2018

Traveling This Winter? Take Us with You!

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 19:44:13 +0000

Traveling This Winter? Take Us with You! Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 12/05/2018 - 12:44

Snap a photo or selfie with your limited-edition, multi-purpose ASSETT pen during the winter break for a chance to win bragging rights and fun prizes!

Submissions will be featured on our website in spring 2019. Winners will be selected by ASSETT staff based on the following criteria: creativity, visual appeal, technical merit, and branding.

Pens are available in the Technology Learning Center while supplies last! The deadline for submissions is Monday, January 14, 2019.

Example photo from St. Mark's Basilica (Venice, Italy) provided by Doris Cheung of the Academic Technology Design Team. She has set a high bar, folks!

Submit your photo

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2018 Academic Technology Survey Update

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 19:00:15 +0000

2018 Academic Technology Survey Update Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 12/05/2018 - 12:00

The results from ASSETT’s biennial academic technology survey are in!

Last spring, we collected data from faculty and students regarding their experiences using academic technology at CU ��«��Ƶ. The survey covered perceptions of student preparation and digital literacy, course style preferences, use and interest in academic technologies, and digital device use in the classroom, among several other topics. Explore the data in our online presentation, which includes links to multiple interactive visualizations. All of the qualitative, open-response questions have been made public and searchable, so you can focus on the data that is relevant to your specific interests!

For more information, or to request a customized presentation of the results for your campus group, contact Shane Schwikert, ASSETT’s Educational Technology Researcher.

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Help CU Improve the Student Experience!

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 17:54:00 +0000

Help CU Improve the Student Experience! Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 12/05/2018 - 10:54

Want your students to participate in campus research and development efforts?

CU ��«��Ƶ’s USE project is currently partnering with students across campus to design Buff Portal, the new student portal that will replace MyCUInfo. USE is a campus-wide project that is working to unify the online and in-person CU ��«��Ƶ student experience. Its goal is to transform today’s fragmented digital and physical student support landscape by creating a seamless experience for students. Buff Portal will help integrate and unify campus support services by serving as a one-stop-shop for students to find the resources they need to succeed and thrive at CU ��«��Ƶ.

Student input is central to our design and development efforts and we would love to partner with you and your students! If your class would like to participate in group projects or individual work with the USE project focused on user experience, computer science, or other related topics, please let us know. Activities could include working on one aspect of the new portal or participating in a focus group. Reach out to us with any questions at buffportal@colorado.edu.

Image: Freepik

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Letter from the Advisor - December 2018

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 17:45:51 +0000

Letter from the Advisor - December 2018 Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 12/05/2018 - 10:45

The year is nearly over and we look forward to opportunities unfolding in spring 2019 and beyond. And there are some good ones.

ASSETT will launch our third cohort of Faculty Fellows. One of the best aspects of the Faculty Fellows program is bringing together committed, experienced, and engaging faculty around the issues of advancing our teaching and learning in the College of Arts & Sciences at CU. This program aligns well with renewed emphasis, announced from the Academic Futures visioning process, for Creating a Common Student-Centered Approach to Learning [PDF]. Faculty Fellows are a diverse selection of faculty from across the college dedicated to realizing student-centered learning with innovative and effective teaching practices and curriculum, often aided by educational technology.

I want to highlight two aspects of ASSETT as productive pathways for achieving excellence in teaching. First, ASSETT offers a Visualizing Instructional Practices (VIP) service that employs observational protocols to generate data useful for revision of teaching strategies and curriculum. Moreover, the observation data create a platform for fostering faculty development through mentoring that can become part of teaching dossiers evaluated during promotion and tenure decisions.

Second, ASSETT supports the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL). One important aspect of education is promoting our activities and accomplishments beyond the vibrant CU community and making our efforts public. There are a variety of ways of reporting the good work we do, including publishing SOTL in the peer-reviewed literature. I discovered, for instance, adopting simple strategies of documenting what happens in the classroom as a means for data-driven revision of teaching strategies and curriculum can form the basis for a publication: this is something ASSETT can help you achieve.

Finally, I’ll sign off with a brief description of a useful strategy for developing a supportive and interactive learning community in the classroom. Two-stage exams involve having students take an exam once individually and then repeat the same exam again in small groups. I’ll quote Carl Weiman’s paper describing two-stage exams:

Exams are typically individual problem solving in isolation, in stark contrast to problem solving in the real world and in courses that stress collaborative learning activities. As cognitive psychologist Dan Schwartz puts it, “If you ask someone else for help on a problem in an exam, you are cheating, but if you don't ask someone for help on a problem in the real world, you are a fool.”

Two-stage exams emphasize formative assessment in a context in which students are motivated to learn through peer instruction. Try one out in your classroom as an easy and fun way to generate productive engagement.

Have a great winter, a great break, and see you next year.

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Congratulations to Janet Casagrand!

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 19:42:18 +0000

Congratulations to Janet Casagrand! Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/04/2018 - 12:42

Miguel Garcia , ASSETT Student Fellow

Each year, ASSETT awards the Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award to a faculty member who has been nominated by their peers and students for their commitment to teaching with technology. The 2018 recipient, Dr. Janet Casagrand (IPHY), was recognized for her ongoing pursuit of incorporating technology into the classroom and for her tireless work to improve student learning.

Janet has participated in a number of professional development opportunities including ASSETT’s Hybrid Course Design workshops and Flipped Classroom workshop, and she presented her work at the Teaching with Technology Symposium. She applies the knowledge gained through these professional development activities at the department level and at the campus level. She is the Education Specialist for the Department of Integrated Physiology, where she promotes digital learning through applications like D2L, Canvas, and screencasting. She also serves on a number of campus committees where she advocates for the use of academic technologies.

Janet Casagrand lecturing on the human reproductive system to IPHY students. (Photo by Austin Chau, ASSETT Student Fellow)

Janet’s approach to teaching is “very much student-centered” and reflects her desire to continually improve. Through her involvement with a variety of faculty development groups, she “learned that there are better ways to teach and that focusing more on student learning as opposed to teaching, per se, is a much more effective way to help students learn.” She realizes that with teaching, one size does not fit all. She says that her approach to choosing any particular tool “depends on the level of the course and what the need is... what can best assist me in getting students to where I’d like them to get.”The first technology that she adopted was iClickers. From there, she says her interest in trying new technologies “sort of snowballed.” Janet doesn't believe in using technology for the sake of simply using it. She credits her scientific background with assessing the efficacy of each tool by doing a pre- and post-assessment. She says that, if she determines that the technology “is not accomplishing the goal then [she] would either rethink it, or try something else.”

All of this work takes a lot of time, but it is definitely worth the effort. Janet says she is willing to do whatever she can to be the most effective teacher that she can be, which and that “sometimes means going above and beyond what might be expected.” Her enthusiasm is infectious, as reflected in her nomination letter: “[Janet’s] dedication and leadership in the use of teaching technologies has enriched not only her own classes, but also those of many others.” Her innovative practices, and leadership have inspired others to pursue student success through the incorporation of technology. If you have the pleasure of talking to Janet, please join us in congratulating her for all of her hard work and effort and for receiving the 2018 ASSETT Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award!

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ASSETT Contributes to Open Pedagogy Dialogue

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 18:09:22 +0000

ASSETT Contributes to Open Pedagogy Dialogue Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/16/2018 - 11:09

Amanda McAndrew, ASSETT's Faculty Portfolio Services Manager, has co-authored three recent blog posts for EDUCAUSE Review.

Amanda and her collaborators, Caroline Sinkinson (CU Libraries) and Deborah Keyek-Franssen (Associate Vice President for Digital Education & Engagement), have contributed posts on Inclusive and Open Pedagogies, The Values of Open Pedagogy, and 5 Tips for Supporting Inclusive and Open Pedagogies to the online journal. This work relates to ASSETT's forthcoming Domain of One's Own initiative (DoOO), which will launch in spring 2019.

To learn more about DoOO or for assistance with implementing open pedagogy in your teaching, contact us at assett@colorado.edu.

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Participants Sought for Cross-Disciplinary Technology & Learning Projects

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 22:05:27 +0000

Participants Sought for Cross-Disciplinary Technology & Learning Projects Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/07/2018 - 15:05

The College of Arts and Sciences invites statements of interest from potential participants in a new initiative that seeks to promote active, engaging, and experiential learning through the use of technology. ASSETT will fund at least three large, multi-year projects that involve students, faculty, and staff across the divisions of Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences. Participants will be selected on the basis of the potential scope and impact of their ideas and their ability to collaborate on a project proposal, plan, and budget request.

In the first year, up to $200,000 will be divided among the three project teams. Each project will be assessed annually and will receive two years of continued funding; the program will close on May 1, 2022.

One-page statements of interest will be accepted through December 15, 2018. Participants will be selected no later than January 7, 2019.

To identify potential collaborators and topics of shared interest, potential applicants are invited to share their ideas on our group's Padlet. If you choose to participate, please post to Padlet no later than December 10.

For additional information and application instructions, review the call for interest [.docx]. Questions about this initiative may be directed to David Brown, Divisional Dean of Social Sciences, or Mark Werner, Associate Director of Academic Technology Strategy and Support.

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Tackling Distraction in Large Lecture Courses

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 20:37:51 +0000

Tackling Distraction in Large Lecture Courses Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/01/2018 - 14:37

Our advice for instructors and students is informed by findings from a survey conducted by the Academic Technology Design Team (ATDT) and ASSETT.

Key findings include:

The average class size at CU ��«��Ƶ is 97 students (median = 51 students).
During their freshman and sophomore years, more than half of an average student's courses are offered in a large lecture format. By their fourth year, that figure drops to about one-fourth (24%).
Nearly half of the respondents (48%) indicated that they dislike large lecture courses.
Among the students surveyed, 57 percent indicated that they are distracted at least half the time in their large lecture courses.
The top two causes of distraction stem from the behavior of other students in the classroom: 74 percent of students reported being distracted by other students talking and 70 percent by other students' screens/devices.

What to do? Review these materials for insights, ideas, and strategies for getting the most from large lecture courses.

For more information, read about the project in the EDUCAUSE Review.

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Letter from the Advisor - October 2018

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 22:01:27 +0000

Letter from the Advisor - October 2018 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 10/01/2018 - 16:01

Well, it’s happened. We are already more than one-third through a semester. Time flies.

Keep in mind the excellent opportunities for professional development in October through ASSETT, including the Digital Distraction and Engagement Discussion Series, which kicks off on October 2.

Please consider applying to become a Faculty Fellow. Faculty Fellows ultimately become pivotal and central members in the developing network of faculty involved in advancing the teaching mission at the ��«��Ƶ. Fellows will join a group of like-minded faculty, meeting every other week during the spring 2019 semester, to explore various issues and approaches for improving teaching and learning. Each fellow will then develop a project within their community. Visit the ASSETT website for information about the Faculty Fellows program and examples of projects.

I want to take a moment to highlight Faculty Fellows projects developed by Kristopher Karnauskas from Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC) and David Budd from Geological Sciences. Kris developed a shared data resource called the “ATOC Data-Driven Learning Library.” The goal of the project is to make a place where quantitative details of student learning can be shared and co-developed across different courses within the ATOC major. David focused on developing an inventory of the various science process skills emphasized across the major in Geological Sciences. The work represented a collaboration by Geological Sciences faculty and was made possible by the development of a technology called the Course Materials Auto Coder, developed by PhD student Emily Fairfax. The results represent one of the first assessments of how frequently students engage in challenges designed to improve their abilities across different dimensions of learning. I have reproduced one of the summary figures from Geological Sciences self-study below.

I want to end with a recommendation to listen to your students. Provide time and space for your students to talk about their thinking and use the opportunity to hear them and direct lessons that begin where students are. As much as possible, make student thinking visible, value their thinking, and provide a path from where they are to where they need to go. It’s impossible to know what path to take unless you know where you are starting. Knowing where to start begins by listening (or examining, in some way, student thinking).

Happy autumn.

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Tips for Creating Accessible Learning Experiences with Canvas

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 23:25:55 +0000

Tips for Creating Accessible Learning Experiences with Canvas Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/20/2018 - 17:25

Anna Reid

Organization. Be thoughtful and consistent in how you organize information in Canvas. This will help all of your students access the materials and participate in the course.

File names. Use a consistent format for naming files. It’s helpful to include the week or module number and content type in the file name, for example, “Module 2, Smith and Adams, pdf reading.” Ensure that the names of readings and assignments in your syllabus match the names of corresponding links and files in Canvas.

Canvas accessibility. Canvas is relatively accessible for people who use assistive technology such as screen magnification or text-to-speech software. When you set up a Canvas course, however, you do need to know a little about what is and is not accessible for people with disabilities who may be accessing your course. Review CU’s Canvas accessibility pages to learn how to create accessible exams, structure your content, and run the Canvas Accessibility Checker.

Accessible documents and media. Usability is optimized for all students when documents are in an accessible format (text is clear, searchable, and structured correctly), and digital media has closed captions, transcripts, and image descriptions. Learn how to create accessible content on CU’s Accessible Technology Resources page. If you have students with specific accommodation needs, work with Disability Services to ensure your content is in accessible format(s).

Get creative. Canvas supports multi-modal learning, including use of videos, audio, images, interactive discussions and quizzes, and more. Check out CU’s resources on Universal Design for Learning for ideas about how to enhance student engagement and success. Remember to always check for accessibility as you create multi-modal content.

Timing. Finalize your syllabus and publish your Canvas course as early as possible. Students with disabilities who need materials in alternative formats often have to wait several weeks for these materials to be processed, so it is important that reading lists are finalized and available at least a couple of weeks before classes begin. Students with a variety of learning and access needs may also find it valuable to familiarize themselves with the Canvas course before classes begin.

Orient students to Canvas. Students have varying levels of familiarity with Canvas, as well as diverse learning and access needs. At the beginning of a course, and as needed throughout the semester, alert students to the features that they may need or want to use within Canvas. Be sure to let students know what type of feedback you will give on assignments, and where to find this feedback in Canvas. Also familiarize students with their options for communicating with instructors and other students through Canvas.

Check in with students. Canvas is an extension of your classroom, and it is essential that all students are able to successfully access your Canvas content and utilize the tools that are relevant for your course. Ask students what is working well for them, and what isn’t. It is especially important to check in directly with students who have accommodation needs. If you or a student have questions or concerns about Canvas, visit CU’s Canvas Support Pages, or contact the IT Service center at 303-735-4357 (5-HELP) or help@colorado.edu.

the author: Anna Reid works in CU's Accessibility and Usability Lab. She is currently a student in the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work.

Image: Photoroyalty/Freepik.com.

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