Teaching Online Resources

Resources for Teaching Online

3/17/20

If you are a faculty member reading this blog hoping to find some helpful tips for the mad rush to move courses online... here are a few things specific to GCC. But I have also seen some wonderful communities evolving on social media where faculty from across the world are banding together to figure out how to put classes online that they never imagined moving into the modality. It is inspiring.

GCC uses Moodle and those sections are created for all classes automatically (you probably have one, even if you haven't used it). But for specific Moodle needs you can 

There are a couple of video conferencing tools that people are using, particularly Zoom and Google Meet. You can find more information about those

There is also a page dedicated to facilitating online discussion and you can 

OpenStax, the folks who bring you OER (Open Educational Resources) are having a webinar on moving to teaching online on Thursday, Mar. 19th and you can 

These are all a basic resources to get you started, but as I find more, I'll add to the list. Feel free to send me suggestions.

3/18/20

Gary Ackerman has created a page to help faculty transition to Moodle. You do need to log into the

If you are having trouble logging into Moodle please submit a

Here's a series of articles about teaching online that might be helpful from




3/19/20

Some general tips about moving online from 

At Oxford University Press, we understand the challenges of building an online course, even in the best of circumstances. 

From Caitlin Worth: 


3/20/20


We hope to have all faculty given access to GCC's G Suite by midweek.

This probably has more information than you need, but it does highlight commenting, sharing, etc.): https://www.howtogeek.com/420971/the-beginners-guide-to-google-docs/


(Full Article Here):"I want this moment to be an opportunity for my students to pause and think about how they might be better and healthier selves, citizens and leaders in the face of uncertainty, crisis, fear and change. I want them to think about how and where they can be of the most service and how they can channel their energy to effect change. I will urge them to think about what they want to hold on to and what they could let go of, and I want them to think about how they want to be remembered. I want to encourage them to dream about how they can chart a course for and about hope, even and especially when it feels like there is none. Aren’t these the eternal questions of the human condition and lessons we want to impart on and off campus? It just might be that this current emergency prompts us to re-evaluate our real purpose in teaching."




For those of you who may be thinking about holding live seminars online, I want to suggest a quick read for tips on creating an engaging online experience. This is a short article from the American Historical Association. I know that the focus is outside of your disciplines, but you may find some of the author's suggestions helpful.




FA Davis has resources for Nursing and Health Occupations "F. A. Davis is an independent, family-owned publisher of educational solutions for the Nursing and Health Science professions":
In an effort to support instructors and students as they transition to distance education, F.A. Davis has granted students free access to open resources on FADavis.com. This will allow students who don’t have Access Codes to make use of all relevant resources by following the steps below:  


I believe most unit members know this, but if not, you can activate the new GCC office phone answering machine from your home, retrieve your phone messages from your home phone, and block your personal phone number by dialing *67 before calling a student from your home. 



Setting Up Voicemail
1. Call main campus number: 413-775-1000
2. When you hear recorded greeting, press *7
3. After the prompt enter your extension and #pound key
4. Enter the default password and press pound# key again
5. Follow prompts to set up voicemail.

Retrieving Phone Messages
1. Call main campus number: 413-775-1000
2. When you hear recorded greeting, press *7
3. Follow the prompts



The voicemail menu does not include a prompt to change your password. However, after you have set up your voicemail, you can change your password from the default password by navigating to the main voicemail menu - as Lillian said by pressing *7 after dialing into the main number - and then pressing 5 for additional menu options and then 4 to change your password.

We have a web page with detailed instructions at https://www.gcc.mass.edu/phones which also includes a video you can watch on how to set up your voicemail. You can always also feel free to email helpdesk@gcc.mass.edu for help if you need it.


Explore resources and tools created by Google to inspire creativity, encourage hands-on learning, and equip your students with digital skills.

From Pearson, a publisher.

Let’s boil this down. What’s most important for us to rethink as we use our precious hours and days to redesign our courses for online and/or remote learning? Work with a colleague, friend, instructional designer, or student to talk through your answers after you fill this out! Are you stumped? Take a look at the example we’ve attached!

We’ve collected resources that we hope will be helpful to anyone who is teaching their courses remotely, including tips for moving courses online, online homework software that’s being offered for free this semester, and curated community resources.

This page in particular has a lot of free math and science options!

Tips for Inclusion and Equity in Online Teaching with Professor Chris Barcelos


3/24/20


Any resident of MA can get a BPL eCard which includes access to lots of stream and downloadable movies you can use for classes (or for long stints at home).



The Best Zoom Tips & Tricks Everyone Needs to Know | Digital Trends
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-zoom-tips-and-tricks/



Common Problems with Zoom Videoconferencing, How To Fix Them | Digital Trends
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/common-problems-with-zoom-and-how-to-fix-them/




Online discussions can be a great way to help your students stay connected when learning remotely. Offering your students opportunities to discuss course content creates an interactive social learning environment for shared exploration. 



This includes a good reminder:

Consider Issues of Access, Inclusion, and Equity
Since working in remote learning environments is new to many of us, we need to be aware that some students may struggle more than others. Also, keep in mind that not everyone will be able to work remotely from a comfortable, private, and quiet space. In addition, some of your students may have:
To help you identify your students’ unique needs, check in with your students individually or consider sending them a survey to find out what is doable for them during this time of disruption. 

A free platform called JamKazam seems to be used for giving lessons, playing in real time with other musicians, and learning songs.

Today I explored Google Chat and Google Meet (similar to Zoom). They seem like tools with great possibility and Google Meet does not have the time limitation that the standard Zoom license has. It also has a great closed caption function that transcribes what you are saying in real time. Wow!

FYI, it took me a little bit to figure it out, but you can schedule Google Video conferencing through the Google Calendar app.

We (faculty and staff at GCC) all now have access the Google education suite. You can sign into your account at Google.com using your GCC address and password (look in the top right corner of your screen).

OBS Studio is a free and open source software for video recording and live streaming. Great for Facebook Live or other kinds of live streams, or also a simple recorder for basic pre-recorded videos, particularly if you want to use external microphones, cameras, etc.



This is for students younger than community college students (usually), but for 13-17 year olds who want to join a group to talk about solidarity and the social economies, Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein from York University has set up Community Economies for Kids Everywhere.

The Mass Cultural Council shared these tips on staying connected online, including virtual tours of museums and sharing project ideas. 



Yamaha has a nice range of resources for teaching music online including: How to teach instrumental lessons online, online teaching for the non-online teacher, music theory lessons and games, etc. 

A group has started a reading list of articles about the pandemic and its impact on class and labor, social toll, future, economic policy, the anthropocene, capitalism, etc. Lots of international articles in multiple languages as well.

The publisher is offering free access to digital materials, eBooks, tutorials, and more.

A lot of us are using Zoom these days. Here are some basic and slightly advanced (Touch up my appearance setting!) tips from the company.


From Inside Higher Ed "'Zoombombing' Attacks Disrupt Classes"

An article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, "10 Tips to Support Students in a Stressful Shift to Online Learning." I particularly like the sentiment, "In times of disruption[...] relationships matter more than ever."

4/6/20



"8 Recommendations for Universities and Professors During the Coronavirus Pandemic" is mostly commonsense at this point, or pretty general. But a decent little bit about shortening assignments and being innovative with assignments.

This article, "Fostering Student Success Outside of Online Class," is aimed more at student affairs, but the ideas can also be applied to the classroom... surveying students about how they are doing and where they are finding challenges, holding open office hours, etc.

Here's a page of links with resources and information to help community colleges and students. Some of these you've seen before, but in case you are looking....


"The New Accessibility," a free booklet on accessibility and access to technology for students with disabilities.

"Adjusting to Remote Learning at Community Colleges," an interesting article with different community college faculty sharing thoughts about their adjustment to remote learning/online.

April 14, 12-1:15, a  Zoom lunchtime panel for organizations wanting to offer online programming... and how to do it well. I think this would be good for departments too who want to put on reading, visiting speakers, etc. in a time of social distancing.


"7 Ways to Improve Your Online Discussions: White Paper" an attempt to encourage engagement in online discussions.


If you have an iPhone or iPad there is this: creating engaging videos using the app Clips. Seems simple and easy to use. Find the app here.

From AAC&U:

Friday, April 17th at 2PM: "Designing High-Impact Practices for Equity and Impact in New Contexts." Now that we've shifted to remote learning/online, how do we maintain a focus on equity in the new modality?

From Magna:

"Trauma Informed Pedagogy: Teaching in Uncertain Times." A free webinar with the coupon code:428MOS.

4/14/20

From Gary Ackerman:

Tips for adding content into Moodle (only works for GCC folks with Moodle access).

From the Harvard Graduate School of Education:

From a new webinar series, Education Now: "Socially distant--and more connected than ever" about the concrete and protective powers of human connection as a way to sustain our families, our educators, and ourselves through this uncertain time.

From Inside HigherEd:

An article "Remotely Hands-On: Teaching lab sciences and fine arts during COVID-19." Some successes, and challenges for trying to teach these disciplines online.

5 Tips for Teaching Studio Art Online:


4/15/20

From Pearson:

Tips for building your course in an LMS (Learning Management System like Moodle). Pretty basic things, but if you've never taught online, this can be helpful.

4/22/20

From Harvard Business Publishing:


"10 Ways to Help Your Students Cope with the Transition to Virtual Learning" I particularly like, give voice to the trauma of what is happening, recognize the psychological impact of screen-only learning, and trust your students.



From Anne Wiley:


One resource I found helpful was attending webinars by ACUE.  How to use zoom, how to do micro lectures, how to encourage reading.  You can find all five videos of their professional development  at: https://acue.org/online-teaching-toolkit/

4/23/20

From LinkedIn:

"Suddenly Teaching Online? Free Resources to Help Faculty Affected by Coronavirus," an list of "courses" that are free covering basics and some more specific applications. 

From Teaching Tolerance:

As Ramadan begins, we remind educators that social distancing may make this month especially difficult for Muslim families and students. Here are some resources for teaching about Ramadan.

From Magna Publications:

A live seminar April 27th: Trauma-Informed Pedagogy: Teaching in Uncertain Times. Use the coupon code: 428MOS in the cart for free access.

4/27/20

From Flipboard:


From Inside Higher Ed:

Results from a survey about how teaching changed in the shift to online learning.

4/28/20


From Anne Wiley:

From the Chronicle of Higher Ed, "What Do Final Exams Mean During a Pandemic?"

From ESRI:

A free course on cartography using ArcGIS Pro!

From the Boston Public Library:

With a BPL card (free for all MA residents), you have access to Lynda.com courses in business, software, technology, and creative skills. If there's something you were hoping to brush up on, or up skill over the summer, this could be a great resource!

4/29/20

From It Gets Better:

It Gets Better designed a series of EduGuides focused on LGBTQ+ topics. It seems like a great resource/starting point!

From Inside Higher Ed:

"An Argument for 'Remote' Rather than 'Online' Instruction," an argument for synchronous class meetings, despite Zoom fatigue.

5/4/20

From OpenStax:

At OpenStax, we’re committed to working towards a future where anyone can learn anything without restriction. In keeping with this philosophy, we are excited to announce the launch of two textbooks created specifically for high school students and teachers. These two titles, Physics and Statistics, are both available on our website now and you can learn more about how they were developed on our blog. 

From Academic Impressions:

We've never had a term quite like this, and how we close our classes this semester matters. For some students, their classes may have been their most consistent and stable community during this time of rapid change and abrupt isolation. This article offers tips and techniques for approaching the last day of class in ways that provide both closure and connection. 

5/6/20

From Jenzibar:





From University Business:



From Jamf:

In our e-book, we identify five ways you can best serve students and teachers when you move learning online. We cover how to:
  1. Set expectations for students and teachers
  2. Facilitate engaging discussions daily
  3. Promote peer-to-peer interaction
  4. Offer active learning through projects and breakout groups
  5. Leverage apps and games

From Harmonize:

We have created the Improving Student Engagement in Online Courses guide to help you solve these challenges. In this guide, you’ll find eight strategies to ensure online courses transcend the screen to become rich academic communities, including:
  • Finding ways for every student to participate
  • Options for personalizing learning
  • Creating online communities
  • Keeping everyone on track
  • Setting achievable goals
  • Analytics for the online experience
  • Providing the means for student reflection

5/11/20

From Inside Higher Ed:

A Plan for Resisting Zoombombing: Carlton E. Green provides advice for how to best respond to an incident and care for the people who have been impacted.


5/12/20


From the GCC Library:

Our Moodle page for you is now available! Many thanks to Gary for getting the structure and access for you all. In the future, you can find it under the “GCC Links” dropdown menu at the top of Moodle, just under Gary’s site.

The first time you use it, you will need to self-enroll (ask a librarian for the password). Once you have access, you will be able to import anything from our Moodle page to any of your own courses.

From Tim Dolan (for GCC faculty):

We're offering a Zoom training entitled "Open Educational Resources in the COVID Era." If you attend the session and agree to write a review of an OER textbook in your discipline, you'll be eligible for a $200 stipend. By reviewing, you don't make any commitment to use that textbook in your course, though of course you'll have that option. 

A flyer with more information and a registration link is attached to this email, and the 2-hour training will be offered on two dates in May: 
  • Wednesday 5/20, 2:00-4:00
  • Thursday 5/21, from 10:00-12:00

From Alyssa Arnell:

[I (Leo) went to this conference in person years ago and thought what California was doing really pushed the envelope of what we could teach online. I'm sure we can learn more from them! Thanks, Alyssa!] The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and TechConnect have decided to move the premier face-to-face 2020 Online Teaching Conference to an online event. Although we regret not being able to come together in person, we are excited to present OTC’20 as a multi-day event at no cost to our attendees. Register Now for OTC’20)

From the AAC&U:

Let’s Start with “How Are You Doing?”: How Resilience and Hope Can Shape a New Normal for Learning and Teaching

May 15, 2020
Online, 2:00-3:00 p.m., ET

The ongoing disruption of higher education has provoked significant anxiety in students and faculty. It has also presented new challenges and opportunities to support students’ and faculty members’ social-emotional learning and psychosocial needs. As campus leaders at all levels anticipate the implications of the “new normal” for the fall semester, how should they be thinking about the intersections of learning, well-being, and resilience? What are the mechanisms for encouraging hope and resilience inside and outside the classroom, and across stakeholders? This discussion-based webinar brings together national and international experts to explore ways campuses can support students and faculty not merely to survive in challenging times, but to thrive.

From Pearson:

"Moving labs out of the laboratory" When teaching a science class, we often use experiences in the lab to foster critical thinking skills and reinforce the concepts we introduce in lectures. But with campuses closed, students cannot access the lab. 

 So what do you do? This is what one study published by the Journal of Formative Design in Learning tells us.

5/13/20

From Watermark:


Our panelists will share:

    • Advice for newcomers to distance learning and tips for faculty who have shifted their courses online
    • Best practices that institutions can use to better engage students online
    • Communication tips for faculty and staff, as remote work becomes the new norm
    • Their processes for assessing learning, faculty activity reporting, and capturing student feedback, and key metrics they monitor for their online programs
    • The impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on their online degree programs and broader institution, including faculty, staff, and student experiences

5/14/20

From the Massachusetts History Alliance:

Getting Good Programs Online Fast

Talking it over with Susan Grabski and Stacen Goldman


Museums and historical seems to be pulling content out of a hat and putting it online faster than you can say "corona."  What's their secret? What's your secret?

The Commons team will will be joined by Stacen Goldman of the Framingham History Center and Susan Grabski of the Lawrence History Center. They will tell us what they are up to, we'd love to hear what you are doing.

Friday May 22, 1:00-2:30 pm

 REGISTER HERE

From Diverse Issues in Higher Ed:

"Online Education Offers New Ways to Identify and Support At-Risk Students"After colleges hastily moved online in response to the coronavirus, higher education leaders worried for low-income students and students of color. Research shows that underrepresented students experience performance gaps and lower retention rates in online courses under the best of circumstances, let alone in a global pandemic.

But remote education experts have highlighted a possible silver lining. Online education provides new ways to identify students at risk of dropping out and opportunities to offer targeted supports.

From Inside Higher Ed:

Tuesday, May 19th at 2:00 pm ET In this interactive presentation, academic and technology leaders from a range of colleges and universities discuss how their institutions and instructors kept students on their educational paths as COVID-19 shut their physical campuses, and how what they’ve learned from those experiences will shape their plans for instructional delivery this fall and beyond. 

From HigherEd Jobs: 

"Priorities, Questions, and Challenges of Teaching Online:" The unexpected demands that many faculty are facing now are as novel as the virus that created them. For some faculty, it may be the first time that they've been asked to deliver their course remotely. For others, even including those with online teaching experience, the underlying stress of balancing competing demands in uncertain times can weigh on them. This month we talk to John Oppenheimer, an instructional designer/technologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who provides advice on how faculty can successfully navigate the transition. 

5/18/20
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
Research shows that underrepresented students experience performance gaps and lower retention rates in online courses under the best of circumstances, let alone in a global pandemic. But remote education experts have highlighted a possible silver lining. Online education provides new ways to identify students at risk of dropping out and opportunities to offer targeted supports

Puddle in the Montague Sand Plains this weekend.
Meeting the challenge of providing special ed. remotely
With school buildings closed and remote learning in place for the rest of the school year, here is a look at how Franklin County school districts are handling the challenge of providing services to students with special needs.Frontier and Union 38 regional school districts School officials have said...

5/19/20

5/20/20

Today's Online Teaching Tips:

From Teaching Tolerance:

Supporting Students Through Coronavirus

We’re grateful to educators continuing to support students and families through the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve developed resources to support student well-being and learning during closures, including articles about culturally responsive teaching, addressing coronavirus racism and more. We’ll keep this page updated as we publish new pieces. 

From The New York Times:

What will college look like in the fall?
Many colleges and universities in the U.S. are now grappling with how and when to reopen their campuses and what college life will be like under a pandemic. They are coming up with a variety of answers.

Our higher education reporter, Anemona Hartocollis, 

From University Business:

I would like to invite you to our upcoming web seminar on Thursday, May 21 at 2:00 ET, entitled 

From the Online Learning Consortium:


A newly released, faculty-focused playbook from Every Learner Everywhere provides much-needed expert resources and guidance to assist higher education faculty in their journey to online teaching in response to COVID-19.The playbook was developed by the Online Learning Consortium, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and Every Learner Everywhere, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The playbook provides a path for continuous improvement of instruction along a quality-oriented continuum.
  • Design guides immediate and basic needs for moving a course online.  
  • Enhance provides options to strengthen the student learning experience.  
  • Optimize offers ideas and resources for online teaching that aligns with high-quality, evidence-based instructional practices. 
Learn more and download

5/21/20

Today's Online Teaching Tips:

From LinkedIn:


From Campus Compact:

Connecting in an Age of Uncertainty:
Utilizing Dialogue to Build Belonging and Student Success 
A Workshop with Essential Partners | June 9, 2020 | 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
This workshop will explore the power of dialogue to build connections, emotional intelligence, patterns of civic engagement that will prepare your students for the coming school year – distanced or in person. Adapting their 30 years of experience designing and facilitating dialogue into a virtual space, Essential Partners will assist campuses to explore how dialogues have the power to shape your students' experience of this challenging times, bring them back to campus in the fall deeply rooted in their own strengths, invested in one another, and committed to participating fully in college life.
Learn More & Register

From Kaltura:


It's time for online learning to evolve.

In every crisis is an opportunity. This is a chance to take education forward. The trends that have been gathering steam - self-paced learning, greater personalization, active and interactive learning, analytics, competency-based education - are trends that can help us overcome the current situation.

In the whitepaper "Taking Higher Education Virtual: Setting Yourself & Your Students Up For Success," explore how to take advantage of some of the emerging trends and technologies to make sure that your school successfully serves its students, no matter what happens in the next few months.

Let’s see how.

May 26, 2020

From Pearson:

Pearson is making

May 27, 2020

From ACPA:


1 June 2020 @ 2pm EDT
Teaching, Learning and Advising in A Virtual Environment with a DEI Lens
This conversation will focus on the importance of preparing virtual environments for greater inclusion. As an academic, student organization advisor, or classroom teacher, how will you prepare the space for student success?

Online Teaching and Learning
GCC Writing Tutors searched for information regarding online teaching, and they shared their own suggestions, based on their experiences in online courses, as well as the experiences of students they tutored. Below is a brief summary of their findings. See also “Online Learning: Tips for Students,” posted on the Peer Tutoring webpage.
From Chang:
  • Include reflective activities; reflection enables metacognition, giving learners the opportunity to look at their process, understand what is and isn’t working for them, and do better in the future.
  • Asking students to share their reflections can help overcome the challenge of building social connections in the classroom.

     From Dykman and Davis
    Standardization, Organization, Planning
  • Plan every element of the course ahead of time (assignments, materials, schedule, online layout, course rules and guidelines, and learning objectives), in order to avoid confusion for students. Then, stick to that plan.
  • Standardize visual presentation on the platform: assignments, drop boxes, reading materials, discussion forums, announcements, videos, course calendar, tests and quizzes, chat links, etc.
  • Have workload at start (and end) of course lighter, allowing students to adjust to the course (and leave it) with minimal stress.
  • Be consistent and clear, so student isn’t navigating a complex online system while also keeping up with rigorous coursework.
    Technological Fluency of Instructor
• Engage in training; get familiar with the technology and all its functions.
Communication: Clarity and Frequency
  • Communicate clearly and frequently with students.
  • Send a thorough and friendly introductory message to students; give them a sense of the
    tone and teaching style of the course.
  • To foster a sense of community, have students post self-introductions on the forum.
  • Strive for much interaction with students, via email, instant messaging, phone, or video.
  • Keep in touch with students individually; if the student knows you are engaged in
    communication regularly, they are more likely to be engaged as well.
  • Clearly state academic expectations, values, and learning goals.
  • Articulate exactly what has to be done, in what manner, by whom, and when; provide a
    clear outline of grading criteria.
  • Respond to student questions promptly and thoroughly.
  • Share individual questions (anonymously) with the full class.
  • Comment on forum posts.
  • Determine if students should be able to see previous posts from students, before they post
    their own.
  • Determine whether students should be required to respond to each other’s posts.
  • Don’t assume that online courses are easier (or less time consuming) to manage!
  • If a student “disappears” (stops responding to emails, stops turning in assignments and/or
    posting to forums), pursue them doggedly for a response.

     From Moore and Hodges:
  • Create a class communication plan, so students know where to go and what to expect.
  • For online, students require very clear instructions and prompt feedback, so make sure
    you provide students clarity on what to submit, how, and any associated handouts for an
    assignment.
  • Create a page with a table on it that quickly summarizes for students each week—what
    they’ll need to have ready, any assignments due, any recorded lectures, and any live
    sessions, with links as necessary to these.
  • Connect with support staff at your school to help you ensure your content is accessible.

     From McManus, Dryer, Henning (regarding working with students with mental health disabilities):
  • They may have a harder time adjusting to new learning environments. Online, they can also engage in “negative self-talk,” which can drain their energy and self-confidence and can contribute “to greater difficulty in dealing with the uncertainty associated with learning new materials.”
  • Fear can paralyze students; they may need extra time to complete tasks.
  • Email messages can sometimes appear harsher than intended; the student might think an
    instructor is angry with them.
  • If students don’t get prompt responses, their anxiety can increase.
  • Students with mental health disabilities often rely more heavily on their relationships
    with their professors and peers in order to be successful in college, and the online learning environment does not always foster these connections—causing students to struggle to motivate themselves.
  • If students have writing anxiety, participating in online forums or even writing an email can be extremely difficult for the student.

     From Simplicio:
  • Establish and maintain personal connections (with the subject, instructors, peers, and academic support resources).
  • Make sure students are ready for online classes. Ask students certain questions before they are allowed to enroll in online courses. Gauge the student’s skill and familiarity with both the subject and the technological proficiency required for online learning.
  • Use initial assignments to set the tone for each student’s engagement in the course and their belief in their ability to be successful.
  • Assign group work, providing the opportunity for students to “develop a teamwork mentality” and a sense of “peer support, emotional backup, and a better opportunity for academic success.”
  • Schedule regular and fixed contact times, including one-on-one meetings between student and instructor.
  • Use campus resources and support systems, and make these known to students.

     From Yeh:
  • Construct a positive atmosphere.
  • Provide options for group assignments.
  • Provide reminders of assignment-related work.
  • Foster interactivity between student and teacher, as well as between students.
  • Incorporate online discussions and group projects.
  • Encourage students to help each other.
  • Create community.

     From Tutors:
  • Have virtual video office hours, not only phone and email ones.
  • Have a consistent format for titling, using identifying words, numbers, and abbreviations.
  • Meet with students, one-on-one, each week over Zoom; even 10-20 minutes at a time.
  • Organize assignments by deadline on Moodle.
  • Make sure video and audio lectures are available in a universally accessible file format.
  • Make sure videos have captions . . (make sure) important information covered during
    lectures is also available in some sort of written format.
  • If possible, post the Zoom classroom link in a prominent spot on Moodle, rather than
    emailing a new link at the time of each session.
  • Not all students have access to Word. Share assignment sheets as pdfs, or write them
    directly on Moodle.
  • If possible, avoid assignments that need to be printed; printing can be expensive or
    difficult to access.
  • To maintain consistency and predictability, try to stick to Moodle as much as possible,
    rather than email, for sharing documents.
  • To help avoid instructor (and student) “burnout,” specify if some assignments can be
    done in list or bullet format, rather than prose.
  • If there is variation in the weight of assignments, label these as such—which are optional,
    which are high priority or low priority, etc.
  • In the syllabus, outline the pace and order of assignments, and use clear and consistent
    patterns (for example, there will be 3 short reflections, 1-2 pages each, 1 per week; then, 2 longer pieces of analysis on a topic of your choice, 3-5 pages each; and at the end of the term, 1 final research paper, 5-7 pages long).
  • Have faculty already familiar with online learning assist those who aren’t; implement some sort of support system for faculty.
  • Most common complaint from peers regarding online courses: lack of communication and clarity from professors.

May 28, 2020

From It Gets Better:

Our EduGuide for the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight is now available in Spanish. Click below to access both the 

From Higher Ed Jobs:

Soft Skills and Online Learning: Why Should We Care? 
 

TalkingCollege students often gain as much between their classes as they do within them. That's not to say the classes aren't excellent, but simply that much of our learning occurs in ways we don't expect, such as through sidebar conversations, internships, and leadership roles in student organizations. Such experiences teach students soft skills, but what happens when higher education for millions of students is suddenly reduced to a virtual Zoom or Blackboard connection? How do students continue developing their interpersonal skills and building their social capital?

June 1, 2020

From Colleen Caffery, GCC's Coordinator of Disability Services:

From Cindy Snow, GCC's Co-coordinator of Peer Tutoring:

I've shared this before, but now in an improved PDF format! Tips from Peer Tutors for more effective online teaching.

From Bowdoin College:

From Faculty Focus:


June 2, 2020

From Academic Impressions:

More Resources:

June 3, 2020

From Academic Impressions:

Ensuring Quality in Online Instruction
June 4, 2020 | Webcast
Take a more strategic approach to incorporating quality metrics into your online instruction.

From Inside Higher Ed:


Mays Imad explores seven ways professors can help students thrive in class in times of trauma.

June 4, 2020


From ESRI:


We wanted to share several online resources that are available to supplement online learning. You likely know many of them, but they could be a lifeline for those faculty who have not utilized them, as many of these resources are conducive to remote and self-paced student learning.


 GeoNet Community in Higher Education
Join our 
We invite you to join the 18,000+ members in the 
Request Membership

June 8, 2020

From Sage Publishing:

Browse a range of free resources to support your research and teaching about structural racism or visit these sites directly:
Collection of articles iconExplore a collection of articles to support researchers in future scholarship and amplify their critical work; educators as they discuss the impacts of systemic racism with students; and policymakers and advocates in their fight to make sweeping reform.
Research based resources iconTake a look at our curated research-based resources to help you and your students teach, talk, and learn about structural racism and police brutality.
social and behavioral scientists iconFind insights from social and behavioral scientists on topics like racism, ‘otherness,’ inequality, and structural failures in society that command scholarly attention: blog posts, podcasts, and webinars from the community site Social Science Space. 

June 9, 2020

From BlackBoard:

Mastering the art and science of online learning is not only about managing the technologies. It is about developing your digital capability around these 6 core competency areas.
  • Digital Teacher Scholarship 
  • Digital Design & Development 
  • Digital Learner Experience 
  • Digital Capabilities & Management 
  • Digital Assessment 
  • Digital Teaching and Learning Quality Assurance 
Download our eBook “Six Core Competencies for Digital Teaching and Learning” and learn more.
June 10, 2020

From Teaching Tolerance:

Resources for Teaching Black Lives Matter

International protests in response to the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Sean Reed, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Tony McDade show the vast reach and profound importance of the Black Lives Matter movement. These resources can help you talk with students about the historical context and mission behind Black Lives Matter and work toward making your school a more affirming, safer space for Black students.

Teaching About Race, Racism and Police Violence
George Floyd should still be alive. Breonna Taylor should still be alive. So many should still be alive. Our nation’s historic and ongoing injustices can’t be ignored. These resources can help spur much-needed discussion around implicit bias and systemic racism and help you talk with students while prioritizing their well-being and agency.

From REV:

REV'S FIRST-EVER ACCESSIBILITY WEEK!
Where:
When:
What:

Check out our fantastic lineup!
LEARN MORE

From Academic Impressions:

 

San Diego State University has created a center for teaching with virtual-, augmented- and mixed-reality tools that supports research in the cross-curriculum implementation of immersive pedagogies. According to the project lead, amid the pandemic, "the move to remote instruction...provides a unique opportunity to further explore the use of XR to provide engaging distance learning - particularly for hands-on activities, such as labs." Read more.


Some companies are making their paid services free through the rest of the school year; others are lifting limits to services and/or adding premium features to what's free. This list is tracking these so that faculty and administrators can find them. Read more.

Quick Trainings: Online Teaching EffectivenessResource Hub | Academic Impressions
  • Save Time by Creating Feedback Banks 
  • Save Time by Creating Discussion Post Banks 
  • Save Time by Creating Class Announcement Banks 
  • Bringing "Learning by Doing" Online 
  • Leverage Technology to Improve Your Assessment Strategy 
Get access to dozens of short lessons like these, as well as webcasts, articles, and downloadable tools with an Academic Impressions membership. We know that moving classes online is not a straightforward process. So we've pulled together a host of resources to help you get it done.

From Online Learning:

Call for Articles on COVID-19

Special Issue of Online Learning 

The Editors of the Online Learning Journal wish to invite researchers to publish in a special issue devoted to the lessons learned about online learning from the COVD-19 crisis, including the challenges faced by teachers and students in the unexpected transition to distance learning, institutional or community supports which helped teachers and students successfully adapt to online learning, and insights to apply as educators move forward with online learning (in both “emergency” and “business as usual” contexts). Visit our website for additional information on the issue, including topics, a timeline, and submission instructions.

From MediaSite:

Streaming video’s power to connect people from all corners of the world in real-time has never been more prevalent. Now that you have all this extra demand for video, do you have enough bandwidth to handle the massive increase in viewership?
In this webinar, you’ll learn how moving to the cloud can:
  • Give unprecedented worldwide access to your video communications  
  • Free up time for the new priorities on your list and let someone else do the heavy lifting 
  • Actually help ease your uncertainties right now  
Plus, find out who to contact for help every step of the way to ensure a seamless, headache-free experience.
Join us at 1 pm CT on June 18 and use the hashtag #videointhecloudon Twitter to ask questions. Our presenters will respond to you in real-time! 

From OpenStax:

We offer free webinars featuring our staff, partners, textbook authors, students, and book adopters. Whether you want to get to know our team better or are looking for courseware, we know you’ll find a webinar that piques your interest. With the help of the Michelson 20MM Foundation we are able to offer even more great webinars! Watch this video of Dr. Gary Michelson, a supporter of a diverse set of philanthropic causes, to see why they’ve chosen to support this work.
Explore webinars

June 11, 2020

From the Chronicle of Higher Education:

"Every Fall Syllabus Needs an 'Or' Option"
Christina Katopodis, a doctoral candidate in English at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center, laid that out nicely in a recent blog post. Katopodis, who’s collaborating with Cathy Davidson on a related book project, describes working with a class several years ago to co-create an American-literature course at CUNY's Hunter College, where she is an adjunct professor. A survey course can’t possibly cover everything, Katopodis said in an interview. So she designed a process in which students worked in small groups to help decide what the class would read.

June 15, 2020

From GCC's FITS group:

FITS (Faculty Instructional Technology Support) will be available to help with your technology learning needs this summer as you prepare your fall courses for remote instruction. I have created a very brief survey to determine what your most pressing needs are. The survey will be available until Friday of this week (6/19).



June 16, 2020

From D2L:

 

During the webinar, our experts will highlight:

  • How to keep students involved, motivated, and engaged 
  • The importance of clear and consistent communication 
  • Research-based best practices for online teaching and learning 
  • How to help faculty adapt to an online environment 
 
 

June 17, 2020

From Alyssa Arnell, GCC's History Dept. Chair:

The Virtual Valley: Last-Minute Tools and Strategies for Online Classroom Education

Greenfield Community College and local partners are seeking proposals for individual, small group, and panel presentations for the 2020 Western Mass Virtual Valley Online Conference, to be held on Thursday, August 20, 2020. This free one-day conference is an important opportunity to bring local educators together to share, learn, and inspire each other as we head into the fall term in online learning environments.

The theme of the 2020 conference is “Last Minute Tools and Strategies for Online Classroom Education.” As many prepare to teach in the fall, this conference is designed to provide ways to assess and review online classroom content as many of us prepare to each in online in the fall. Please come, participate, and share your knowledge.

Proposed sessions should reflect the theme of the conference and speak to a broad audience of educators from across disciplines and from high schools to community colleges. Our conference tracks include:

  • Online Technology in the classroom
  • Fair use, privacy, Section 504 compliance
  • Classroom equity

DEADLINE: July 10th, 2020 Submit your proposals by completing the form available HERE

Please direct your questions to Alyssa Arnell at arnella@gcc.mass.edu.

From John Nordell:

One of my students found this site where you can create your own virtual museum/gallery:https://www.artsteps.com/explore

From Inside Higher Ed:

This actually seems like a really cool article!

‘We’re All in This Together’

Most instructors were novices in a new environment last spring, 

and many sought help. In preparation for fall, colleges and others 

share their expertise freely. Here are some new initiatives.

From YouTube:

We’ve just launched a series of bundled learning toolkits on the Creator Academy with topics ranging from Pivoting your Content, to Going Live, to Production, and more. Check them out to get the support and ideas to help you manage and optimize your channel in this fast changing environment.
GET STARTED

From Magna:

Our 

Take advantage of these expert-led courses at a special reduced price and make this summer a turning point in your professional development!
Register today!

Also from Alyssa Arnell:

I just wanted to share information with you about an online teaching conference presented by the California Community Colleges. The Conference runs the next two days. This conference seems to have it all! Sessions cover online biology labs, inclusive online content, how to create online career programs, and improving online support for students. Remember, the schedule is on Pacific time. 



June 18, 2020

From REV:

Rev’s First-Ever Accessibility Week

Join us June 22-26 as experts discuss
 Covid-19, 

ADA compliance, and everything in between

We’ve put together our first-ever weeklong virtual event — held during lunchtime from 12:00-1:00CT — where speakers will be sharing their thoughts, experiences, and advice on how to empower faculty and staff to scale their efforts and meet the Covid-19 crisis head-on. After presenting, a Q&A session will follow. Check out our lineup and RSVP for the sessions you'd like to join.

From Higher Ed Jobs:

June 18, 2020
Reimagining Hands-on Learning in a Hands-off Time: Co-ops, Labs, and Practicums 
 

Medical StudentsColleges and universities everywhere are finding that, among the many challenges posed by the rapid move to online learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, some parts of the curricula are affected more profoundly than others. For instance, programs that feature co-ops and internships, lab and studio courses, and practicums face unique challenges during this time. Fortunately, students, faculty, corporations, and other educational partners are stepping up to meet the challenge with creativity and resilience.

From Cengage:

 
TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2020  
2:00 P.M. ET | 11:00 A.M. PT 
 
June 30
 
In the urgent move to online education, higher ed leaders worked to provide as little disruption as possible to teaching and learning. However, this move revealed disparities among certain student groups that have been challenged with accessing higher ed at this time. 

How is this transition affecting students in rural areas who might face a lack of reliable broadband access? What can leaders do to strategically plan for future semesters with these students in mind? 

Join us for a live, hour-long webinar on Tuesday, June 30, as leaders from the AAC&U, Northcentral Technical College in Wisconsin, and the Institute for Higher Education Policy share the work underway to support learners of all backgrounds during this challenging time.





June 22, 2020

From Google:

Teach from Home a website of resources for teaching online!
More than ever before, the world is searching for ‘how do teachers do it.' Whether in a classroom or at home, we are grateful to everyone helping to

From NPR:

Alternating school days, socially distanced desks and scheduled online learning — the upcoming school year may end up looking like one giant, uncontrolled “Let’s hope this works!” experiment. But American education has a long history of innovation under duress. Here are a few ideas that seem newly relevant given the constraints of 2020 and beyond. (Listen here or read the story)


June 23, 2020

From Pearson: 

Start here to master the essentials of online teaching

You and educators around the world are being asked to rethink what learning will look like for millions of students — this Fall and in the future. And the only thing we do know about the Fall term is that none of us know quite what to expect.

That means you’re also tasked with planning for every possible scenario, including fully online learning, smaller class sizes, flexible schedules, HyFlex models, and intermittent campus closures. On top of that, you’re looking for ways to help ensure you and your students not only cope, but thrive under these new circumstances.

No matter what your plans and concerns are, or how they might change from day to day throughout each term, we can help you prepare.


From ConexED:

Read the Bellevue College case study to see how connecting with their instructor in real time helped students increase not only their participation—but also their grades. 
 
 

From Magna:

Learning from Pandemic Pedagogy: Best Practices for a Quick and Inclusive Transition to Online Teaching
July 28 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
For faculty transitioning to online delivery due to pandemic-related university policies who are looking for guidance in good teaching practices in this uncertain environment, this Magna Online Seminar will assist in pedagogy for course conversion as well as help with inclusive practices that might have been overlooked at first.

Learn More

From Invoke Learning:



June 24, 2020

From OpenStax:

Student interns on their experiences, perspectives, and OER knowledge


Ever wonder what students really think about open educational resources?
 Register now!

From Inside Higher Ed:

Reflections on the Invisible Labor of Online Teaching »

Given the rightful fear and anxiety that our students are feeling, online instruction has opened a portal for them to seek therapy-like consultations from professors, writes Irina Popescu.


A Day in the Life of a Remote Instructor: Fall 2020 »

Jenae Cohn envisions how the term may unfold for a faculty member who remains off campus in September.� 


A Day in the Life of a Remote Undergraduate Student: Fall 2020 »

Beth Seltzer envisions how the term may unfold for a student who remains off campus in September.

From Echo:

Download our free white paper to learn how innovative professors have implemented online/hybrid teaching and engagement methods that continue to surpass student expectations.


June 25, 2020

From the Online Learning Consortium:


July 16, 2020

From Education Admin Web Advisor:

Tips for Preparing for and Teaching Your Live Online Video Class Lesson

Thursday, July 23

3:30 PM Eastern; 2:30 PM Central; 1:30 PM Mountain; 12:30 PM Pacific

Veteran educator Dr. Robert Hill will show you how to prepare live online lessons infused with the best instructional practices. You will learn how to ensure that your students will get the most from your online synchronous instruction.

Please join us!

 

 

From the Chronicle of Higher Ed:

Collaborative Note-Taking

Students come to Brielle Harbin’s introductory American-government course with a wide range of background knowledge. Some passed the Advanced Placement exam, while others haven’t studied the topic since they were freshmen in high school. That leaves Harbin, an assistant professor of political science at the United States Naval Academy, looking for ways to level the playing field.

One approach she’s found helpful is collaborative note-taking, in which students rotate note-taking responsibilities in a shared Google document (Harbin has the rest of the class take their own notes by hand). As Harbin describes in a recent article for College Teaching, the approach has several benefits. It strengthens students’ note-taking abilities, in particular letting those with less background learn from their classmates. It gives Harbin, who creates and owns the note-taking document, a window into how well students understand the material throughout the term. That’s especially useful at a service academy, she says, since students’ schedules make it hard for them to attend office hours.

From Campus Technology:

and

From Magna:

This 20- to 25-hour course is your surest path to online teaching success! You’ll get core principles and best practices in online teaching to get you up and running fast, without detrimental and challenging false starts.

From Invoke Learning:

This e-mail is part of Invoke Learning's weekly series sharing new, non-traditional insights from America's first fully-online college experience. 

Here are links to all posts in this series:

Insights from America's first fully-online college experience: Part 1
Insights from America's first fully-online college experience: Part 2
Insights from America's first fully-online college experience: Part 3
Insights from America's first fully-online college experience: Part 4


July 21,  2020

From the Online Learning Consortium:

OLC Ideate Labs for Online STEM Virtual Event

Make plans to join the OLC/MERLOT freevirtual expo, showcasing a wide range of virtual and distance labs designed to support online STEM education, offered by both commercial and open educational resource (OER) providers. OLC Ideate Labs for Online STEM: Innovating STEM Education 2020 event on August 19-21, 2020. 

Registration opens later this week!  Save the dates for this free, virtual event! Learn more.

Pedagogical Considerations for Instructional Video Conferencing Sessions

Remote instruction via video conferencing offers an engaging, quick shift to virtual facilitation in today’s unprecedented circumstances," said Amanda E. Major, EdD, CPLP, PMP and Tommi Barrett-Greenly, EdD, in a recent blog post. "This is a time when we, as educators, can use a powerful learning tool like video conferencing to effectively reach and teach our students, while providing meaningful and effective instruction." Learn more.

From Academic Impressions:

August 7, 2020 | Virtual Training
Learn how to shift your mindset and practices so that you don’t exclude your students and limit their learning.

 

Practicing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Higher Education
September 16 - 17, 2020 | Virtual Conference
Take action to examine your knowledge base, unpack biases, and make your classroom and materials more inclusive.


July 22, 2020

From Gary Ackerman:

For the last month or so, the MA community colleges that use Moodle have been hosting "Moodle Monday" workshops that are open to participant from all campuses. 

On August 3, I will be hosting one entitled "Creating Accessible Materials" in which I will demonstrate tools for ensuring your videos and documents meet ADA requirements.

From the Online Learning Consortium:

OLC Ideate Labs for Online STEM: Innovating STEM Education

The Online Learning Consortium and MERLOT would like to invite you to our OLC Ideate Labs for Online STEM: Innovating STEM Education 2020 event on August 19-21, 2020.

This free virtual expo will showcase a wide range of virtual and distance labs designed to support online STEM education, offered by both commercial and open educational resource (OER) providers. This event brings educators and providers together, not only offering expert guidance on how best to deploy the different types of virtual labs to achieve successful learning outcomes, but also in centering educator use-case virtual lab stories. 

Event Details: The upending impact of the COVID-19 outbreak upon higher education has created an immediate demand for delivering laboratory experiences in online settings. This event will foster conversations, exploration and relationship-building between higher education leaders and established online labs providers, organized around 4 strategic themes/questions:

  • WHY CONSIDER VIRTUAL LABS? If you are just getting started, what are the unique affordances of digital, virtual, and distance labs and strategies for intentionally incorporating them into STEM educational spaces into the future?
  • HOW TO GET BUY-IN FOR EXPLORING VIRTUAL LABS? How do you center engagement, welcome exploration/failure, and ensure quality within virtual, digital, and distance labs, so people can try these innovations?
  • HOW DO YOU PLAN FOR SUSTAINING SUCCESS WITH VIRTUAL LABS? How do you connect with stakeholders to discuss policy, resources, training, and the relationship between innovative virtual / digital / distance content and certifying / governing / professional bodies? 
  • HOW DO YOU SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT VIRTUAL LABS? What are demonstrated strategies for implementing virtual, digital, and distance labs with sustainability, affordability, accessibility, and equity in mind?
Anchored in the four major themes above, the event builds intentional space for building meaningful connections between technology partners and educators, creating multiple entry points for various levels of Lab adoption, as well as authentic storytelling around the implementation of Lab technologies, and (re)imagine in community the future of Online Labs for STEM.

In the next few days we will be issuing a Call for Presentations for this event, so watch your email and the OLC website for that! 

The full program for this 3-day event will be posted once it has been finalized. But go ahead and register now - it's free! 

Join this collaborative community dedicated to innovative STEM education and register today for this free, virtual event! Learn more.
 

From EducationAdminWebAdvisor (what a friggin name):

Tips for Preparing for and Teaching Your Live Online Video Class Lesson

Thursday, July 23

3:30 PM Eastern; 2:30 PM Central; 1:30 PM Mountain; 12:30 PM Pacific

Veteran educator Dr. Robert Hill will show you how to prepare live online lessons infused with the best instructional practices. You will learn how to ensure that your students will get the most from your online synchronous instruction.

Please join us!

 
 

From Inside Higher Ed:

Teaching With Technology, Technology, Transforming Teaching & Learning

Snapchat, Instagram and Other Unexpected Guests in Class

Kevin Dougherty and Jesse DeDeyne documented how students used their cellphones during a sociology class last fall (spoiler: texting friends and checking Snapchat) and discuss how they'll change their teaching in response. »

From Academic Impressions:

From The Key podcast from Inside Higher Ed:

[NEW EPISODE] Online Learning’s Outlook for the Fall  Will online offerings from colleges be more sophisticated? What steps need to be taken to ensure academic quality in online learning? And will short-term credentials be more popular?

To get some answers to these tricky questions, we spoke with Lori Williams, president and CEO of NC-SARA. Williams discussed ideas from an opinion piece she wrote for Inside Higher Ed on the role for states in quality assurance in online education.

We also spoke with Marni Baker Stein, provost and chief academic officer for Western Governors University. Stein spoke about how the large, online and competency-based university has worked to help its students cope with disruptions, as well as her outlook for the fall and the potential for short-term programs.

July 23, 2020

From Magna Online:

Learning from Pandemic Pedagogy: Best Practices for a Quick and Inclusive Transition to Online Teaching
July 28 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
For faculty transitioning to online delivery due to pandemic-related university policies who are looking for guidance in good teaching practices in this uncertain environment, this Magna Online Seminar will assist in pedagogy for course conversion as well as help with inclusive practices that might have been overlooked at first.

Learn More

Backward Design: Aligning Outcomes to Activities and Assessments
August 11 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
The best courses start with the end in mind. What will students learn or be able to do by the end of this class? This Magna Online Seminar helps you organize your workflow and equips you with the tools to line up your course learning elements with your student learning outcomes.

Learn More

Maximizing Student Engagement with Course Readings
August 18 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
Have you ever had difficulty getting students to complete required readings?  Is it a challenge to get them to think more critically about the content? This Magna Online Seminar will introduce four methods for increasing your students’ engagement with course readings.  Each method will be explored in detail, and all materials will be supplied for you to use these activities with your own classes.

Learn More

Reimagining STEM Education Through a Humanities Lens
September 1 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
This Magna Online Seminar is for any educator thinking about how to reintegrate the arts and humanities into STEM education. Participants will be introduced to a phenomenological framework on STEM-inclusive teaching. Explore concrete, evidence-informed strategies to align what students expect from their education with what faculty think; transform the classroom—virtual or in-person—into a sanctuary where all students can explore life; and create a meaning-centered education which is grounded in love of knowledge, beauty, and humanity.

Learn More

Harnessing the Power of Open Pedagogy and Open Syllabi to Promote Student Success
September 10 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
Through the use of open pedagogy and open syllabi, instructors can empower students to play a larger role in the development and curation of learning materials for their classes. In this Magna Online Seminar, we will introduce the concepts of open pedagogy and open syllabi and discuss practical ways they have been successfully used in classroom settings with both commercial and open educational resource (OER) materials.

Learn More

From Pearson:

Staying home doesn’t mean going it alone

An online-only environment can feel challenging or intimidating. Explore our tips for helping students get the course support they need while taking online courses.

Read the article

July 27, 2020

From Colleen Caffery, Coordinator of Disability Services at GCC:

Some things that we can do to ensure accessibility in the remote environment:

  • Follow the principles of Universal Design for Learning—in a nutshell, using a variety of ways to present content, assess learning, and engage with students.
  • Make sure that video content is captioned.  If you are unable to find captioned versions of the perfect video, I.T. can send it out to a vendor that can add captions.  Gary Ackerman has created videos on uploading videos to YouTube and editing the auto-captioning that YouTube creates.  https://online.gcc.mass.edu/mod/page/view.php?id=373042

https://online.gcc.mass.edu/mod/page/view.php?id=352670

  • Provide transcripts for audio content.
  • Create accessible materials—Word documents, PDFs, slide presentations, images (alt text descriptions), etc.  Gary Ackerman is presenting a workshop On Monday, August 3https://online.gcc.mass.edu/mod/page/view.php?id=384789
  • Use descriptive language for hyperlinks.

 

Here is an excellent, very comprehensive website for designing an accessible online course:  https://exploreaccess.org/accessible-online-course/  Much of the information is applicable to other needs—marketing materials, presentations, website content, and more.

FromYamaha:

From Academic Impressions:

Responding to Microaggressions in Online Learning Environments During a PandemicArticle | Academic Impressions


With faculty and students both stressed during the pandemic, microaggressions may become more frequent in our online learning environment. Here are some practical strategies for mitigating the impact of microaggressions in online and remote classes. Read more.


Learn more:

From Campus Technology:

Updated: Free and Discounted Ed Tech Tools for Online Learning During the Coronavirus Pandemic

  • As more and more colleges and universities have shut down their campuses to curb the spread of COVID-19, education technology companies have stepped forward to help move student learning to the virtual realm.

    More

From Desire 2 Learn:

The University of Arizona (UA) has been expanding its online presence and has doubled its course sites per semester while using fewer resources. Faculty can now create and update their online course offerings without the need for permission or technical support.

Learn how UA improved its support for online programs and how it’s empowering faculty to teach the way they want.

 
 

From EducationAdminWebAdvisor (Who names their organization like this?):

Tips for Preparing for and Teaching Your Live Online Video Class Lesson

Friday, July 31

3:30 PM Eastern; 2:30 PM Central; 1:30 PM Mountain; 12:30 PM Pacific

Veteran educator Dr. Robert Hill will show you how to prepare live online lessons infused with the best instructional practices. You will learn how to ensure that your students will get the most from your online synchronous instruction.

Please join us!

 

 

From The Online Learning Consortium:

Designing Game-Based Learning

Starts September 14, 2020

Game-based learning and gamification are two very different–if very effective– instructional phenomena. In this workshop, the companion to Designing Gamified Learning Environments workshop, you will implement the theories, principles, and specifically the mechanics of gamification to create your own games on a topic of your choice. By building an educational or serious game, you can leverage the power behind our innate desire to play. Learn more.

 

Designing Courses with a Multimodal Approach

Starts September 21, 2020

Through online discussions, student-student and student-content interactions increase, and both faculty and students collaborate in the learning process as they explore unique perspectives. Join an expert facilitator from the OLC Institute in this seven-day asynchronous workshop to learn strategies for engaging learners in effective discussions as well as tools that can be employed to foster learner engagement and improve learning outcomes. Throughout the workshop, you will develop a plan for creating engaging and effective online discussions in your courses. Learn more.
 

July 28, 2020

From EducationAdminWebAdvisor:

Tips for Preparing for and Teaching Your Live Online Video Class Lesson

Friday, July 31

3:30 PM Eastern; 2:30 PM Central; 1:30 PM Mountain; 12:30 PM Pacific

Veteran educator Dr. Robert Hill will show you how to prepare live online lessons infused with the best instructional practices. You will learn how to ensure that your students will get the most from your online synchronous instruction.

Please join us!

 
 





July 29, 2020

From Magna:

We are offering a – Practical Advice for New Online Instructors

Learn more about this live seminar!

From ACE Engage:

[Microcourse] Teaching and Advising for Online Student Engagement. Ensure that instructors and advisors are getting the resources they need to support student engagement online with this microcourse, created by experts at Southern New Hampshire University, for academic affairs administrators, with foundational online teaching and advising strategies.

From the Online Learning Consortium:

Play. Learn. Produce.

"Think about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on learning. With limitations on face-to-face classes, it is through emergency online mode that instructors were forced to continue their courses. These pivots in learning may be a source of anxiety for both students and teachers." said Dr. Rosh Rupani and Dr. Sreyoshi Bhaduri in a recentblog post. "Introducing elements of play in day-to-day work can help foster innovation and boost productivity." Read more.

From The Key podcast:

Episode 15: Online Learning’s Outlook for the Fall
Will online offerings from colleges be more sophisticated? What steps need to be taken to ensure academic quality in online learning? To get some answers to these tricky questions, we spoke with Lori Williams, president and CEO of NC-SARA. We also spoke with Marni Baker Stein, provost and chief academic officer for Western Governors University, about how the large, online and competency-based university has worked to help its students cope with disruptions, as well as her outlook for the fall and the potential for short-term programs.

July 30, 2020

From Education Admin Web Advisor:

Tips for Preparing for and Teaching Your Live Online Video Class Lesson

Friday, July 31

3:30 PM Eastern; 2:30 PM Central; 1:30 PM Mountain; 12:30 PM Pacific

Veteran educator Dr. Robert Hill will show you how to prepare live online lessons infused with the best instructional practices. You will learn how to ensure that your students will get the most from your online synchronous instruction.

Please join us!

 
 

From Academic Impressions:

Views of Online Education During the Pandemic
Report | Strada Education


Among the findings of a new survey:

  • Three in 10 Americans say that even if COVID-19 was not a threat, they’d prefer an online-only learning option.
  • Recent graduates of programs at online institutions rate the value of their education higher than graduates of other four-year colleges.
  • Nearly half of women would choose an exclusively online option if they enrolled in the next six months.

Read more.


First-Gen Students: Amid the Pandemic, Tales of Determination
Article | CNBC


Lost jobs, lost apartments, a responsibility to care for family members and more - but amid all these challenges, first-generation students communicate a determination to succeed and get their college degree to improve their lives' and their families'. Read more.



August 6, 2020

From Education Admin Web Advisor (really, what is in a name):

Tips for Preparing for and Teaching Your Live Online Video Class Lesson

Tuesday, August 11

11:30 AM Eastern; 10:30 AM Central; 9:30 AM Mountain; 8:30 AM Pacific

Veteran educator Dr. Robert Hill will show you how to prepare live online lessons infused with the best instructional practices. You will learn how to ensure that your students will get the most from your online synchronous instruction.

Please join us!

 
 

From Inside Higher Ed:

Learning Innovation

7 Answers to 7 Questions About Online Education From a Japanese Media Company

How would you answer these questions about the future of digital learning? »


From Magna Publications:

By applying the culturally responsive teaching practices detailed in this 60-minute online seminar, you’ll be able to build more effective learning experiences and increase student engagement in online environments. This will ultimately help promote social justice and a sense of community at your institution and beyond.




August 10, 2020

From Education Admin Web Advisor (really, sheesh):

Tips for Preparing for and Teaching Your Live Online Video Class Lesson

Tuesday, August 11

11:30 AM Eastern; 10:30 AM Central; 9:30 AM Mountain; 8:30 AM Pacific

Veteran educator Dr. Robert Hill will show you how to prepare live online lessons infused with the best instructional practices. You will learn how to ensure that your students will get the most from your online synchronous instruction.

Please join us!

 
 
 

From Academic Impressions:

Incorporating Virtual Labs and Lab Kits in Your Courses
August 10, 2020 | Virtual Training
What you need to know before you begin: How to implement virtual and remote labs in fall courses.

From Magna Publications:

We are offering a free Magna Online Seminar, “Help! I’m Moving My Course Online!”– Practical Advice for New Online Instructors, in which you’ll learn some basic ideas to consider to help you design a course that is easy for your students to navigate. You and your students will make it through the semester!

Learn more about this live seminar!

From the Online Learning Consortium:

OLC Ideate Labs for Online STEM

Last call for speaker submissions – closing today.

More than 700 leaders and frontline innovators in STEM have already registered for this free virtual event with MERLOT, kicking off Wednesday, August 19.

The conversation won’t stop here! If you are looking for continued engagement and community building with others committed to the future of Online Labs for STEM, you’ve come to the right place. Start making new connections during the event and learn about additional opportunities to build on the momentum.



OLC Ideate Labs for Online STEM
August 19-21, 2020
 

Designing with Accessibility in Mind

7-Day Online Workshop Begins Monday, August 17

This workshop is sure to add helpful techniques and tools to your accessibility toolkit in order to become compliant and inclusive.

"This is a great course that makes participants aware of different types of disabilities among users of digital content. The included educational material is very well organized and makes the participants eager to know more about accessibility. I recommend the OLC courses as an excellent example of joining people from different regions in the world."

Izabela Mrochen, PhD, 
Professor Assistant,
University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland




Begins Monday, August 17
 

Complete all four of our workshops on the topic of accessibility and universal design for learning and earn your OLC Accessibility Badge. Learn more.

Begins Monday, September 14
 

Complete all four of our workshops on the topic of accessibility and universal design for learning and earn your OLC Accessibility Badge. Learn more.

Applying Universal Design Principles to Increase Accessibility and Engagement

7-Day Online Workshop Begins Monday, September 14

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) takes into consideration that students learn differently and, therefore, should be provided with different options for learning materials and for demonstrating learning. This workshop will help you understand the core concepts of UDL and apply them to an online course setting.

"I had heard of UDL but didn't know what it actually encompassed. I was thinking 'accessibility,' which is part of the consideration, but not really 'learning about addressing the buy-in of the audience' by offering multiple paths to the one goal."

Dr. Mary Williams,
Professor of English,
Midland College, Midland, TX

From Campus Technology:

  • MIT Develops Open Source Tool to Support Spontaneous Online Conversations

    Researchers at MIT's Sloan School of Management have developed a new software platform for having private, on-the-spot conversations online. Called Minglr, the open source tool is designed to replicate the kinds of interactions people might have before and after meetings, in the lobby during breaks of conferences and around the office coffee machine, in a virtual environment.

    More

August 11, 2020




August 11, 2020

DAY 148, AUGUST 11, 2020

The Great Dance Party

Today's soundtrack: Beautiful Rivers and Mountains: The Psychedelic Rock Sound of South Korea's Shin Joong Hyun, 1958-1974

There is something interesting listening to music that epitomizes a particular era. Something about the reverb on the voice, the organ sounds, that make me remember the smell of lacquered wood cabinets carved with intricate designs and adorned with engraved metal reinforcements. These cabinets resided in every Korean house of my childhood. I don't know where they came from or how they arrived in this country in that era before modern mass manufacturing and modern shipping expectations. They were as ubiquitous as embroidered silk pillows.

I remember one of my uncles talking about one of his brother's get rich quick schemes (he always had get rich quick schemes). It involved shipping a crate of live eels from Korea, but the crate got held up in customs, and by the time the shipment was released... you can imagine, it was not good.

The music, the smell of lacquered cabinets, the embroidered pillows, and the voices of my uncles getting more heated as they drank more alcohol, and then the interventions of my grandfather, and ultimately my mother, they all harken a different era for my family, one that was more adventurous, more entrepreneurial, more fraught with little disasters, more heated arguments, and always wonderful meals.
A cool car at the local nursery.
There was the one time when the eel uncle called our house in a frenzy because he thought he had won the Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. We ended up at his kitchen table in Brookline as my father tried to talk him down as he picked out what color speedboat he wanted and licked the stamp onto the appropriate location.

He was always my favorite uncle because he seemed obstinately cool. He carried the disco era with him out of the 70s, into marriage and home ownership. He had the Playboy channel on cable that I would sneak glimpses at when babysitting his kids, until he and his wife came home from their night out with a big bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Our fingers and faces would get all greasy from the chicken. He drove a black TransAm with Recaro seats. That car was his pride and joy until a neighbor threw a brick through the back window. Then I think it became a source of worry, but until then he was my own personal David Hasselhoff from the TV show Knight Rider. 

A lifetime later, my Uncle John helped me rehab the house I'm living in. His hard work, and sometimes questionable judgement (and my own), surround me every living day. He is gone now, but it is fun to remember his disco swagger and cool smile even as he struggled in his later years. 

Cheers to you, Uncle John. I hope it is a great dance party where you are.

Take care and be well,
Leo
My daughter lighting a candle at All Saints in Sewanee, TN

From Our Friends:

From Higher Ed Hot Topics:

Support & Response to the Current Climate
The current crises of COVID-19 and civil unrest have exacerbated pressures felt by Asians and Asian Americans. Over thirty percent of Americans have witnessed COVID-19 bias against Asians, according to a survey conducted by Center for Public Integrity.  

Get actionable takeaways and join this critical conversation with your peers on September 2, 2020 when our expert presenter will share key issues, best practices and insights on establishing impactful campus initiatives, responses and actions to bias, and long-term programming for Asian and Asian-American populations. 

You’ll be able to sensitively and inclusively understand and support this population on campus, as well as address unconscious bias and systemic racism against Asians within interpersonal interactions, departmental approaches, and institutional policies. 

From Good Docs:

UNSETTLED is an award-winning film that follows the stories of LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East as they flee persecution to seek better lives in the United States. The film explores the implications of current immigration policy and the specific challenges faced by these immigrants as they work to build new lives. Click here to request a preview of the film. 

From our Friends at CISA:

CISA is hiring for two positions and we are trying to reach wide and deep and would so appreciate your help in spreading the word.

 

The two positions are: Communications Coordinator and Program Assistant

 

And here is a little background on CISA.

 

Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) is a nonprofit that works with hundreds of local farms and the community to get more local food onto people’s plates. We run the Be a Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown® marketing campaign, outreach around buying local, trainings and workshops for farmers, and programs to increase access to local food. We believe that the local community is essential to successful local farms.

Our team has a range of skills and life experiences and who all believe that a diverse and resilient food economy has viable farms, fair and just working conditions, strong environmental stewardship, and accessible local food in all of our communities. We are committed to understanding the history and current impacts of racism in the food system and actively work towards equity. We are committed to recruiting and retaining creative, ethical, smart, and innovative people.



Franklin found a little cave!

Today's Online Teaching Tips:

From Education Admin Web Advisor:

Tips for Preparing for and Teaching Your Live Online Video Class Lesson

Tuesday, August 11

11:30 AM Eastern; 10:30 AM Central; 9:30 AM Mountain; 8:30 AM Pacific

Veteran educator Dr. Robert Hill will show you how to prepare live online lessons infused with the best instructional practices. You will learn how to ensure that your students will get the most from your online synchronous instruction.

Please join us!

 
 




August 12, 2020

From Inside Higher Ed:

STEM teaching and learning is a great challenge in higher education. STEM teaching and learning is also the subject of innovation. But only a minority of students are ready for STEM at the college level. 

This webcast will explore the issues involved, and look at the efforts of some colleges to attract more students to STEM, including:

  • A new approach to teaching physics "energy first" holds promise 
  • A study argues that class-size debates need more nuance 
  • Creating well-designed and well-delivered remote learning experiences 
Learn about the challenges community college STEM transfer students face amid the pandemic and get your questions answered by Inside Higher Ed editors Scott Jaschik and Doug Lederman during the webcast on Wednesday, August 26th, at 2:00 pm ET. 

From Education Admin Web Advisor:

COVID-19 and Virtual Teaching: How to Engage Students and Foster an Online Learning Community

Tuesday, August 18

2 PM Eastern; 1 PM Central; 12 PM Mountain; 11 AM Pacific

Veteran educator and seasoned online professor Dr. Robert Hill share his insight from behind the screen on what works best. You will learn how to increase student attendance, participation, and, most importantly, engagement in online courses.

Please join us!

 
 



August 13, 2020

From OpenStax:

This year, OpenStax is working with three organizations to host the 2020 Open Education Conference as a virtual event from November 9-3. Designed through a community-driven process, the conference aims to engage diverse perspectives and inspire participants to strive for a future where education is accessible, affordable, equitable and inclusive for all. Sign up below to receive updates for the conference.

The supporting organizations include SPARC, the Colorado Department of Higher Education OER Council and the University System of Maryland’s Kirwan Center, and OpenStax.


Simulations are an effective way to improve student learning outcomes in science courses. As you look for ideas to engage today’s students — many of whom have grown up on video games, special effects, and the internet — consider enhancing your teaching and course content with something that will feel like second nature to your students. Read about their effectiveness and best practices for integrating them into your course. 
Read more

OpenStax offers free webinars featuring our staff, partners, and instructors who have used our textbooks to give you advice and support for using open educational resources (OER), OpenStax books, and OpenStax Tutor. Take a look at what we have coming up this month and sign up to join us. 
Learn more



August 24, 2020

From Academic Impressions:

How to Boost Student Engagement - Even Online
Blog | Gray Associates


Read what Dr. William Massy, author of Resource Management in Colleges and Universities, has to say. In his new blog post "How to Boost Student Engagement - Even Online,” Dr. Massy discusses different approaches and techniques he has used successfully in the past.


Check out his blog post.

August 25, 2020

From EducationAdminWebAdvisor:

COVID-19: How to Make Online Teaching Equitable in Higher Ed

Tuesday, August 25

12 PM Eastern; 11 AM Central; 10 AM Mountain; 9 AM Pacific

Award-winning professor Bridget Turner Kelly will share lessons she has learned from over 20 years of utilizing intergroup dialogue in her teaching.

Please join us!

 
 
 
 

From Yamaha:



August 26, 2020

From ACE Engage:

Man at laptop computer
September 1, 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Register Now
 
 

A Conversation on Student Success: Equity and Success for Online Community College Students. Susan Barbitta of NC Student Success Center and Lisa Chapman of Central Carolina Community College discuss online teaching and student equity as part of ACE and ACUE’s Conversations on Student Success.

From Academic Impressions:

Strategies to Create More Engaging Online Courses
September 15, 2020 | Virtual Training
Learn how you can immediately create more engagement in your online instruction, virtual learning communities, and course materials.

Responding to Microaggressions in Online Learning Environments During a Pandemic
Dr. Tasha Souza, Associate Director for Inclusive Excellence for the Center for Teaching and Learning, Professor of Communication, Boise State University |Article
Here are some practical strategies for mitigating the impact of microaggressions in online and remote classes.



August 27, 2020

From Jenzabar Webinars:

With students heading back to class in-person or remotely, it's important for faculty and staff to remain connected with individuals, especially Gen Z learners, on their preferred social channels. For some tips and tricks on how to maintain student engagement across different digital channels, be sure to check out our on-demand webinar with Ithaca College. 

From Higher Ed Jobs:

Seizing Your Second Chance at Online Teaching 
by Russell S. Thacker 

Virtual TeachingWe don't always get a second chance. But this fall, if you are teaching at one of the increasing number of institutions around the United States opting back into online learning, you are eligible for a do-over. With pandemic online learning 2.0 fast approaching, how will you update your next version of online teaching? Here are a few small changes you can make for a more engaging and personal online learning experience.




September 1, 2020

From Academic Impressions:

Cultivating a Professional and Engaging Persona on Your Video Calls - Additional Dates Added!
September 14, 2020 or October 5, 2020 | Virtual Training
Learn some simple ways you can improve the quality of your communication and connections with others online.

Adapt Your In-Person Peer Mentor Program for a Virtual Environment
September 21, 2020 | Webcast
Adapt your peer mentor program to keep students safe and enrolled, regardless of what the academic year holds.

Recognize Student Distress in a Virtual Environment
September 28, 2020 | Webcast
Recognize the warning signs of student distress and understand how to take appropriate action.

From the Macmillan Learning Team:

Not sure what to expect when it comes to teaching this fall?
Not sure what to expect when it comes to teaching this fall? 

In this webinar, online teaching experts Heidi Skurat Harris and Rebecca Glazier discuss how to efficiently prepare successful and student-centered classes, no matter the modality.


alt_text
The Flipped Effect: Investigating the influence of pre-class activities on exam scores
One strategy that has gained popularity for effectively implementing an active learning course design is a “flipped classroom’’ where students engage with the course material before coming to class. The literature on the effectiveness of using pre-class activities to improve learner outcomes is mixed. 

From Inside Higher Ed:

This Wednesday, Inside Higher Ed will shine a light on the unique perspective of students who face additional strain as a result of the pandemic. Listen to a personal and introspective discussion with higher ed experts and several of the learners featured in this Inside Higher Ed story during our live virtual event on Sept. 2, at 2 p.m.

Gain the insights you need to make the learning experience better for your school's students who are in similar circumstances — sign up for the event now. 
Learn More About the Event

From The Online Learning Consortium:

Supporting Your Child With Online Learning: A Free On-Demand Webinar for Parents

Now available free on-demand, share this webinar with parents as a helpful resource in supporting kids with online learning during this incredibly challenging time. A panel of online teaching and learning experts (and parents!) discuss how to manage stress, consider the role of routines and schedules, and gain specific strategies for success.


September 2, 2020

From GCC Librarian Liza Harrington:

How to embed streaming videos in your Moodle course: https://youtu.be/YcVnJTYZKVs. The video is…too long. But again, going for speed/relevancy over perfection. First half is the technical aspect of using library streaming services; second half discusses how licenses work with both library materials and Netflix/Hulu/Amazon.

From EducationAdminWebAdvisor:

COVID-19 and Virtual Teaching: How to Engage Students and Foster an Online Learning Community

Thursday, September 3

11:30 AM Eastern; 10:30 AM Central; 9:30 AM Mountain; 8:30 AM Pacific

Veteran educator and seasoned online professor Dr. Robert Hill share his insight from behind the screen on what works best. You will learn how to increase student attendance, participation, and, most importantly, engagement in online courses.

Please join us!

 
 
 

From Academic Impressions:

Cultivating a Professional and Engaging Persona on Your Video Calls
September 14, 2020 or October 5, 2020 | Virtual Training
Learn some simple ways you can improve the quality of your communication and connections with others online.

Recognize Student Distress in a Virtual Environment
September 28, 2020 | Webcast
Recognize the warning signs of student distress and understand how to take appropriate action.

From Inside Higher Ed:

Welcoming Activities That Work

Professors, think again before having students simply make rules on the first day of class, and instead create ways to truly engage them, Andrew Joseph Pegoda urges. »


September 3, 2020

From ACE:

Equity and Success for Online Community College Students

Susan Barbitta, executive director of NC Student Success Center, and Lisa Chapman, president of Central Carolina Community College, will join ACE's Sherri Hughes to discuss how North Carolina community colleges are approaching online teaching and strategies for achieving student equity during a time of uncertainty and disruption. This webinar is part of ACE and ACUE's Conversations on Student Success series.

From the Chronicle of Higher Ed:

Reducing Students’ Stress

As courses moved online last spring, some professors significantly lowered their expectations and offered a great deal of flexibility in recognition of the upheaval that students were experiencing. What does that response look like now, as pandemic teaching stretches on far longer than most instructors expected?

From the It Gets Better Project:

How to Make Your Digital Classroom LGBTQ-Friendly

From using  inclusive language to finding ways to introduce LGBTQ+ stories into your curriculum, here are our tips on how to make your digital classroom an empowering space. 





September 8, 2020



From NISOD:

September 18 | September 25
Facilitated by Dr. Janet Zadina
It’s not what we know, it’s what we do that matters. This Virtual Workshop is designed to help educators reach diverse and struggling learners through a deeper understanding of underlying brain processes and science-based strategies. The facilitator, Dr. Janet Zadina, models brain-compatible teaching practices in this energizing workshop series based on her book, Multiple Pathways to the Student Brain. Learn more about this Virtual Workshop from Dr. Zadina in our interview!
An Interview with Facilitator Janet Zadina
Learn More About This Workshop!

From AAAS ARISE:

Back to School and “Out” of School in a New Paradigm of Teaching, Learning, and Conducting Research

September 24, 2020
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT

REGISTER HERE
  
The AAAS Emerging Leaders National Conference (ERN) team is presenting a community panel webinar to discuss the challenges of education in the modern climate. The global pandemic has created a new paradigm in the education sector, affecting all aspects of teaching, learning, and conducting research. Our panel will delve into these subjects and discuss how they, and their organizations, seek to adapt to the current landscape and produce results.
Learn More

From Academic Impressions:

Cultivating a Professional and Engaging Persona on Your Video Calls
September 14, 2020 or October 5, 2020 | Virtual Training
Learn simple ways you can improve the quality of your communication and connections with others online.



Sept. 9, 2020

From ACE Engage:

Man at computer.
Access the Recording
 
 

A Conversation on Student Success: Equity and Success for Online Community College Students. Susan Barbitta of NC Student Success Center and Lisa Chapman of Central Carolina Community College discuss online teaching and student equity as part of ACE and ACUE’s Conversations on Student Success. 

From Magna:

Harnessing the Power of Open Pedagogy and Open Syllabi to Promote Student Success
September 10 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
Through the use of open pedagogy and open syllabi, instructors can empower students to play a larger role in the development and curation of learning materials for their classes. In this Magna Online Seminar, we will introduce the concepts of open pedagogy and open syllabi and discuss practical ways they have been successfully used in classroom settings with both commercial and open educational resource (OER) materials.

Learn More

Overcoming STEM Challenges When Designing Curriculum and Online Delivery
September 15 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
It’s quite evident that improving retention and degree completion are complex tasks that involve the entire university structure. STEM education adds a layer of complexity that can be challenging when curriculum design and delivery modalities are changing toward an online system. This Magna Online Seminar will provide actionable advice on how to meet students’ interest in flexible learning options without compromising course quality or students’ achievement of mastering learning objectives.

Learn More

Beyond Pedagogy: Infusing Equity into Your Syllabus, Assignments, and Course Content
September 24 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
Have you integrated inclusive pedagogies into your teaching and wonder what’s next? Are you ready to be more intentional about making your assignments and course content more equity-minded? This Magna Online Seminar will identify evidence-based approaches to add equity-minded content and improve the success of minoritized students in your disciplinary and institutional context.

Learn More

Increasing Student Engagement, Persistence, and Success Online Using Emotion Science
October 6 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
Emotions are strongly linked to how we pay attention, focus, engage, remember, and learn. This Magna Online Seminar will present practical strategies for putting the power of emotions to work in online classes to help capture and hold students’ attention, better engage students in their learning, and ultimately help them persist and succeed.

Learn More

September 10, 2020

From HigherEd Jobs:

How to Impress Remotely 
by Eileen Hoenigman Meyer 

Impressing RemotelyAre high stakes meetings, like job interviews, less unnerving when conducted remotely? While it does afford us the opportunity to have these conversations from the relative comfort of home, it can be difficult to feel like we're truly making the connection and impression we would be if we were physically meeting with our interviewers. Consider these tips for creating a comfortable, impressive presence for a remote context.


From Academic Impressions:

Respond to Divisive Current Events in an Inclusive Way
October 2, 2020 | Webcast
How are you creating safe spaces for your students, faculty, and staff to organize in response to current events?

Strategies to Create More Engaging Online Courses
September 15, 2020 | Virtual Training
Learn how you can immediately create more engagement in your online instruction, virtual learning communities, and course materials.

From the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education:

Usable Knowledge | Harvard Graduate School of Education
"Enhancing Online Discussions"

As classrooms and lecture halls shifted to computer screens to facilitate remote education plans, Harvard Kennedy School’s Dan Levy noticed that the ways teachers communicated were changing too. Discover tips for on how Zoom features can enrich — rather than inhibit — classroom communication.

Read →

From Harmonize:

4 Tips to Encourage Creative & Original Discussions

Date/Time: September 15th | 12pm ET

Unicheck and Harmonize have joined forces to highlight how you can be creative and original with online discussions.  Learn More

   

Richer Online Discussions Drive Better Engagement: Insights from Brown University

Date/Time: September 22nd | 12pm ET

Join James Foley, Assistant Director for Digital Learning & Design at Brown as he shares his experience working with faculty to cultivate a richer discussion environment. Learn More

From SAGE Publishing:

From a professor who’s been there, I think it’s fair to say that last semester was less about distance learning and more about crisis teaching. But this time around we can be much more purposeful and intentional.

That’s where we’re certain our Distance Learning Playbook for College & University Instruction will be of service to your faculty. Supplemented by video footage and opportunities to self-reflect and assess, it mobilizes two decades of research to reveal what works best and when in an online or hybrid learning environment.

See for yourself in this complimentary e-book. We hope you agree that our playbook will be of immediate benefit to your Humanities teaching staff.


September 14, 2020

From the UD Human Rights Center:

Ferguson Voices Curriculum
Adapted from the first installation of the Moral Courage Project, this high school curriculum equips teachers to introduce conversations on racial justice, identity, and bias into their classroom. Each lesson is optimized for virtual classrooms.
  • Instructional Guide >>
  • Building a High School Curriculum >>

From Academic Impressions:

Strategies to Create More Engaging Online Courses
September 15, 2020 | Virtual Training
Learn how you can immediately create more engagement in your online instruction, virtual learning communities, and course materials.

From NISOD:

September 18 | October 5

Participants in this two-part workshop innovate and design solutions and recreate learning experiences by using a proven learning technique grounded in the principles of human-centered design. Learn more!

October 2 | October 9 | October 16

This series of three interactive Teachin’ It! modules offers practical strategies for delivering high-quality online instruction that disrupts larger systemic inequities at the classroom level. Learn more!

Sept. 15, 2020

From Info Base:

Thursday, September 17, 2020 | 2PM ET

When Allen Community College (KS) shut their physical library down in March due to COVID-19, Library Director Virginia Shaffer was well prepared to move her library’s services fully online. Using flexible, multidisciplinary resources like Credo Reference and Films On Demand, Shaffer was well positioned to support the disparate needs of Allen CC’s students and faculty in their transition to fully online. Join us for a look at Allen Community College’s online success this past spring and how they have prepared for blended learning this fall. We’ll also look specifically at how to embed and link streaming video and reference content to LibGuides and LMSs.

REGISTER NOW

From Academic Impressions:

From NPR:

How To Make The Most Of Online College This Fall

Millions of students are starting the fall semester online — in their childhood bedrooms, at kitchen tables surrounded by siblings or wherever they can find a quiet spot — as the coronavirus has forced more than a third of four-year colleges to teach entirely virtually.

With everything that's happening in the world, it can be hard to focus, especially if you didn't go into college with the intention of taking classes online. 

But students have been taking online courses for a long time, and many have loved the experience. 

Here's how to make the most of an online semester:

Sept. 16, 2020

From Inside Higher Ed:

The Moment Is Primed for Asynchronous Learning

Experts argue that asynchronous learning is a valuable tool, especially now. But it needs to be done in a thoughtful way to help students succeed. »

share on facebookshare on twittershare on linkedinshare via email

� 

Using Blogs for Online, Hybrid or HyFlex Teaching

Blogs offer many benefits, including encouraging students to be more engaged, writes Annette Vee, who provides tips on how to incorporate them most effectively into your courses. »

From Academic Impressions:

Recognize Student Distress in a Virtual Environment
September 28, 2020 | Webcast
Recognize the warning signs of student distress and understand how to take appropriate action.

September 17, 2020

From the It Gets Better Project:

Free Download: LGBTQ+ Inclusive EduGuides

Explore our wide selection of LGBTQ+ inclusive EduGuides and bring some diversity into your classroom, your home and your digital learning space. 

September 21, 2020

From NISOD:

October 2 | October 9 | October 16

This series of three interactive Teachin’ It! modules offers practical strategies for delivering high-quality online instruction that disrupts larger systemic inequities at the classroom level. Learn more!

October 15 | October 22 | October 29

This three-part workshop provides you with the skills needed to become an excellent online facilitator. Each module includes opportunities to connect with the facilitators and your peers to ask questions and complete a hands-on activities. Save $100 if you register before September 24!

From Academic Impressions:

 

Taking the Lab Class Virtual
Article | Campus Technology


To offer more than pre-recorded lab demonstrations or virtual laboratories to remote students, two chemistry instructors at Missouri S&T have refined their approach, which uses real-time live-streamed demonstrations of experiments.


To keep students engaged, the synchronous sessions include small-group breakout sessions and on-the-spot activities like having students name compounds; balance chemical equations; predict the outcomes of experiments; and calculate masses, amounts and concentrations for the chemicals used. Read more.


Related:

September 22, 2020

From OpenStax:

OpenStax has always believed that everyone, everywhere deserves free access to knowledge and an equitable chance at learning. It’s why we’ve worked so hard over the past eight years to publish more than 40 free, open textbooks that have saved students more than $1 billion — yep, that’s billion with a “B.” And, it’s why we’re going to keep creating open educational resources, like this initiative to double the OpenStax library.

But we also need to spread the word, share the facts, and shake off the fine print on automatic textbook billing programs that limit choice and create more challenges than solutions. We need you to join us. We need you to use your voice. We need YOU to Free the Textbook. You can learn more by clicking the link below and searching #FreetheTextbook on social media. 
 
Free the textbook

From the Online Learning Consortium:

Inside Higher Ed: The Moment Is Primed for Asynchronous Learning

Madeline St. Amour of Inside Higher Ed interviews Jennifer Mathes, CEO of OLC, and other experts about best practices for asynchronous learning.

Faculty need training and professional development to learn these strategies and improve their online teaching, Mathes said. While that could mean more time, money and effort for colleges, it's worth it, because asynchronous learning can increase college access, said Sean Morris, senior instructor of learning design and technology at the University of Colorado at Denver and director of the Digital Pedagogy Lab.


 

September 23, 2020

From Academic Impressions:

Respond to Divisive Current Events in an Inclusive Way
October 2, 2020 | Webcast
How are you creating safe spaces for your students, faculty, and staff to organize in response to current events?

Cultivating a Professional and Engaging Persona on Your Video Calls
October 5, 2020 | Virtual Training
Learn some simple ways you can improve the quality of your communication and connections with others online.

Responding to Microaggressions in Online Learning Environments During a Pandemic
Article | by Dr. Tasha Souza


With faculty and students both stressed during the pandemic, microaggressions may become more frequent in our online learning environment. Here are some practical strategies for mitigating the impact of microaggressions in online and remote classes. Read more.


Is It a Microaggression?
Article | by Myron R. Anderson, Ph.D., and Kathryn S. Young, Ph.D.


Is it a microaggression? The authors of Fix Your Climate, two leading experts on hierarchical microaggressions, discuss how microaggressions operate within an academic workplace and offer a few quick tips for identifying and reducing them. Read more.


From Pearson:

7 research-based tips for effective hybrid teaching

The hybrid model of teaching and learning uses both online and in-person options in a purposeful way. Here are our top tips on how to make it work for you.

Read the article



September 24, 2020

From the It Gets Better Project:

The More You Know: It Gets Better EDU

Explore our wide selection of LGBTQ+ inclusive EduGuides and bring some diversity into your classroom, your home and your digital learning space. 

From Higher Ed Jobs:

How to Cultivate Civil Discourse on Campus in Times of Crisis and Unrest 
by Heide Winston and Scott Cowen Debate

Despite efforts to cultivate free and civil speech on campus, the trend to inhibit diversity of thought continues to be a challenge for higher education and, by extension, our democracy. At the same time, the question about how we can promote equality on campus in a climate that protects freedom of speech remains. Scott Cowen and Heide Winston explore these contradicting concepts and provide some insight on how to achieve both.

From the Chronicle of Higher Education:

What Students Want

In recent months there’s been no shortage of surveys in which students describe the challenges they faced during the pivot to remote education in the spring and summer. Many struggled to secure consistent Wi-Fi access and a quiet place to learn. They felt overwhelmed, not just by the pandemic, but in trying to keep track of assignments, deadlines, and communication with their professors. They missed the routines and relationships of campus life. Motivation was a real challenge.


September 28, 2020

From NISOD:

November 5 | November 12

From Academic Impressions:

Recognize Student Distress in a Virtual Environment
September 28, 2020 | Webcast
Recognize the warning signs of student distress and understand how to take appropriate action.

Building Digital Communities in Co-Curricular Spaces
Virtual Training Recording
Learn how to build engaging digital communities to sustain your co-curricular activities online.

September 29, 2020

From Campus Technology:

From Magna Publications:

Increasing Student Engagement, Persistence, and Success Online Using Emotion Science
October 6 | 1:00 PM Central | 60 Minutes
Emotions are strongly linked to how we pay attention, focus, engage, remember, and learn. This Magna Online Seminar will present practical strategies for putting the power of emotions to work in online classes to help capture and hold students’ attention, better engage students in their learning, and ultimately help them persist and succeed.

Learn More

From The Online Learning Consortium:

OLC Blog: Students used to carry laptops to classes. Now laptops carry classes to students.

According to Dr. Richard Pulido, this ongoing COVID-19 shift has raised a flurry of questions about teaching and learning as well as some pressing concerns from students. Beyond the specific technical issues, students have questions about the quality of online programs and the perceptions of online learning. They are also asking whether the systems they are being asked to use are reliable and safe.

In this blog, Dr. Pulido encourages us as educators to do our best to answer students accurately and quickly.

September 30, 2020

From ACE Engage:

Hands
October 2, 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Register Now
 
 

A Conversation on Student Success: Innovative Teaching for Success. The City University of New York (CUNY) Innovative Teaching Academy is a hub for effective online instruction. Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, chancellor, CUNY, and Sherri Hughes, AVP of professional learning, ACE, discuss quality teaching innovation for ACE and ACUE’s Conversations on Student Success.

From Academic Impressions:

An Intersectional Approach to Supporting Neurodiverse Learners Online
December 3, 2020 | Virtual Training
Learn how you can approach neurodiversity from an intersectional lens to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in your online classroom.

From OpenStax:

The sudden move to online teaching last spring was frenzied and stressful for educators and students. In this recent blog post, Carmen Macharaschwili shared three strategies to help educators avoid an emergency remote learning move again and take on whatever this school year may bring. 
Read more

Did you know that OpenStax textbooks have saved students more than $1.2 billion dollars in less than a decade? Stating the importance of the education community in this milestone, OpenStax’s managing director Daniel Williamson said, “We are not alone in our understanding that free is the only price point that works to level the playing field for every student, and that flexibility affords learners and educators the academic freedom necessary to innovate in the classroom.”
See our library

From the It Gets Better Project:

For educators and parents looking to champion inclusive learning — and for young LGBTQ+ people in need of inspiration — let this EduGuide offer a look at a life worth living, not in spite of who you are, but because of it.

From SAGE Books:



October 1, 2020

From the American Council on Education:

Effective Teaching Is Inclusive Teaching

When faculty implement evidence-based teaching practices, they are also working to create more inclusive online learning environments that promote equity. Join us for a series of engaging virtual discussions about inclusive online teaching. In the series, faculty will share practical inclusive teaching approaches you can immediately put to use to create a more equitable learning environment for students.

October 5, 2020

From NISOD:

Improve Metacognitive Equity: Teach Students How to Learn 
Saundra McGuire, Director Emerita, Center for Academic Success and Professor Emerita, Chemistry, Louisiana State University 

Improve Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity by Creating a Leadership Development Academy 
Tammy Brown, Campus Administrator, Baton Rouge Community College; Gerri Hobdy, Director, Community Relations, Baton Rouge Community College 

Proven Strategies for Closing Equity Gaps 
Charity Peak, Academic Director, Association of College and University Educators (ACUE); Tricia Johnson, Vice President, Academic Affairs, Community College of Aurora 

The Use of Symbiotic Intelligence (SYM-Q) to Create Intercultural Effectiveness 
Constance Ridley-Smith, Coordinator, Training, Professional Development, and External Programmes, Bermuda College

Making Waves: Supporting Faculty to Create Equitable Classrooms 
Tyler Roeger, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Elgin Community College; Susan Timm, Professor, Office Administration Technology, Elgin Community College 

Making Haves Out of Have-Nots: Digital Inclusivity to Dissipate a Divide 
Katherine Watson, Professor, Languages, Coastline College


From NABCA:



From the AAC&U:

Findings from research on undergraduate education point to several considerations that might be useful in guiding the design of an effective online education experience. Perhaps the most relevant generalization to be derived from thousands of studies is the importance of student involvement.

By Julianne Zvalo-Martyn
Feedback from students and alumni shows that online college programs can provide a high-quality education that removes barriers to degree attainment for low-income working students and students of color. Read more >>

From McGraw Hill:

The new Online Teaching Guide is a collection of static and dynamic resources, curated to assist faculty with designing, enhancing, and optimizing their course for hybrid or online delivery. Download and share the guide with your faculty today.
Download and Share the Online Teaching Guide


October 6, 2020

From the Online Learning Consortium:

Recap and Resources for OLC Ideate Labs for Online STEM

The OLC Ideate Labs for Online STEM eventmarked an important milestone in the development of the OLC STEM community, bringing together educators committed to collaboratively driving our work forward.

From Inside Higher Ed:

Transforming Teaching & Learning

Faculty Confidence in Online Learning Grows

Survey finds significant increases in professors' confidence in virtual learning and their sense of support from their colleges� -- but continuing concerns about equity for underrepresented students. »


October 8, 2020

From ACE Engage:

Digitizing Academic Delivery After COVID-19—Q&A Session. Join us for the latest in a series of Q&A sessions where Deloitte’s Allan Ludgate and Ted Montemayor will host a live session on hybrid approaches of academic delivery and technology’s role in managing continuity and building a successful new normal.

From Academic Impressions:

Creating Agile Courses for an Uncertain Year
December 8, 2020 | Virtual Training
Prepare faculty to design online, face-to-face, and hybrid courses that are adaptable to any scenario.

From EducationAdminWebAdvisor:

You Opened; You Had To Pivot Online; Now What?

Thursday, October 15

2:30 PM Eastern; 1:30 PM Central; 12:30 PM Mountain; 11:30 AM Pacific

Veteran educator and administrator Dr. Neil Trotta will outline a concrete strategy for moving from in-person to online instruction. You will learn how to provide continuity for your students while minimizing negative effects.

Please join us!

 

 


October 13, 2020

From the Online Learning Consortium:

OLC Fall 2020 Webinar Series: Leading the eLearning Transformation of Higher Ed

Free series kicks off Tuesday, October 20

In this environment, eLearning leaders must act within their institutions as much more than technology managers and assume the prime role of helping their institutions understand the opportunities that eLearning presents for faculty, for students, and for client organizations in the community. Join us for a free series of three webinars with authors of “Leading the eLearning Transformation of Higher Education (Second Edition) – Leadership Strategies for the Next Generation” to discuss how to drive institution-wide transformation, ensure operational effectiveness along the way and sustain innovation.

The authors will share the collective expertise of veterans who have pioneered the field for 20 years, and of a rising generation of eLearning leaders that are transforming online programs at their own institutions.

If you’d like to purchase the book to go along with the free webinar, use code LEAD30 at checkout for a 30% discount.

From the Campus Compact of Southern New England:

Maine Campus Compact, in partnership with Campus Compact for New Hampshire and Campus Compact for Southern New England, will lead a New England-wide initiative offering enhanced online teaching support as part of the Fusion Course program. The course and additional support will be offered free of charge for many faculty members in New England, based on availability.
Learn More and Register

October 14, 2020

From EducationAdminWebAdvisor:

You Opened; You Had To Pivot Online; Now What?

Thursday, October 15

2:30 PM Eastern; 1:30 PM Central; 12:30 PM Mountain; 11:30 AM Pacific

Veteran educator and administrator Dr. Neil Trotta will outline a concrete strategy for moving from in-person to online instruction. You will learn how to provide continuity for your students while minimizing negative effects.

Please join us!

 
 

COVID-19 Flexibility: Creative Calendar And Syllabus Solutions

Thursday, October 22

1 PM Eastern; 12 PM Central; 11 AM Mountain; 10 AM Pacific

Veteran educator and seasoned professor Dr. Robert Hill will share his insight and experiences for maximizing student success during this turbulent time. You will learn how to avoid surprises and offer the flexibility that students need to excel.

Please join us!

 
 

From Jenzabar:

How Mature is Your Institution’s Online Learning Environment?

By Jenzabar, October 14, 2020

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions were transforming and adopting more advanced online learning capabilities to cater to a new generation of tech-savvy, digital-native students and to address changing needs in the workforce. While some colleges and universities are now well versed in the world of online learning with advanced environments that encompass modern, user-friendly tools, not all institutions are in solid positions. In today’s world, institutions need to consider their readiness to develop and continually support a competitive online learning ecosystem.

Read more »

From Academic Impressions:

 

Bringing Labs and Hands-On Learning to the Virtual World
Article | University Affairs


Every year Sheri Hincks, a lab instructor in the department of integrative biology at the University of Guelph, coordinates a series of field trips for the 70 or so students taking Limnology of Natural and Polluted Waters, a fourth-year course in water ecology.


The group practices fundamental research techniques over the course of a week at Guelph Lake, two weeks at the Speed and Eramosa Rivers, and a day at a water treatment facility.


When she realized this year would look a lot different due to COVID-19, she found a way to bring hands-on labs to the online learning environment. Read more.


Resources for faculty:

October 15, 2020

From eCampus News:

Supporting First-Gen Students through Inclusive Course Design

FREE REGISTRATION >

WEBINAR- OCTOBER 27 2PM EST [FREE ACCESS]

From the Online Learning Consortium:

Asynchronous Technology Test Kitchen 

The technology test kitchen (TTK) is excited to forge new frontiers in the delivery of ‘hands-on’ asynchronous learning experiences for all conference attendees. TTK is designed to provide you with hands-on learning experiences that will support your online/digital teaching and learning efforts.


From Magna Publications:

We are offering a free Magna Online Seminar, Engaging College Students Using Active Learning Techniques, in which you will learn about active learning techniques that have been shown to improve college student learning in the classroom and online as well as three barriers to active learning and techniques for overcoming them.

Learn more about this free seminar!

October 19, 2020

From NISOD:

Effective online teaching combines rigorous course design with support strategies for remote learners. Sessions presented during this convening inform online teaching and learning policies and practices that ensure remote students receive the most effective educational experience possible. Learn more.
Thursday is the last day to save $100!
Effective Online Teaching Practices

From Higher Ed Hot Topics:

Ensure Compliance & Support Students’ Academic Success
Accommodation requests are challenging to sift through in the best of circumstances. Now, with COVID-19 in the mix, as well as uncertainty about class schedules being in-person, solely remote or a hybrid model and the pressure to be able to pivot quickly, more and more requests need review. Recent OCR guidance does not excuse schools from providing accommodations. 

On Monday, November 16, 2020 our higher ed legal expert and litigator will offer crucial, actionable takeaways on how you need to address various types of accommodations in classroom, hybrid and online courses, and the new challenges that need to be overcome. He will also address the types of accommodations that have been triggered by COVID-19 specifically for both students and faculty.

You’ll walk away with the tools you need to maintain a streamlined process, and to ensure that your campus has a compliant accommodation process that protects your institution and contributes to students’ academic success.

From EducationAdminWebAdvisor:

COVID-19 Flexibility: Creative Calendar And Syllabus Solutions

Thursday, October 22

1 PM Eastern; 12 PM Central; 11 AM Mountain; 10 AM Pacific

Veteran educator and seasoned professor Dr. Robert Hill will share his insight and experiences for maximizing student success during this turbulent time. You will learn how to avoid surprises and offer the flexibility that students need to excel.

Please join us!

 
 
 

From Echo 360:

Wed. Oct. 21 at 11 am: How Blending Technologies Can Enhance Online Interactive STEM Classes. In this session, Dr Louise Robson will illustrate the benefits of blending digital technologies to provide engaging and interactive sessions for students. Analytics data and student opinions gathered during the emergency pivot to online teaching will show that embedding an active learning platform into a virtual classroom can emulate in attendance teaching. The session will also provide an opportunity for participants to share their experiences of online teaching.

October 20, 2020

From EducationAdminWebAdvisor:

Anti-Racism In and Out Of The Classroom: How to Be an Ally For College Students

Tuesday, October 20

3:00 PM Eastern; 2:00 PM Central; 1:00 PM Mountain; 12:00 PM Pacific

Educational equity experts Precious Green Gunter and Brandon Washington will reveal how to honor all student perspectives in ways that acknowledge minority students’ experiences with anecdotal and structural racism. You will learn from discussions of real-world scenarios led by the facilitators.

Please join us!

 
 

From Magna:

From Academic Impressions:

Creating a Safe Space in Your Classroom During a Crisis 
Article | Academic Impressions 


You're in class (online). Your students are in class...how can we as instructors step back, break down the sense of isolation and hopelessness, and use the sharing of our experiences of crisis to create a safe space for students to grow and learn? Read more. 


October 21, 2020

From Teaching Tolerance:

Anti-racist Action for White Educators

Too often, educators of color are burdened with leading and supporting anti-racist work in schools and districts—perhaps even more so during COVID-19 and this year’s widespread calls for such work. These resources can help white educators and administrators take action now, carry their fair share of this work and ensure they’re in it for the long haul.

From EducationAdminWebAdvisor:

COVID-19 Flexibility: Creative Calendar And Syllabus Solutions

Thursday, October 22

1 PM Eastern; 12 PM Central; 11 AM Mountain; 10 AM Pacific

Veteran educator and seasoned professor Dr. Robert Hill will share his insight and experiences for maximizing student success during this turbulent time. You will learn how to avoid surprises and offer the flexibility that students need to excel.

Please join us!

 
 

From the Online Learning Consortium:

OLC Fall 2020 Three-Part Webinar Series:
Leading the eLearning Transformation of Higher Ed


REGISTER NOW

Please note: You will need to register individually for each webinar you are interested in attending by visiting our Webinars page.

October 22, 2020

From NISOD:

Last week we asked "What tips do you have for promoting student engagement in the online environment?" Read what your colleagues had to say!

From eCampus News Resources:

WEBINAR- OCTOBER 27 2PM EST [FREE ACCESS]

For first-generation students, higher education offers a gateway to career advancement, valued social capital, and intergenerational mobility. Yet despite the best efforts of instructors, first-generation students face numerous challenges to successfully completing a degree, evidenced in higher drop-out rates compared to their peers. Understanding those challenges can help inform course design strategies that foster a greater sense of inclusion and belonging that can help all students find academic success.

REGISTER NOW>



October 28, 2020

From Magna Publications:

We are offering a free Magna Online Seminar, Engaging College Students Using Active Learning Techniques, in which you will learn about active learning techniques that have been shown to improve college student learning in the classroom and online as well as three barriers to active learning and techniques for overcoming them.

Learn more about this free seminar!

From Academic Impressions:

Teaching Your Service Learning Course Online
December 1, 2020 | Webcast
Adapt your service learning courses to the online environment for a dynamic and meaningful experience.

Understanding and Interrupting Privileged Classroom Practices
December 11, 2020 | Virtual Training
Examine and disrupt the norms that have shaped the traditional classroom experience to create a more equitable learning environment for all students.

Creating a Safe Space in Your Class During a Crisis
Marina Hofman, Ph.D., Palm Beach Atlantic University | Article
How can we as instructors step back, break down the sense of isolation and hopelessness, and use the sharing of our experiences of crisis to create a safe space for students to grow and learn?

 

These Companies Are Redesigning 'Zoom University'
Article | Education Dive 


Two startups run by ed tech experts are tailoring videoconferencing software for use in virtual college classrooms, but their approaches differ. Read more. 


Duquesne University Outfits Classrooms with Audio Conferencing Tech
Article | Campus Technology 


Pennsylvania's Duquesne University has installed audio conferencing systems in more than 40 classrooms to support its shift to the hybrid learning model, in which some students attend class on-campus while others participate remotely. Read more. 


How Colleges With Hybrid Instruction Can Support Online Students
Article | Education Dive (log in may be required) 

Using the right technology, setting clear expectations and being mindful of the differences between in-person and remote learning are key, experts say. Read more. 

From Teaching Tolerance:

Election 2020: What Will You Do on Wednesday?

No matter what election results we wake up to next Wednesday, students will need a supportive learning environment and commitment to shared values. Here’s how educators can proactively prepare for whatever reality they face on Wednesday morning.

October 29, 2020

From Campus Technology:

View the Distance Learning Summit On-Demand!


As colleges and universities navigate the ever-shifting challenges of higher education's "new normal," they are also looking ahead: How can the lessons learned from the pandemic redefine teaching and learning moving forward? And how can the technology decisions made today impact the future? In these thoughtful hour-long editorial sessions, education and IT leaders share their ideas, experiences and outlook. Topics covered included:

  • How the pandemic gave IT a seat at the table; 
  • Lessons learned from remote teaching and learning; and 
  • Teaching technology trends: remote spring data and future implications. 

These sessions are now available on-demand! You can access them below.

ACCESS HERE

From Academic Impressions:

Online Programs: Building a Vision and Strategy


November 30 – December 2, 2020 | Online

 

Join us for a virtual conference that will help you apply a more strategic lens to the way you operate your online programs in order to maximize their effectiveness. Our expert instructors, who represent both public and private institutions with a variety of different degree, non-credit, and certificate programs, will help you address the following questions as you build out your own online programs business plan:

  • How do your online programs align with departmental, college-level, and institutional missions and plans?
  • What key curricular factors should be considered as you determine program format, modality, scheduling, credit, etc.?
  • How do you conduct effective market research to determine program viability? 
  • Who should be involved in online program creation, and how can you effectively manage internal and external partnerships?
  • How can you effectively market programs after reputational damage post-COVID?

See the full agenda.


Nov. 4, 2020

From Teaching Tolerance:

Let’s Talk! Navigating a Polarized Classroom

Leading students in conversation about topics like racism, ableism, homophobia or Islamophobia isn’t easy. In recent weeks, increased polarization and political intimidation have made educators understandably wary. But now more than ever, anti-racist, social justice educators must commit to helping students better understand one another and the challenges we face together. Download Let's Talk! for guidance on navigating a polarized classroom and facilitating critical conversations with students.

November 5, 2020

From CT News Update:

  • Kahoot to Add Zoom Integration

    Learning quiz program company Kahoot! has announced an integration with Zoom, allowing users to access, host and play Kahoot games directly in Zoom meetings.

    More

Nov. 9, 2020

From Academic Impressions:

What does Biden's anticipated win mean for colleges?
Article | Education Dive 


Unlike Trump, who in his four years has displayed some antagonism toward higher ed, Biden has pledged to invest heavily in the sector. Read more. 


What will top Biden’s immediate to-do list?
Article | Community College Daily 


With a track record of supporting community colleges — coupled with a spouse who is a long-time champion of public two-year colleges — President-elect Joe Biden is likely to give community colleges a prominent role in not only his higher education plans but also economic and workforce development strategies. Read more. 



Biden's victory could be transformative
Article | Inside Higher Ed 


President-elect has vowed to spend much more. The vice president-elect is an HBCU graduate and supporter. The next first lady is a community college instructor. Read more.

From NISOD:

November 12
Effective online teaching combines rigorous course design with support strategies for remote learners. It is critical that faculty members and faculty leaders know about effective course design and instructional practices that help online students achieve their academic goals. Sessions presented during this convening inform online teaching and learning policies and practices that ensure remote students receive the most effective educational experience possible.Learn more!


Nov. 10, 2020

Today's Online Teaching Tips:

From NEASC:

A Model for High Quality, Equitable Distance Learning

9:00-10:00 a.m. ET
NEASC Virtual Global Forum webinar
Presented in collaboration with the
Center for Public Research and Leadership, Columbia University

The Connecticut State Department of Education, the Columbia University Center for Public Research and Leadership, and the Connecticut Educational Partners collaborated to create guidance for schools and district for the development of high quality distance learning to respond to the COVID pandemic. This webinar will feature representatives from Columbia to explain the model and the methods used to create it. They will also share the resources developed to support the model. The forum will also feature several school superintendents from Connecticut who are using the model in the districts. They will discuss the successes and the challenges they have faced during the implementation of the recommendations.

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR NOW!

From Teaching Tolerance:

Polarizing political rhetoric didn’t end with the election, and as recounts and lawsuits continue, it remains critical that educators work to maintain strong, inclusive communities in their classrooms. We hope these resources will help.

November 12, 2020

From NISOD:


Mental health issues are becoming a crisis in education due to the effects of the pandemic. In addition to impairing physical health, anxiety, stress, and trauma make it harder for students to do higher-order thinking, focus, regulate emotions, get to class, budget time, and complete projects. Workshop participants learn how to reduce these obstacles to achievement, whether they’re teaching in-person or online. Learn more.

From Teaching Tolerance:

Last week, the first Black, Asian American woman was elected vice president. We hope these resources will help you contextualize this historic moment for all students.





Comments

  1. Anne Wiley, Greenfield Communicty CollegeApril 28, 2020 at 10:49 AM

    Another resource from today Chronicle of Higher Education About spring and final exams.
    What do final exams mean during a pandemic?

    https://www.chronicle.com/article/What-Do-Final-Exams-Mean/248644?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_1176890&cid=at&source=ams&sourceId=25206

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anne Wiley, Greenfield Communicty CollegeApril 30, 2020 at 11:23 AM

    For those teaching in science these resources, particularly OER focused may help. Professor of ecology/science at Keene State College Karen Cangialosi compiles resources.
    See https://padlet.com/kcangial/srogj51chwpc

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 1003, March 13, 2023

Image
A little more than a thousand days… I have been thinking about how memories do not become stories until you write them down, or perhaps recite them over dinner and a drink, or sing them in song. Until then, they are just temporal wisps of existence, like the day before yesterday, or the meal you shared ten years ago at the restaurant where you still always order the same thing.The peanut noodle salad sprinkled liberally with scallions and undercooked broccoli. It would be just a meal if not for the retelling and revisiting.  I missed the 1000th day, choosing instead to celebrate the birth of two of my children (twins), and then after over filling myself with bulgogi, pajun, and bibimbap, settled into dozing off in front of the television.  I remember becoming a father like those stories you read about where mothers pick up small cars to save children pinned underneath (there is nothing written about what kind of negligence caused a child to be pinned under a small automobile). The kids
Read more

Day 999, March 9, 2023

Image
Look to the Stars There is still the beating heart.  The weary day is not so terrible,  it is just soft and pliant  like the sugar wrapped around a big industrial sized taffy machine.  Sometimes it is hard to tell what will make one  day worth more than another.  A few minutes of imagining an old lady  in a nursing home  meeting her lover for breakfast in the cafeteria.  Producing something that did not exist before.  A chicken’s morning nonchalance.  The scallion stems sitting in a jar of water.  Even with the evidence,  it is all too easy to forget and treat the day  as a thing dreary  and consumed like a bowl of raw sunflower seeds.  A vocal coach will hold sessions with the stars  in their hotel room.  Someone to remind one how incredible this life is.  All your life  you have dreamed of this moment.  And now you are here.  Sometimes we forget that. 
Read more

Day 998, March 8, 2023

Image
 Simile Sometimes there is quiet for many days,  there is no more room in the voicemail,  the fortune cookies remain uneaten,  the ears chirp with fields of crickets.  A dog is licking his bone,  occasionally jawing the hock,  but mostly licking.  The fire is an even glow,  not too hot, not too cold,  it is like the log has turned to charcoal  and there is a nice even burning,  proper and genteel flames,  not reckless and unruly  like in the morning with the vent open.  Some days it feels like someone  has served a large plate of banana pudding  and I do not like banana pudding  or damp vanilla wafers  and so the day becomes like riding an escalator  when you have a headache.  A long escalator,  like in the subway in DC.  The stop near the zoo and the conference hotel.  It is a terrible thing to have the stomach flu  while staying in a hostel.  When the kids were little  and we went on a whale watching trip,  but the seas were rough on the way back,  and I had never been seasick before
Read more