A common challenge that most instructors face at some point while teaching in higher education is how to prepare for and cultivate instructional continuity. According to Milman and Watkins (2021), “Instructional continuity, sometimes referred to as academic continuity or continuity of teaching and learning, is the capacity to maintain course schedules when plans are disrupted, typically by unanticipated events beyond anyone’s control” (Milman & Watkins, 2021, para. 1). Examples of unanticipated events are natural (e.g., snowstorm) or human-made (e.g., mass shooting) disasters. In some cases, there is ample notice to prepare such as might be the case with a hurricane whose trajectory is forecast accurately; however, with others, there is no time to get things in order as is the case with an earthquake or terrorist attack. Also, Mitroff et al. (2006) noted that there are also “ticking time bombs” (p. 6), such as unethical or criminal behavior, that pose unique challenges and can explode and spread with unanticipated consequences. Clearly, we are living during very uncertain times—what can instructors do to be ready to address any disruptions that might occur? Below are some suggestions to consider when preparing for instructional continuity for teaching online.
Proactively Contact Students
If bad weather is forecast where some (or all) students reside, it is good practice to contact these students early to (1) share resources to support their well-being, (2) explain how to contact you if they experience any challenges and are unable to be actively involved in the course (e.g., they can contact the program director and then the program director will contact all of their instructors so there’s just one communication shared and not multiple during stressful times).
Develop Back-Up Plans
Create plans if something interferes with your asynchronous or synchronous online courses. For example, if presenting lecture content synchronously, be sure to provide all students information about what to do if they have trouble viewing the presentation (often web conferencing tools will work better with the video camera off and the sounds on but muted).
Practice Run
The old saying that “practice makes perfect” is very meaningful here. The success of any tool, let alone a whole remote learning day where learning depends on the tools used and the knowledge of those using it, will be more successful if everyone has had the opportunity to practice using the tools and technologies. Additionally, a practice run will provide students the opportunity to address any issues they might encounter.
Provide PDFs of Lecture Materials in Advance
If/when students might (or do) experience disruption, it helps if instructors share course materials in PDF format with students. Using PDFs of course materials should allow students to print and then later read the materials anywhere/anytime without needing to have internet or even electricity.
Collect Students’ Alternate Contact Info
At the beginning of the semester, it is important to ask students to share unique information about them, as well as their preferred phone number and alternate email address to contact them. Often the information in the university registrar system and the LMS is inaccurate. Having up-to-date contact information is very important, as well as information about their preferred contact methods (e.g., many students do not read email but do respond to text messages). Also, the unique information collected might be very valuable in understanding how to best support and teach students.
Use Technology to Contact Students
There are many different ways to contact one’s students. Determine the best methods and technologies (e.g., instant messaging, phone call) for reaching them while also protecting their privacy. There are a variety of apps, such as GroupMe (https://groupme.com/en-US/) or Signal (https://signal.org/en/), that allow group members to message one another without sharing their personal phone numbers.
Communicate Expectations
In any course, communicating expectations is extremely important. This can be done in formal (e.g., share a policy of the frequency and when you will respond to student email and/or requests to meet or conference) and informal ways (such as via a course announcement). Also, be sure to have a backup plan if you lose power or internet.
Flexible Late Assignment Policy
Having a flexible assignment policy for late work due to unexpected disruptions to the course LMS will help students not only manage disruption, but also support their success. Often, disruption is out of the student’s hands.
Develop and Schedule Lectures to Start/Launch
Most learning management systems such as Blackboard, Canvas, or Moodle, allow instructors to schedule when a lecture will launch. For online courses, it is good practice to populate all or as much of the course content as possible in one’s courses and then to schedule when the content will become available to students. By setting up content to open up on a schedule, not only do students know what to expect but it also provides instructors with structure and a mechanism for launching content automatically—even if they are unable to do so.
Become Familiar With Institutional Policies and Practices
Every institution has unique institutional policies and practices. It is important for all instructors to learn about the various institutional policies and practices associated with instructional continuity. Additionally, it is important for institutions of higher education to teach all instructors, including adjuncts, about the importance and need for instructional continuity planning.
Provide Clear Instructions
Clear, succinct, and specific instructions go a long way for promoting student success. We recommend that you include clear instructions about how to access and engage with materials, your peers, and instructor.
Overall, this is just a start of some things instructors can do in their online courses to foster instructional continuity. It is likely some students will require more handholding and support than others. This is always the case—and attribution should not go toad
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