There are a number of ways instructors might support student learning through absences. This section is intended to outline the variety of options you might use to support learning, depending on the circumstances of the class, ranging from deadline extensions, access to presentation slides, to access to a virtual stream of the class. Use the links below to explore the option(s) you might like to pursue, and feel free to reach out to centerforteaching@bc.edu with any questions.
Peer Support
You might direct students to solicit notes from a peer if they’ve missed a class. They could follow up on any questions during office hours with you or a TA. You might consider mechanisms that can make it easier for students to turn to each other for this kind of learning support. For example, you might:
- Have students pair up with a class buddy in the first week of class with the explicit idea that that person would be who an absent student would turn to first in order to catch up on a missed class. It’s helpful to invite students to pair up with someone that’s unlikely to be absent on the same days as them. For example, you might encourage student athletes to pair up with someone who is not on their team.
- You might have a shared notetaking document where students are taking collaborative notes throughout the semester, giving students a familiar place to look in the case of an absence.
- You might build in opportunities for students to connect during class time. For example, you might send students to work on a small group activity and give them a few extra minutes, with the explicit reminder that they can use this time to request notes from a peer or to ask questions of one another about tricky course content.
An Alternative Assignment
In some cases faculty may wish to accommodate students by creating assignments or quizzes aimed solely at them, or by granting them a different due date on an existing assignment or quiz.
For creating student-specific assignments in Canvas, please refer to the CTE’s documentation on Getting Started with Canvas Assignments, and Canvas’ documentation on assignment due date and availability options.
For information on creating quizzes with accommodations for extra time or a different due date, please see the CTE’s documentation on Accessibility & Accommodations in New Quizzes.
Viewing Class & Listening In
Recording (asynchronous)
Panopto
The simplest and most direct method for an absent student to view a class is often through the Panopto lecture capture tool, if a room is equipped for it. Many instructors find Panopto’s abilities to start and stop automatically, and to record both their lecture and their slide show, to be useful in making their spoken lecture and visual presentation available for students.
If you choose to use Panopto to record your lecture, check Classroom Profiles to see if your room has it installed, and fill out a form to request a scheduled or one-time recording of your class; lecture halls have lavalier mics for instructors to wear, while smaller rooms have ceiling mics. Once Panopto is set up, you simply have to enter your class schedule and Panopto will record each session automatically, starting and stopping according to your class information, allowing you to teach as you normally would. Information on the audio set-up of your room can be found in the Classroom Profiles link.
The CTE has a variety of resources dedicated to helping faculty navigate Panopto:
Alternatives to Panopto
If your classroom is not equipped for lecture capture, there are alternatives, though each has its own unique advantages and disadvantages.
You may contact Video Services and arrange to have a videographer come to your class and record it for you, depending on availability. To do so, please fill out a request form.
- Advantage: someone else takes care of it, so you just teach as you normally would; you can work out the placement of the camera with the videographer
- Disadvantage: it can take at least 24 hours for the video to made available to you
- To know: the recording will be a single window, focusing mostly on any screen content with occasional shifts to the speaker
You may choose to use Personal capture, which allows you to record the class using Panopto via your laptop. More information about how to use personal capture may be found on the CTE Resource site page, Create a Panopto Recording and Publish to Canvas.
- Advantage: the recording is done with your own laptop and is therefore completely under your control; you can make it available at least as quickly as you would lecture capture
- Disadvantage: you take on the work of getting it going as you’re starting class, and uploading it as you’re wrapping up.
- To know: consider using a boundary mic, since the laptop mic won’t capture the whole room, and personal capture doesn’t use technology from the room as lecture capture does. See the section on Equipment Considerations below for more on various tech considerations.
You may also use Zoom to record a class session. Details on how to do this may be found on the CTE Resource site page, Recording in Zoom.
- Advantage: the recording is under your control, and you can make it available at least as quickly as you would lecture capture
- Disadvantage: you take on the work of getting it going as you’re starting class, and uploading it as you’re wrapping up.
- To know:
- Consider using a boundary mic (borrowed from Classroom Services); classroom audio doesn’t connect to Zoom. See the section on Equipment Considerations below for more on various tech considerations.
- Make slides or other content visible both in the classroom and on Zoom by sharing the screen and projecting. Some instructors who work with iPads or tablets use them to replicate writing on a board or annotating slides. Please feel free to reach out to the CTE for more information on using an iPad or tablet in this manner.
Live Streaming (synchronous)
Zoom
Alternatively, you may choose to stream your class via Zoom, a tool which many professors began using during the 2020-2021 academic year, so many students and instructors will be familiar with it. The CTE’s documentation on Zoom will help you get started.
- Advantage: allows a student, or students, to view a class in real time when it was already in their schedule.
- Disadvantage:It may require more technological support, such as a mic. For more on tech issues, please see the section on Equipment Considerations below.
- To know: Since you can share the screen on Zoom while projecting in the room, often everything can be done from a single laptop. This allows you to both stream in real time and also to record the session if needed.
- Zoom allows participant and host windows to be visible, to show name or avatar only, or to not appear at all so those options are available to both you and the absent student(s).
- Some instructors who work with iPads or tablets use them to replicate writing on a board, or annotating slides. Please feel free to reach out to the CTE for more information on using an iPad or tablet in this manner.
Panopto
It is also possible to live stream from Panopto to a student. If you choose to use Panopto as a streaming option, please send a request to canvas@bc.edu, including the room number and class time, along with the course number and the instructor’s name.
- Advantage: This allows you to utilize classroom technology, if your classroom is equipped with it. You may have some familiarity with the application and how it works, if you’re already using it to record your classes for review purposes. It does not require a separate application on the student’s end. Please refer to the section on Equipment Considerations below for more on various tech considerations.
- Disadvantage: Panopto’s live stream capabilities are limited to a view-only format, meaning students may only watch the live stream and not interact directly with the class via Panopto. Further, there is a 30 second delay in the stream, meaning that student interaction with the class would be very difficult to accomplish.
- To know: when used for live streaming Panopto automatically makes a recording of the stream. Therefore, depending on your approach to Panopto recordings, you may wish to make sure your Panopto folder does not publish automatically. Please see the CTE documentation on how to hide Panopto recordings from students.
Participating Remotely
There are some options if you want students to fully participate remotely (i.e. have the chance to view what’s happening in the classroom and contribute to any activities or discussion). While this option can provide a student with an experience that’s as close as possible to being in the room, it can be the most logistically challenging for the faculty member.
Zoom
You may choose to stream your class via Zoom, a tool which many professors began using during the 2020 – 2021 academic year. Zoom was developed as a streaming and virtual communications tool and, due to the pandemic, many students and instructors will be familiar with it. Zoom may be utilized to allow a single student, or many, to livestream a class while also enabling them to participate in class conversations, ask questions, and interact in real time. The CTE’s documentation on Zoom will help you get started.
- Advantage: It allows a student, or students, to view a class in real time when it was already in their schedule while also enabling them to participate in class conversations, ask questions, and interact in real time.
- Disadvantage: It requires a separate device to run the application and depending on your plans for participation, it may require more technological support, such as a mic (mic, speakers, etc.). For more on tech issues, please see the section on Equipment Considerations below.
- To know: This allows you to both stream in real time, but also to record the session if needed. The student’s participation may require changes to your lecture if there are handouts or group activities. Some options to consider:
- Have another student monitor the Zoom call
- For group work, you can simply toggle off projection and have students in the classroom join the Zoom session. Use another tool like a Google Doc for students to interact in groups that bridge Zoom and classroom.
- Use Zoom’s built in polling feature that can aid in remote student interactions.
Equipment Considerations
Audio
When streaming via Zoom or using the personal capture option you may wish to consider utilizing a microphone. While most devices have a built-in microphone, its viability is dependent on the instructor’s proximity to the microphone. Also, depending on its positioning in the room, the audio of any student discussion may not be clear. However, there are several equipment options that can help with this.
One simple option is to use a lavalier microphone. You simply plug the microphone into your computer and then select it as the audio source from your options or system settings. Please contact Classroom Services and request a microphone loan.
If you are using Panopto and depending on the location your classroom may already be equipped with microphones that can be used to capture both the instructor and the class audio. Please search for your room within Classroom Profiles to learn what technology your room is equipped with.
Video
One thing to consider with streaming a class is how you will be doing it. Will you be streaming from your own laptop and its camera? Using a separate standalone camera? Allowing a fellow student to stream from their device? Etc.
Requirements for Interaction
The different options come with a difference in terms of student interaction. While Zoom may allow for a student to interact with the class, your method for using it may depend on your comfort with the technology involved and other priorities for the classroom.
- If it’s on your own laptop, will you be checking in to see if the student has something they wish to contribute? Or is another student monitoring the absent student on Zoom?
- Will you limit them to text based participation via the chatroom, or will you allow them to verbally interact with the class? If verbally, will there be specific moments for the remote students participation or will they be able to speak whenever they would like?