Blackboard Ally Launch

We are excited to announce the addition of a new tool to promote accessibility and inclusion at the University of South Dakota! Blackboard Ally, a dedicated accessibility tool that provides a dashboard that will help instructors engage in universal design for their course documents, is live and ready to support your teaching this term.

Teaching at USD this term and want more support on improving the accessibility of your course? Access our Blackboard Ally training in our Digital Accessibility Training (D2L Course)!

Blackboard Ally Resources

• Introducing Ally for Brightspace
• Ally D2L Brightspace Explainer
• ​​​​​​​Blackboard Ally - Impact on Students

Disability Studies Resources

Learn more about accessibility and disability studies:

• Universal Design for Learning Guidelines: This tool offers suggestions for facilitating flexible learning environments.
• Learning Something New - Rosemarie Garland-Thomson's Convocation Address: A leading disability justice theorist discusses the impact policies have had on our accessible construction of the world.
• Can You Read My Lips?: Rachel Kolb, an up-and-coming disability studies scholar, co-wrote this short film reflection based on the essay "Seeing at the Speed of Sound."
• Creating a More Inclusive Environment for Students with Disabilities: This recent article from Disability Studies Quarterly highlights twelve themes about student campus-life experiences.

Faculty Mentoring

Created by: Ethan Villeneuve, Graduate Associate at The Center for Teaching and Learning

Edited by: Brooke Doty, Tech Fellow at The Center for Teaching and Learning

New faculty members are in a transitional period in their life where mentorship can be crucial to their success. Any new job requires a specific set of skills, responsibilities, training, familiarization of one’s surrounding, and knowledge of guidelines. An instructor is no different. Being a new instructor can seem overwhelming, and having someone who is accessible to be a trusted guide through the beginning of one’s instructional career is enormously beneficial.

Being a mentor is a multifaceted time consuming activity. With extensive knowledge in teaching, research, service, and familiarity of institutional expectations, an experienced instructor obviously cannot bequeath all this information to a new instructor in one sitting. New things will always come up and new questions will always need to be answered. As a mentor, you will play many roles. Research suggests four types of roles that predict the essence of a good mentor:

The Friend interacts with the mentee socially, providing advice about people and helping with personal problems. The second type, Career Guide, promotes the development of the mentee's research, inclusion in a network of colleagues, and his/her professional visibility. The Information Source provides information about formal and informal expectations for promotion and tenure, publication outlets, and committee work. The Intellectual Guide promotes an equal relationship, collaborates with the mentee on research or publications, and provides constructive criticism and feedback. (Sands, R., Parson, L., & Duane, J., 1991, p. 189)

You may only be engaging in one, two, or maybe even all of these roles. It depends on the needs of the mentee and the mentors strengths. It is key to remember each mentor has different qualities and these roles only play a part in the mentor mentee relationship Other things have to be taken into consideration like the personalities of both parties. Remember, these roles are important, and you definitely want to keep them in mind, but I want to specifically touch on teaching or instruction in relation to mentoring.

In regards to teaching, a mentor needs to assist in their mentee’s goals in the classroom. A new instructor may have many questions such as, “What technological resources are available to support instruction and how can professors access them?” or “Who evaluates faculty members and when does this occur?” Other than answering important questions, a mentor can aid in planning classes and sitting in on their mentee’s class. Feedback should be formative, offering constructive feedback and helpful tips. A mentor can also give materials and strategies related to effective teaching (Gaskin, L. P., Lumpkin, A., & Tennant, L. K., 2003, p. 50).

Of course, there is much more that can be covered about mentoring, and you may have some questions specific to a number of different topics. A great resource to utilize in your mentor-mentee relationship is Ball State’s “New Faculty Mentoring Guide.” Also, do not forget to direct your new colleagues to the Center for Teaching and Learning! There are many resources available here. We do training and support of academic technologies to pedagogy among many other things as well.

References

1. Ball State University. (n.d.).  New Faculty Mentoring Guide. Retrieved from http://cms.bsu.edu/about/administrativeoffices/educationalexcellence/resources/facultymentors
2. Gaskin, L. P., Lumpkin, A., & Tennant, L. K. (2003). Mentoring new faculty in higher education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 74(8), 49-53.
3. Sands, R., Parson, L., & Duane, J. (1991). Faculty mentoring faculty in a public university. The Journal of Higher Education, 62(2), 174-193.

Twitter in the Classroom

Created by: Ryan McCarty Graduate Associate and Molly Cahoy, Tech Fellow at The Center For Teaching and Learning

Twitter has rapidly emerged as one of the most popular forms of social media available today. From following your favorite celebrities to updating your friends about your day, Twitter has a wide variety of social functions. Twitter also has many different capabilities that can be employed in a business or in a classroom setting. One of the most valuable but underutilized set of features available on Twitter, is its benefit in the classroom. This post will highlight some of the most common applications of Twitter in a university setting and some unique ways to engage your students with Twitter.

Social Media and more specifically Twitter, has begun to play an important role in the education system. “Nearly 80 percent of faculty members are using social media in some way, according to a recent survey of nearly 2,000 college faculty” (Lytle, 2011).

TeachHub.com compiled a list of 50 ways to use Twitter in the classroom. Here are a few from the list that could be immediately utilized by faculty here at the University of South Dakota. First, is tweeting about upcoming assignments and due dates. “One of the simplest ways that teachers can use Twitter in the classroom involves setting up a feed dedicated exclusively to due dates, tests or quizzes” (Miller, 2005). The reality is that most students understand and frequently use social media, so it won’t be much of an adjustment for them to use social media for academic purposes. Twitter can also serve as a more reliable and permanent way to inform students about changes to syllabus and other relevant pieces of course news.

Similar to updating different elements of the course, encouraging students to use Twitter to coordinate assignments is another useful tool. “Rather than keeping up with an e-mail train, students can use Twitter to collaborate on different projects and keep a quick reference on any changes” (Miller, 2005). Twitter can provide students a way to instantly communicate and update their group members on a user-friendly interface.

Finally, Twitter provides a resource for students to immerse themselves in their area of study. Depending on a student’s major or area of interest, they can follow relevant news outlets and journalists, they can keep up to date on corporations and the stock market and they can remain knowledgeable on the current national and international political climate. Students can even begin to use Twitter as a way to share their knowledge, experiences and opinions as they progress as scholars, by tweeting their ideas, re-tweeting posts they find interesting and tweeting at people they wish to converse with.
 
Overall the uses and benefits for Twitter in the classroom are nearly endless. Although it may seem ominous, making the leap to incorporating social media in your classroom has the potential to not only enhance your students learning experience, but your teaching efficiency as well.

If you have any other questions regarding Twitter, please refer to our Tutorial about Twitter or our former blog posting on Twitter. Thanks!


References

Miller, Samantha. "50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom." Teach Hub.com. 10 Oct. 2005. Web. http://www.teachhub.com/50-ways-use-twitter-classroom.

Llorenz, Jason. "Ten Steps to Using Twitter in the College Classroom." Huffington Post. 25 Aug. 2014. Web. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-a-llorenz/ten-steps-to-using-twitte_b_5692021.html.

Lytle, Ryan. "5 Unique Uses of Twitter in the Classroom." U.S News and World Report. 24 May 2011. Web. http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/05/24/5-unique-uses-of-twitter-in-the-classroom

Free mobile apps for teaching, learning

Using smartphones for teaching and learning?  Here is a list of free mobile apps that are commonly used in postsecondary for teaching, learning, and productivity. Check and see if you are interested in any!

http://wcet.wiche.edu/learn/fall-apps-2014

Inclusive Excellence in the Classroom

Tips for success in relation to diversity in the classroom
Prepared by Jesús Treviño, Ph.D., Senior Diversity Officer and Associate Vice-President for Diversity, Office for Diversity/Office of the President, University of South Dakota and the Center for Teaching and Learning

DIVERSITY IS BOTH AN OPPORTUNITY AND A CHALLENGE.

In considering campus diversity, it is clear that challenges and opportunities manifest themselves throughout the institution, but in particular the college classroom. One of the challenges of diversity involves situations where faculty and students continue to experience conflict and tension particularly related to the different views and backgrounds represented in the classroom. Examples of these types of conflict include a heterosexual student exclaiming in class that gays and lesbians do not have a right to exist and refers to the Bible to support their argument. Or a faculty member asking the only Latino in the classroom to educate the rest of the class on the topic of Mexican immigration patterns, a topic with which the student is not very familiar. Similarly, three male students continuously disrupting the class by directing sexist comments at a female teaching assistant and an instructor asking a Veteran to share her traumatic experiences in war without clearing it with the student first are also examples of the challenges that diversity poses in the college classroom. Add to these incidents of cultural and personal misunderstandings, institutional discrimination, inadequate or no training for faculty on issues of diversity in the classroom, and lack of student preparation for engaging in productive classroom discussions, and what emerges is the possibility of a tense college campus and classrooms waiting to be disrupted.

On the positive side, there are instances where faculty have used and are using diversity in the classroom as an opportunity or asset to enhance teaching and learning. Examples of this include an instructor who organizes a fishbowl discussion of male students to discuss their attitudes toward women after a student makes a controversial remark in class. Or a faculty member teaching students about the difference between a debate and a dialogue in order to have productive expressions of free speech and thereby enhancing the learning process. And finally, students receiving and learning about ground rules for classroom discussions related to respect, free speech, and personalizing the issues are also examples of using diversity as a tool for achieving desired educational outcomes. In sum, the prospects of diversity involve using multiple perspectives, cultures, languages, and other characteristics that different social identities bring to the class as an asset or a tool to create greater understanding and knowledge about these issues. This task is not easy and requires special skills and techniques.

INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE

Inclusive Excellence requires that we create inclusive learning environments that are attentive to issues of diversity. Issues related to differences manifest themselves across all courses, assignments, curriculums, and pedagogies. The following are suggestions for addressing issues of diversity in the classroom. Professors are not required to implement these suggestions, but rather these are intended for those faculty members who want to create inclusive learning environments.

INCLUSIVENESS MATTERS

How, what, and who we teach matters when it comes to diversity and inclusiveness. The books, readings, case studies, word problems and examples presented in the classroom can either include diverse communities by drawing on the history, culture, and experiences of different groups, or they can exclude those same communities by obliterating them from the curriculum. It goes without saying that teaching tools have to be selected carefully to be sensitive and validating to diverse communities as opposed to stereotyping and offending.

DIVERSITY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

Issues of diversity manifest themselves across the curriculum. Even in courses where it is a common belief that issues of diversity are not present, such as math and physics, not only do you have the challenges cited above, but you also have student behavioral issues related to diversity (e.g. microaggressions, conflict, misunderstandings, etc.). In any course, you will find students representing multiple groups, including race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, veteran status, age, and other social dimensions found on campus. It is important to be attentive to those dynamics and how they play out in the classroom. For example some students do not want females, gay/lesbian, international, or Native Americans in their assigned work groups.

CREATING A POSITIVE CLIMATE FOR DIVERSITY

It is important to establish ground rules for dialogue, interaction, and behavior at the beginning of each course. This is critical because it will validate the students from diverse backgrounds, create trust in you as an instructor, and establish a safe space for interaction. Moreover, in case conflict emerges you can always refer the students back to the rules of engagement.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Include the diversity statement approved by the University Senate in your syllabus to convey your values and beliefs about diversity and inclusiveness in the classroom. “The University of South Dakota strives to foster a globally inclusive learning environment where opportunities are provided for diversity to be recognized and respected.”

DIVERSITY ASSIGNMENTS

Consider assigning projects that contribute directly to diversity and inclusiveness on campus. These are different than community service projects (which are important) in that they address diversity issues at USD and make positive contributions to the university community.

SETTING PARAMATERS

Set clear parameters when assigning projects. Make it clear, for example, that you do not have to show pornographic images in a class presentation to make the point that sexism is alive and well in our society. Ask students to include opposing perspectives in their papers or assignments as well as consensus views.

USING MISTAKES

If you make a mistake while teaching, simply apologize and move on. You can also use your mistake to educate the students by engaging them regarding assumptions, believes, or other reasons for the error. You will gain the trust of the students. (Note: Use this judiciously and sparingly).

SOCIAL IDENTITY

The social identities of each faculty member influences how students perceive and receive them. Research suggests, for example, that women of color and white women receive low teaching evaluations in those courses where diversity is the central topic. International faculty members get complaints from students about their accents. Women have to work harder than men at establishing credibility in the classroom. The issue is not that there is something inherently wrong with social identities themselves. Rather, the problem is the perceptions that are held of those identities.

UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF

A large part of understanding diversity in the classroom is getting to the groups that may be present in your classroom. Equally as important is understanding yourself as a faculty member. Getting to know your bias, hot buttons, teaching style, issues about which you are passionate, privilege, likes and dislikes, and other personal characteristics will only help you in dealing with classroom issues.

NO APREHENSION

Just because there is tremendous diversity in the classroom does not mean you should be apprehensive about it and fear that at any moment you will make a mistake. You are not expected to know the dynamics, history, and experience of every social identity in your class. Simply acknowledge that there is diversity, do your best to address issues that come up, apologize and correct mistakes whenever possible, and proceed to teach. Make an effort to educate yourself.

ACTIONS FACULTY CAN TAKE TO PRACTICE INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE

1. Develop a new course on diversity and inclusiveness.

2. Embed diversity and inclusiveness into an existing course. 

3. Consider books or readings on or by African Americans,

Chicanas/os, GLBTIQ members, Veterans, Disability, Gender,

and other marginalized communities.

4. Mentor a female, Gay/Lesbian, African American, first-generation college, Veteran, Latino, Asian American, Native

American, or other diverse students.

5. Work to understand and establish a “safe and welcoming” classroom climate for all students.

6. Serve on a college or department diversity committee.

7. Find out what the department is doing to practice Inclusive

Excellence.

8. Start a discussion with other faculty/administrators

designed to learn more about experiences of diverse faculty

in the department.

9. Learn about and address microaggressions between

students in the classroom.

10. Learn about and address microaggressions directed at

faculty, in particular faculty of color and women.

11. Inquire about diversity and inclusiveness in discipline

related associations, conferences, and initiatives. 

12. Help recruit diverse students into the discipline. 

13. Work with Human Resources to understand how to practice diversity and inclusiveness in job searches including search committees, advertising, job descriptions, interviewing, job negotiating, etc.

14. Insert a diversity statement into a course syllabus. For example: “This course adheres to the principles outlined in the USD Diversity and Inclusiveness Statement and the concept of Inclusive Excellence by creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone”.

15. Consider diverse learning outcomes in your course.

16. Take responsibility for addressing diversity issues in the

School or Department. Don’t assume that diversity and inclusiveness is the domain and responsibility of faculty of color, women, or other marginalized faculty.

17. Work on improving the climate in the department for yourself and everyone else.

18. Inquire about diversity efforts at the institution as a whole (e.g., recruitment of students of color, status of GLBTIQ students, Issues confronting Women Faculty, etc.)

Resources: 

• Jesús Treviño, Associate Vice-President for Diversity, Office for Diversity 605-677-3925. 
• Bruce Kelley, Center for Teaching and Learning, 605-677- 6518
• Roberta (Bobbe) Hakl, Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action 605-677-5651
• Kim Grieve, Vice-President for Student Services and Dean of Students. 605-677-5331

Turn your syllabus into an infographic

Ever wondering what it might look like to have a visual summary of your syllabus? Erin McLaughlin teaches “Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric” at Notre Dame, and here she prepared a infographic of her course syllabus:

SYLLABUS WR 13300 | Piktochart Infographic Editor

Interesting in a discussion about tips, the tool, and more examples? Visit this article at:

http://wp.me/prJu2-3wo

Copyright and Fair use

How does copyright apply to the courses I teach? How to avoid copyright pitfalls when using media and other materials in your online course?
Hope this presentation prepared by our university librarians and Eric Mosterd from Center for Teaching and Learning could be of help!

Social Media in the Classroom: Taking Facebook as an Example

Created by: Carlee Andress & Ryan Los, Graduate Associates for the Center for Teaching and Learning

Most college students have to admit – they hate homework and studying through group assignments. However, the truth is that they like to learn through social media.  Students are not creatures of isolation, but rather creatures of convenience and getting 6 different schedules to match, conquering 75 pages of text, coming to mutual understanding of the content, and then finally producing an A+ power point presentation is not exactly convenient!

People in general learn best when it is fun and interesting. Our parents had the newspaper thrown at their door step every morning, and so they enjoyed a daily dose of reading and learning over a cup of morning coffee. Similarly, students read Buzzfeed, blogs, and Facebook posts whenever they want (even multiple times a day), because it is virtually thrown at their fingertips.

Professors now have an incredible opportunity to implement course work and classroom information onto a Facebook Course page; professors can access and contribute to the same programs that students love to use, which can potentially make homework and group assignments more useful and convenient for their students. As a professor, you could be asking yourself, “how could this work” or “what would this look like” or maybe even doubting it altogether with an opposing response of “my students wouldn’t get their work done even if I posted it on their Facebook page”. However, many professors have utilized Facebook for their course and the results have been outstanding.

Even now students are coming together to learn topics from class through Facebook and other forms of social media. Picture this: Monday and Wednesday’s lecture was a bit overwhelming and boring. Most of the students tried reading the text, but they said the information still doesn’t make sense. There is a test coming up, and all of the sudden the entire class is in the same boat – extreme panic. Prior to options of social media being made available, students would have lined up at the office door during office hours, but it is no longer this way.

Today students will watch videos and other lectures on YouTube. When a student finds a quality video, they will message it to the whole class through Facebook.  Another student will get lecture notes from a different university professor and can then post it to her classmates on Facebook. A different student will look up scholarly journal articles and post them, where? That’s right – on Facebook. Students are already using Facebook to supplement lectures and text books, because the students learn when it is easy and convenient, and Facebook is just that.

It may be helpful for professors to start a Facebook page for their students. This way all of the students can easily add links and posts that they find interesting and helpful. The professor can also post information, add comments, and direct students to videos, pictures, and professional websites that weren’t covered in class. The most beneficial learning tool a professor could use in the new age of social media is one that is convenient - since Facebook is widely accepted and easy to use, help your students by starting a course Facebook page today.

To begin creating a Facebook page for your class, please view the following link: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/05/teachers-guide-to-creating-facebook.html

As always, the CTL is here to help and answer any questions you may have. Please do not hesitate to email ctl@usd.edu, call 605-677-5411, or drop by McKusick Room 107!

The CTL is dedicated to the development of extraordinary teaching and learning at the University of South Dakota.

References

Educational Technology and Mobile Computing. (2014). Teacher’s Guide to Creating Facebook Group for Students. [Website] http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/05/teachers-guide-to-creating-facebook.html
           Facebook Inc. (2013). Introducing a Facebook Guide for Educators and Community Leaders. [Website] https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-safety/introducing-a-facebook-guide-for-educators-and-community-leaders/625839830770136

Tomassini, J. (2013). Teachers Gravitate to Social Networks Tailored for Educators. Education Week [Website]  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/01/09/15social_ep.h32.html 

Summative vs Formative Assessment

How can we evaluate our students' learning and our own teaching?What are the differences between these two major types of assessment: formative and summative assessments?  Hopefully this nice visual chart created by Med Kharbach could give you some ideas...

Presentation Tips

Tips for making powerful presentations from Jennifer Austin, Online Education Manager at University at Buffalo.

You can view either a slide version from Slideshare

or a Prezi version:

Using Twitter in Teaching

Need some ideas with using Twitter for your class? Here is a nice summary from Edudemic: http://www.edudemic.com/25-ways-to-use-twitter-in-the-classroom-by-degree-of-difficulty/done-twitterspectrum-3/

Instructional strategies and tips with using polling technologies in teaching

Created by: Ryan Los, Graduate Associate and Katie Barnett, Tech Fellow for the Center for Teaching and Learning

In small classrooms and high schools it is acceptable to have students raise their hand when asked a question. But in large college lectures this can be a hassle due to the greater number of students in the classroom. Thanks to new technology, there are now many avenues that can be utilized to allow students to voice their opinions quickly and easily. Polling technology assists in getting students talking, thinking, and participating in the classroom in a matter of seconds. In addition, it gives professors instant feedback to see if their students are following along and understanding the content of the lecture. Some examples of polling systems include TurningPoint, PollDaddy, SurveyTool, and Poll Everywhere.

 While you may want to look through the polling systems listed above, USD supports the TurningPoint software. TuringPoint offers instant management of polling participants, content, sessions and reports. The basic features and advantages of TurningPoint include: polling from any environment and application; the ability to manage polling, participants, content, sessions, and reports. TurningPoint also supports pictures, characters, and question lists.

It is important that you ensure the students understand how they will be evaluated via using clickers. This should be explained during the first class and certainly laid out in the syllabus for the course. For example, you may use clickers at the beginning of every class and ask the students 5 questions based on the prior class and/or assigned readings that will be worth 20% of the course grade for both attendance and keeping up with course content. Upon completion of the course, all of the responses can be tabulated and if there are 20 classes, each classes’ clicker question will be worth .2% of the final overall grade to equal 1% per day x 20 classes = 20 % of the final course grade.

Tips for utilizing polling in the classroom:

1.      Plan in advance for how to deal with students whose clickers are forgotten, need batteries, or are broken.

2.      Attendance, if you want to increase attendance, use clickers daily and link clicker usage to the D2L grade book. This will encourage students to show up to class, listen to the lecture, and participate in the questions being asked during class.

3.      Communication with the students - explain to students why you are using the system and what you want them to gain from the experience. Also let students learn from their right and wrong answers by displaying the correct answer and discussing it. It is also wise to use a combination of simple and more complex questions, as this will challenge students and help generate discussion.

4.      Prevent wasted time and frustration - spend some time in class showing students how to use the technology and offer them a tutorial that explains the process.

The DON’Ts of using clickers in the classroom:

1.      Fail to explain why you are using clickers.

2.      Use them primarily for attendance.

3.      Don’t have students talk with each other.

4.      Use only factual recall questions.

5.      Don’t make use of the student response information.

6.      Fail to discuss what learning means or the depth of participation and learning you expect in your class.

7.      Think of clickers as a testing device, rather than a device to inform learning.

Polling technology is a great way to get students involved in the classroom. It not only promotes discussion and challenges students with questions, but allows the students to see what areas they need to work on, and offers the professor instant feedback on their students’ progress. By following the strategies and tips listed above, it is quite simple to improve student involvement in classroom discussions and to create an enhanced learning environment.

Note: Polling can be used at USD through clickers and the TurningPoint software. For more information on setting up polling in your classroom or if you have any questions, please contact the CTL at 5411.

References:

Caldwell, J. E. (2007). Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips. CBE - Life Sciences Education, 6(1), 9-20. 

Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative. (2013). Clicker Resources. Retrieved from http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/clickers.htm
 

Dunn, J. (2012, April 2). The Teacher’s Guide To Polling In The Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/the-teachers-guide-to-polling-in-the-classroom/

TurningPoint. (n.d.). Key Features. Retrieved from http://www.turningtechnologies.com/polling-solutions/turningpoint

Time Management Skills in the World of Academia

Contributed by Taya Norlander, Graduate Assistant and Ellie Dailey, Tech Fellow for the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Sometimes it seems that in the academic world, more than others, time never stops.  In fact, there are times when it seems that the clock ticks just a little bit faster in the world of academia.  That, however, is not the case.  No matter what we do, there are still only 24 hours.  Unfortunately, of those 24, only 8 of them, give or take, are spent at work.   That said, time management is one very important thread that helps sew our professional lives together.  Below are 5 ways that you can facilitate effective time management skills into your professional life:

·  Figure out which aspects of your day you can control: It is highly likely that much of your day is planned for you before you even walk into your office. You have meetings, appointments, and tasks that you must do whether you want to or not.  To help determine which aspects of your day you can control, spend some time observing and reflecting on where you spend your time.  Then, think critically about how you are using your time inefficiently.  Are there certain times of the day where you have free-time but you find you are not being proactive about getting things done?  You have control over that time. Cut down on those passive minutes. 

·   Make a to-do list each day: This is not simply writing out all the things you have to complete.  You should make a to-do list(s) that is prioritized.  Tasks that have a due date need to be at the top of the list; the closer the due date, the closer it is to the top.  Tasks that do not have a specific due date will find their home at the bottom of the list.

·  Schedule solid blocks for each day: You already created your to do list so you already know what you have to do.  Now, re-write your schedule, including the time allotments that you have indicated for each task.  To help the schedule seem more ‘concrete’, it may help you to set alarms on your computer.  The alarms will chime when you are ‘finished’ working on that task then it is time to move on to the next thing on your list.

·  Work smarter not harder: Working really hard on one project means that all of the other projects on your list of things to do are not receiving all of the attention they might need.  Working smarter, not harder is a skill that will seemingly fall into place as you gain control of your daily tasks and your prioritized to do list(s).

·  Delegate tasks: Do you have a graduate assistant or office assistant that can help complete some of the more simple tasks that come up routinely?  If so, make that part of their daily or weekly routines to help free some of your time.  They are paid to help you, and given explicit instructions, a timeline, and guidance, they are more than capable of helping you get things done.    

 The image seen below is of a time management matrix (Mind Tools, 2014).  As you work through your 'to-do's' classify each item on the list in terms of importance and urgency.  Important activities have an outcome that leads to the achievement of your goals.  Urgent activities demand immediate attention, and are often associated with the achievement of someone else's goals.  Urgent activities are often the ones we concentrate on; they demand attention because the consequences of not dealing with them are immediate.

   

Once you have identified and labeled each item on your to-do list, start at the top with the items that are urgent and important and work towards the items at the bottom of the list that are urgent and not important.  

Mastering time management skills takes time and effort.  Time management is about control, if you let time control you, rather than you controlling time, you will never accomplish everything you need to accomplish.  Learning to work efficiently and effectively at the same time is key to doing all you can do in the time delegated to your work life. The number of hours in the day is not changing.  What is changing is how you use those hours. 

Sources:

Concordia University. (2014). 5 Time management tips for teachers. Retrieved from: http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/teaching-strategies/5-time-management-tips-for-teachers/

Francis, S. (n.d.). Time management for teachers. Retrieved from: http://www.timemanagementforteacher.com/Time_Management_For_Teachers_files/Time%20Management%20for%20Teachers%20PREVIEW%20Pages.pdf

Mind Tools, ltd. (2014). The urgent/important matrix. Retrieved from:  http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_91.htm

Scholastic (2014). Time management strategies: how to delegate tasks to increase daily teaching time for an efficient classroom. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/time-management

CTL Educational Games and Simulations Workshop Resources

Thank you all for your interest in our Educational Games and Simulations Workshop. We have prepared a list of resources for you:

Description	Link
Presentations on Gamification by an expert, Sebastian Deterding	http://codingconduct.cc/
A research article on the benefits of playing video games	http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0034857.pdf
Gamification Research Network	http://gamification-research.org/
Notice of Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education meeting  April 9 - 12 2014.	http://vwbpe.org/
This is a streaming program that can be listened to like a regular podcast, or you can attend the interview in Second Life	http://www.blogtalkradio.com/virtually-speaking-science
CTL Blog posting listing ideas of using games in teaching and recommendations of games	http://ctlusd.blogspot.com/2014/01/educational-games-for-classroom.html
Simulation: Learning English as foreign language through chatting with robot online	http://www.csiec.com/MSAgent/en/
The Business Strategy Game: manage a global shoe company.  Marketing, finance, operations, competitive strategy, etc.	http://www.bsg-online.com/
Three distinct business simulations of varying difficulty/intensity.  Includes assessment and assurance of learning tools.	http://www.capsim.com/business-simulations/landing/
Game for Learning Biology	http://playbiofleet.com/
Game for Learning Typography	http://store.steampowered.com/app/258890/
Clicker games: Ideas and tips	http://teach-tech.westernu.edu/clickers-games/
Clicker games: Ideas and tips	http://its.uiowa.edu/support/article/100355
Searching for games	http://beta.playfullearning.com/
Searching for free games and simulations	http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm

Shared by Collin Hover, Assistant Professor of Art; Dave Burrow, Associate Professor of History; Brent Clark, Assistant Professor of Business; Michael Granaas, Associate Professor of Psychology; & Weichao Chen & Ryan Los @ CTL.

Active Learning Strategies

Contributed by David Alexander, Graduate Teaching Assistant, and Phillip Becker, Tech Fellow for the Center for Teaching and Learning

Faculty members oftentimes look for ways to engage their students within the classroom. However, it can be difficult at times to encourage participation with the students, especially if the class is a lecture format. Engagement can be accomplished through several different ways, including integrating active learning strategies.

Active learning is the process of giving students opportunities to think, reflect, and involve them in the course materials in a meaningful way (Using Active Learning, 2011; Eison, 2010). Students have different learning styles and because of this a traditional lecture-based class, along with other types of instruction, may not be adequate for a number of students taking a particular course. According to Meyers and Jones (1993), students are not attentive approximately 40% of the time during a lecture. Therefore, by integrating various teaching strategies into the classroom, students will be able to not only retain more information, but be able to apply the knowledge and skills they acquire.

One way to facilitate active learning strategies is by modifying the types of questions asked in class. Faculty members may ask questions that that only require remembering facts which are often forgotten in a short period of time. Developing questions that are more complex and require deeper thought may increase engagement and how much a student retains. There are three levels of question complexity: remembering, applying, and evaluating. Questions at the remembering level are basic questions that simply elicit facts. Questions at the application level requires the student to use the information and relate it to a situation. An example of an application question is “How would you explain the connection between…?” The highest level of questioning that could be asked are evaluating questions. This type of questioning requires students to use higher levels of cognition and to justify their answers. An example of an evaluating question would be “In this case study, how would you have done….if you were in the same position (Classroom Activities, 2009)?” These types of questions can engage the students more and lead to longer discussions.

Small group work may also be beneficial when integrating interactive learning strategies. Students can be put into small groups to teach other students about a topic that relates to class. One small group can teach another small group or a small group can teach the class about a topic. In regards to what the small group would teach, the faculty member can assign a topic that would supplement the material that is taught. This would require the students to conduct outside research, which will add to their learning experience (Using Active Learning, 2011).

Another technique to utilize active learning is to integrate debates that support the classroom material. Debates are a way for students to critically think about the material, form logical and cohesive arguments, and express themselves in front of their peers and the faculty member (Eison, 2010).

There are many ways to increase classroom participation. One book I recommend on this topic is L. Dee Fink’s book Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses which has great ideas about college classrooms. Students should be able to learn more from an engaging classroom. Properly implemented activities should result in students wanting to come to class rather than feeling they have to go to class.

References

Eison, J. (2010). Using active learning instructional strategies to create excitement and enhance learning. Retrieved from http://www.cte.cornell.edu/documents/presentations/Eisen-Handout.pdf

Fink, D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 

FSU, (2011). Using active learning in the classroom. Retrieved from http://distance.fsu.edu/docs/instruction_at_fsu/Chptr8.pdf

Meyer, C. & Jones T. (1993). Promoting active learning: Strategies for the college classroom. San Francisco: Josey-Bass Inc.

UNC, CFE (2009). Classroom activities for active learning. Retrieved from http://cfe.unc.edu/pdfs/FYC2.pdf

Educational Games for the Classroom

Contributed by Molly Van Heek, Graduate Assistant and Janae Mehlhaff, Tech Fellow for the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Are you looking to add excitement to your routine class? Educational games may be the answer! Educational games are not just for elementary students. Games can be fun and meaningful at the collegiate level as well. Incorporating games into a class can benefit students in several ways and add fun to the monotony of typical lecture classes. In this post, we will take a closer look at the benefits of educational games and explore some examples of games to utilize in the classroom.

Games in the classroom can be used to make learning fun, liven up the classroom and motivate students to learn outside the classroom. These benefits will be reaped by students and ultimately increase their learning for that particular class period. It will also increase their excitement about the material which will encourage them to continue attending class and continue learning outside the classroom.

Along with the benefits of educational games come challenges. One of the biggest challenges is making learning objectives integral to the game. In other words, instructors must work to ensure the game being used is in relation to the topics of study. Another challenge is to choose/create a game that will include everyone and give everyone the most benefit. It is important to involve everyone in the game to increase the learning for all students and not just some. Finally, the game must be somewhat difficult or challenging. It can be challenging to find the balance between fun and difficult, but a challenging game will get students involved and more determined to succeed.

A few tips to make educational games most effective are as follows:

·         Games should include competition; putting students against each other or against themselves.

·         Include fantasy or hypothetical real world situations to make it seem more believable and intriguing.

·         Explain instructions in a clear and concise manner so students understand all rules and goals.

·         Consider giving students points for accomplishing goals in the game to further motivate them.

·         Consider giving rewards for winners (rewards can either be points or small items/prizes).

Sample Educational Games

This website contains several links to games (mostly computer games) that are taken on a more serious note. Despite the serious tone, students enjoy them because of the competition and real-world features. The games are broken down into majors such as business/management, health/science, humanitarian/environmental, political, etc. 

Another option is to transform the entire classroom into a game, using role playing and hypothetical situations. This could be done by assigning each student a particular role and giving them detailed characteristics for the role or instructions pertaining to playing that role. An overall goal or situation is then given and students can interact with each other as their character. This role-playing example can be done over the entire semester as well, and each class period is a new “day” with new goals or challenges to accomplish.

An example of a game to play in business classes to incorporate lessons about trading and money is as follows:

1.      Students are given cards, either red or black. Each card will have a number on it that indicates its value.

a.       Red=buyers

b.      Black=sellers

2.      The sellers want to sell above the value listed on the card and the buyers want to buy below the value on the card.

3.      Trading will begin to take place among the students. Individual buyers and sellers have to agree on prices.

4.      Students will mark their gain on their sheet. It is a challenging game because no deal gives no gain or loss.

There are also several templates online for Jeopardy games. The templates can be edited in order to insert specific questions. The game can be played with teams instead of individual players in order to involve all students. Jeopardy has always proven to be a fun and interactive game! It is also a great way to review for an exam. One sample template is here (clicking on “Jeopardy” will allow you to have the PowerPoint version which is editable).

Games can also be created specifically for a certain class or class period. This can be very easy to do as long as there is a list of questions/answers and teams are involved. Instructors could also incorporate a Pictionary aspect to the game and have students draw items to get their teammates to guess an answer. Games similar to Catch Phrase can also be integrated into the classroom. In a Catch Phrase type game, students would describe a word to their teammates without saying the actual word and whoever guesses the word first is the winner or gets the points.

Despite the type of game being played, students will almost always enjoy taking a break from the normal classroom routine to learn actively through a game. By following the tips above, instructors will be able to successfully create their own educational games. Reap the many benefits and play a game today!

Sources:

Teed, R. (2013). Game-Based Learning. Retrieved from: http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/games/index.html

Jensen, R. (2012). 50 Great Sites for Serious Educational Games. Retrieved from: http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2009/08/17/50-great-sites-for-serious-educational-games/

Lachut, S. (2012). The State of Games in the Classroom. Retrieved from: http://www.nyas.org/publications/ebriefings/Detail.aspx?cid=86c9441c-7844-4d98-a206-6bc7aa09766e