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Follow the steps below to quickly transition an in-person class session to an online format for an unexpected disruption to your teaching.

1. Get details about the closure or event.

• Check https://emergency.iu.edu for updates, including estimates of how long the interruption will last.
• Check with your department for more details about the situation and guidelines about their expectations for classes.

2. Communicate with your students right away.

Even if you don't have a plan in place yet, communicate with your students as soon as possible, informing them that changes are coming and what your expectations are for checking email or Canvas, so you can get them more details soon.

3. Identify the essential learning goal for continuing instruction.

• What is the one thing students must understand or be able to do?
• Strip away anything that isn’t essential for this unplanned format.

Write a single sentence learning goal. You’ll be sharing this with your students.

4. Choose the quickest delivery format

Pick one mode that fits both your teaching style and the nature of the lesson, relying on tools and workflows that are familiar to you and your students, and roll out new tools only when absolutely necessary. Choose whichever you can produce the fastest with reasonable clarity:

Option A: Live (Synchronous) Session

Use Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet.

Best for: discussion, Q&A, interactive explanations.

Option B: Recorded Mini-Lecture

Record a 5–15 minute video with:

• Webcam or audio-only.
• Screen share of slides or a digital whiteboard

Best for: short explanations, demonstrations, worked examples.

Option C: Text-only Option

Provide content via:

• A Canvas page
• Annotated slides
• Curated reading(s) or short external video

Best for: theory, review sessions, reading-heavy material.

5. Provide a simple task that reinforces the learning goal.

Examples:

• A short Canvas quiz
• A discussion prompt
• A quick reflection or “exit ticket” Canvas assignment
• A problem set with 2–4 questions

Keep it low stakes and clearly tied to the day’s goal.

6. Upload materials & double-check access.

• Post videos, slides, files, and tasks in Canvas.
• Confirm links are working and visible to students using the “Student View” feature.
• If using external tools (e.g., Google Docs), ensure permissions allow student access.

7. Determine an avenue for support.

• Decide how students should reach you (e.g., Canvas Inbox, online office hours, email).
• Consider offering a 15-minute optional virtual drop-in.

This prevents confusion and reduces follow-up emails.

8. Communicate with students in one clear announcement.

Your announcement should include:

1. Your course number (in the message’s subject) – to help students keep track of multiple messages
2. Situation update – why class is being moved and when they can expect it to return to normal.
3. Learning goal and purpose – what they’ll learn and why it matters.
4. What they need to do – step-by-step, listed in order.
5. How long it should take
6. Deadlines – especially for asynchronous work.
7. Where to ask questions

Message template

Subject: Today’s [enter course number] class moves online

Because of the inclement weather, today’s class will be held online. We expect to be back in class next week.

Learning Goal: By the end of this class session, you should be able to ____. The purpose today’s session is to____.

Your Tasks:

1. Attend the online class session at the regularly scheduled time: [insert meeting link].
2. Watch/read … (approx. ___ minutes).
3. Complete … (due ___).

Questions? For all content-related questions, contact me via Canvas Inbox.

NOTE: If you do not typically use Canvas Announcements in your course, consider also sending a Canvas Inbox message to direct students to the course announcement. Canvas Inbox also sends messages to students’ IU email.

9. After the session, do a quick reflection.

• Did students complete the task?
• Any common questions or misunderstandings?
• Note adjustments for future rapid conversions.

This helps you refine your unplanned transition process for next time.