2. Staff
3. Prepare for unexpected downtime of the learning technologies

Be ready to communicate quickly with your students in alternative ways

You may need to update your students on the situation, quickly send them a link to an alternative webinar platform or send them learning materials outside of Blackboard.

If you are not able to access Blackboard you cannot send them an announcement and so it is best to have alternative methods of communication prepared. Having several methods available to you will mean you can stay in touch with your students whatever happens.

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MAP communications 

Familiarise yourself with the MAP communications system.

This system will enable you to send an email to all the students enrolled on your module in one action. It does take a bit of getting used to so it is best to practice this in advance so you are able to use the system in a stressful situation.

Email 

Have your student’s email addresses to hand in case MAP is not available.

This will enable you to easily paste them into a meeting invite or email to send it out straight away. You can copy the email addresses from MAP into a spreadsheet and save it securely outside of Blackboard so you can access it if Blackboard is not available. Once you have the email addresses in your spreadsheet, practice copying and pasting them into an email as this can be a little tricky.

Instant messaging 

Set up a Yammer group for your module.

Yammer is an alternative to WhatsApp that is part of the Office package and all Aston students and staff have access. It is accessible from the website and via an app.

Prepare your students

Ensure your students know that they should check your agreed alternative communication method in an emergency.