​The Distance Education program offers a variety of college credit courses for busy adults and professionals interested in learning from home or other locations. These courses are offered via the Internet.  The methods of instruction include the Internet, videoconferencing or other media, substantial reading, interaction with faculty, and exams. 

Before you sign up to teach a distance education course, please read the information provided in the Distance Education Handbook. 

For general information about the courses offered, such as description, orientation dates, and faculty please click on Online Courses for courses offered over the Internet. 

Please visit the Distance Education Committee (DEC) Page to learn more!

Faculty Resources

LOCAL Resources

• EVC Distance Education Training Schedule
• EVC Self-Paced Faculty Training Canvas Course
• EVC Accessibility Training
• Canvas - Faculty Login Instructions
• Canvas Meetings – Sending Zoom Invitations to Students
  
  

Canvas Resources

In response to remote learning, the CCC Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) has provided funding for select Canvas add-in resources for colleges to use for a limited time. As such, the following Canvas resources have been recently installed:

• Proctorio – Online test proctoring. "Using state-of-the-art technology and end-to-end data security, Proctorio ensures the total learning integrity of every assessment, every time." EVC already had access to Proctorio through participation in the CVC/OEI Course Exchange program – recently Proctorio was installed for SJCC through June 30, 2020, however, the CCCCO may extend the timeline by providing additional funding.
• Labster – Virtual lab platform and simulation library to support biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering instruction. The license for this optional resource is funded by the state through December 2020.
• Blackboard Ally – Ally helps to create "inclusive and accessible learning experiences." ITSS is currently working on installing Ally in Canvas and are keeping the DE Coordinators up to date.
• PlayPosit – PlayPosit is funded by TechConnect and recently installed in Canvas. "Instructional designers can personalize learning pathways, embed simulations, create branching scenarios, and build threaded discussion boards - all with minimal introduction and training."
• Mobile Apps – Canvas has developed highly acclaimed mobile apps for Android and iOS devices that are widely used by students and faculty.
  
  

TECH TIPS

You can use OneDrive (part of Office365) to easily share files with colleagues. You can install Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Cloud on a home computer per the district license agreements. Sophos Antivirus is free for home use. Adobe Scan mobile app can be used to convert paper documents to digital, searchable, PDFs – it's included with Adobe Creative Cloud. Camtasia is a popular program for creating instructional videos with screen capture. To request a license, contact your supervisor. Screencast-O-Matic also creates screen capture videos and offers a free version online with limited capabilities. You can use Zoom to make instructional videos with screen capture for free by recording a private or group Zoom session – the videos can be set to include an automated transcription and can be saved to the cloud or to your local computer.

STATEWIDE Resources

• Canvas Resources for Faculty - California Virtual Campus, Online Education Initiative
• Events Calendar – California Virtual Campus, Online Education Initiative
• On Demand Webinar Recordings - California Virtual Campus, Online Education Initiative
  
  

OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCS (OER)

• Tool & Resources - California Virtual Campus, Online Education Initiative

OTHER WEBINARS
A series of webinars presented by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and the Center for Urban Education. Full series details available on the CUE website.

Equity-Minded Online Teaching: Using Canvas as a Model
Thursday, 4.30.2020, 12:00 - 1:30 PM
Professor Jennifer Ortiz will illustrate how to use Canvas with an equity mindset. She will provide examples of techniques and strategies which can be easily applied in any course. For example, she will show participants the video message she uses to welcome students into her class. This session will also have a focus on the implementation of AB705. Professor Ortiz is the Chair of English at LA Trade Tech and a Fellow at the Center for Urban Education. She has collaborated with CUE's staff on the development of equity-minded teaching materials.
Register: http://bit.ly/cuewebinar2

Being Aware of Learning Opportunities and Constraints Posed by Online Teaching and Moving Towards Anti-Racist Practices
Thursday, 5.7.2020, 12:00 - 1:30 PM
This webinar will address the "taken-for-granted" practices and assumptions that shape the online learning environment and ways in which they can be detrimental to the success of minoritized students. For example, many students only have access to a cellular phone and instructors are not considering how the materials they upload may become distorted on a phone. The current circumstances are overwhelming and it is easy for instructors to default to the students who have the know-how to navigate technology.
Register: http://bit.ly/cuewebinar3

Online Support as an Anti-Racist Practice
Thursday, 5.14.20, 12:00 - 1:30 PM
The immediate and unforeseen transition to exclusively online courses and administrative services in the wake of COVID-19 can make it difficult for administrative and students. In this webinar, panelists will: 1) discuss how administrators can proactively engage students with the goal of building and sustaining authentic relationships with minoritized students and 2) share strategies for doing so in online teaching and virtual support.
Register: http://bit.ly/cuewebinar4

Equity-Minded Mathematics Instruction
Thursday, 5.14.2020, 12:00 - 1:30 PM
This webinar will include one or more math instructors from California and Colorado who have worked with CUE on developing pedagogical practices that are critically race conscious. This session will address: (1) traditional vs equity-minded conceptions of the ways in which math is done and thought about, (2) how to draw upon student's knowledge, (3) noticing racialized patterns in data close to practice (gradebook and attendance mapping, designing homework problems), (4) engaging students conversations that focus on how they are experiencing the online environment.
Register: http://bit.ly/cuewebinar5

How to Express Care with a Focus on Racial Equity
Thursday, 5.28.2020, 12:00 - 1:30 PM
This session is informed by common assumptions that racially minoritized students are deficient. Often times instructor's and administrators' responses imply that "racial equity" means to provide interventions that "fix students". This session will critically address how to provide authentic care to students with a focus on racial equity.
Register: http://bit.ly/cuewebinar6

• About Proctorio
  
  

• Assignments Overview
  
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• Calendar Overview
  
• Canvas Overview
  
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• Collaborations Overview
  
• Communication
  
• Dashboard Overview
  
• Discussions Overview
  
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• Quizzes
  
• New Quizzes Overview
  
  

The Work from Home – IT Toolkit provides an up-to-date list of district IT resources that can be used to work from home. It includes links to the ITSS Help Desk Portal, Office 365, MyWeb, WebUI, Square9, SharePoint, Canvas, Zoom, Phones, Adobe Creative Cloud, Password Reset, etc., and provides information about internal and external IT resources. This page is updated as new technology resources become available. 

Loaning IT Resources – Laptops, Hotspots, etc.
The district office and colleges have loaned hundreds of computers and additional IT resources to employees and students for remote work/learning. This has included laptops, all-in-one computers, Chromebooks, iPads, hotspots, and other items. The colleges and district office manage the processes for IT loan requests and distribution locally and have worked together to leverage IT purchases district-wide. Unfortunately, given the global pandemic, there have been long wait times for new laptops and hotspots and we are waiting to receive remaining shipments of several hundred laptops and hotspots to loan out. If you need IT resources for home use, please notify your supervisor.

Office Phone
Your office phone is accessible as a softphone on a district/college computer with VPN or a smartphone. The softphone application is called, Mitel Connect. It allows you to receive/send calls from your computer or smartphone using your office phone number and provides access to the district phone directory. Please contact the ITSS Help Desk if you would like to use the Mitel Connect softphone. 

Voice Mail
Instructions for accessing and forwarding voice mail are available online. 

Zoom
Zoom is an online conferencing platform that supports interactive audio/video conferencing, screen sharing, and is accessible by computer, phone, or smartphone. CCC faculty and staff may sign up for a professional license at no cost through TechConnect (also known as Confer Zoom). Students do NOT need a Zoom account to attend a Zoom meeting. Zoom has been integrated with Canvas so that instructors may schedule Zoom sessions for their online classes within Canvas. Zoom allows you to record meetings and can be set to automatically provide a transcript along with the recording. You may save Zoom recordings in the cloud or on your computer. Go to the TechConnect Zoom page to learn more about the security features of Zoom and best practices to protect your meetings from uninvited attendees. Be sure to install the latest Zoom updates on your computer for security protection and the latest features. For added security, ensure that you have a strong password and change it if you suspect that your Zoom user account was compromised.

Free Wireless Access
Free wireless access is provided by Xfinity WiFi at select hotspots ("xfinitywifi") until further notice.

Mail and Reprographics
External mail is received by Reprographics on MWF between 9 am and 1 pm. If requested, Reprographics is available to scan paper documents and convert them to PDFs. Scanning to PDFs can also be done at home using a smartphone and mobile app such as Adobe Scan.  

Adobe Sign
A pilot group has formed to begin implementing Adobe Sign for electronic signatures and workflows. 

Virtual Desktops
ITSS will be piloting virtual desktops soon for staff/managers that do not have a district/college computer at home and need to access secure resources such as Colleague or shared drives from a personal computer.

Tech Tips
You can use OneDrive (part of Office365) to easily share files with colleagues. You can install Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Cloud on a home computer per the district license agreements. Sophos Antivirus is free for home use. Adobe Scan mobile app can be used to convert paper documents to digital, searchable, PDFs – it's included with Adobe Creative Cloud. Camtasia is a popular program for creating instructional videos with screen capture. To request a license, contact your supervisor. Screencast-O-Matic also creates screen capture videos and offers a free version online with limited capabilities. You can use Zoom to make instructional videos with screen capture for free by recording a private or group Zoom session – the videos can be set to include an automated transcription and can be saved to the cloud or to your local computer.

FREE & LOW-COST INTERNET PLANS
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) has compiled a list of current offers from ISPs that will help low-income households to acquire service at low or no cost. Most have eligibility limitations linked to income or program enrollment. The list also includes established, nationally available low-cost plans offered by nonprofit organizations. All offers are less than $20/month total cost (with no installation fees).

AT&T is offering unlimited internet data and internet access for limited income households at $10 a month through the "Access from AT&T" program.

California Community Colleges students are eligible for the California Connects Mobile Internet service. This new mobile hotspot service, powered by Sprint, offers nationwide 4G LTE connectivity and allows users to connect up to 10 WiFi enabled devices for up to 10 hours on a single charge, no contract required, for only $19.99 a month.