If you have been following Online Learning Services over the course of the year, you may have noticed the variety of tools we provide for online discussion. It is understandable that you might be confused about what each one does. Here is a handy summary of each tool and in what teaching context it can shine: VoiceThread VoiceThread is a… Read more →
Our own Abi Johnson has written about the value of ’empathy games’ in teaching and learning: The use of both virtual and physical games in the classroom is well-documented; there are books, essays, and entire conferences on the topic. The theory seems sound: games are made up of rules, a goal, a feedback system, and voluntary participation.1 A classroom, arguably,… Read more →
A branching structure in the teaching and learning process is helpful because it gives students more control over the learning process and the freedom to choose the sequence of their learning. Adult learners like to learn skills that they can see will directly help them on the job. Branching engages students because it allows them to learn the skills they… Read more →
Professional Learning Community Evolving: For the past two summers, Online Learning Services hosted a series of gatherings to explore and discuss issues and opportunities around online teaching and learning. One takeaway, among many, was that faculty who seek to improve their online or hybrid pedagogy, and to better understand the motivations of students who seek online classes, want more frequent… Read more →
Hello and welcome to a new semester, everyone! We’re glad to see you back. 1. Things to Remember You can still merge your courses in Canvas like you did in Blackboard – for more information on that, check out our guide! You have access to 24/7/365 technical Canvas support through the Help menu in Canvas. For instructional design support, reach… Read more →
We here in Online Learning Services get asked, from time to time, for some Canvas “tips and tricks,” or, in simpler terms, how to use Canvas more effectively. Here’s a roundup of some of these ideas! Don’t forget to check out Volume I for our first round of advice. MasteryPaths During your Canvas trainings with us, we suggested you steer… Read more →
I taught online for the first time this summer semester, and it was a whirlwind. I intend to write more of a narrative about my entire process soon, but for now, here are some things I learned the hard way that I hope I can spare you from. Our students use Google Docs. Google Docs does not show them page… Read more →
Last summer, the Online Learning Services team introduced a professional learning community for faculty teaching online to come together over issues of effective and high-quality online development, delivery, and support. We, as an office, didn’t have specific goals – other than getting people together to talk about their practice, to “cross-pollinate” ideas between departments, to hear about how our faculty… Read more →
This March, Abi and Tom of OLS had the opportunity to attend the Northeast Regional Computing Conference (NERCOMP) in Providence, RI. We presented a “sort-of” literature review on using video to reach all types of students. Here’s an abridged version of our talk. Encountering specific challenges with teaching online? Apply UDL to your video content! We know that there are… Read more →
Have you ever gotten a last minute paper, or a a resubmitted assignment and find yourself in need of the Turnitin plagiarism assessment tool for just that one paper? In Blackboard, faculty had a “Direct Submit” option with the SafeAssign tool, but now with Turnitin (which needs to be accessed through Canvas), you can use your sandbox course to create… Read more →
