New to teaching online?

Please read though this site, open the links, and watch any videos to help get yourself prepared.

Resources for Getting Prepared to Teach Online

  • Read and explore our quick Online Facilitation Guide
  • Complete the “Canvas Resources—self paced” course that is already in your Canvas account
  • Make sure you can log into Canvas and find your courses
  • Every SF course already has a Canvas shell associated with it. There is no need to request one. Search your Courses or Dashboard on Canvas to find them. These courses are most likely unpublished. This means your students cannot see anything in them until you publish both the course and the modules.
  • Contact canvashelp@sfcollege.edu if you need more assistance or if you need more sandboxes (blank Canvas shells)
    • Whenever you contact Canvas Help, make sure to include the following:
      • Course and section number(s)
      • SFID number
      • details of the problem you are experiencing
  • Submit an ITS Help Desk ticket or call 352-395-5999 if you need a Zoom account or if you may need access to technology/equipment in order to teach
  • Consult the Canvas Instructor Guide to get specific Canvas questions answered
  • Download the updated SF Canvas Template and/or learn how to import course content from one Canvas course to another
  • Consider downloading the Canvas Instructor App to your phone or tablet/iPad (Android or Mac)
  • Use our quick Assessing Online Guide to help choose different assessments within Canvas.
  • Try some tips for effective online discussions
  • Explore free resources for teaching and learning online from MERLOT and Skills Commons
  • Explore the CATT workshop site to see what local training sessions are offered
  • Consult with your chair, director, and/or coordinator to understand what their expectations are for online instruction in your area
  • Reach out to fellow instructors who already teach online to see what advice and resources they have to share

Online Tests and Remote Proctoring

Prior to the pandemic, students paid for online proctoring. During the pandemic, the College was able to provide this service, but we must make adjustments for this year. The College is endorsing two online proctoring options for the 2023-2024 academic year. Faculty should select from the options below:

Option A: Students pay for off-campus Honorlock tests

  • The cost for a single test is $9.45 or $19.95 for the entire course (includes all tests given in a single course). Students will be prompted to pay after starting their test while in Honorlock.
  • Honorlock uses artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor students during tests. If a behavior is flagged, a live proctor may "pop-in" to the session to determine what is going on. The sessions are recorded and reviewed by Honorlock first. Instructors are encouraged to review all videos in order to determine whether any testing violations have occurred.
  • Faculty choosing this option will launch tests from Canvas using the Honorlock course menu option. The tests will still need to be set up within Honorlock to run properly.
    • Students can continue to use the Testing Center with this option to complete tests for free.
  • Please watch the instructor video and use the Honorlock Canvas site for specific directions on getting your test created.
  • Note: the Honorlock LTI has been updated for Canvas New Quizzes. Please review the following information:
    • When a Canvas New Quiz is created, you will now see it available for enablement within the Honorlock LTI. If you do not see Honorlock listed on your current course menu, select the Settings link from your Canvas course, then select the Navigation tab and place Honorlock back on your course menu.
    • Canvas New Quizzes should be enabled with Honorlock before publishing the Quiz. If you publish the quiz before enabling Honorlock, you will need to republish the quiz afterwards.
    • Additional filters (such as Browser Closed, Test Window Lost Focus, etc) are now available under the High Flags section which will allow you to customize proctoring results.
    • You can find answers to common questions concerning exam configuration and contact Honorlock support at any time.
  • Please review these resources for working with Honorlock:
  • Honorlock resources
  • If your students are taking a Canvas quiz, please provide them with the regular directions. If your students are taking a test in a third-party publisher website (Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Cengage, etc), they should use the universal exam directions.
  • See Honorlock's student privacy FAQs.
  • Faculty members who want to contact Honorlock directly can call (1-844-243-2500) to get assistance or can use the LiveChat feature and support email.

Option B: Use Respondus LockDown Browser with Respondus Monitor

This option was purchased for placement testing, but we can scale it across the College this year at no additional cost to students. This type of proctoring has the following features:

  • Installing the software locks down browsers so they cannot be minimized; removes menu and tool bar options; prevents other applications from being opened; disables printing and screen capture functions; prevents copying and pasting; disables keyboard shortcuts; does not allow students to exit a test until they submit it; and prevents other browsers from opening a test.
  • Uses AI proctoring to record student behavior and flags any troubling actions. Flagged events and proctoring results are made available to faculty for review within Canvas. Instructors are encouraged to review all videos in order to determine whether any testing violations have occurred.
  • Faculty choosing this option will launch tests from Canvas by utilizing the LockDown Browser course menu option (move this to your visible course menu to use it). This menu option will also allow Monitor to be turned on for tests (faculty are urged to use both tools together).
  • NOTE: Faculty who test using Cengage MindTap or McGraw-Hill Connect cannot choose this option because Respondus does not work with these systems. Please select the Honorlock option instead.
  • Students can also use the Testing Center with this option to complete tests for free.
  • Respondus resources:
  • The current version we have for Respondus will allow you to use New Quizzes already. When using Respondus resources, make sure to select information for “Canvas (New Quizzes)” to get the right directions.
  • Consult the Lockdown Browser resource webpage, the Respondus Monitor resource webpage, and the Respondus knowledge base to locate the information you need for updating to New Quizzes. Respondus Support is also available.
  • The Canvas New Quizzes Student Guide PDF and Student Introductory Video can also help your students with preparing for test-taking using the new format.
  • When in a Canvas course, select the Lockdown Browser menu option to use the “Guides & Support” tab to access resources and support.
  • Reach out to Respondus Technical Support at any time
  • Review Respondus updates and applications to various testing issues.

Canvas Gradebook Resources

Getting ready to use Canvas grades? Try the following videos to get familiar:

You can always consult the Canvas Instructor Guide section about Grades for multiple resources. Some of the most asked questions can be answered using the written guides below:

Using Real-Time and Collaborative Tools

If you want to increase collaboration and real-time interaction in your courses, consider using these tools. Below are some quick links to get you familiar with them.

Microsoft Teams

  • Teams allows you to have real-time meetings, share Office 365 documents, share files, chat, and more
  • View Microsoft’s Teams training videos and/or take a one hour video course on getting started with Teams via Microsoft’s instructor-led training sessions
  • Everyone at Santa Fe College (including students) has access to Office 365 and can immediately start using Teams

Zoom

  • Zoom allows for real-time meetings, virtual office hours, and can be recorded for future viewings.
  • To see what it looks like, view a sample Zoom recording
  • If you do not already have Zoom access, submit an ITS Help Desk ticket or call 352-395-5999 to get it
  • Feel free to share this Zoom handout and this quick video tutorial to introduce Zoom to your students.
  • Need to provide your students guidance on using Zoom in your Canvas courses? Log into Canvas, click on Commons in the left-hand menu, and search "Zoom Tutorial for Students" to get a page to plug directly into your Canvas courses.

Chats (in Canvas)

Need additional assistance with your online courses?

Email canvashelp@sfcollege.edu for Canvas support

  • Don't forget to include your course ID, section number, SFID, and description of your problem

Email CATT for special requests and questions