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August 2020
Dear Colleagues,
These past few months of working from home, I’ve spent a significant amount of time gazing at the window view outside of my home office, which shows the orange tree in my yard as well as my vegetable garden beds and my chicken coop off in the far distance.
The view has helped to offset the many other hours I’ve spent gazing at the “window” of my laptop computer!
Just the other day I came across an intriguing website called “Window Swap” that allows you to share window views from others around the world. As I swiped through those views I thought of all the millions of people who’ve also spent the last few months of their lives indoors and looking at the view outside their windows. I suggest you scroll through a few of those windows yourself–it is fascinating stuff!
As I had windows on my mind, I was thinking about my students this fall, some of whom will be getting a new “view” as they relocate to Orange this next month and some who will be staying at home as they join fall classes. It made me wonder a lot about the challenges the students have faced over the spring and summer, and how I might best create a sense of community in our online class this fall. To start off with, I’ll share the Window Swap site with my students and then ask them to participate in their own “Window Swap” by sharing a view of their world/community into an introductory Canvas discussion thread.
I wonder if you are all thinking about how you will create a sense of community with your students as we start the semester? Will you do an introductory discussion thread on Canvas? Or do you have another strategy for getting the students acquainted with each other?
I also wonder how you are each faring as you prepare for the uncertainties of Fall semester? Have you been “Hiking” with Canvas experts to get your courses ready? Have you been considering the student feedback from your Spring evaluations to determine what strategies worked well for remote learning? Or have you been pre-recording course lectures to share with your students? Or are you struggling to know where to start to be prepared for so much uncertainty? For any of you, I would suggest a few ways you might consider getting help from some experts:
- Attend office hours with an IETL Ambassador
- Watch one of the recorded Teaching Workshops, such as this one about Student Engagement Strategies
- Drop in to one of the daily Support Queues to ask your specific questions
I wish you each the best as you prepare for Fall,
Sincerely,
Jana Remy
Director, Educational Technology
Co-Director, Institute for Excellence in Teaching & Learning
Zoom Room/HyFlex Training
Learn how to use the equipment inside HyFlex classrooms to conduct Zoom meetings. Review the steps to start and end your virtual classes in a HyFlex environment.
Read the article, "Chapman Unveils Preparations for Robust Fall Semester"
Gifts for your Canvas Course
Beginning in August, we will start adding a few goodies to your Canvas courses, including an enabled Zoom tab and a brief Canvas orientation for your students!
Blackboard Retirement
Beginning Fall 2020, Blackboard will no longer be used or updated. Sign-in access will be removed on October 18, 2020, 11:59 p.m. Please read our blogpost for important next steps.
Summer Support Hours
Our virtual drop-in support hours have changed for summer! Please read and take note of our new drop-in support hours.
How can I connect with my students in a virtual environment?
Canvas can help! Check out these resources for 9 tips you can incorporate in your summer or fall course to keep your students connected and engaged.
Faculty Can Now Access Teaching Resources in the IETL Canvas Den
Find "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.
IETL Ambassadors Offering Summer Office Hours
Some of the IETL Ambassadors will be available for the remainder of summer via virtual office hours to support faculty within their specific academic units with teaching support as we prepare for the fall term.
How to Add Pronouns to Your Zoom Profile
You can easily add your pronouns to your Zoom profile by updating your display name! If you are interested in learning more about pronouns and why they can help create a more inclusive environment, you might find this Pronoun Guide from GLSEN helpful.
Summer 2020 Canvas Training
Canvas will be the platform used at Chapman University for Fall 2020. It is important that all faculty receive adequate training in Canvas course design due to the uncertain nature of our fall semester. Educational Technology Services (ETS) is excited to guide you.
Leverage the Panopto Video Folder in Canvas to Deliver Audio/Video Content to your Students
Tuesday, August 18, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Zoom
Learn to navigate, add media, manage folders and permissions, add captions, and more!
Helpful Training Resources are Posted Regularly on the Higher Ed and Technology Blog.
Access Technology Resources in the ETS Den
Faculty 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
Best Way to Stop Cheating in Online Courses? 'Teach Better'
"Professors believe students cheat more online, and colleges ramped up use of detection tools amid shift to remote instruction this spring. Better assessment and student engagement would be more effective, experts say."
Making Online Learning Active
"We are often so fixated on online learning’s shortcomings that we slight its unique advantages. Students can have anytime, anywhere access to class materials. We can make a wealth of primary sources and data readily available to students: textual, visual, aural, qualitative and quantitative. We can give all students -- not simply the most talkative and self-confident -- the opportunity to participate and contribute."
