Teaching In an LMS Outage

Communicate with Your Students

Communicate with your students as soon as possible through alternative methods, such as university email or other approved communication platforms.

Get Your Class Roster

The Class List page lets you view your class roster(s). It also includes links to the Course Details card, Class Details card, buttons in the top right to Export or Print, and an email option. We do not recommend using a mobile device to access Class Lists/Rosters as the delivered product has reduced functionality for viewing and emailing students.

Follow the steps below to access the Class List page:

• Go to Class List.
• By default, a list of all courses ever assigned will display under the title CRN Listing. Clicking on any column header will sort the list ascending or descending depending on the number of times you click the header label.
  • To view only courses taught in a specific term, click on the All Terms menu and choose the desired term from the dropdown menu.
• To retrieve the Class List (roster) for a specific course, click in a blank space on that course row.
  • If you click on a linked item (Course Title or CRN), it will open general course details or section-specific details for the CRN.
• Be sure you are on the Summary View
• Click on the checkbox in the top row of the list next to Student Name. If you are using a cellphone this box will be missing which is why we recommend using a device with a larger screen.
• Click on the blue envelope icon in the top right corner of the list, below the Summary View menu. This will create a new email message using the default email client installed and configured on your device. The student email addresses will populate in the Bcc line.
• Please make sure your internet browser allows pop-ups from https://apps.uillinois.edu.
• If you have a class size larger than 100, this function will generate several emails into sets of 100 to avoid mail server issues that may have restrictions on the number of individuals to which you can email at one time.
• If you need any assistance with installing or configuring an email application on your device, please contact your unit’s desktop support.

Using Email+ via Webtools

If you have large courses, there are constraints on the effectiveness of just using your university email. Using the Email+ from Webtools alleviates those constraints. To learn more about using Email+, visit this webpage from the Office for Strategic Communications & Marketing.

Use Zoom

Illinois.zoom.us will still work! Even meetings that were scheduled through Canvas will continue to function. These session links can be shared directly with students via email.

Share Course Materials with Your Students

If possible, use locally-stored copies of your course materials, syllabi, assignments, and grade records that may exist on your computer, departmental drives, Box, OneDrive, or other approved storage locations.

Here is a three-step process for creating a folder and securely sharing materials with your students using Illinois Box. This method restricts access to only those with a Illinois Box account.

1. Create the Course Materials Folder in Illinois Box
   • Access your Illinois Box account by visiting https://uofi.app.box.com/ and signing in with your Net ID and password.
   • Create a new folder dedicated to your course materials.
2. Generate a U of I-Restricted Share Link
   • Select the folder and enable Shared Link.
   • Set the sharing type to People in your Company. This ensures access is restricted to people from Illinois. Note that anyone from Illinois who has the link will be able to view the content of the folder
   • For the link settings, select View and Download rights so students can save the materials.
   • Alternatively you can share the folder or file with students via their individual email addresses. You will need to type their addresses into the field of the Share dialog box and invite as Viewer.  
3. Distribute the Link to Students
   • Copy the generated shared link.
   • Communicate this link to your students, such as by sending it to your Class  List.

Using Illinois Media Space to Collect Projects and Presentations

[Embed following video on page: https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_fti9nckv]

Illinois Mediaspace offers several media upload and sharing options to consider when leveraging this system for video assignments.

• The Kaltura, Getting Started documentation offers an orientation to uploading and sharing.
• For resources on the various sharing, permissions and publishing routes so someone other than the media uploader can view a video:
  • Documentation on Sharing Videos, Adding Collaborators, and Making a Video Public
  • CITL provides a video Walkthrough of Mediaspace Sharing & Permissions
  • If needing a Channel to organize media uploads from various submissions, see this article on Channel Creation and this one on adding a Roster for a Media Space channel

Zoom recordings into Mediaspace: Consider whether to leverage the automatic depositing of a Cloud Recording of a Zoom Meeting into the meeting host’s My Media of Mediaspace. More information is available in the article “Zoom, Recording to cloud or Illinois Media Space.”

Schedule the Meeting

Press the Meetings button in the left-hand navigation menu and then press the +Schedule a New Meeting button. The following options are recommended:

• Waiting Room: Enabled
• Require authentication to join: Illinois email accounts
• Options (press the Show button to access this section):
  • Allow participants to join anytime: disabled
  • Mute participants upon entry: enabled
  • Automatically record meeting: enabled for In the cloud
  • Enable focus mode when meeting starts: enabled
  • Alternative hosts: if you have any co-instructors or TAs, you can enter their names here.

Press Save when done and then share the link with your students. 

Once Canvas Access has Been Restored

Once you can get back into Canvas, there are several considerations to take into account when you log into your course:

1. Reconnect with Your Students on Campus: Communicate updated expectations and timelines clearly to students.
2. Verify and Report Issues: Verify that gradebook entries, assignment submissions, and integrations are functioning as expected after restoration.
3. Course Settings: Review course settings, assignment due dates, availability dates, and module requirements to ensure they still align with the adjusted course schedule.
4. Deadlines and Timelines: Extend deadlines and reopen assignments or quizzes as appropriate to provide students adequate time to complete coursework.