LibGuides: Readiness for Learning: Virtual Academic Interactions

Virtual Academic Interactions

Since you can't meet in person, faculty will be using different forms of virtual replacement. Look for instructions from your instructor for which options are being used for your class.

Zoom
Guilford now has an institutional license to Zoom, which means that all Guilford community members now have access to it. Instructors can set up meetings directly through Zoom or via a Zoom Canvas integration that shares meeting links within courses, and students can join these meetings via a browser, Zoom computer application, or Zoom app on a tablet or smartphone. Click the link to be taken to Zoom support documentation. More information about Zoom is shared below.
Google Hangouts Meet
All Guilford community members have access to Google Hangouts Meet through their Guilford Google accounts. You can set up virtual class sessions or meetings in advance by creating a Google Calendar event: this automatically creates a Hangouts Meet link that all invited participants can use to join, either by sending out the link or sharing the calendar invite. Using the screen share feature enables virtual presentations. Google Hangouts Meet through supports a maximum of 50 participants through G Suite for Education.

Basics of Zoom for Students

Students do not need to sign up for a Guilford College Zoom Pro account to join class meetings unless instructed to do so by a professor. Students who would like to enable their Guilford College Zoom Pro account can do so by following the account set-up instructions on the library's guide to Zoom. Other information about setting up and running Zoom meetings is included there as well.

There are several different ways you can join a Zoom meeting (with or without being logged into a Zoom Pro account):

via an application on a desktop or laptop (Mac or Windows)
via an extension on a Chromebook
via the Zoom app on a tablet or smartphone running iOS or Android
via the browser on a desktop or laptop (Chrome, Firefox, or Edge - limited functionality, but no download required)

If you use a mobile device app or a computer application, make sure to keep Zoom up-to-date.

Here are some pages from the Zoom support guides - all include step-by-step walkthroughs and tips for different devices, and some include video as well:

how to join a meeting
how to test your audio
how to test your video - and how to troubleshoot your video.

Other Tools for Virtual Communication

Your instructors may also use the following tools, though they are used less commonly at Guilford College. (Canvas Conferences is no longer recommended for video conferencing due to bandwidth issues on the tool's end.)

Canvas Conferences
Canvas Conferences allow you to create a virtual conference within Canvas: you and your students can hold a virtual class session or conversation, and as the presenter you can share your screen (including slides) with students, and even poll them. You can choose to have a Conference recorded, so students can review it later (please note that recordings are deleted after 14 days). Students can also create their own Conferences, if you would like them to practice or host class presentations and the like.
Canvas Chat
Canvas Chat lets you have instant message conversations through Canvas: simply enable it by adding it to your course navigation through the Settings page (if it is not already enabled), and from there any user who clicks the Chat option automatically joins the conversation. There is even a chat history log, so students who miss the discussion or want to revisit an answer can catch up on it later.

Tools for Digital Discussions, Feedback Sessions, Critiques...

You can use these tools for asynchronous discussions and feedbacks sessions, to replace face-to-face versions of these activities.

Canvas Discussion
Create a Canvas Discussion that allows your students to respond to a prompt or to one another. You can have students post their work to receive feedback from peers.
Padlet
Use Padlet as a digital bulletin board: students can add short text responses and images, and they can comment on each other's posts. This is a great way to get responses to a particular question, and a fun way virtually check in with students and see how they're doing.
Google Docs Suggestion Mode
Google Docs' Suggestion mode, like Microsoft's Track Changes, allows viewers to make suggestions and edits, as well as add comments, to a piece of writing: you can encourage your students to use it to virtually edit each other's work.
Canvas Peer Review Assignment
You can use Canvas's Peer Review Assignment feature to allow students to give feedback to one another on their submissions. Peer reviews can be assigned automatically by Canvas, and can be anonymous.