CELT News

Classroom technology for fall 2020 (ITS)

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Information Technology Services (ITS) Audiovisual Experience Team (AVXT) is equipping general university classrooms with technology for live synchronous learning, asynchronous lecture capture, or both.

Some classrooms will include pan/tilt/zoom cameras and integrated audio. These classrooms will enable lecture capture using Panopto with cloud storage, and/or connect with the instructor’s device for videoconferencing or recording. Other classrooms will include a web camera and desktop microphone compatible with conventional software. Some general university classrooms will not have this new technology installed by August 17, and installations will continue into the first several weeks of the semester. Information Technology Services is providing a printed sheet of in-room instructions to assist instructors in using the new technology. To review this overview, download from CyBox the Fall 2020 Classroom AV Presentation.pptx.

Would you like to know General University Classrooms (GUC) and the currently installed or proposed audiovisual equipment?

Visit the IT Audiovisual Classroom Technology: General University Classroom Equipment page.

If assistance is required, contact the IT Solution Center via phone 515-294-4000 or email solution@iastate.edu

This information is from the August 12, 2020: Fall Semester Updates (SVPP COVID-19 Communication #17)

The First 5 Minutes of Class

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Students gather and watch a professor give a lecture.The calendar shows we are more than half way to May and most of us are comfortably into the rhythm of another semester. With that in mind, it might be time to mix it up a bit and help students re-focus their efforts in your course as they prepare for the last push to finals week.

I recently came across an article titled Small Changes in Teaching: The First 5 Minutes of Class. In it the author suggests incorporating four simple actions at the beginning of class to help focus student attention. It helps set the stage for what will be taught that day and pulls them away from the plethora of distractions many walk into class with each day. The ideas are simple, straightforward, and easy to implement:

  • Open with a question or two related to the course material for that day. This helps frame what will be taught that day and can also help them understand the relevance and relationships of course content.
  • Ask students to summarize “What did we learn last time?” Having students summarize rather than the faculty member summarizing for them, helps students reengage with the course material.
  • Have students describe or consider what they have learned in previous courses, inside or outside of the discipline, so they make connections to what they already know as it relates to the course material at hand.
  • Have students write down answers to the questions you posed about the day’s topic, their summary of what they learned last time, and or connections to their prior knowledge. Writing their responses helps formalize the connections and gives them something tangible to refer back to after the class session ends.

Here’s hoping everyone has a great Spring Break!

Ann Marie VanDerZanden, Director
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

An opportunity to give thanks (Teaching Tip)

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Showing thanks through the lesson of grace in teaching
Recently, a colleague shared, “The lesson of grace in teaching: From weakness to wholeness, the struggle and the hope” blog post with me. This inspiring talk was written by Francis Edward Su (Professor, Harvey Mudd College) upon receipt of the Mathematical Association of America’s Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award.

Professor Su writes, “… good instructional techniques are necessary for good teaching. But they are not sufficient. They are not the foundation.” He elaborates that instead, grace-filled relationships are the foundation for good teaching in that “grace gives you freedom to explore, freedom to fail, freedom to let students take control of their own learning, freedom to affirm the struggling student by your own weakness.”

Professor Su provides a number of excellent ways to ensure grace is the foundation of teaching by learning students’ names, providing opportunities for students to make connections with the material, and sharing with students something of ourselves, whether it is the struggles that we have faced in our academic careers or taking an interest in their lives.

Professor Su closes his talk with, “… And not only will grace inspire our students, it will inspire us. Just like my students, the moments I remember best from my own teaching are the grace-filled moments I have shared with my students and colleagues and former teachers, many of whom are here today. I want to thank them, because I didn’t deserve those blessed moments. But they gave them to me anyway.”

Who makes you feel like a valued member of the ISU community?

This fall, CELT partnered with ISU Learning Communities, the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, and Student Government to initiate #CyThx. Before November 30, students are encouraged to answer, Who makes you feel like a valued member of the ISU community? via our #CyThx at ISU online submission web form.

While the program was designed for undergraduate and graduate students to recognize faculty members, graduate teaching assistants, peer mentors, and advisors, feel free to take the time to recognize and acknowledge the work of one of your mentors or colleagues at Iowa State University. Prior to December 21, 2018, your valued member of the ISU community will receive a #CyThx email along with your optional message and recognition on our #CyThx website. In addition, campus leadership will receive notification of who received a #CyThx.

With thanks to your teaching efforts,

Sara Marcketti, Director
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Full Teaching Tip

View the published CELT Teaching Tip: An opportunity to give thanks (November 15, 2018 – Constant Contact) website.

Prefer a Print version?

To view the Teaching Tip as a printable document with web addresses, download the CELT Teaching Tip for November 15 2018 (PDF).

Looking for CELT?

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Our 2017-2018 external review encouraged us to consider the possibility of physically bringing all staff into one office location. The move would, “… foster a deeper integration of the tools and technologies within the instructional development offerings of the Center and create opportunities for pedagogical integration of these tools within the classroom design.” As of January 4, 2019 we have done just that. All of our staff, programs, and services may now be found in 3024 Morrill Hall. If you are seeking one of our staff members, view our CELT Staff Directory webpage. CELT Office 3024 Morrill Hall 603 Morrill Road Iowa State University Ames, IA 50011-2100 Phone: 515-294-5357 Email: celt@iastate.edu 3024 Morrill Hall (view map in new window)
CELT moved out of the library

An opportunity to give thanks (Teaching Tip)

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Showing thanks through the lesson of grace in teaching

Recently, a colleague shared, “The lesson of grace in teaching: From weakness to wholeness, the struggle and the hope” blog post with me. This inspiring talk was written by Francis Edward Su (Professor, Harvey Mudd College) upon receipt of the Mathematical Association of America’s Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award.

Professor Su writes, “… good instructional techniques are necessary for good teaching. But they are not sufficient. They are not the foundation.” He elaborates that instead, grace-filled relationships are the foundation for good teaching in that “grace gives you the freedom to explore, freedom to fail, freedom to let students take control of their learning, freedom to affirm the struggling student by your weakness.”

Professor Su provides a number of excellent ways to ensure grace is the foundation of teaching by learning students’ names, providing opportunities for students to make connections with the material, and sharing with students something of ourselves, whether it is the struggles that we have faced in our academic careers or taking an interest in their lives.

Professor Su closes his talk with, “… And not only will grace inspire our students, but it will also inspire us. Just like my students, the moments I remember best from my teaching are the grace-filled moments I have shared with my students and colleagues and former teachers, many of whom are here today. I want to thank them because I didn’t deserve those blessed moments. But they gave them to me anyway.”

Who makes you feel like a valued member of the ISU community?

The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) is partnering with ISU Learning Communities, the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, the Student Government, and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate to celebrate and promote effective teaching, advising and mentoring with the annual recognition initiative #CyThx at Iowa State University.

We hope that all Cyclones take time to acknowledge their Iowa State University faculty, graduate teaching assistants, peer mentors, advisers, faculty/staff mentors, colleagues, and more.
Before November 30, Cyclones are encouraged to answer, “Who makes you feel like a valued member of the ISU community?” via our #CyThx at ISU online submission web form.

The #CyThx honorees will be recognized with an email and an acknowledgment on the #CyThx webpage between fall semester grade submission on December 26, and January 10. Additionally, campus leadership will receive notification of who received a #CyThx.

With a joy for teaching,

Sara Marcketti, Director
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Full Teaching Tip

View the published CELT Teaching Tip: An opportunity to give thanks (November 14, 2019 – Constant Contact) website.

Prefer a Print version?

To view the Teaching Tip as a printable document with web addresses, download the CELT Teaching Tip for November 14, 2019 (PDF)

Inclusive Teaching: A Mindset and a Practice (CELT Teaching Tip)

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As we embark on the Annual Teaching Inclusively Workshop, we wanted to share more information and initial feedback on our Inclusive Classroom Workshop.

Nearly every University department is on the annual training schedule, with almost 12% of departments already completed. In this first year, we focus our Canvas modules on the topics of Why teach inclusively?; How implicit bias impacts your teaching; and Key components of teaching inclusively. These framing modules help support the ISU Strategic Plan to “enhance and cultivate the ISU Experience where faculty, staff, students, and visitors are safe and feel welcomed, supported, included, and valued by the university and each other.”

Initial feedback regarding the pre-workshop modules has been quite positive, with comments such as:

“I was once an international student myself, so I can really appreciate an inclusive environment. It’s hard enough for students to be away from their family and live in an unfamiliar community. It’s even harder if the community is not welcoming and accepting to them. Although Iowa State University takes pride in our land-grant mission, and inclusive principles, it is up to us, the instructors, to actually apply those principles to our everyday teaching practice.”

“I was secure in the fact that I am here to just teach [this] subject. However, what I think that I have been missing is exactly why I failed at my first attempt at college. I needed to feel like I belonged and that I could achieve great things. By being more inclusive, I can help students break their own mental barriers and help them succeed.”

During the face-to-face portion of the workshop, participants discuss course design, teaching strategies, and evaluation practices. These baseline teaching practices encourage “The act of creating environments, in which any individual or group can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. An inclusive climate embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions so that all people can fully participate in the University’s opportunities” (UC-Berkeley).

Participants have shared appreciation for the resources and the opportunity to dialogue with departmental colleagues. For example, when asked what new insight do you have, representative comments have included:

“The wide range of resources available to improve the learning environment and the variety of approaches to reach the same goal.”

“Different methods my colleagues have used to encourage participation. My colleagues are a big resource, and I should engage them more often.”

Indeed, following the workshop, 99% strongly agree or somewhat agree* to the statement: “I recognize why teaching inclusively is important”

Recently, an undergraduate student responded publicly to the importance of the Inclusive Classroom Workshops, indicating, “If you don’t think that this matters in your field, it does. It matters to other students here at Iowa State and me.”

As we embark on this first semester of workshops, we encourage you to consider Inclusive Classroom Teaching as a Mindset. Given our interactions that we have with students, it is our opportunity and responsibility to help our students persist in their field of interest at Iowa State (Killpack et al., 2016).

Teaching inclusively is also a Practice. Take a moment and ask yourself, “What am I doing today to promote an inclusive classroom? What can I do in my classroom this week to make it more inclusive? What changes can I promote in my department, program, or institution to promote the success of all of our students?”

Our students came here to learn from and with the best. Our mindset and practices can help support all students belong and thrive. It is up to us to make that happen!

Find out more from CELT’s Creating an Inclusive Classroom webpage.

With a joy for teaching,

Sara Marcketti, Director
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

 

References

Killpack, T., Melón, L., & Marsteller, P. (2016). Toward Inclusive STEM Classrooms: What Personal Role Do Faculty Play? CBE Life Sciences Education, 15(3), 9.

Johnson, K. (2019). Implementing inclusive practices in an active learning STEM classroom. Advances in Physiology Education, 43(2), 207-210.

UC-Berkeley’s Strategic Planning Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity (PDF). Retrieved from https://diversity.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/academic-strategic-toolkit-final.pdf

 

*88% strongly agree, 11% somewhat agree

Full Teaching Tip

View the published CELT Teaching Tip: Inclusive Teaching: A Mindset and a Practice (January 23, 2020 – Constant Contact) website.

Prefer a Print version?

To view the Teaching Tip as a printable document with web addresses, download the CELT Teaching Tip for January 23, 2020 (PDF)

Your Questions, Answered

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This post is adapted from National Deaf Center’s Your Questions, Answered page.

As a reminder, for help at Iowa State University:

How can I add live-stream captioning within online meetings (Zoom or Webex) or Canvas (Learning Management System)?

Most online conferencing or Learning Management Systems (LMS) have tutorials in their knowledge base/support sites explaining how to connect have tutorials explaining how to connect live captioning. At ISU, you will add the individual follow How-to Guide for Student Accommodations in Canvas guide.

How can we add sign language interpreters in “live” online courses?

Give the remote interpreter(s) access to the video platform service (e.g., Webex, Zoom) or Canvas. Ensure that students are aware of and have enabled the features to choose how the videos appear on screen (gallery, side-by-side, etc.), that they have any necessary permissions, and that they know how to set up their preferences to view the interpreter and instructor.

If for any reason the interpreter is not able to login to the preferred LMS/online course platform, consider a multi-platform approach. For example, the student can be logged into LMS (e.g. Canvas in one window and an interpreter on an online video platform (e.g., Zoom, FaceTime, or another video service).

How should schools/institutions utilize staff interpreting and speech-to-text providers when transitioning from in-person to online classes?

Student Accessibility Services staff at 515-294-7220 or email accessibility@iastate.edu can assist with this question. Because the staff, hourly, and contracted service providers (interpreting and speech-to-text) should continue to provide services remotely. This ensures consistency with services for the student. Work with service providers to ensure they have:

  • Access to high-speed internet.
  • A private space to work from (e.g., some schools are allowing service providers to use offices on campus as long as they observe self-quarantine protocols).
  • Appropriate equipment, such as headphones with a microphone and a computer with a webcam and any necessary software.
  • Access to Canvas or live video platforms (Zoom or WebEx).
  • The student and instructor’s contact information in case of technical troubleshooting.

Providers can also assist with:

  • Captioning media for online courses (or prepare a transcript).
  • Provide interpreting for pre-recorded lectures.
  • Be available remotely for online tutoring, meetings or online school activities unrelated to the classroom.

Additional information:

Where can I find captioned media vendors and what should I look for?

Creating Offline Captions includes some tips and strategies in ensuring accurate captions are obtained. If you choose to outsource your media for captioning, the following links provide some resources:

New CELT faculty fellows aim to grow impact (Inside Iowa State)

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By Jeff Budlong
November 21, 2019

Clark Coffman and Rob Whitehead may have different responsibilities as the newest faculty fellows at the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), but they both are trying to make connections that will benefit individuals and the community.

Coffman, an associate professor in genetics, development and cell biology, is CELT’s graduate student and postdoctoral professional development faculty fellow, and Whitehead, an associate professor in architecture, is the high-impact practices fellow. The half-time appointments began this summer and last three and two years, respectively.

Leading initiatives

Whitehead’s role centers around three initiatives — service-learning, project-based learning and open educational resources.

Service-learning curriculum incorporates community service into course instruction — for example, a city park clean up that leads to better waste disposal and recycling through data collection.

Rob Whitehead

Whitehead

“Service-learning happens across all of the colleges in many different ways, but currently there is no common way to designate what courses are service-learning courses,” Whitehead said. “One of my responsibilities is to get a group of people together who are doing service learning around campus and try to have us teach and learn from each other.”

Whitehead wants to determine best practices and offer advice to instructors who want to modify or develop a service-learning course. Service-learning teaching and learning communities are underway, meeting once a month. Megan Myers, an assistant professor in world languages and cultures and Iowa Campus Compact engaged scholar research fellow, is helping lead the group.

“This is meant to engage the faculty, and then the faculty deliver the courses in a way that is effective for students,” Whitehead said.

Whitehead also is coordinating project-based learning, focused on different ways courses or activities can be taught.

“It is essentially the idea of brainstorming, testing and implementing,” he said. “This happens all over in architecture, engineering, ag and business. It often happens in capstone classes all around campus, but before this fellowship, there was no common practice.”

Whitehead believes project-based learning will create even more interdisciplinary interaction. The first workshops are being designed for the spring semester. Ideally, this would dovetail with work that will happen at the Student Innovation Center, opening in January.

In addition, Whitehead will serve as CELT’s lead on open educational resources, which includes the Miller Open Education Mini-Grants.

Preparing future faculty

Coffman directs CELT’s four-course preparing future faculty program designed for graduate and postdoctoral students pursuing faculty careers. Participants are aided throughout the process by self-chosen faculty mentors who are not their thesis advisers.

“Since we are a university-wide program we can’t really focus on individual disciplines,” said Coffman, who took over the 18-year-old program from a professor of veterinary pathology Holly Bender. “We provide the large-picture view, and the faculty mentor provides the discipline-specific information.”

Clark Coffman

Coffman

The first semester-long course covers the expectations of what faculty encounter at different institutions, from community colleges to top research universities. Participants create and polish cover letters, research statements, and vitae.

“We have faculty panels come in from a whole spectrum of institutions and talk about what faculty life is like, what the promotion and tenure process is like and how to put together an application,” Coffman said. “We tell the students this course really is about finding your fit.”

The next course continues work on job materials, such as diversity statements, but shifts focus to pedagogy. The third class provides teaching experience — greater than a teaching assistant — that could include teaching a section of a mentor’s course. The final class is an independent study that can range from preparing research grants to portfolio development. The program could be completed in a semester and a half as some courses can be taken simultaneously.

Participants who complete the first two courses earn the designation of a preparing future faculty associate. Those who complete three courses are fellows, while finishing all four earns them the label of scholar. The levels of distinction can be beneficial when trying to land a first job.

“Being part of this program sets you apart, especially having this level of teaching experience in the classroom,” Coffman said.

Seventy students enrolled in the first course this fall. Coffman is assisted by CELT program coordinator Karen Bovenmyer, who has helped guide 961 students through the program since its inception in 2002.

Coffman and Bovenmyer also work closely with the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning on campus, a national program focused on effective teaching practices in higher education.

He also collaborates with the School of Education’s graduate student teaching certificate program aimed at graduate students looking to become professors.

“It is like preparing future faculty plus,” Coffman said.

Re-posted from Inside Iowa State’s New CELT faculty fellows aim to grow impact (November 21, 2019) web edition

“A journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step”

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The great Chinese thinker Laozi’s words could apply perfectly to the transition from teaching in Blackboard to Canvas. As I shared last week, in Confessions of a Procrastinator, I have not yet built my course in Canvas, but this week I started and here are some tips to help you take that first step.

Start with the end in mind

It is my great honor and pleasure to teach Everyday Creativity developed by my colleague and friend, Dr. Elena Karpova. As I started to build my Canvas course, I realized that first I needed to keep the learning outcome goal in mind. For us, that is students learning and then applying creative thinking strategies to generate multiple unique ideas. To accomplish this the students complete pre-class readings and quizzes, in class individual and group activities, and out of class work that demonstrates their use of the strategies.
As you are bidding farewell to Blackboard, filter and sort through your collection of instructional materials and make decisions whether they need to be updated and/or replaced in your new course. Then as you (re)build your course in Canvas, there are three actions you can take to begin the journey of teaching in spring semester.
  1. Build your modules: Modules organize your content by weeks, units, chapters, concepts or a different organizational structure. Modules give your course a consistent look and feel and make it easy for your students to navigate it. Modules also accommodate your delivery style: use them to re-create the folder set up from your course in the previous learning management system or, better yet, use them to chunk up your instruction into smaller, independent “digestible” units to empower student cognitive processes.** A module can contain files, discussions, assignments, quizzes, and other learning materials. Learn more using the Create a Module web guide.
  2. Choose your homepage: Your homepage sets the mood for learning in your course. Canvas has different options for choosing your course’s homepage. The syllabus is a great way to introduce your course, make your expectations transparent, and keep students abreast of all course happenings. Learn more via the Setting the Course Home Page web guide.
  3. Clean up your course’s menu: Your students should only see the course-specific menu options that allow to quickly and easily navigate all course information and keep distraction to a minimum. Learn how using the Customize the Course Navigation web guide.
  4. Check your quizzes: While most of your previous quizzes will import from previous Blackboard content, some, such as such as hot spot and quiz bowl do not transfer, and matching questions that have images in the answers must be fixed. Additionally, you will want to double-check multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, essay, matching, numerical, and formula question types before publishing your migrated quiz or survey. If a question format is not supported by Canvas, the question will become a simple text (students will not have the option to answer). The Quizzes tool in Canvas can be used for graded or practice quizzes, as well as graded and ungraded surveys and automatically creates a column in the grade book.
CELT developed this Canvas Course Building Basics YouTube video (below) and a Course Building Basics web guide on these actions that you can take to (re)build your course in Canvas.

If you have made it this far in the teaching tip, Congrats!

You probably realize this is going to be a multi-step journey. Don’t fear! CELT’s open labs will be closed Dec. 8-Jan. 2, 2018, but consultations with our instructional designers may be scheduled during that time via the appointment scheduling website. There are multiple ways to learn the Canvas learning management system, including workshops (below), recorded resources, self-paced tutorials and webinars on the ISU Canvas training and resources website.
Additionally, Canvas offers 24/7 support, listed in the “? Help” icon on the global navigation (far left of your Canvas website) or via the Canvas support line, 515-294-4000 (press 2, then 1).
Best wishes for your winter break and spring semester canvas course building,
Sara Marcketti, Interim Director
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)

Full Teaching Tip

View the published CELT Teaching Tip: “A journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step” (December 14, 2017 – Constant Contact) website.

Print Version?

Prefer a Print version? If you would prefer to view the Teaching Tip as a printable document with web addresses, download the CELT Teaching Tip December 14, 2017 (PDF)

Feature Options in Canvas

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Canvas frequently publishes updates as part of its release cycle. New Canvas updates are posted on the CELT website. If approved, Feature Options may be enabled at the account or course level in our Canvas instance. More information about the Canvas Updates Approval Process is also on the CELT website.

Each instructor can configure several Feature Options at the course level, so the instructor can choose whether to enable or disable the feature in their course. To learn more about enabling or disabling a Feature Option in a Canvas course (the image below is an example of the Feature Options), see the Canvas guide to managing new features for a course or follow the Preparing Your Canvas Course guide.

How to select Feature Options in Canvas course settings

For additional information or the status of a feature, please email us at celt-help@iastate.edu.

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