CTL Happenings - Message #501

Join us for the 2020 Virtual Advancing Teaching and Learning with Technology Symposium via Zoom! The focus this year is on virtual and distanced teaching and learning - including service and international learning in the current context. Our Keynote features Dr. Kelly Hogan and Dr. Viji Sathy of the University of North Carolina who will be leading an interactive session on creating equitable and inclusive online classrooms both on Zoom and asynchronously online. For more information, see the ATLT website

Are you getting ready to plan your winter and spring courses? CTL’s Just-in-Time Course Design online Canvas course is now available as a web resource for all instructors! This web resource is organized into five categories:

• Structuring and Organizing Modules
• Creating a Welcoming and Supportive Learning Environment
• Engaging Your Students Online, On Zoom, and in the Physically-Distanced Classroom
• Developing and Adapting Assessments for Multiple Course Formats
• Developing and Adapting Content for Multiple Course Formats

Each category features recorded webinars, online resources, readings, and hands-on instructional guides for creating course materials in the online, in-person with physical distancing, or a mix of online and in-person teaching modes. Access the Just-in-Time Course Design website to start developing course materials such as your learning-centered syllabus, transparent assignments, accessible instructional videos, well-organized Canvas modules, mid-term student-feedback surveys, and more!

With the heightened anxiety and tension surrounding this year’s election, we thought you might find these resources useful as you consider how to handle discussions about controversial topics and how to integrate relevant issues into your course curriculum. 

Pedagogical Strategies in Difficult Times: Talking About the Upcoming Election in Our Classes (Recording)
Moderator: Sue Hyatt, Department of Anthropology, School of Liberal Arts Panel members: Lasana Kazembe, Kara Taylor, School of Education, and Rhonda Henry Anthony, School of Liberal Arts. Hosted by the IUPUI Arts & Humanities Institute, the Humanities, Arts, and Social Science (HASS) Racial Justice Working Group meets bi-monthly. In this special session, members of the group discuss pedagogical strategies for handling classroom discussion and interactions in the context of the 2020 election. 

IUPUI Political Engagement: Prepare to Do Your Part for Our Democracy  
When you take the time to become knowledgeable about and active in the political process, you are serving your community—and your country. Learn about the variety of ways IUPUI offers to get engaged as well as ways to incorporate civic learning in your curriculum.

Handling Controversial Topics in Discussion, CRLT University of Michigan
Many instructors consciously avoid controversial issues in the classroom because of the difficulty involved in managing heated discussions. However, controversy can be a useful, powerful, and memorable tool to promote learning. The links in this resource offer guidance for how instructors can successfully manage discussions on controversial topics.  

Post-election Resources: Navigating Challenging Conversations with Students in this Particularly Fraught Time. Tips for Teaching Professors
This blog post offers resources to address challenging conversations on campus in the heightened tension and anxiety surrounding this semester. Don’t miss the short, animated clip about responding from a place of empathy versus a place of sympathy.

Educating for the 2020 Election: A Call for Immediate Action, AAC&U, September 30, 2020
All disciplines can examine relevant issues in this election, and all students, regardless of their chosen profession, need to grapple with big questions. This blog posting contains sets of questions that can be integrated into classroom activities and cocurricular events.

The IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning seeks proposals from faculty teaching at higher education institutions across Indiana for the 2021 E.C. Moore Symposium on Excellence in Teaching. We would especially welcome proposals that address topics such as: efforts to improve student learning and engagement, inclusive excellence, integrative learning, novel general education courses or curricula, creative use of instructional technology, and initiatives that promote excellence in teaching. Proposals should clearly demonstrate relevance to a broad range of disciplines. The 2021 E.C. Moore Symposium will be held on Friday, March 5th on Zoom. 

Are you a graduate student interested in a faculty career? Do you strive to improve the learning experiences of your students? We invite you to apply for the Emerging Scholars of College Instruction Program (ESCIP) to develop and document your teaching skills. By the end of the program, you will create a teaching portfolio, including sample course materials, teaching observation reports, student feedback, and a teaching philosophy. Learn more and apply to the program by November, 30, 2020.

New active learning in Zoom resource
Just in time for the post-Thanksgiving-break-fully-online planning part of the year, the new active learning in Zoom ebook, Zoom to the Next Level: Active Learning in the Virtual Classroom, is now available. The book currently has 20+ activities with instructions and links to related technical documentation. 

Hybrid attendance feature in Top Hat: Assist IU with contact tracing
The Top Hat attendance tool now features a simple new tool that can help with contact tracing. When students enter their attendance code in Top Hat, they are also asked if they are attending in person or not. This information is visible to instructors in the Top Hat gradebook, but more importantly, it can be provided to contact tracers at IU in the event that someone tests positive for COVID-19 and was present in a classroom. This feature is now available on the iOS and Android apps. Students will need to update to the latest version of the Top Hat app to record their attendance method. To enable this feature in your Top Hat course, see Take attendance in hybrid courses with Top Hat at IU.

Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor available on Chromebooks at IU
IU is participating in a beta version of Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor that supports Chromebooks. Students will need to install a Chrome extension in order to access and use the beta version, which has been successfully tested by UITS. Note that to enable Chromebook support, instructors must edit the settings for each individual test. For more information, see Administer tests and quizzes using Respondus Monitor with LockDown Browser.

Ordering via IU eTexts would be one of the simplest ways to ensure every student in your class is primed for academic success before the first day of class.  When you order your required learning materials via IU eTexts, we link digital textbooks and courseware in the Canvas class site, before the first day of class.  We add the charge to the student’s Bursar account and the fees are covered by all forms of financial aid.

For more details about IU eTexts, including video tutorials of the Engage features, and detailed ordering instructions/deadlines, please visit our Canvas resource site: IU eTexts: A Faculty and Staff Introduction.

Interested in a way to build your Canvas course without starting from scratch? The IU Course Template for Canvas is now available to use in all Spring 2021 courses. During this webinar, offered by eLearning Design and Services in collaboration with the IU campus teaching and learning centers, you will learn more about what the template offers you, how to apply the template to your course, and receive answers to your questions about how to individualize the template to your personal teaching style and class format.

The Spring 2021 template provides structure and guidance for well-designed Modules, Syllabus, Homepage, and other frequently-used Canvas tools. The template even allows you to give previous Canvas course content a make-over.  Continue to build your Canvas expertise; Register for a follow-up webinar to learn more about Streamlining your Canvas Course with Modules. 

Wed., November 4, 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. - Register 
Mon., November 9, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. - Register 
Thur., November 12, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. - Register

Searching for a way to ensure your students can easily locate necessary course information and assignments? Modules can be your answer. Well-organized Canvas Modules effectively communicate course requirements and your expectations. Especially in times of high stress, clear communication and easy-to-find information are critical. This webinar, offered by the IU campus teaching and learning centers in collaboration with eLearning Design and Services, will provide a basic understanding of how to streamline your course navigation and organize your assignments, discussions, files, recordings, and more.

Looking for ways to make your Canvas course site more welcoming and easier to navigate? Register for a follow-up webinar to learn about Teaching with the Spring 2021 Canvas Course Template. This webinar will be repeated on November 10, and November 13, 2020.

Collaborative learning is associated with higher academic achievement and student engagement, in both in-person and online learning environments, and has been found to have a positive impact on a wide variety of students.  In this webinar, participants will examine challenges faced by students and faculty in using collaborative techniques, learn about best practices to overcome these challenges, and discuss examples for implementing and assessing collaborative learning techniques for the online and in-person learning contexts. 

As IUPUI continues the process of reviewing general education courses, course coordinators or faculty responsible for preparing course dossiers for review may have questions about the information and materials that need to go into the dossiers. This webinar will provide an overview of the course review process, course dossier requirements, and the rubric that will be used to review the course dossiers. It will also address the option for preparing a simplified course dossier based on using a Mile Marker assignment. Examples from existing course dossiers will be incorporated into the webinar. Questions and discussion will be encouraged.

Join CIRTL at IUPUI to Build Your Resume and More... 

Presenters from across the country share their expertise on teaching and learning topics to prepare graduate students and postdocs for future faculty careers. Sign up for a free CIRTL network account to participate in CIRTL cross-network Fall 2020 workshops, courses, and events. CIRTL events and programs provide you the opportunity to network and build connections with graduate students, postdocs, and faculty across the CIRTL network, which currently has over 41 member institutions from the US and Canada, including IUPUI.

IUPUI’s CIRTLCast series on High-Impact Practices: Register now!

As a CIRTL member, IUPUI is offering a four-part webinar series on engaging students through high-impact practices. This CIRTLCast series will showcase several ways in which future faculty in all disciplines, levels and roles can embed and assess high-impact educational practices into curricular experiences. Participants will explore the features and benefits of a high-impact practice curricular experience, including global learning and engagement, undergraduate research, and ePortfolios. Learn more and register.

IT Training has added new webinars about managing permissions in Google and Microsoft storage in response to the content migrations from Box. They will still offer the Getting started with institutional storage at IU, the Microsoft OneDrive at IU: Individual file management basics, and the Google at IU My Drive: Individual file management basics sessions.

They are also bringing back two sessions of Getting started with Zoom: Hosting edition webinars in preparation for the online-only shift for courses after Thanksgiving.
Here is the schedule complete with registration links:

Getting started with institutional storage at IU
   • Thursday, November 12, 2020 @ 11 a.m.

*NEW WEBINAR*  Getting started with managing permissions for Microsoft and Google storage owners
   •Thursday, November 5, 2020 @ 2 p.m.
   •Thursday, November 19, 2020 @ 11 a.m.
   •Thursday, November 19, 2020 @ 2 p.m.

Google at IU My Drive: Individual file management basics
   •Thursday, November 5, 2020 @ 11 a.m.
Microsoft OneDrive at IU: Individual file management basics
   •Thursday, November 12, 2020 @ 2 p.m.

Getting started with Zoom: Hosting edition
   •Tuesday, November 10, 2020 @ 11 a.m.
   •Tuesday, November 10, 2020 @ 2 p.m.

Event descriptions, recordings (when available), related resources, and registration links are all available at https://ittraining.iu.edu/get-started.

Sign Up for Writing Groups is Now Open

Each semester, the Faculty Forum offers writing groups that provide encouragement, accountability, and a sense of community for faculty and staff. This fall, there are three ways to participate: 

Hybrid Writing Group  Participants will meet in person or on Zoom for two hours each week. In the first 30 minutes of the meeting, participants will discuss a writing-related topic. In the remaining 90 minutes, they will sit quietly and write. 

Online Writing Group Participants will meet on Zoom for two hours each week.  In the first 30 minutes of the meeting, participants will discuss a writing - related topic.  In the remaining 90 minutes, they will sit quietly and write.

At Your Pace  Participants in the at-your-pace writing groups will record their time spend writing in an online spreadsheet that is shared with the other writers. In addition, participants will receive a weekly email sharing a concise reading on a writerly topic. 

The online writing group session began Tuesday, September 29 and the hybrid group session began on Friday, October 2. Membership is open to IUPUI, IUPUC, and IU Fort Wayne faculty and staff of all ranks, appointments, and disciplines. For more information and registration: https://facultycrossing.iupui.edu/WritingGroups, or contact faccross@iupui.edu.

As we head into the election season, a number of resources are available to promote voter registration and voting across the campus. These include a Canvas module, a voting guide and the opportunity to have Civic Engagement Assistants present to your class. Read more about these resources here. 

How do we change undergraduate STEM education to meet the needs of students, science, and society in 2040 and beyond?  Join a diverse group of innovators on November 12, 13, and 19, 2020 at the Symposium on Imagining the Future of Undergraduate STEM Education, hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and funded by the National Science Foundation. For more information and to register. 

SAVI data literacy training empowers you to find, use, and understand data. Classes are as follows:

• Frame the Problem | Nov. 12, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. - Register
• Find Existing Data  |  Nov. 12., 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. - Register

(1) Leveraging Zoom and Google Docs for Synchronous Collaborative Exercises in the Sciences
Harold Olivey, Department of Biology, IUN
November 13, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. - Register in Advance

During this webinar, strategies will be shared for adapting collaborative work in synchronous discussion sections using Zoom for class meetings and Google Docs for content delivery.  The webinar will start with the origins of using collaborative work in a molecular biology course and a description of how breakout rooms have been used to gather students into small groups and Google Docs to track student progress in real-time during the discussion sessions.  Examples of how strengths-based educational techniques were used to compose student groups will also be shared.

(2) Setting the Stage for High-Impact Practice Public Displays of Learning in an Online Environment
December 4, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. - Register in advance 

In this webinar, program leaders from IUPUI high-impact practice (HIP) programs - capstone, internships, service learning, and ePortfolio - come together to discuss how Engaged Learning Week was brought successfully into the online environment during Spring 2020. 

Engaged Learning Week, hosted by the Institute for Engaged Learning, is a week-long celebration of engaged learning and HIPs on campus including public in-person showcases of student work in undergraduate research, internship programs, capstone projects, ePortfolios, service learning and community engaged learning, first-year seminars, Jag Start, and the Honors College. 

Though most commonly designed for traditional face-to-face environments, implementation of HIPs can be successful online when thoughtful consideration is given to the essential elements that support student learning. Each program director will discuss their approach to designing their online showcase environment, including considerations of synchronous vs. asynchronous format, mode of public presentation, mode of interaction with audience, and feedback to students.

** After registering for any of these webinars, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

As powerfully evidenced by COVID, the future of student learning is increasingly, overwhelmingly, online. Our contemporary elearning tools process massive amounts of learner data, enabling rigorous research and innovation that improves and optimizes the learner experience.  This symposium will showcase provocative views of how research at the nexus of psychology, technology, and education will continue to accelerate student learning in the 21st century.

The symposium will highlight provocative examinations of the future of student learning, with presentations by Danielle McNamara, Professor of Psychology, Arizona State University, and Dan Schwartz, I. James Quillen Dean of the Graduate School of Education, Stanford University.  These will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Kumar Garg (Managing Director, Schmidt Futures); Amy Baylor (Program Director, National Science Foundation); and Mark Schneider (Director, Institute for Education Sciences); moderated by Ben Motz (Indiana University, eLearning Research and Practice Lab).

The event will be held Wednesday, November 18 , 2:00 - 4:45 p.m. ET.  Participation is free and open to the public.  However, registration is required. Live  captioning will be available.

(1) The Mack Center Fellowship Application deadline for completed proposals is November 30. This year, we are particularly interested in proposals focused on teaching in virtual environments, including the full range of synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid virtual/ face-to-face formats. Projects investigating traditional classes will also be considered. More information to become a fellow.  

(2) The deadline for FACET/Mack Center SoTL Travel Grants for travel to present SoTL research in the Spring 2021 is December 1. Grants are for allowable costs as delineated by IU Travel Management up to $750, faculty are encouraged to combine this funding with other sources. Due to COVID-19, funds can be used towards virtual event registration. More information and application.

IUB Libraries and IUPUI Libraries, with generous support from the Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council (WPLC), have created a Course Material Transformation Fellowship Program for instructors interested in adopting or creating affordable course materials.  The Course Material Fellowship Program will provide instructors with a $2,000 stipend, the expertise of librarians and instructional technologists, and the opportunity to learn alongside their peers. 

Applications are being accepted now through December 1, 2020.  Click here for the application and more information. 

The event will meet online to talk in groups of four or five people about Camus’s tale of plague and our present challenges to maintaining community, when COVID-19, economic uncertainty, political violence, and ecological destruction threaten to divide and isolate us. Join your neighbors, classmates, colleagues, and fellow citizens for a live online conversation about Albert Camus’s 1947 novel The Plague and what it can say to us today about keeping going in fearful and uncertain times. This event is December 9, 2020, 7:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information: keepinggoingintimesofcrisis.wordpress.com/ or register here. 

McMurtrie, B. (2020, August 27). Teaching: Getting creative with course assessments. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved September 1, 2020.

High-stakes tests cause a lot of anxiety for students and faculty. The pandemic and the challenges of online proctoring have only made things more difficult. Here are some alternatives to the in-class examination.