Education Commons by the Numbers

Working remotely during the Covid 19 pandemic, things have been a little different for all of us. Here’s the story of the remote Education Commons, as told by some of the numbers we’ve been tracking.

Requests to the Education Commons

Tickets in the First 3 Weeks

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Average Response Time

Tickets Resolved Same Day

To get the fastest response to your request during these busy times, be sure to contact Education Commons via oise.help@utoronto.ca, or any of the three official methods for contacting Education Commons. Those channels are monitored by five experts who are trained to analyze and direct your request appropriately. Attempting to reach out directly to a specific EC staff member may seem like a quicker way to get results, but it can in fact result in unnecessary delays.

Education Commons Website

Unique Page Views

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Virtual Interactions

The Virtual Education Commons

In its first three weeks of availability, 55 people made use of our ZOOM link to drop in and speak directly to an Education Commons expert.

Remote Control Through TeamViewer

In the first three weeks of working remotely, Education Commons experts have used the TeamViewer remote-control/desktop-sharing software 20 times to resolve computer problems that would normally have required an in-person visit.

Virtual Sessions

Education Commons has been presenting an evolving series of online information sessions, to offer our community training and guidance on the best uses of technology to see us through these extraordinary times. The response has been substantial, with 165 attendees joining us on 21 sessions in the first two weeks alone.

The MT Program’s Virtual Meet-and-greet

Unable to hold their popular Master of Teaching program meet-and-greet in the normal way, the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning contacted us about how this important recruitment event could be put on remotely. Neil Tinker and the team brainstormed a solution involving ZOOM teleconferencing, and the event went off successfully on April 6, with 186 online participants.

When the event was over and the number of attendees was known, CTL’s Anne Marie Chudleigh wrote to say:

“Thank you very much for your incredible support and responsiveness over the last few weeks…. I’d say that is likely two times more than have attended a face-to-face event in the past… amazing!”

If you have an OISE event that you will be taking into the virtual realm, please contact us for advice and assistance at oise.help@utoronto.ca.

ZOOM Licences

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Pro Licenses

ZOOM has emerged as the videoconferencing tool of choice during this pandemic, and the numbers support that story. 98 (and counting) new ZOOM Pro licenses have been issued by request to OISE faculty and staff as of April 15, in response to the announcement that all OISE courses will be held online, and to facilitate video collaboration for staff working from home. If you require a ZOOM Pro licence, contact Education Commons at oise.help@utoronto.ca.

Team Meetings

Despite the stressful situation, we hope you find ways to inject some pleasure into your work. We’re trying to. So far, we’ve held 21 team meetings remotely, and everyone enjoys seeing each other every day.