Remote teaching: Create digitally friendly documents

This article reviews how to create and recreate documents so that they are digitally-friendly and ready to be used for remote instruction.

Overview

Remote instruction can greatly benefit from the use of tools designed for online collaboration and sharing. If you’re faced with either a) interacting with or b) presenting materials for remote instruction, the following services can be extremely helpful.

Strive to make your documents self-sustaining — use form fields to clearly denote where a reader should interact with the document or annotations/comments to pose questions and provide feedback.

Document types

Choosing the right file format for your document is important as it shapes what tools you have at your disposal and how people will interact with the information you present.


.PDF.DOCXOffice Online
Form Fields¹Check mark signX mark error signX mark error sign
Annotations/CommentsCheck mark signCheck mark signCheck mark sign
Viewable on any deviceCheck mark signCheck mark signCheck mark sign
Consistent formatting across devicesCheck mark signX mark error signCheck mark sign
Default storage locationLocalLocalOnline

¹Allows for specific placement of fillable sections to easily allow responses while maintaining clean formatting.

Storage, distribution, and submission

Once you’ve created your document, the next step is to decide where to host it, how to distribute it, and how you’re going to collect responses.


via Emailvia Moodlevia OneDrive
Distribution methodDistribution list¹Upload to the courseShareable link w/ view & download permissions
File size limit20MB128MB1TB
Storage locationLocalMoodleOneDrive
Replies/submissions²Individual responses³In the Moodle CourseShare directly to recipient

¹Acts similar to a mailing list where one can send the same email to multiple recipients.

²The distribution method you choose does not limit your replies/submission method.
(e.g., You can send a document via Email and receive submissions via your Moodle course.)

³Create an Outlook Rule based off of your distribution list to automatically sort replies/submissions into a folder.

Design

Form fields (.PDFs only)

This tool allows you to place specific, fillable sections in your documents. Make it obvious where a reader needs to provide input and keep formatting consistent & clean!

These fields can be used for something as short as a fill-in answer to as long as an open-ended question.

Annotations/comments

Receive feedback & responses from your reader(s)! Highlight sections to pose a question & allow each user to add their own response.

Groups can collaborate on assignments or individuals can ask clarifying questions about the material itself.

Questions?

If you have any additional questions or problems, don't hesitate to reach out to the Help Desk!

Phone: 610-526-7440 | Library and Help Desk hours
Email: help@brynmawr.eduService catalog
Location: Canaday Library 1st floor