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Start of Semester Checklist

Fall 2024 Teaching

As you prepare for the coming Fall semester, take note of our Fall support resources, tips for setting up your Canvas course, and some steps for success in your courses.

Key Dates for Upcoming Term(s)

First Day of Fall Classes: Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Last Day of Fall Classes: Friday, December 20, 2024.

Fall Canvas courses will be automatically published August 29, 2024.

Review the Academic Calendar for all session dates.

Please note that online programs may follow different dates.

Faculty Development Opportunities

Preparing for Fall 2024 Semester: Thursday, August 22, 9:00am – 12:30pm, Online.
We invite you to our faculty development event to help prepare for the Fall semester. This event will include sessions focused on course design best practices, how to set up and design your Fall course in Canvas, AI and other generative technologies, as well as strategies for effective assessment and student engagement. These sessions apply to teaching in any modality.

EOTL101: Foundations for Success: October 14 – November 10, 2024.
This fully online course is structured to offer faculty participants the flexibility to complete learning activities with the guidance and feedback of our instructional designers. This course provides an opportunity for participants to discuss challenges, pose questions, and explore a variety of strategies to teach online/hybrid across various disciplines. It also serves as a platform for faculty to share their exemplary online teaching practices and innovative strategies. Typically, participation involves 2 to 4 hours of asynchronous work. This is a great opportunity for professional growth, networking and faculty development.

EOTL102: Student Engagement Tools and Techniques: September 16th to October 6th, 2024. EOTL102 is an online, asynchronous course that aims to provide faculty with a conceptual framework of student engagement as well as strategies and tools that they can implement in their own teaching practices. Participants will learn how to increase student motivation, implement active learning techniques, and use tools that foster collaboration in online, hybrid, and in-person teaching environments.

Canvas Updates

  • New Quizzes is the updated quiz tool available in Canvas and has been enabled in all courses since May 8th. New Quizzes allows for new question types, additional quiz settings, and enhanced student performance analytics. When creating a new quiz you will have the option to create a New Quiz or the traditional Classic Quiz. We highly encourage you to explore New Quizzes as this will eventually replace Classic Quizzes. To learn more about New Quizzes:
  • Simple Syllabus is a centralized, template-driven platform that enables instructors to quickly personalize and publish interactive class syllabi. Simple Syllabus is now available in Canvas as “Montclair Syllabus” and is a default menu item for the Fall 2024 semester.
    Visit our Simple Syllabus webpage for additional information!
  • Canvas Integrations: For a comprehensive list of pre-installed Canvas integrations visit our Integrations page.
  • Review pertinent Canvas updates at our Canvas Status and Updates page.

A Checklist for Setting Up Your Canvas Course

Whether you are teaching a course for the first time or are continuing to teach an existing course, our checklist will provide you with tips for success!

For more recommendations, please visit our Designing Your Canvas Course page.

One-on-One Consultations with ITDS

  • Preparing for Fall Online Support: The ITDS team will be available for teaching support to start the Fall 2024 semester. This support will be available August 26 to September 6 (excluding weekends from 10am -3pm). Please book a time slot via http://itds.as.me/fall2024
  • ITDS Consultations: ITDS staff are made available year round to meet with you to discuss your course(s) and provide guidance on designing your course(s) across modalities, instructional strategies, syllabus design, teaching/learning activities, instructional technologies and more. You can set up an appointment with one of our ITDS staff via the ITDS Consultation Scheduler.

Technical Support

Make sure your devices are registered on the campus network (see the Connect to Wireless page). If you need technical support, please contact the IT Service Desk or your academic technology team. You may also review information on classroom technology on the Audio-Visual Services website, check NEST for modality, room, and other details.