Search
There are 24 results.
Category
Tag
Tag
All (137)
Active Learning (4)
Activities (5)
Alt Text (2)
Analytics (4)
Assessments (9)
Asynchrony (6)
Authentic Activities (2)
Backwards Design (2)
Belonging (3)
Canvas (10)
Case Studies (2)
Collaboration (6)
Color Contrast (2)
Communication (10)
Community (9)
Competency-Based Education (1)
Content Creation (22)
Copyright (2)
Course Maintenance (5)
Course Materials (12)
Course Preparation (8)
Discussions (5)
Diversity (5)
Equity (2)
Faculty Presence (9)
Faculty Support (3)
Feedback (10)
Formative Assessments (7)
Game-Based Learning (2)
Gamification (1)
Generative AI (5)
Grading (7)
Group Work (2)
Images (3)
Inclusion (8)
Infographics (2)
Learning Objectives (3)
Multimodality (7)
Page Design (2)
Peer Review (1)
PowerPoint (2)
Presentations (2)
Qualitative courses (1)
Quantitative courses (1)
Representation (2)
Revising (2)
Rubrics (4)
Scaffolding (1)
Screen Readers (1)
Social Media (2)
Summative Assessments (1)
Synchrony (8)
Third-Party Tools (2)
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (3)
Video (13)
Visual Accessibility (2)
Visual Design (2)
Workload (1)
Written Assignments (1)
Increase Engagement Now
Whether you’re halfway through the term or just getting started, this post presents actionable, simple strategies you can implement immediately to increase engagement in your course.
Updating Your Syllabus
Over time, you may want to make changes to the syllabus of a course. The syllabus documents are saved in the “Files” area (1) of the course. To preserve the integrity of the document, the Word document is located in the “Instructor Only” folder (3), and the PDF is found in the “Documents” folder (2) so it is visible to students.
Basic Editing in Canvas
To edit a page in Canvas, simply click on the “Edit” button. Each page contains a variety of editing tools, similar to those found on most word processing programs. The Rich Content Editor applies the principles of a WYSIWIG editor (What You See is What You Get) and uses icons to illustrate the functions. You may also hover over an icon to confirm its function.
Written Assignment Best Practices Guide
Formal writing requires sustained focus on content and close attention to detail. For these reasons, written assignments can be an effective assessment tool in graduate courses when they are thoughtfully and purposefully designed. This guide provides recommendations for faculty who are looking to harness the pedagogical benefits of written assignments.
Presentation Best Practices Guide
Many online courses focus on written communication skills, featuring discussion posts, papers, and case study reports among other assignments. However, oral communication and presentation skills are just as integral to students’ success, and, indeed, many employers list presenting as one of the most desirable skills for job candidates (Suhadi et al., 2021).
Improving PowerPoints
Sharing information via PowerPoint presentations is a long-established strategy in higher education. Designing PowerPoint presentations for online courses can pose unique challenges; however, best practices can help overcome these hurdles. With time and attention, faculty and instructional designers can create engaging and purposeful presentations with lasting value.
Don't Leave Your Learners Behind: Start Tackling Web Accessibility Now!
If you’re an educator, you're probably familiar with the concept of accessibility, which often manifests in the classroom in the form of accommodation requests to meet specific students' needs. If you're an online educator, you've hopefully heard about web accessibility, which requires adhering to specific guidelines when designing and providing materials via the web, reducing the need for student accommodations by anticipating and removing potential barriers to learning.
Ten Ways to Open the Gate to Accessibility
According to the United States Census Bureau, over 57 million Americans, nearly one in five people in the U.S. population, report living with a disability. To make certain all your students can have a successful learning experience, it is important to take steps to make the online learning environment accessible. Here are 10 strategies for making your online course space accessible to all users.
Implementing Social Media
Many students use social media platforms in their daily lives, and “emerging evidence indicates that students express positive attitudes toward using social media for learning in general” (Baisley-Nodine et al., 2018). However, there are many concerns connected with using social media in an educational setting. These include issues related to a lack of familiarity with the platform, the potential for distraction, and privacy concerns. Therefore, it is important to carefully plan the use of social media in a course to address any potential issues or concerns.
Discussion Best Practices Guide
Discussions are an impactful way to build engagement and discourse in asynchronous online courses. When properly designed, discussions can encompass the three pillars of engagement: student-content, student-student, and student-instructor. Asynchronous discussions allow students time to reflect prior to participating, which can lead to deeper insights and richer discourse. Moreover, when participating in discussions, students have the opportunity to collaborate with others, participate in an online learning community, and gain insights from others’ unique experiences and perspectives (Ransdell, Borror & Su, 2018). Facilitating multiple types of engagement in an online course can improve student motivation, satisfaction, and achievement (Dailey-Hebert, 2018).