Transitioning to In-Person Teaching

Please refer to the Academic Senate's Academic Policies and Guidelines for Changes in Campus Operating Status and Campus Ready site for updates.

We have all learned important lessons from teaching remotely.  On this page, you will find a variety of events, resources, and updates that will support your teaching during the 2021-2022 academic year, and beyond. We will continue to expand this webpage as more information becomes available. Learn more below!

Events to Support the Transition to In-Person Teaching

A number of units on campus have hosted events to create space for reflection, connection, and innovation as we think about the future of our teaching. You can find links to the session recordings below.

Recorded Past Events:

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Applying Lessons Learned from Remote Instruction
The Center for Educational Effectiveness hosted a moderated Faculty Panel on September 15, 2021, to explore lessons learned during remote teaching and how faculty plan to transition back to face-to-face and/or hybrid learning environments. What practices worked well during remote teaching? What practices will we bring forward with us? Five faculty members, and former ACCELERATE Fellows, shared their experiences in the remote classroom, as well as discussing tips and strategies for a transition back to in-person and hybrid learning.

Summer Institute on Teaching and Technology (SITT)
SITT 2021 took place entirely online on September 9th and 10th with a mix of pre-recorded presentations, faculty interviews, and live events focused on the theme “Bouncing Back: Flexible Teaching in a Year of Recovery.” Topics centered on adapting lessons learned during the pandemic for teaching in the future, including using surveys to collect student feedback, incorporating innovative assessments using tools like Canvas and Gradescope, facilitating effective group work, empowering students through collaboration, adopting anti-racist teaching practices, and much more.

Looking Backward, Looking Forward: Applying Lessons Learned from Remote Instruction
In this May 28th, 2021 panel event hosted by the Center for Educational Effectiveness, five faculty members who are also ACCELERATE Fellows share lessons learned during remote teaching and how they plan to transition back to face-to-face and/or hybrid learning environments.

Moving Forward: Applying Lessons Learned from Remote Instruction
In this May 26th, 2021 panel event hosted by the Center for Educational Effectiveness, graduate student instructors who also serve as Teaching Assistant Consultants share their experiences in the remote classroom, as well as discuss tips and strategies for a transition back to face-to-face or hybrid learning.

Pedagogy After the Pandemic
This March 8th, 2021 event offered through the UC Davis Forums on the Public University and the Social Good features Dr. Vanessa Dennen, Professor of Instructional Systems and Learning Technologies at Florida State University. In this forum, Dr. Dennen shares her vision for how higher education can leverage flexibility and technology to offer high-quality, relevant, student-centered learning experiences.

Resources for Reflecting on Your Teaching

Over the past year and a half, we've experimented with new teaching approaches, technologies, assessments, and more. As you think about your remote teaching experience, what worked well? Are there practices that can inform your teaching in an in-person environment? The questions and articles below may help you reflect on what you want to keep doing, modify, or try out as we return to in-person instruction.

  • Have you adopted new equity practices to support students' success and belonging? Perhaps you used a survey to get to know your students at the beginning of your remote course and learn about their access to technology, prior experiences related to the course, and other factors. Or perhaps you used short check-in questions or icebreakers to help build community in your class. These are practices that can enhance in-person teaching as well.
  • Are there flexible course policies that you want to keep or change from the last year? Perhaps you will continue to allow for late work or due date extensions, or perhaps you will have flexible attendance policies to encourage students to stay home when they are sick.
  • How will you assess student learning? You may have changed some of your assessment practices during remote instruction; for example, perhaps you replaced an in-person multiple choice exam with an open book/open resource exam. Consider whether alternatives to traditional tests may continue to be beneficial moving forward. 
  • How can technologies continue to serve you and your students moving forward? For instance, some instructors found that the chat feature in Zoom worked well for soliciting student questions and feedback. Various technologies can be used to create a similar dynamic within in-person classes (for examples, check out the guide, "Using a Backchannel in In-Person Synchronous Classes," from the University of Guelph's Office of Teaching and Learning). Or perhaps you will continue to hold virtual office hours to allow students greater flexibility in reaching you.
  • Are there materials you've developed in the past year that you'll continue to use? For instance, if you recorded short video lectures for your students, perhaps you can continue to use these videos as a way for students to review key concepts.

Consultants from The Center for Educational Effectiveness and Academic Technology Services are available to discuss these questions with you!

Reflective articles:

"7 Dos & Don'ts for Post-Pandemic Teaching With Technology" by Flower Darby

"Improved Student Engagement in Higher Education’s Next Normal" by Ed Glantz, Chris Gamrat, Lisa Lenze, and Jeffrey Bardzell

"Moving from Zoom to In-Person Teaching" by Todd Zakrajsek 

"One Big Thing I’ll Keep from my Remote-Redesigned Courses this Year (Hint: It’s Got Nothing to do With Technology)" by Michelle Miller

"Why I Will Miss Zoom Teaching" by Samuel J. Abrams

Updates to UC Davis Technology Services

Campus Supported Tools
We have compiled a list of campus supported tools, including how to get started and support documentation.

Computer Lab locations
Some computer labs have changed locations. Please see this list of locations to find the ones that will be most convenient for you.

iClicker
A site license for iClicker Student App has been procured by the UC Davis Stores, so all students have access to the app free of charge. Please review the linked instructions for using iClicker.

Lecture Capture
More classrooms are equipped for ATS’ Lecture Capture service. Find the list of rooms with Lecture Capture here.

Piazza
A full-campus license for Piazza has been procured. Find more information and links to guidance in the IET Service Catalog entry about Piazza.

Respondus
Respondus Lockdown Browser is available for online quizzes or tests. Find more information on our Respondus page.

Wireless Printing
IET has created self-serve wireless printing locations in the MU 1st floor lounge and Shields basement study area. You can print from your laptop. See the wireless printing website for more information.