Managing Remote Attendance

When a student feels sick, they should stay away from the classroom. Providing clear ways for students to stay engaged with the class when they are sick, quarantined, or caregiving, will help keep them on track and reassure them that they don't need to come in when they are not feeling well. 

Not every class needs a full range of live, interactive options for remote students. What you choose to do will depend on your learning objectives for the class and your technical confidence. Here are some options that have been used in other classes: 

• Allow for more flexibility in attendance policies and deadlines. 
• Offer a standard alternative to class work that can be done asynchronously by someone who is not in class (e.g. writing or recording short responses to prompts).
• Use regular entries in journals and/or check-in surveys to allow students to reflect on their learning and share their progress with you even when they need to be remote.
• Record classroom lectures (in Zoom or Echo360) and post them for students who miss class (these “lecture captures” can also benefit students who attended class as a review.)
• Broadcast live from the classroom to students who want to attend remotely. Have someone in the classroom (TA or volunteer) monitor the chat for questions.
• Allow or encourage use of “Zoom buddies” -- students who act as proxies for remote students by allowing them to connect to personal Zoom meetings on a device in the room.
• When managing ongoing group work, arrange for groups to support any members who are remote on a work day using whatever tools work best for them. Have groups keep journals documenting their progress and processes.
• Incorporate remote students in live classroom discussions and activities through use of tools such as screens, cameras, microphones, and devices such as OWLs and iPads. Depending on your learning objectives, there are many ways to make this work, and equipment is available from EdTech for check out -- see me or EdTech for more info.

Additional details about remote attendance:

• Instructional Strategies for Managing Remote Attendance 
• EdTech list of rooms and equipment that support remote attendance

* Note about accessibility and remote access: when we all shifted to fully remote classes in 2020, many students with disabilities (or limitations on their ability to be physically present in the classroom) found that remote access made it possible for them to more fully participate in classes. For some students, remote access was something that they had been requesting for years before the pandemic. As higher education shifts back toward "normal", these students are expressing concerns that they will be excluded again. Although providing remote access requires extra effort and technology, any remote options you can provide will be much appreciated by these students. [ Harris, E. (2020). Not Everyone Hates Remote Learning. For These Students, It’s a Blessing. - The New York Times. New York Times.]