the necessary technology? To the internet?
• Do they have experience learning this way?
• Do they have specific concerns?
• Do they have a food to eat? A place to stay?

Make a copy of the survey – see how to do this (01:32) – and ask your students to complete it.

Contact your Students

John Misak, assistant professor in English, has been using EAB Navigate to send text messages to his students. He finds that they are more likely to see text messages than email, and are more likely to respond.

A couple of quick tips:

• Identify yourself! “This is Dr. Glazer, your BIOL 101 professor.”
• Keep it brief. You only have 240 characters.
• Include a call to action. “There’s a new assignment in Blackboard.” or “Looking forward to seeing you next week! Complete this online survey: PUT YOUR LINK HERE”

John made a short screencast (03:26) to show you how to go into Navigate and send the text message. He’s also graciously offered that you can contact him at jmisak@nyit.edu if you have questions.

Consult a Colleague

If you also have expertise that you’re willing to share with your colleagues, please complete this very brief (3 questions) Google Form and let us know how you can help: http://bit.ly/yesicanhelp