Remote Instruction

Check for Broken Links with the Course Link Validator

Check for Broken Links with the Course Link Validator

bCourses has a built-in tool that checks for broken links within your course site. This is especially helpful if you've imported content from a previous course that references material that may have changed or is no longer available. This easy-to-use automated tool helps streamline the quality assurance process.

The Course Link Validator searches through your course content and returns invalid or unresponsive external links that may be tricky to track down manually. This includes deleted links, or...

Include Knowledge Checks and Formative Assessments

Include Knowledge Checks and Formative Assessments

When you’re teaching in person, you may gauge student understanding of topics based on students’ facial expressions during lectures, whether or not they raise their hands and ask questions during discussions, and other non-verbal reactions to course material. When teaching remotely, you may not have the opportunity to pause mid-lecture and ask quick questions to ensure that students are understanding the content as you go, so it is imperative that you incorporate knowledge checks and other formative assessments to monitor and...

Add Your Syllabus

Add Your Syllabus

It is important to provide a downloadable syllabus to your bCourses site for ease of access. Some instructors add the class schedule to the syllabus or use the course calendar with dated assignments to populate a schedule in the Syllabus section. There is also space provided on the Syllabus page to add text. Some professors post a table of their grading criteria or special notes.

In the Core Template

There is an accessible syllabus template for you to download and use on the Syllabus page. Download it and add your...

Edit the Homepage

Edit the Homepage

When students access your bCourses site for the first time, it’s as if they are walking into your classroom. How will you welcome them to the class and make sure they know where to get started? You can do this by setting a Homepage in your bCourses site that includes clear information about the course, how to get started, and welcoming materials and activities. This will ensure students are excited to engage with you and their classmates and can get started without any confusion.

In the Core Template

When you import...

DLS Core Template Getting Started

DLS Core Template Getting Started

The DLS Core Template was developed by Digital Learning Services using bCourses' built-in course construction and management tools including Pages, Modules, Discussions, Assignments, and Quizzes. It offers a consistent organization founded in best practices in online pedagogy that ensures students can easily access materials and engage with your course without the...

Use a Course Map to Design Your Course

Use a Course Map to Design Your Course

Translating your in-person course to a remote instruction format can be a daunting task, and planning ahead is key. Consider using a Course Map to begin designing your course. DLS uses this tool when working with instructors who are developing fully online courses for the first time, and it can be useful for instructors preparing to teach remotely, as well.

The Course Map is grounded in a design process commonly called "backward" or "intentional" course design that...

Quality Assurance (QA)

Quality Assurance (QA)

Quality Assurance (QA) is the process of checking the technical components of your course site before students have access to it. This process includes confirming all links function correctly, materials are fully accessible, and materials you'd like students to access are published, or conversely, materials you'd like hidden until a certain date are not visible to students. There are two key tools available in bCourses that help streamline QA: Course Link Validator and Ally Instructor Report. Additionally, DLS has...

Update the Homepage Navigation Bar

Update the Homepage Navigation Bar

Including a navigation bar on the homepage of your course will ensure that students have access to all of the content in an easy-to-navigate way. They won’t have to waste time digging through files or scrolling through lists and are less likely to get lost searching for key resources when these items are included in the navigation bar.

In the Core Template

The course homepage includes a navigation bar at the top where students can easily access different weeks in the course. Once your weekly landing pages are ready, you’ll link to them using this...

Import Content from a Previous Course

Import Content from a Previous Course

In addition to using the DLS Core Template, in bCourses you can import content such as assignments, modules, pages, and discussions from previous courses using the Course Import tool. This is a quick way to transfer previously created content into your new course site to compliment the template resources.

Please take note of the following:

You only have access to copy content from current or previous courses in which you are an enrolled user. Importing a content more than once may have...

Digital Pedagogy Resources

Digital Pedagogy Resources

The DLS Core Template will provide you with a structure to develop a pedagogically sound remote or online course. You can use the DLS Core Template in conjunction with the following resources, which highlight how to implement best practices in digital pedagogy. Though presented in the context of a remote course, these practices are useful for developing courses in any format.

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