Technology Resources for Teaching During Unexpected University Closure
The Office of Information Technology provides a number of resources to allow faculty to continue teaching their students during an extended emergency, such as flu outbreak, weather closure, or other catastrophic event.
We have provided some links to resources that can be useful in teaching a class for remote students or if a faculty member must teach a class remotely.
Faculty can easily email their entire class via my.SMU. Login to my.SMU and go to the Faculty Center. Then click the Class Roster button. You can use the notification option to communicate with your students.
Canvas
Canvas is the online course management system at SMU. It allows faculty to post class assignments, notes, conduct tests, host discussion boards, and more, all through a standard web browser. Classes are automatically created in Canvas and both students and faculty are automatically assigned to their classes. To begin using Canvas, go to smu.edu/canvas.
Panopto
Panopto is a cloud-based media capture and storage application that integrates directly with Canvas. This tool allows faculty to deliver all video and audio media for traditional, hybrid and all online courses, such as recording a screen capture, uploading pre-recorded video, or authoring a video quiz all within Panopto. To get started, visit smu.edu/panopto.
Zoom
Zoom is a cloud-based audio/video conferencing solution. It will allow faculty to connect with up to 50 students through simple online meetings, group messaging, and a software-defined conference room solution all in an easy-to-use platform. It is available to all active faculty at smu.edu/zoom.
Remote Desktop Connections
Provided you have pre-configured your office computer, you can connect to that computer remotely. This will allow you to access any files or applications unique to your office environment from home, a coffee shop, or anywhere you have internet access. Both Windows Instructions and Mac Instructions are available online.