Whether it's social distancing measures or creating smaller groups, lessening classroom contact time can be better for professors and students. Put readings, videos and brief, recorded lectures online. Meet in person once a week for work groups, labs and interactive conversations. Or, split your class in half and alternate their times in the classroom and online.
There are a number of elements in a traditional class that can take place online. Students can find all your readings, watch videos and mini-lectures, participate in Discussion groups about course materials, take quizzes and submit assignments. For the student, it provides flexibility to do these assignments when it works best for their schedule. For the teacher, all of it is organized in one place. You can even see the exact time an assignment is uploaded by a student.
Some activities work best face-to-face. Workgroups, debating an issue, working in a lab or giving presentations can be done online, but you may determine work best in person. Or you may decide that exams requiring supervision work best in the classroom.
Choose this path if you plan to meet fewer times weekly in class and the rest online.
Once you've thought about what works best online and in the classroom, you can create a course that combines elements of both in a way that is best for you and your students.
Choose this path if you plan to split your class in half to reduce class size.
This path could be used to create smaller learning groups in any environment. In this model, you might have half your students come into the classroom or lab one day each week, while the other is doing work online. Then the groups flips, and you provide the same experience in the classroom for the second group. Choosing this model may require some additional training in Canvas.