Remote Teaching and Working
Below is a list of tips and services that VCU Collaboration Services offers that can assist as you remotely teach and work. If you need assistance with any of the items listed or our other supported products, please contact us at drgee@vcu.edu.
Google Hub of Information and Tools
Google has a temporary hub of information and tools to help teachers during the coronavirus crisis. While some of the tips in the toolkit are geared toward K-12 institutions like using Google Classroom, there is still information that is very relevant to higher education and VCU.
To access the toolkit, go to https://teachfromhome.google/intl/en/ and select the Toolkit dropdown from the top of the page, then select your preferred language.
Tip for sharing between VCU Faculty/Staff and Students
Always use the student's eID@vcu.edu address when sharing, delegating, or adding a student to any of the Google apps.
Google Groups
A Google Group contains the email addresses of its members and allows you to send a message and share Google Drive files with all the group's members using the single address for the group.
Members can be added to the group by the designated account manager(s) or by the Collaboration Services team in a bulk upload. Google Groups will be created following naming standards for your department or school.
Visit our Google Groups page for more information, including how to request a new Google Group.
Google Calendar
Google Calendar's appointment feature and the ease of adding a Hangouts Meet via the Add Conferencing option are available to easily schedule office hours or 1:1 meetings.
Visit our Google Calendar page for more information.
Google Meet
Google Meet is a video meeting option from Google that makes scheduling and joining a meeting easier. Whether you’re using a computer, an Android, or an iOS device, you can access meetings in one place. Meet supports up to 250 people at once.
Google allowed the recording of a Meet to all Google Workspace for Education customers.
You can share higher-quality video and audio in a Meet video call through the new present to a Chrome Tab feature.
Visit our Google Meet page for more information.
Google Chat
Google Chat is an interactive chat instant messaging tool that allows VCU students, faculty, and staff to communicate in one-on-one or group chat and in Rooms. Please visit our Google Chat page for more information.
Google Drive
Access, organize, and share all your files from any device, anywhere. Google documents created in Google Drive may be shared between faculty/staff and student Google Workspace accounts. Use their @vcu.edu address when sharing with a student account.
Visit our Google Drive page for more information.
Shared Drives
Shared Drives are available upon request for users in the VCU Faculty/Staff domain. A Shared Drive can be used for projects, committees, departments, or other team-related purposes.
Students can also be added to Shared Drives, but they can only be a content manager, not a full manager of the Shared Drive.
Visit our Shared Drive page for more information.
Jamboard
Google provides an online whiteboard tool called Jamboard to create a collaborative workspace to share ideas and spark creativity. Multiple users can join a Jamboard from just about any device and can all contribute simultaneously with a touchscreen or even a mouse.
Visit our Jamboard page for more information.
Listserv
A mailing list or "listserv" is a way of sending an electronic message to a large number of people. Listservs often combine the characteristics of a newsletter and a discussion group. A listserv is a good solution when there are internal and external members, and not all members are Google account holders.
Visit our Learn about Listserv page for more information.
Massmail
VCU uses Listplex Maestro for university-wide massmails and provides a second console for school and departmental use. Please contact us at drgee@vcu.edu if you would like to discuss the use of the second console for school or departmental mailings.
Visit our Send Bulk or Mass Mailings page for more information.