Center for Teaching and Learning Blog

Tag: CTL

CTL Services

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CTL Services
Ever wonder how the Center for Teaching and Learning can support your instructional needs? We are here with support for any questions you may have about Canvas, Huskycast, Gradescope, Turnitin, Zoom, or iClicker. Already familiar with these but would like to take a deeper dive into some of these technologies or maybe you have never used these and would like to give them a try in your classroom, we would be happy to provide some one-to-one training! Feel free to drop by during our walk-in hours from 10-noon and 1-4pm Monday through Friday. We can also provide in-person consultations in classrooms for classroom teaching technologies. No time to stop by the CTL? Be sure to check out our online resources that can be found on our site in our Teaching and Learning Knowledge Base, Canvas Instructor Guides, and the Getting Started With Canvas sections.

Are you interested in taking a deeper dive into a specific instructional topic? We also have a periodical library available for checkout covering a wide range of topics! Feel free to stop in anytime and review the collection.


Points of interest!
iClicker Cloud – Reminding you that iClicker Classic was retired at the end of 2023 and iClicker Cloud will be the only supported polling software. The student experience will not change and students can still use either physical iClicker remotes or the mobile/web app, though iClicker bases are not in all classrooms. iClicker hardware – student remotes, instructor remotes, and bases – as well as the student mobile app will continue to be supported in iClicker Cloud. Visit the Center for Teaching and Learning’s iClicker resource page to get started using iClicker and for more information on transitioning to iClicker Cloud visit iClicker’s online resource page.

iClicker Groups (Beta) – iClicker Groups is in Beta, a new method of engaging your students with polling: promote discussion, open new lines of communication, and encourage collaboration. Utilizing this part of the iClicker suite divides your participants in groups to work on building a consensus for your polling. You can find the instructor guide at iClicker Groups (Beta).

New to iClicker Cloud – With version 7 Tools was introduced to the iClicker Cloud application. The poll taker is able to have a separated clock from the polling menu as well as at a future point be able to enable emoji reactions for poll takers.

If you have any questions or would like to know more, visit the iClicker Groups Instructor FAQ or contact us at the Center for Teaching and Learning for more information.

Feel free to contact us at 7-3000 or email us at elearning@mtu.edu.

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CTL and IDEAhub Lunch and Learn

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Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Location: Memorial Union – Ballroom A

Registration is required.

Join IDEAhub leadership and participants from IDEAhub’s summer course redesign workshop. Find inspiration in faculty stories about their “small bite” course innovations and learn more about how to “level up” your teaching using IDEAhub tools for innovation.

To register please visit: https://mtu.libcal.com/event/13801954

For questions or request any accommodations, please contact the CTL at (906) 487-2275 or ctl@mtu.edu.

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CTL Technical Workshops: Getting Started with iClicker and Introduction to Panopto

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Getting Started with iClicker

Date: January 16, 2025

Time:  10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 

Location: Library Room 243

The Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) will host a technical workshop Thursday (January 16, 2025) to introduce instructors to iClicker Cloud software.

iClicker Cloud helps instructors engage with their students in the classroom by asking polling questions that can promote discussion, identify areas of confusion and generate questions. Michigan Tech has a campus site license for iClicker Cloud, so instructors can use this tool at no additional cost to their students.

In this CTL technical workshop, we’ll review how to get started using iClicker Cloud in your classroom. We’ll review how to set up your instructor account, iClicker Groups, make custom course settings to meet your needs, and integrate the course with your Canvas course.

Register for the workshop — make plans to join us Thursday (January 16, 2025) from 10-11 a.m. in Library 243.  To register, please visit this link: https://mtu.libcal.com/event/13838699

Introduction to Panopto

Date: January 23, 2025

Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 

Location: Library Room 243

Are you looking for a way to incorporate video recordings to increase student engagement or provide course materials to be viewed in preparation for class? Perhaps you’re seeking a tool to capture lectures or meetings where multiple video sources can be captured at the same time which can be easily edited and shared? Compatible with multiple operating systems and file formats, Panopto is a robust and straight-forward tool to fit those needs and many more.

Join the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning for an Introduction to Panopto workshop on January 23, 2025 at 10 a.m. at the Van Pelt and Opie Library Room 243. To register, please visit this link: https://mtu.libcal.com/event/13838721


Contact the CTL at ctl@mtu.edu with any questions about this workshop, accommodation requests, or using iClicker Cloud and Panopto in your class this Spring semester.

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Crafting Your AI Course Policy

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This semester the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning provided a workshop on crafting an AI course policy. This post provides some key takeaways from the workshop.

AI Tools Have Pros and Cons

AI tools, just like any tools, have specific capabilities and limitations. Some AI tools are able to generate executable code as well as meaningful text, images, music, and video. Different AI tools have different capabilities in these areas.

AI tools also have limitations. Many of them:

  • Do not evaluate the quality of the data they were trained on
  • Sound authoritative even when they present incorrect information
  • Makeup sources when complying with requests
  • Do not correct for biases in their data

When instructors ask students to use AI tools, it can be helpful to present both the capabilities and the limitations of the tools. Students have different levels of experience using AI tools. Students also have different levels of understanding of how these tools work and what their capabilities and limitations are. Providing a brief overview of AI tools in class helps ensure that all students become knowledgeable about how to effectively use these tools.

AI-Use in Courses

Effective use of AI to support learning will look different in different courses. It’s important to consider the desired course learning outcomes when determining whether AI tools can be used effectively to support student learning in a specific course. For example, some courses may require students to build foundational knowledge. Overuse of AI tools in these courses could make it more difficult for students to build this foundation. Other courses may require students to perform certain tasks quickly. If AI tools can help students create higher quality outputs, more efficiently, using AI tools to their full extent may support student learning in these courses.

When instructors decide what level of AI use to allow or encourage in their courses, they should consider four levels of AI use:

  • No AI-use: In these courses, the instructor has determined that using AI tools will make it more difficult for students to achieve the course learning outcomes, so AI-use is not allowed.
  • Use AI only as directed: In these courses, the instructor determines when and how AI tools can support students in achieving the course learning outcomes. The instructor indicates throughout the course when students should and should not use AI tools and explains how the tools should be used.
  • Use AI with no restrictions when directed: In these courses, the instructor determines when AI tools can support students in achieving the course learning outcomes. The instructor indicates throughout the course when students can use AI tools, and students are able to use AI tools however they would like to complete the AI-use permitted learning activities.
  • No restrictions on AI-use: In these courses, the instructor has determined that students can use AI tools however and whenever they would like. The students determine when using AI tools will help them achieve the course learning outcomes and how to use the tools.

These categories of AI use are not comprehensive, and instructors may find that a different strategy for AI use is most effective for the courses they teach.

Disclosing AI-Use

When students are allowed or encouraged to use AI tools as part of a learning activity, it is recommended that they document their AI-use. This can be done using citations for written work according to a discipline’s style guide. This can also be done by asking students to provide a brief description of how they used AI tools when completing a specific learning activity. It can also be useful to ask students to reflect on their experience using AI tools. For examples of how some instructors have asked students to disclose their AI-use, see Lance Eaton’s collection of Syllabi Policies for AI Generative Tools, which he collected from faculty willing to share their AI syllabus policies.

Michigan Tech Resources

The Michigan Tech AI Working Group has provided AI Resources for Faculty and Staff. These resources include Policy Guidance, Syllabus Guidance, and Pedagogical Tools and Educator Resources. These resources can be a starting point for you as you consider how to communicate your AI policy to your students.

If you would like to request an additional session of the Crafting Your AI Course Policy workshop, email Catharine Gruver at cgruver@mtu.edu.

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Online Course Design: Getting Started

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Are you interested in creating an online course? Do you have colleagues who enjoy teaching online, but you’re not sure how to get started? Below are some tips for developing an online course. (If you are already teaching online, consider joining our Fall 2024 book club where we’ll read Flower Darby’s Small Teaching Online.)

Develop a Vision for Your Course

When you begin developing an online course, start by thinking about what you want to teach students and why an online course would be a good way to teach what you want to teach.

Many times, online courses are developed as an additional section of an in-person course that is already being taught at the university. In these cases, the purpose for teaching the course and the learning outcomes that you want students to achieve by taking the course may already be clear.

Sometimes, an online course is developed to meet a specific need before a similar in-person course has been developed. For example, your department may be launching a new online program, and a new course needs to be developed to support students in achieving the program learning outcomes. In these cases, it’s important to clarify how the course will fit into the program and what learning outcomes students should achieve by taking the course.

Determine How to Assess Student Achievement

After you have decided on the purpose for your course and what students should learn from taking the course, it’s important to think about how you will assess student achievement using assessments that have been tailored for an online environment. In addition to or instead of multiple choice tests and writing assignments, authentic assessments can be useful for assessing student achievement in online courses. Authentic assessments “are tightly aligned with the learning objectives of a course or learning experience and have learners working on ‘real world’ problems” (Niemer, 2024). These types of assessments can be more engaging for learners and can better prepare them to use what they are learning in a course in their professional and personal lives.

For more information about authentic assessments, see Rachel Neimer’s (2024) discussion of Creating Authentic Assessments.

For more information about assessing students in online courses, see Creating and Adapting Assignments for Online Courses.

Collaborate with Instructional Designers

Once you have a vision for your course and ideas about how you would like to assess student achievement, consider working with an instructional designer as you continue designing and organizing your online course. The instructional designers at the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning can help you:

  • Gain access to the MTU online course Canvas template
  • Brainstorm effective online assessment and learning activities
  • Consider how to make your course accessible to as many students as possible
  • Prepare to meet the Michigan Tech online quality course standards

To contact the CTL’s Instructional Design team, email Dan Ye at dany@mtu.edu or Catharine Gruver at cgruver@mtu.edu.

References

Niemer, R. (2024, January, 15). Creating authentic assessments. M Online Teaching. https://onlineteaching.umich.edu/articles/creating-authentic-assessments/

The Ohio State University Teaching and Learning Resource Center. (n.d.). Creating and adapting assignments for online courses. https://teaching.resources.osu.edu/teaching-topics/creating-adapting-assignments

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Refreshing Your Course Syllabus

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Are you ready for Fall semester? A new school year brings students back to campus and the chance to review and refresh our courses. Consider taking this opportunity to refresh your course syllabus.

Tone

Take a moment to read over the first paragraph of your syllabus. What is the tone? Does it sound like you are encouraging your students and looking forward to the course? According to Zakrajsek and Nilson (2023), “studies show that students prefer a learning-focused syllabus that states strong student learning outcomes and [has] a positive, motivating-tone over a traditional content- and policy-focused syllabus (p. 66). There is no need to reduce course rigor to create a warmer or more positive syllabus. Instead, focus on introducing course requirements using positive and supportive language.

The President and Fellows of Harvard College (2023) share several suggestions for creating a syllabus with a positive tone. These include:

  • Using friendly language
  • Providing a rationale for assignments
  • Sharing a little bit about who you are
  • Showing your enthusiasm
  • Expressing compassion

For more information about each of these, take a look at the full article Syllabus Language Sets the Tone for Your Course.

What to Include

There are a variety of opinions about what to include in a syllabus and how long it should be. However, Michigan Tech’s Senate Policy 312.1 provides a list of content required in MTU course syllabi. This list includes:

  • Instructor information
  • Course information
  • Grading information
  • A schedule of course assignments
  • References to three university policies
    • Academic integrity
    • Disability
    • Equal opportunity
  • Course policies

To help you create a syllabus that includes this required content, the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning provides a syllabus template that you can use as a starting point for your own syllabus.

Taking time now to review and revise your syllabus can help you set your students up for success by effectively providing them with important information and motivating them to actively engage in your course.

Resources

For additional information about what to include in a syllabus and how to do so, consider reviewing:

If you have questions about creating or refreshing your syllabus, contact a member of the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning team at 487-3000 or ctl@mtu.edu.

References

Michigan Tech University Senate Policy 312.1 (2015). https://www.mtu.edu/senate/policies-procedures/list-policies/312.1/

The President and Fellows of Harvard College. (2023). Syllabus language sets the tone for your course. Retrieved from https://teachingandlearning.knowledgeowl.com/docs/syllabus-language-sets-the-tone-for-your-course

Zakrajsek, T. D. & Nilson, L. B. (2023). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors (5th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

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New tools in Canvas coming this Summer!

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Rich Content Editor – Find and Replace

A longtime requested tool from the Canvas community is nearly here! If you’re a Canvas user and you’ve created a quiz, discussion, or assignment, you’re probably familiar with the Canvas Rich Content Editor tool. Coming next month as a Canvas update, the RCE tool will have a new plugin tool Find and Replace which will work throughout Canvas wherever the RCE can be utilized. It will be similar in functionality to Find and Replace in other applications. When it’s available, choose Tools from any RCE toolbar and enter the text you’d like to find and replace; it’s quick and simple! 

Find and Replace tool in Canvas's Rich Content Editor toolbar.
Find and Replace interface.

Discussion Redesign

This video from Instructure will share with you the updated features to include Full and Partial Anonymity for Graded Discussions, Improved Accessibility, Split View, Reply Reporting, and Quoting and @ Mentions along with all the existing functions! Additional information is available from Canvas here! Whatever your role, this information will ensure you make the best use of the Discussion redesign; stay tuned for more information!

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Organizing the Canvas Gradebook

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The Canvas Gradebook helps instructors easily view and enter grades for students. Depending on the Grade display type, grades for each assignment can be viewed as points, percentage, complete or incomplete, GPA scale, or letter grade. Only graded assignments, graded discussions, graded quizzes, and graded surveys that have been published display in the Gradebook. Not Graded assignments are not included. (Source: more Gradebook information from Canvas)

Did you know there were several options within the Canvas Gradebook to make the grading process easier and the instructor’s gradebook more organized? Utilizing the Canvas Gradebook keeps your students apprised of their academic standing in the class and keeps the course grades organized and in one place.

Organizing Gradebook columns:

From the Canvas navigation menu, choose the Gradebook. Columns can be arranged to suit instructional needs. Place the mouse cursor over a column, press the left mouse button and hold it, and move the column to the desired location.

There are additional options under the three stacked dots (More Options) on the right hand side of the column header for coursework. Using the Sort by you are able to sort scores in ascending or descending order or by submission status.

From the More Options, instructors can adjust the Grade Posting Policy for that particular assignment or quiz.

Gradebook View Options:

From the Canvas navigation menu, choose Grades and then from the upper right hand choose the Gear\View Options.

The View Options tab allows filtering and sorting of the Gradebook according to viewing options:

  • Arrange By: arrange columns by default, assignment name, due date, points, or module.
  • Show: show or hide the notes column, the unpublished assignments column, the split student names column, hide assignment group totals, and hide total and override columns.
  • Status Color: view and change the color for a grading status (late, missing, resubmitted, dropped, and excused).

New column available in the Canvas Gradebook:

If you’ve looked at your Canvas Gradebook recently, you may have seen a new column just to the right of the student names; the new column is Major and lists the student fields of study.  Please note: the column is not able to be moved or hidden and will be available for Michigan Tech courses starting Spring 2024.

If you have further questions about utilizing the Canvas Gradebook, feel free to reach out to the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning at 487-3000 or email us at elearning@mtu.edu.

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