Services and Resources for Your Online Course(s)

SIS records indicate that you are teaching an online course this Fall term. Below is some information to assist you in your course.

Students enrolled in your course can see your course shell one week before class begins. To ensure that students have a successful start to the term, make sure your course is up-to-date in myCourses:

  • Confirm that the course syllabus is current. It is RIT Policy that the Syllabus be posted before the start of the course and that it includes a breakdown of the final grade formula. (Policy D05.0 VIII.C)

  • Update Release Conditions, if you have any content set to automatically reveal based on the calendar

  • Confirm schedule/calendar items match with dates for the current term

  • Ensure all materials are compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (see also: Ally for Instructors)

  • Check the Class Roster in SIS for your online classes to determine the number of Supported Students listed. Be sure to ask all students to email you if they require any accommodations. If a student requests an accommodation, but you have not received a formal Accommodation Notification Letter, the student should be referred to the Disability Services Office

  • If your course uses live web meetings (e.g., Zoom), be ready to arrange for live captioning or interpreting

  • CTL can give you advice on other effective ways to address accessibility

  • Check that the myCourses gradebook is up-to-date and aligned with all planned assessments

  • Remember the policy that grades must be posted within 2 weeks of assignment/test submission, unless explicitly stated in the evaluation criteria (Policy D05.0 VIII.B)

  • Remember the policy that you must make an attempt to verify each student’s identity. See the note on Student Identity Verification below for next steps

Student Identity Verification: At the end of the term, when you submit final grades to SIS, you will be asked to verify that you have made a reasonable attempt to verify each student's identity. We have resources in place to help you do so. See the Guidelines and Instructions for SIVC.

Course Media: Do not upload videos directly to myCourses. Streaming creates a better student experience. The CTL Academic Media Services team will encode your video for streaming playback, and caption it for you!  To get started with video streaming, refer to the guides from CTL on academic media usage.

If you need any assistance, resources are available from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). One of the best ways to get ready is to meet with a consultant. Set up a meeting through the CTL Consultation Request Form.