Jessica P. Miller, PhD.

For faculty who are teaching face to face this fall:

Recommended: Attend one of the CITL sessions on teaching in a physically distanced classroom. Attendees can attend either via Zoom or in the actual classroom. Both are eye-opening. The next scheduled session is Friday August 21, but they plan to add more, including through the first week of classes.https://umaine.edu/citl/event/teaching-in-physically-distanced-classrooms-2/

Highly recommended: Sign up for a walk through of their classroom with IT. Faculty can sign up for Room Technology Orientations here: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/selfsched?sstoken=UU85RFdZaUV4VnRmfGRlZmF1bHR8ZGQ1N2E1MTliYjcyNGI1ZGQwNjBiZDI4NmZiYjBmMzA

Language you can use on your syllabus (not required) :  https://umaine.edu/citl/teaching-resources-2/syllabus-guidelines-for-faculty/

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The following FAQs provide information about classroom technology initiatives at UMaine along with information about classroom training sessions, instructional materials, and how to request support. Please contact me (robin.sherman@maine.edu) and Tom Drake (thomas.s.drake@maine.edu) directly if you have any questions.

Web Conferencing Upgrades

Where is web conferencing equipment being installed?

Web conferencing equipment is being installed in the following buildings:

Aubert, Barrows, Bennett, Boardman, Bryand Global, Deering, DPC, Hutchinson Center, Jenness, Lengyel, Little, Lord, Murray, Neville, Nutting, Shibles, Stevens North

The following link is to a status report that provides detailed information about the web conferencing installations and other technology-related updates. UMaine Web Conferencing Upgrade Status Report

Classroom Technology Training

When will the training be available?

Documentation and an instructional video about how to operate the web conferencing and stationary web conferencing carts will soon be available. Documentation will be available in each classroom, along with information about how to request classroom technology support.

Classroom technology training sessions with IT Media Services and CITL staff will be available starting August 17 through August 28. A communication to faculty teaching in technology-equipped classrooms will include a link to training materials and a training appointment calendar. 

Web Conferencing Carts

Will the web conferencing carts be mobile or stationary?

Due to concerns about potential equipment damage when moving carts between rooms and about how to secure the equipment, it was decided to position the carts in specific classrooms. 

Where will the carts be located?

The Office of Student Records, CITL, and the US:IT Classroom Technology team collaborated to determine cart locations based upon classroom seating capacity and room characteristics. 

The carts will be located in the following classrooms during the fall 2020 semester:

Aubert 316, Lord 100, Merrill 330. Boardman 210 & 310, Barrows 119 & 125. Little 203, Rogers 206

What equipment will be available on the carts?

Each cart includes a 65” display, camera-bar with built-in microphone and speakers, a tabletop extension microphone, and a computer system. 

Peripheral A/V equipment 

Peripheral A/V equipment has been purchased and will be available for check-out from Fogler Library. Information about equipment availability will be posted on Fogler Library’s website. 

Ten each of the following items were purchased:

• Wacom Tablets
• External USB Webcams
• USB Microphones
• Document Cameras
• Cell Phone Grip Small Tripods
• USB Clip Lights
• USB Hubs

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UMS Employee Scenario Document

UMS Academy: De-escalation Training

Teaching Race: Pedagogy and Practice — a guide from Vanderbilt University with guiding principles and corresponding pedagogic strategies, synthesized from a comprehensive review of literature related to teaching race

Teaching in Times of Crisis — Vanderbilt

A 2007 survey by Therese A. Huston and Michelle DiPietro (2007) reveals that “from the students’ perspective, it is best to do something. Students often complained when faculty did not mention the attacks at all, and they expressed gratitude when faculty acknowledged that something awful had occurred” (p. 219).  Students report that “just about anything” is helpful, “regardless of whether the instructor’s response required relatively little effort, such as asking for one minute of silence…, or a great deal of effort and preparation, such as incorporating the event into the lesson plan or topics for the course” (p. 216). The exception, the least helpful and even most problematic responses are a “lack of response” and “acknowledging that [the crisis] had occurred and saying that the class needs to go on with no mention of opportunities for review or extra help” (p. 218).

Talking with Students About Racism –from the Chronicle

First, don’t avoid talking about current events. Maybe you don’t discuss them in depth until you have established some familiarity with your students. But debates about social and economic inequality, race, and the coronavirus have become such a part of the national conversation that virtually everyone has had to wrestle with them. “We can’t ignore this issue,” says Mays Imad, who runs the teaching and learning center at Pima Community College. “If we do that, then we may inadvertently send the message that either (a) I don’t know what’s going on or (b) I don’t care. Both of those messages are hurtful.”

Second, it’s OK to be uncertain. Professors are used to being the expert in the classroom. But in this case, they might be better off listening, particularly if they don’t know what it’s like to be a person of color living through these events.

How Should I Talk about Race in my Mostly White Classroom? –from the ADL, a concise set of tips

Five Principles as Pathways to Inclusive Teaching –Inside Higher Ed; offers principles by which to guide your teaching, plus links to suggested practices

Inclusive Pedagogy Framework — Helpful graphic with evidence based practices — practices that foster inclusive learning, including the creation of a welcoming environment and co-construction of classroom norms for dialogue and work

University of Maine System

Together for Maine — Rules and Guidance for all the different groups (employees, students, etc.)

UMS COVID-19 Testing Summary/Dashboard — number of tests, positives, etc.

UMaine Academic Calendar for 2020-2021

Required Syllabus Language

University of Denver Office of Teaching and Learning Inclusive Teaching Practices

Academics for Black Survival and Wellness

In depth Guide: using Zoom to Teach Online Class Session (Harvard IT)

Zoom Guide for Students

Black Bear Pact — slide 19