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Teaching Resources for Continuity of Operations

In the event of emergency closures due to weather, health emergencies, etc., we offer technology solutions to facilitate ongoing delivery of classes.

First things first – VPN access

  • Many university resources are restricted to the campus network, which means you need to use the VPN to connect to them.
  • If you have never used the VPN, download it from the JHU portal. There are VPN clients for Windows, Mac, and Linux.  You can get the iOS or Android apps from the appropriate app store.
  • Follow the instructions to configure your VPN client.
  • While you are in the portal, ENROLL IN AZURE MFA! You will need the Azure Authenticator when accessing the VPN.
  • For remote access to your office computer, know your computer’s name or IP address. For Windows 10, open your Network and Internet settings, and select “View Network Properties.”  For Macs, open System Preferences and select “Network.”  See IT staff for assistance using Remote Desktop or other tools to connect.

Blackboard

  • All courses are set up with a Blackboard shell. Even if you don’t regularly use Blackboard, in these circumstances it would make sense, as it is a supported university service with high availability.
  • Students are already familiar with Blackboard, and will be able to easily navigate to your course materials
  • Teaching tools, including Panopto and VoiceThread are integrated with Blackboard.

 Panopto

  • Panopto can be used to record full-length lectures or shorter teaching modules.
  • You can record audio and video, along with computer capture (full-screen, window, or PowerPoint/Keynote)
  • Recorders are available for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. Download computer recorders by logging into jh.hosted.panopto.com.  Choose “JHU Blackboard” to login with your JHED ID and password.
  • Panopto can record audio, video and your computer screen. You can choose to record your PowerPoint (or Keynote), or your whole screen.
  • While Panopto can be used for live streaming, Zoom is the preferred application for this.
  • For Panopto training or questions, contact your IT support staff, CATS or the CER.
  • A link to Panopto online training can be found here: https://cer.jhu.edu/tools-and-tech/panopto

Zoom

  • You can hold regular class sessions via Zoom videoconferencing. Zoom Pro accounts are available at $60/year (no charge for FY20).  Email [email protected] to get an account.  Student attendees do not need their own accounts to join a session.
  • Any Zoom meeting can host up to 300 attendees. If your class enrollment is larger than 300, we have licenses available for meetings of up to 500.
  • You can record any Zoom meeting/class session. These recordings are standard .mp4s.  Recording links can be shared via email, or you can upload the .mp4s to Panopto for distribution via Blackboard.
  • All students, including graduate student TAs, have access to Zoom Pro accounts for free.  They can login at jhubluejays.zoom.us.
  • Zoom can also be used for virtual office hours.
  • For Zoom training, contact your local IT staff.

Additional Resources

  • Many KSAS-licensed software titles used in our computer classrooms are available on our remote app server, stone.win.ad.jhu.edu. These include Matlab, Mathematica, StataIC, ENVI 5.3 and IDL 8.5, ERDAS Imagine, and SPSS.  Use of stone requires the VPN.
  • Office 365, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint Online, as well as OneDrive, Teams, and Outlook, can be accessed via a web browser at office.com. Any of the individual components is available for your mobile devices at the appropriate iOS or Android app store.
  • Teams is available as an additional platform for sharing documents, and for student interaction and collaboration. Learn more about Teams here:  https://livejohnshopkins.sharepoint.com/sites/Office365Hub/SitePages/Teams.aspx?web=1