In the wake of a health crisis — and to best keep students and educators safe — schools are re-evaluating their teaching practices and learning environments to accommodate an at-home, virtual learning experience.

The ability to make this fully functional and efficient falls squarely on IT. But, with the right tools in place, remote learning can be as simple and intuitive as in-person.

In our five-part blog series, we identify five ways you can best serve students and teachers when you move learning online. We cover how to:

Part 1: Set expectations for students and teachers

Part 2: Facilitate engaging discussions daily

Part 3: Promote peer-to-peer interaction

Part 4: Offer active learning through projects and breakout groups

Part 5: Leverage apps and games

Promote peer-to-peer interaction

In a similar manner as to how teachers and students interact, students can work on group projects using the Classes and Lessons function within Jamf School. Teachers can create ad hoc classes with select students and assign projects to only those students.

Using the Chat functionality, teachers can stay in touch with students and groups of students actively. Students can communicate with the teacher and the teacher is able to assign group projects and activities using the Classes and Lessons feature to create assignments among multiple students. Students can then leverage third-party apps vetted by the teacher to empower students to collaborate outside of Jamf School on the assigned project.

Schools with Managed Apple IDs can choose to allow students to use them for iMessage or Group Facetime which is a phenomenal way to collaborate in real time. Other companies such as Zoom and Discord make their services free or discounted for education purposes.

Managed Apple IDs are a special type of Apple ID for students that empower IT to create the Apple ID on their behalf and dynamically update the student’s information. Managed Apple IDs are created in the Apple School Manager portal and can sync with Classroom data, as well as a school’s Student Information System (SIS).

Teachers can also request apps within Jamf Teacher and make them available to students. Once an IT administrator approves the app request from the teacher, the students can use as many apps as the teacher allows for productivity within the group.

Be prepared for all learning environments

Facilitating remote learning is only going to be more commonplace — with or without health scares. With a plan in place and the right tools at the ready, transitioning from in-class to online learning can be as easy as reciting the ABCs.

If you’re ready to deliver the best learning experience to every student regardless of location, we’re ready to help. Get started with a free trial of our education solutions. And once a customer, take advantage of over 130 free online training modules on how to best leverage Jamf Pro to empower your educators and students.

Be on the lookout for part four of our blog series on ways to offer active learning through projects and breakout groups. In the meantime, sign up for our April 2 webinar for additional ways to support remote learning.