Smeal Academy Fall 2022 Connections Newsletter 2 –Inclusive Teaching Practices
The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip the Smeal Community with best practices and strategies for teaching and learning with technology to support Smeal’s business education and research needs. This newsletter provides resources, tips, and pointers as we move through the semester.
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
5 Ideas for Inclusive Classrooms from the eLDIG Team
It’s always important to consider how we can cultivate classroom environments that make everyone feel welcome. The following suggestions can be easily incorporated:
- Consider representation in the resources you provide students. There are so many fantastic repositories of free images available for use in your classroom materials. The following are just a few: Women of Color in Technology, Disability Inclusive Stock Photography, and Beyond the Binary.
- Add your pronouns to your Canvas and Zoom profiles. Recommend that students do the same and provide support documentation: Canvas: Add Gender and Identity Pronouns to Your Name and Zoom: Add Gender or Identity Pronouns to Your Zoom Profile.
- Remember the importance of connection before content. Learning is social! There are lots of great tools for encouraging interpersonal connection within your class that make your content more meaningful. These virtual question cards from WeConnect are a great free resource for encouraging conversation.
- Solicit student feedback frequently, including personal reflections on their learning. This is a great way to support students and keep your finger on the pulse of their classroom experience. Tools like Canvas Surveys and Microsoft Forms are great ways to gather this feedback.
- Remember the power of microaffirmations! Microaffirmations include behaviors as simple as: nodding and making eye contact with students while they’re talking; making sure to call on students of different races and genders equally; referring to every student by his or her name; using inclusive language — for instance, talk about “families” instead of “parents;” openly giving praise for a wide range of actions; and staying enthusiastic when interacting with students. (Rastegari & Shafer)
Rastegari, I. and Shafer, L. (2016, December 22). Accentuate the Positive: The transformative power of small encouragements and welcoming interactions. Harvard Graduate School of Education.
The eLDIG team is here for the Smeal community. If you want to discuss an idea or need for your course(s), please don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule a consultation at eldig@smeal.psu.edu
Upcoming Live Sessions
- TLT Creating Community via Technology,1:30 to 3 pm on Nov. 8th or 9th. Register via the Creating Community via Technology Registration Form.
- Lab Virtualization Considerations and Strategies, 2-1 pm on November 30th. Come learn about Smeal’s lab virtualization approach to ensure that students and faculty have the software and apps they need for their courses. Smeal faculty will share some of their experiences with virtual labs. We will also discuss the next steps for faculty considering the use of virtual labs as we increase our virtualization offerings. Zoom link
NOTE: Recordings and resources from previous sessions can be found on our eLDIG Website.
Tips of the Week
- Tip #1: Canvas New Quizzes Update. The Canvas vendor has informed Penn State that the New Quizzes migration timeline is on hold and will be sending an update in the coming weeks with more details. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
- Tip #2: Set up Thresholds in Starfish. To make Starfish reporting easier, be sure to set up your grading thresholds in Starfish (and your gradebook and grading scheme in Canvas). Check out this Knowledge Base article for instructions. Students have indicated that Starfish feedback helps them better understand how they’re doing in classes, and it also supports advisors as they guide their advisees which is particularly important as we approach the late drop deadline.
Contact Us
Email us at eldig@smeal.psu.edu or fill out the eLDIG Contact form and we will be in touch.
In this session especially designed for instructors and staff who support courses, the eLDIG team shared some strategies to improve the accessibility of your course(s).
Link to Session Slides
Accessible Smeal-Branded PowerPoint Templates
Smeal Academy Fall 2022 Connections Newsletter 1 – Welcome Back
The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip everyone with best practices and strategies for teaching, learning, and technology to ensure the Smeal community is prepared to respond to the unique challenges of teaching and learning during the Fall 2022 semester. Between now and the end of the Fall 2022 semester, we will be sending periodic emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.
5 Resources from the eLDIG Team:
As we get started with a new semester, we have curated five resources we want to share with the Smeal Community:
- Final Touches for Fall Session Recording
Check out our Smeal Academy Session Recording: Final Touches for Fall for some information that is relevant even after week 1 of the semester. You can also check out previous Smeal Academy sessions and newsletters on the eLDIG site. We will offer regular Smeal Academy sessions and resources targeted to address your teaching and learning needs. - Residential Syllabus, Part 2
Do you struggle to keep up with syllabus policies? eLDIG keeps a Smeal Residential Syllabus, Part 2 up-to-date based on the semester instructions from Undergraduate Programs. You are welcome to use this for your syllabi now or in the future. - Tips for New Faculty
Higher Ed Jobs Tips for New Faculty – Tips for success (and failure) for new faculty that are relevant to all faculty. - Canvas New Analytics
Want to get more out of Canvas analytics? Enable New Analytics in your course(s). - Canvas Grading Scheme
Remember to set up your Canvas grading scheme to match your syllabus. Here’s a Smeal Academy Video Tech Tip explaining how.The eLDIG team is here for the Smeal community. If you want to discuss an idea or need for your course(s), please don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule a consultation at eldig@smeal.psu.edu.
Upcoming Live Sessions
- TLT Dreamery Speaker Series with Tanya Joosten
The Dreamery Speaker series hosts experts from other institutions to address timely teaching and learning with technology topics. The first speaker in the series is Tanya Joosten, a Senior Scientist, the Director of Digital Learning Research and Development, and advisor to the Provost for innovation projects at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). On 9/27 & 9/28, 2022 Tanya will have interactive discussions focused on teaching (Approaching Intentionality: Factors That Influence Student Success) and learning design (Considerations for Equity-Minded Practices). Dreamery Speaker Series Registration. - TLT Prep & Practice: Top Hat for Course Engagement, Part 1
Dates of Offerings: Monday, 10/10, 1pm – 3pm & Thursday, 10/13, 1pm – 3pmDescription: New faculty are invited to join Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) for sessions focusing on introducing Top Hat, an engagement platform for teaching and learning. These sessions provide participants the opportunity to get familiar with the Top Hat environment and understand the features that help learning be engaging, interactive, accessible, and connected. Prep and Practice Registration. - TLT Prep & Practice: Top Hat for Course Engagement, Part 2
Date of Offerings: Monday, 10/17, 1pm – 3pm & Thursday, 10/21, 1pm – 3pmDescription: New faculty are invited to join Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) to continue the conversation on Top Hat, an engagement platform for teaching and learning. The second part of the sessions will allow participants to build a Top Hat course and understand best practices for integrating the engagement features into courses. Prep and Practice Registration.
NOTE: Recordings and resources from previous sessions can be found on our eLDIG Website.
Tips of the Week
- Tip #1: Customize Your Canvas Dashboard. If your Canvas dashboard is cluttered or this semester’s courses aren’t showing up on your dashboard, here’s How to customize your dashboard.
- Tip #2: Remind students to enable Canvas notifications. To ensure students are receiving Canvas notifications, show them how to enable them. The default settings in Canvas do notify students of announcements right away, but they might miss discussion notifications because those are set to be “off” by default.
Contact Us
Email us at eldig@smeal.psu.edu or fill out the eLDIG Contact form and we will be in touch.