No images? Click here December 2020Dear Colleagues, During the pandemic and working-from-home experience of the past few months, I’ve noticed that it is hard to mark time, as so much of my previous routine is gone and the days tend to slip into one another as time passes. Perhaps that is why Professor Anna Leahy’s recent poem about time during the pandemic, hit close to home (excerpt below):
Right now, with the first vaccines being distributed in California, I am focused on the then of a world without fear of COVID contagion, a then with a readily-available vaccine, and a then when I am able to be on campus with all of you again. Those thoughts bring hope as I am closing out Fall semester and assembling my Spring course materials and activities. And I do find myself more excited about this coming Spring than usual, perhaps because last spring was interrupted by so many changes beyond our control. One teaching strategy I plan to adopt in Spring is to use an annotation tool, Hypothesis, for encouraging conversations around the academic articles that I assign to my students. We’ve recently integrated this tool with Canvas to allow for “Hypothesis assignments.” I intend to replace my typical reading quizzes with these Hypothesis assignments, which I hope will encourage students to discuss the course readings prior to our class meetings. I suspect that my students might prefer to participate in a discussion about the readings rather than take a quiz, and it is my hope that this will encourage engagement with the content rather than adding any additional testing anxiety. Another teaching strategy that I used this past semester that I will continue for spring, is grading anonymously through Canvas. Doing so has reduced any unintended bias in my grading. I’m curious what strategies or plans you have for Spring? I’d love to hear about them if you would like to share, so please feel free to drop me a line via MSTeams or email. Here’s a list of links that you might find helpful as you prepare for your Spring semester:
Implicit bias and how it effects us: PS: For those of you who read all the way to the end of this article, if you email me (remy@chapman.edu) an intention you have for Spring semester or the name of an ETS/IETL workshop that you plan to attend, I will select from those who reply, one winner of James Lang’s latest book, Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It. Sincerely, Jana Remy End-of-semester Information for InstructorsReview information about Canvas courses for 2021, final exam policies, reporting of grades, and incomplete grades. How do Students see Grades and Instructor Feedback in Canvas?Have you ever wondered how your students see their grades and the feedback that you are providing for them in Canvas? Exam Accommodations in CanvasAs finals draw near, Disability Services and Educational Technology Services have information and resources to share regarding accommodated exams in a remote environment. Recommended Proctorio Settings for InstructorsProctorio is a remote proctoring tool integrated into Canvas quizzes that helps maintain online exams’ academic integrity. Check out some of the recommended settings. Canvas: Course Copy Tips and TricksTime to get ready for Interterm and Spring! Follow these course copy tips and tricks to make the course copy process easier and get your course built faster. HyFlex Classroom TypesThere are three types of HyFlex classrooms available to you on campus: Prime, Flexcam, and Connect. Need info about the HyFlex Course Model?Check out the link roundup full of resources at Chapman and beyond! Educational Technology Support HoursThe Virtual Tech Hub will be closed starting 3 pm on December 23 and will reopen when the campus reopens on January 4, 2021. Our virtual drop-in support hours will continue for Interterm 2021! January Conference on Teaching 2021Tuesday, January 19 - Friday, January 22, via Zoom The IETL's annual January Conference on Teaching (JanCon), in collaboration with Educational Technology Services, will include an array of programming on teaching and learning topics. Faculty are encouraged to register for individual programs they are interested in attending "How to Organize" - New Canvas Event SeriesJoin Educational Technology Instructional Designers for a 5-part series on "How to Organize" your Canvas course. The series will cover topics such as organizing your syllabus in Canvas and organizing assignments and grades in your course. If you have a teaching related question or need assistance, IETL office hours are available weekly.Helpful Training Resources are Posted Regularly on the Higher Ed and Technology Blog.Access Teaching Resources in the IETL DenFind "Teaching Resources from the IETL" on your Canvas dashboard. We hope you will find the resources in our Den helpful and timely as you navigate teaching in a HyFlex environment, and as you work to maintain engagement and inclusion in the classroom. Access Technology Resources in the ETS DenFaculty now have access to Canvas, Panopto, Zoom, EdTech resources, and more within the ETS Den. Look for it on your Canvas dashboard. Adobe Creative Cloud is now available for free to all Chapman faculty, staff, and students
Dealing with Student DistractionIn his new book, James M. Lang argues that trying to end students' distraction is a losing proposition. Instead, instructors should focus on capturing students' attention -- that's a winnable strategy. For Those Who Need it Most: Using Active Inclusivity to Increase Office Hour Attendance and Extracurricular ActivitiesOffice hours and extracurricular activities, which should be inclusive, may actually be excluding the students whom they are most intended to benefit. While many studies recommend improving accessibility (location, scheduling etc.) of office hours/activities to enhance attendance, fewer address the effects of student-related factors such as low self-esteem on students’ hesitancy to attend. |