Remote learning

For classes that are offered online, we would like to provide rules and expectations that will ensure a safe, productive, and educational environment for you, your classmates and the instructor. The following information also represents a general set of default rules and guidelines around online classrooms (if any individual professor announces separate rules please adhere to the classroom rules from each professor):

Conduct

• conduct yourself in a professional and respectful manner and adhere to in-person classroom rules around use of technology for note taking, food and drink, participation, etc. 
• review the University Code of Conduct and the Law School Student Code of Conduct before you start online learning and be aware that, as you use technology and have access to videos of faculty and other students, the Law School Code of Conduct makes it a violation to:
  • disseminate a recording made of any course–related activity (including a recording of any part of a class session) in any manner that makes the recording accessible to persons not teaching or enrolled in the course, except with the express written permission of the faculty member teaching the course; 
  • seriously and unreasonably disrupt, interfere with, or attempt to disrupt or interfere with the conduct of classes or any other normal or regular activities of the Law School;
  • record, manipulate or share any of the online materials and teaching videos.

Do continue to be respectful, courteous, and patient with your professor and your classmates.

Attendance

• Please be aware that class attendance is mandatory and any student who needs to miss a class should contact jennifer.bretschneider@temple.edu so that all of your professors can be made aware of the situation and a determination can be made about whether to allow access to a class recording.
• Classes will take place synchronously at their regularly scheduled times.
• Use the attendance tracker Attendance (Qwickly) on Canvas to mark attendance for each class.
• Please use your real name on the Zoom screen.
• Please continue to prepare for class and remember that it remains vitally important that students continue to take responsibility for their own education.

Logistics

• Please test your audio and video setting before joining the Zoom meeting.
• Please familiarize yourself with the attendee controls  like “raise your hand”,”chat” on Zoom.
• It is highly recommended that participants in the online classes use a headset to reduce the background sound on the Zoom meeting.
• Do not “mute/stop” your video/screen and please make yourself visible to the online class
• Please “arrive” early and ensure that your set-up is functioning.
• Please refrain from sideline “chats” when a professor is speaking – the “chats” are distracting (and transcribed).
• If you have any questions about these standards or the Code of Conduct, please do not hesitate to reach out to jennifer.bretschneider@temple.edu.

• Classes will be delivered in real-time through web conferencing technologies such as Zoom.

• Professors will record their lectures and post them on Canvas for students to view and (in some cases) respond to. Videos can be viewed at students’ convenience.

• Some or all classes may be delivered in real-time through web-conferencing technologies such as Zoom.
• Professors may pre-record some content to be viewed at students’ convenience.

Canvas is Temple’s learning management system. Students in online classes may use Canvas for: 

• Retrieving course materials
• Getting and submitting assignments
• Taking quizzes
• Participating in online discussion boards
• Viewing recorded lectures

Sign In To Canvas

Zoom is Temple’s primary video conferencing solution. Students will use Zoom for:

• Attending live online classes
• Meeting with faculty for online office hours
• Meeting with classmates for group work or collaboration

Sign In To Zoom

Google Drive

• Creating, organizing, and editing documents.
• Sharing documents with others.
• Collaborating on Microsoft Office documents, Google Docs, Google Slides and Google Sheets with other students and faculty.

Learn more about Google Apps (Temple ITS)

Microsoft Teams

• Creating shared online workspaces
• Communicating with groups around shared work
• Sharing documents with others
• Organizing shared work

Learn more about Microsoft Teams (Office.com)

Office 365 / OneDrive

• Creating, organizing, and editing documents
• Sharing documents with others
• Collaborating on Microsoft Office documents

Learn more about Office 365 (Temple ITS)

OwlBox (owlbox.temple.edu)

• Sharing documents with others
• Collaborating on documents with Box Edit

Learn more about OwlBox (Temple ITS)

VoiceThread

• Creating and viewing presentations with audio and video narration.
• Commenting and collaborating around presentations with audio and video.

A quiet space will allow you to focus on your class and minimize background noise in the meeting when your microphone is unmuted.

Zoom supports hosting and joining meetings from any of the following:

• Windows, Mac or Linux Computers
• iOS, iPadOS, and Android Tablets
• iOS and Android Phones

Zoom system requirements for PC, Mac, and Linux (zoom.us)

Zoom system requirements for iOS, iPadOS, and Android (zoom.us)

• Suitable connections can be provided by a home broadband internet service provider (ISP) over a wifi or wired network connection; or through a mobile internet/cell phone plan. 
  If using your cell phone plan, be aware that video conferencing and streaming content can use a lot of data, and network performance may be impacted by your location. Make sure your data plan limits are high enough to avoid unexpected data overage fees and you have good signal strength at your location.
• The recommended minimum internet speed for live classes is 3 Mbps download & 3 Mbps upload. You can test your connection at speedtest.net.
  If your speeds fall below this benchmark, try hardwiring the connection between your computer and network router using a cat-5 ethernet cable and retesting, or contact your internet provider to see if you can obtain faster service.

Test your internet connection (speedtest.net)

• When connecting to your first Zoom class or meeting, you will be prompted to install the appropriate Zoom app for your device. Apps are available for Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, iOS, iPadOS, and Android.
• The Zoom web client allows joining a Zoom meeting or webinar without downloading any plugins or software. However, the web client has limited features, and functions best on Google Chrome.

Download the Zoom Desktop Client (zoom.us)

A webcam is required for your instructor and classmates to see you during the class. If you have multiple cameras connected to your computer, Zoom will ask for a preferred device when starting or joining your video for the first time. Suitable webcam options include:

• The built-in camera on your laptop or mobile device
• An external webcam

Testing your Zoom Video Settings (zoom.us)

Students need a way to hear their instructor and other students during online classes and web meetings. We recommend a head set for attending online classes. Zoom will ask for a preferred audio playback device when starting or joining your first meeting. You can use any of the following to hear the sound from your online class:

• Built-in computer speakers
• External speakers
• Headphones
• Audio headset
• Phone (via teleconference)

Testing your Zoom Audio Settings (zoom.us)

Students will need some way of speaking to the instructor and other students during an online class or web meeting. Zoom will ask for a preferred audio capture device when starting or joining your first meeting. You can use any of the following to hear the sound from your online class:

• Built-In microphone
• External microphone
• Audio headset
• Phone (via teleconference)

Testing your Zoom Audio Settings (zoom.us)

• In large, more formal, lecture classes: In general, students should keep their microphones muted during traditional class when not speaking. Student microphones may be unmuted remotely by the host or faculty member when called upon.
• In smaller collaborative meetings: participant microphones may be left unmuted to enable more natural participation. Make sure you are in a quiet environment if your microphone will be unmuted.

Many classes require students to have their cameras turned on during class. This creates a stronger classroom community and ensures students are present and engaged during lectures for attendance purposes. Students should consult professors on their preferences and requirements regarding camera usage.

The chat panel in Zoom can be used to communicate with other participants and the instructor via text. Chat-based messaging is sometimes less disruptive than a spoken question and allows the instructor to address questions or comments at a natural break in the presentation.

Depending on faculty preference, students may be asked to unmute their microphone and interject with questions. Alternatively, instructors may prefer students to use the “raise hand” button in the Zoom participants panel and wait to be acknowledged before unmuting. Ask your professor how they prefer to handle questions and comments during lectures.

Email communication is a common way for students and faculty to communicate with each other around class topics. However, email volume can become a challenge that hinders rather than enables communication. The following tips can help keep email communication organized and effective:

• To help your recipients, always use descriptive, but brief, subject lines for new messages to indicate the main purpose of your message. “Hello” and “Class tonight” are not good subject lines.
• When replying to emails with multiple recipients, use Reply All unless you have a strong reason for removing message participants. If you remove participants in a reply, indicate in your message who you’ve removed from the thread and why.
• Use BCC if you intend to send an email to many people but do not wish for them to reply all, or know who else has received the message.
• Use tags and folders to organize your messages.
• Use email filters to automatically tag or categorize messages to help you save time and stay organized
• Use advanced search features in TU Mail to find buried messages based on specific attributes like tags, attachments, sender, or recipient.

• Google Drive (enter YourAccessNetID@temple.edu at the sign in prompt to be redirected to Temple’s single sign on gateway)
• Owlbox
• Office 365 (enter YourAccessNetID@temple.edu at the sign in prompt to be redirected to Temple’s single sign on gateway)

• Zoom: Video conferencing
• TU Mail: Email