Faculty 411 Communicating with Your Students While Teaching Remotely

Let’s face it: remote learning makes sense given the situation we’re in right now, but for students and teachers used to having an in-person connection, it presents some serious challenges.

How do your students ask you a quick question outside of Zoom meetings?
What’s the best way to hold office hours?
How can we reach students on their phones without sharing our own numbers?

Tip # 1: Use Canvas Messages and Texting Notifications

The Canvas LMS’ built-in communication tools offer the most direct line of contact to students, especially considering that many of our students don’t check their CCC email regularly.

Inbox: The Inbox tool in Canvas allows instructors and students to send and receive messages, and instructors can easily send messages to the entire class. The LMS is a CCC-approved communication vehicle for learning activities at the college.

Note: Need a quick review of Canvas Inbox and how it works? Take a look at our Conversations page in the Learning to Teach with Canvas course.

Urgent Instructor to Student Canvas Text Messaging

What if I want to text my students, so I know I’m reaching them immediately?

Canvas can do this too. Encourage your students to use the Canvas Student mobile app to allow push notifications on their device. This means they’ll get a notification (email or text), or whenever you send an Inbox message or make a course announcement.

Student Instructions for Setting Up Canvas Text Messaging

Ask students to review the following pages in our Ultimate Guide to Remote Learning course. Canvas on Your Mobile Device

Update Your Notification Preferences

Student Recommendation: Be sure to register your preferred email address and add your mobile phone number. Once you register your email and add your contact phone number, set your preferences, so you receive Announcements from your professor on a daily basis.

How Do I Set Up Notification Preference in the Student App on My iOS device?

How Do I Set Up Notification Preference in the Student App on My Android device?

Notifications - Student Recommendation: Be sure to set the following on your device notification settings:

Email Notifications

- Announcement - Immediately
- Conversation Message - Immediately

SMS Notifications

- Announcement - Enabled
- Conversation Message - Enabled

Finally, make sure your students know how to communicate with you. Tell them (you may have to tell them repeatedly)

How and when to communicate with you
How quickly they should expect your reply.

Remote learning means we’re all separated from our office phones and unable to hold in-person office hours, which brings us to Tip #2.

Tip #2: Use Google Voice and Forward Your Office Phone

Google Voice is a free service that anyone with a personal Google account can take advantage of. Basically, you’ll install an app on your phone that allows you to make calls and send messages from your personal cell phone (or any internet-connected device) while masking your actual phone number . Other free services like WhatsApp perform a similar function--you should use whatever you’re comfortable with.

Google Voice will give you a phone number that you can give out to students and colleagues. They’ll be able to text you, call you, and leave voicemails. Follow these steps to set up Voice on a computer.

On a mobile device, download the Google Voice app from your app store and follow the setup process from there.

Forward Your Office Phone to Google Voice Number

If you have n office phone number at the college, you can have it forwarded to your Google Voice number.

Here are instructions from ITS on how to configure this on your office phone:

Verify you can call your external phone number from your desk phone, and note how you had to dial to make the connection.

Dialing external press 9
Local numbers do not need area code ex: 9-526-7639 or 9-226-4175
Long distance numbers need 1+area code ex: 9-1-765-123-4567

Press the blue menu key
Press No using the three buttons under your screen (white phones) or the * and # buttons (black phones) to cycle through options until you see CALL FORWARDING .
Select Yes.
On the Always option, select Review then Change
Next, select Program to change the forward number
Enter number you called in step 1, and then select save.
Select Change again and choose TurnOn
To exit, press the blue menu key again
At this point, your main-line buttons will be illuminated as if you were busy on the phone
To discontinue forwarding, select Change again and select TurnOff