July 2020 Newsletter

Teaching and Redesigning for Virtual and Online Classes

“Creative thinking inspires ideas. Ideas inspire change.”

~Barbara Januszkiewicz

If the year 2020 has taught us anything, it is that nothing in our world is permanent or a given, and no one can escape change. Yet sometimes these very changes can be the things that wake us up and push us towards improvement. As educators, we have been tasked with creating meaningful, engaging, and high impact learning experiences for our students with little-to-no face to face contact.

What a great opportunity to rethink our approach to learning and break out of our comfort zones! The important thing is just to start. We must first determine what the goals and learning objectives are for our courses and our students, and then we must match the right tools to those objectives. Here are four goals to consider in your own learning and professional development as we move forward towards online and virtual learning:

1. Nuts and bolts: Learn the nuts and bolts of online learning, including how to organize

everything, become comfortable with new technology, and stay sane.

2. Design: Learn best practices of designing student learning experiences in online spaces.

3. Student Community: Build community and support wellness in online spaces

4. Assessment: Create meaningful assessments and provide feedback in online spaces.

TLF Announcements

 

Redesign for Virtual-Online

Find links, learning paths, tools, and contact information for redesigning your class for online or virtual environments. The Faculty Development in Online Teaching & Learning has put together a checklist with everything you will need to revamp your courses for the next semester.

New Course Delivery Options

Courses in the Fall 2020 semester will likely be offered in a range of formats designed to meet ongoing social distancing requirements related to COVID-19. These options include: Face to Face, Face to Face Hybrid, Virtual, Virtual Hybrid, Online, and Flex. Check out videos from your colleagues to learn more about teaching in these different formats.

Teaching in a Digital Classroom Series

The Classroom Technology Services team has upgraded over 200 classrooms with new technology that facilitates lecture capture and live streaming of classes. Many of the courses designated as FLEX in the class schedule will be taught in these technology enhanced classrooms.

Faculty will need to know how to operate the technology and effectively use it to engage all students attending class, whether that be from a remote location or sitting in the classroom with the instructor.

This Teaching in a Digital Classroom Series is designed to build your skills for teaching in classrooms equipped with this new technology. The first 200 faculty members (contract, tenure track and adjunct included) who successfully complete the series will receive $100. Please check the website on July 13th to register for the skills building sessions included in this Teaching in a Digital Classroom Series.

Where can I find upcoming virtual conferences to help me teach

this fall?

Here is a list of resources to help you place course content online:

• Prepare for the Challenge of Teaching this Fall by Remote: The Connected Faculty Summit
  • July 13-14
• ASU Learning Man Digital Immersion Event
  • July 20-27

What resources does Weber State University offer for redesigning my courses for virtual and online delivery?

• Redesign for Virtual-Online
• Collaboration Station
• Teaching in a Digital Classroom Series
• Tuesday Teaching Tips
• Examples of Experiential Learning Online
• Virtual ID Office Hours - M/W - 1p to 2p, and T/R - 11a to Noon
• Online instructional design webinars

Where can I find online resources for my classes?

Here is a list of resources to help you place course content online:

• Watch for information about using web conferencing tools with hands-on practice sessions
  • July 15 Zoom, Google Meet, Big Blue Button (Canvas) Overview and Zoom Practice
  • July 29 Practice Google Meet and Big Blue Button
• Canvas Training for Instructors
• Introduction to eLearning
• Upcoming Live Canvas Training Sessions
  • Canvas Basics: Tuesday - August 4, 2020 and Tuesday-August 11, 2020
  • Canvas Advances: Wednesday - August 12, 2020
  • Instructional Design Topics: Wednesday-August 19, 2020

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Facebook: @wsutlf, Twitter: @wsutlf