Smeal Academy Newsletter

Summer 2021 Readiness – Week 3

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 teaching challenges of this time. Throughout the summer, we will be sending emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

Last week we discussed the Lessons Learned from the pandemic. This week, we share resources that can help you look to the Fall and how you will reshape your courses to meet the demands of students, and the need to keep them engaged. During your teaching in the last year and a half, you may have started using technologies you never used before.

Collaborative Technologies

You may have used collaborative technologies like discussion boards, slides, notes, polls, whiteboards, collaborative documents, Zoom chat features, and videos as a way of engaging students in constructing their understanding of your content. You may be thinking about your Fall courses and wondering how you can take the best of what you did and mix it with your teaching methods used before the pandemic. Students often want to use their technologies in the classroom, anyway, so why not leverage their tech and put it to work?! Consider having students bring their devices and connect to some of these collaborative technologies while engaged in your face-to-face teaching.

Informal Course Communications

Using Zoom chat and discussion boards or other technologies that capture students’ responses has become a new way for students to connect with you and each other. You may have found in some classes that you were challenged to get students to “unmute” and be engaged. We find that at times students are as unlikely to unmute and share ideas in virtual classrooms as in-person students are to raise their hand in a live lecture. However, the chat stream may have been very busy essentially forming something we call the “backchannel.” This channel permitted you to engage in less formal ways. Students may have felt it was less risky to answer a question in the chat interactions. You can continue to capitalize on this channel in the coming year if it aligns with your course and student needs. When used purposefully and with inclusive and respectful communication, backchannels can offer an important communication mode for students to interact with course content, the instructor, and each other.

Breakout Rooms

During the pandemic, if you wanted to facilitate small groups, you may have turned to using breakout rooms for collaboration between students. You may have used breakout rooms to ask students information about their prior knowledge, to have them work on problems or cases, or to wrap up and identify points of interest or confusion. You can continue to use these tools in your face-to-face learning to garner the benefits of the additional tools that came along with them, like whiteboards, screen sharing, and internet searching. In socially distanced, mixed audiences and fully face-to-face classrooms, a student can put on headphones and get to work together on meaningful activities. You might be surprised to find them doing this even outside the classroom if you leave your digital space open to students.

Come to this week’s Smeal Academy webinar to learn more about ways to reshape your courses this fall.

Resources

Glantz, E., Gamrat, C., Lenze, L., & Bardzell, J. (2021, March 16). Improved Student Engagement in Higher Education’s Next Normal. EDUCAUSE Review.

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Summer 2021 – Designing for Students in Multiple Delivery Modes

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 teaching challenges of this time. Throughout the summer, we will be sending emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

This week, we share resources that can help you consider strategies for teaching courses to a mixed mode of students who will be joining your course both in person and online. A number of our students will not be able to return to campus this Fall due to the Pandemic and have indicated their need to participate remotely through the “Raise Your Hand” initiative in Starfish.

The future is flexible!

Flexibility in delivery modes is probably here to stay. According to the 2021 Chloe 6 Report, 83% of public universities expect to see an increase in undergraduate, online enrollment as a part of the long-term impact of the pandemic (NOTE: Study sample size = 361 schools: 26% Public 2 year; 35% Public 4 year; 35% Private 4 year; 21% For Profit). As we think about how this will affect teaching and learning, consider that we are entering a new normal where students are entering our classes with the experience and likely an expectation or need for some flexibility in participation modes and digital access to resources. The new normal is shaped by our experiences over the last 15 months, so remember that all learners (and instructors) will benefit when we continue some of the best practices we’ve adopted during this time.

Build Community

If we are not intentional about building community in our classes (regardless of delivery mode), students are more likely to:

• Earn lower grades,
• Withdraw from your course or dropout from school altogether, and/or
• Have increased feelings of social isolation (Ali & Smith, 2015).

Though some courses have a “no technology” policy, when you have students who will be participating in your course both in person and from a distance, technology can help connect students both in the classroom and online and level the playing field. Here are a couple of strategies you might consider:

• Use a tool like Top Hat for polling for synchronous and asynchronous participants with the same poll.
• Group students with a mix of in-person and remote participants so they can get to know each other,
• Use social icebreakers,
• Consider merging sections in Canvas to connect students using Canvas tools, and
• Extend conversations beyond the classroom by using tools like Canvas, Top Hat, or Packback discussions. This can help foster reflection, synthesis, and community-building.

Structure Your Course for Success

Have you ever had to go for a test at the hospital, been taken through various hallways and rooms and then tried to follow the signs to the exit, hoping you’d find your way out (and felt relieved when you found your way out)? Sometimes, there aren’t enough signs, and you can become anxious that you might be going the wrong way. Sometimes, you need to ask for help because you feel lost. Just as we don’t like feeling lost in a physical space, it’s important to ensure that students can navigate our course spaces with ease as well.

Imagine what it’s like for a student to enter your Canvas space for the first time. Do they know where to begin and is there an adequate road map that’s easy for them to follow so they know where things are and how the course is organized? There is nothing more frustrating than for students to feel like they are on a scavenger hunt when trying to navigate their way through their courses. Here are three things you can do that will help all of your students find their way in your courses:

• Put your syllabus in the syllabus tab. Though this may seem obvious, not everyone does this.
• Organize your content into modules and use Canvas pages to provide the instructions necessary to understand your expectations/requirements, locate and complete all activities and assignments successfully. Please refer to our Smeal Academy Canvas Space if you’d like some ideas about how to structure your course(s). Do not hesitate to contact eLDIG if you would like to talk about your course needs.
• Use Canvas Announcements to reinforce key tasks and information. Students receive notification of announcements on their dashboards, in the Canvas inbox, in your course Announcements tab and/or “Home” page, and via email (if they have set up forwarding notifications). Canvas announcements can’t be lost or easily overlooked as easily as an email.

Resources

• Ali, A., & Smith, D. (2015). Comparing social isolation effects on students attrition in online versus face-to-face courses in computer literacy. Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, 12, 11-20.
• Columbia CTL (2021). Community building in online and hybrid (hyFlex) courses.
• Garrett, R., Simunich, B., Legon, R., & Fredericksen, E. E. (2021). CHLOE 6: Online Learning Leaders Adapt for a Post-Pandemic World, The Changing Landscape of Online Education, 2021.

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Summer 2021 Lessons Learned from the Pandemic

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 teaching challenges of this time. Throughout the summer, we will be sending emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

This week, we share resources that can help you reflect on the lessons we have learned from teaching through a pandemic.

As pandemic-related rules and restrictions continue to ease in our communities and campuses, we find ourselves needing to make decisions about how to move forward and prepare for the next semester in our classrooms. While we may anticipate the return of some beloved rituals and routines from our “pre-pandemic” practice, it is important to also reflect on all that we have learned over the past year, and how some of those practices may continue to be implemented to invigorate and enliven our return to on-campus teaching! The following are a few examples, as well as links to resources that may support your reflection.

Keep communicating!

Never has the importance of effective communication been more apparent than over the past year. Students will always appreciate clear communication plans and defined expectations around course participation delivered via Canvas. That will never change.

Not only that, but we have all shared in healthy collaboration around teaching and learning across the college, the University, and beyond. That sharing has made us all better educators. Let’s keep the conversations going!

Bring technology back into the classroom with you!

Yes, you can (and should) bring technology back into the classroom with you! Maybe now you manage Zoom breakout rooms like a pro or set up Google Jam boards with the best of them. Leverage that technology expertise to allow for greater flexibility in your classroom! The more ways in which students and instructors can participate in the classroom, contribute to discussions, and share their ideas, the more learning improves.

Focus on what matters most

Many of us found this year that we had to be very intentional about what to include in our classes due to time constraints. Continue to focus on what matters most. That is good guidance for teaching — and life!

Speaking of what matters most…

Our patience and compassion muscles have been majorly tested and strengthened through our pandemic experiences. We may be going back into the classroom and workplace, but we now have much more appreciation for the challenges we all face. Let’s continue to hold that in mind.

Resources

If you would like to read more reflections from educators preparing to return to the classroom, you may want to check out one of these articles. Also, join us in July for a Smeal Academy Session focused on what our teaching faculty plan to continue into the next semester.

Darby, F. (2021, May 5). 7 Dos & Don’ts for Post-Pandemic Teaching with Technology. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Glantz, E., Gamrat, C., Lenze, L., & Bardzell, J. (2021, March 16). Improved Student Engagement in Higher Education’s Next Normal. EDUCAUSE Review.

Gooblar, D. (2021, March 24). Our Slimmed-Down Pandemic Pedagogy. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

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Resources for Remote Teaching – Spring 2021 Newsletter 2

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 in teaching during this time. Throughout the semester, we will be sending emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

This week, we share our list of top 5 best practices for mixed audiences. It can be challenging to have some students in the classroom and some students remote. But there are some suggestions that can help.

1. Communicate clearly. Use Canvas tools to clearly and concisely communicate your expectations for student participation. Make sure that students know what you expect them to do.
2. Make class time active! Consider posting lecture videos online and making your synchronous class time an active learning experience by incorporating strategies such as small group discussions, case-based learning, or brainstorming. This will be an opportunity to have students apply their learning from your lectures and readings during class time
3. Technology is your friend. Tools like Top Hat, G Suite, and Office 365 can be your friend when creating interactive opportunities in your classes.
4. Class time can be group time. Consider dedicating some of your synchronous class time for groups of students to work on projects face-to-face and/or in Zoom break-out rooms. Students can collaborate using digital tools such as Microsoft Teams or Google that provide workspace, communication, and file sharing.
5. Check learning! Develop a participation survey/quiz for students to complete after each synchronous session. Ask students to either expand on content discussed or ask questions they would like covered in future sessions.

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Spring 2021 Remote Instruction Resources

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 in teaching during this time. Throughout the semester, we will be sending emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

This week, we share resources and strategies that will help ensure a successful course launch and first week of class as we begin the semester. Many of these are resources we have shared before in our newsletters yet may be valuable to you now, especially if you are starting your semester remotely for the first time. The following Remote and Online Teaching Guide for Instructors includes a number of helpful step-by-step guides.

As you finalize your course and prepare to open the Canvas space to students, consider what information and details students require to be successful. We recognize that no one really wants to redesign their course(s) or do more work than you have already taken on with COVID-19 changes. However, ensuring that your course is easy to navigate with a consistent design and provides online details about the tools, processes, and procedures used in the course will, overall, save you a lot of work (as well as help you avoid a flooded email inbox).

If you’re not sure where to start with your course design, Smeal’s Remote Teaching Canvas courses (organized by weeks and by modules) offer some layouts and resources that you can copy and use in your courses. With so many variables surrounding this pandemic, it is critical that courses have a clear and consistent navigation. The way students navigate your course online will overwhelmingly affect how they perceive their learning experiences. Use your Canvas home page as a “North Star” for students. It should guide students to where they want or need to go in the course. Additionally, as you organize your course, imagine if a student landed in the “middle” of your course instead of the home page (this happens frequently when students click on assignments in their Canvas dashboard “to do” lists). Your course should still have a clear navigation path in place for students to easily find what they need regardless of where they are in the course.

End-of-Semester Grading

As a reminder, final grade posting in LionPath must be completed by 12/22/20. If you are using the Canvas gradebook to manage grades this semester, consider saving time by allowing Canvas to transfer final grades directly to LionPath. Helpful resources to aid you in this process are listed below:

1. Preparing Final Grades for LionPath
2. Tutorial: Importing grades from an LMS (click “Try It” to begin)
3. Entering and Importing Grades to the Grade Roster (doc)

If you have questions or would like assistance with the grade import process please don’t hesitate to contact eLDIG via eldig@smeal.psu.edu.

Resources to Prepare for Spring

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is the value of being flexible and the importance of being resilient. With that in mind, we wanted to share a few resources and a little food for thought for the Spring semester. Many who are teaching this coming Spring taught last Spring. It was more than a little bit overwhelming to transition to remote instruction with almost no warning. As you begin preparing your course(s) for next semester, it may be beneficial – whenever possible – to design the course as if you will be teaching at least a portion of your class remotely. This will ensure that you will be prepared for any eventuality. Here are five things to consider as you prepare for next semester:

• Make the most of Canvas. Consider using one of eLDIG’s Canvas lesson templates to organize your Module content.
• Convert your class resources to a digital format whenever possible. This includes readings, class handouts, videos that you might typically show in class, exams, and quizzes, and all homework.
• Add a student “check-in” survey to Canvas to get a sense of your students’ well-being.
• If attendance is part of your grading, consider using a tool like TopHat from the beginning of the semester to take attendance.
• Consider recording your lecture content in advance and flipping your class or some of your class sessions, using class time for students to work on assignments, engage in active learning, and ask questions. This will make it easier if you need to transition to remote instruction and to support students affected by COVID because your core lecture content will be ready in advance.

We have a number of Smeal Academy session recordings available for your review as you prepare for the upcoming semester.

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Welcome to the Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Resilience

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 presented by COVID-19. This week we will focus on semester wrap-up, strategies for actually having a winter break, and things you need to know to get ready for spring. The eLDIG team wishes the entire Smeal community a very renewing and peaceful break.

Strategies for Self-Care Over Break

We are nearly there! Grades are (or will soon be submitted by the end of the day), and we can take a collective exhale to close out Fall 2020.

That being said, it is likely that your “cup” [read: energy/well-being/outlook] may feel pretty empty after what was likely one of the most challenging semesters of your career. Taking some time for you during the break is critical to refilling your cup.

Researcher and author Brené Brown has talked about the value of creating a “playlist.” She advises being intentional about making dedicated time to those activities through which you “lose track of time and self-consciousness.” Being intentional about making time for the activities that truly replenish us (as opposed to what society/culture/habit tells us we should do) can be transformative.

Another helpful tool is the practice of gratitude. Research shows that it is easy for our brains to focus on the perceived threats and challenges in our lives, but much harder to pick out the positives. Gratitude is a skill that we need to practice. The Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley shared the “Finding Silver Linings” exercise. This brief activity can help you avoid ruminating and refocus your attention on the bright side of tough situations. Research has shown that focusing on optimistic thoughts can increase your happiness and enjoyment of life. That sounds like a great way to approach a new semester and a new year!

And don’t forget the many resources we have available to us at Penn State. This might be a great time to make the Calm app a daily habit. Heide Gibson has many resources available for engaging more fully with the app.

In addition, Penn State has websites with updated information for managing anxiety and stress and staying healthy and strong. Resources include a variety of online wellness classes being held at convenient times throughout the upcoming semester.

At the very least, take time to exhale and feel grateful for the culmination of an amazing semester! We made it through Fall 2020 and learned a lot in the process. Celebrate all that you have accomplished and all the ways that you have grown. Happy New Year!

Resources:

• Brown, B. (Host). (2020, September 23). On My Mind: RBG, Surge Capacity, and Play as an Energy Source [Audio podcast episode]. In Unlocking Us with Brené Brown. Cadence13.
• Greater Good Science Center. (2020). Finding Silver Linings.

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Welcome to the Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Resilience

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 in teaching during this time. Throughout the semester, we will be sending emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

End-of-Semester Grading

As a reminder, final grade posting in LionPath must be completed by 12/22/20. If you are using the Canvas gradebook to manage grades this semester, consider saving time by allowing Canvas to transfer final grades directly to LionPath. Helpful resources to aid you in this process are listed below:

• Preparing Final Grades for LionPath
• Tutorial: Importing grades from an LMS (click “Try It” to begin)
• Entering and Importing Grades to the Grade Roster (doc)

If you have questions or would like assistance with the grade import process please don’t hesitate to contact eLDIG via eldig@smeal.psu.edu.

Resources to Prepare for Spring

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is the value of being flexible and the importance of being resilient. With that in mind, we wanted to share a few resources and a little food for thought for the Spring semester. Many who are teaching this coming Spring taught last Spring. It was more than a little bit overwhelming to transition to remote instruction with almost no warning. As you begin preparing your course(s) for next semester, it may be beneficial – whenever possible – to design the course as if you will be teaching at least a portion of your class remotely. This will ensure that you will be prepared for any eventuality. Here are five things to consider as you prepare for next semester:

• Make the most of Canvas. Consider using one of eLDIG’s Canvas lesson templates to organize your Module content.
• Convert your class resources to a digital format whenever possible. This includes readings, class handouts, videos that you might typically show in class, exams, and quizzes, and all homework.
• Add a student “check-in” survey to Canvas to get a sense of your students’ well-being.
• If attendance is part of your grading, consider using a tool like TopHat from the beginning of the semester to take attendance.
• Consider recording your lecture content in advance and flipping your class or some of your class sessions, using class time for students to work on assignments, engage in active learning, and ask questions. This will make it easier if you need to transition to remote instruction and to support students affected by COVID because your core lecture content will be ready in advance.

We have a number of Smeal Academy session recordings available for your review as you prepare for the upcoming semester.

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Smeal Academy: Fall 2020 Readiness

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 in teaching during this time. Throughout the semester, we will be sending emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

TopHat – Polls, Attendance, Whiteboards, and More

What is Top Hat? TopHat is a cloud-based teaching tool that leverages student’s devices to increase in-class engagement and real-time feedback. Instructors can engage students in and outside of the classroom with interactive slides, graded questions, customized content, videos, discussions, and polls.

TopHat integrates and syncs with your Canvas gradebook. The eLDIG team is exploring TopHat functionality so we can assist the Smeal community in integrating its tools into our courses. Some core features we think you will like are:

• the ability to take attendance more easily, especially in remote instruction contexts
• the ability to poll students and capture their results, if desired
• the ability to engage in live discussion with students during class

We encourage you to attend our session on October 28th at 2 pm (see below) or consult with an eLDIG designer if you’d like to learn more or discuss how you can get started.

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Resources for Remote Teaching – Spring 2021 Newsletter 2

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 in teaching during this time. Throughout the semester, we will be sending emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

The Zooms, They Are A-Changing

Just when we thought we had Zoom all figured out…

Just kidding… you can handle this!

On September 27, Zoom is implementing changes worldwide to enhance meeting security. Beginning on that date, all Zoom meetings will require a passcode (formerly referred to as password), or a Waiting Room to be enabled for all meetings. Any Zoom meetings that have already been scheduled and do not have a passcode configured will automatically have Waiting Rooms enabled.  In summary:

• Existing meetings: A Waiting Room will be added to your existing Zoom meetings if you have neither a Waiting Room nor a passcode (password) for the meeting already.
• New meetings: When you create a new meeting, a passcode will be added to it.

Full details on Waiting Rooms and passcode requirements are available on Penn State’s Zoom website.  eLDIG has compiled some helpful information to prepare you for this transition.

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Fall 2020 Resilience Newsletter 1

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 in teaching during this time. Throughout the semester, we will be sending emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.

Summer 2020 Smeal Academy Session Recordings

More than 100 Smeal faculty and staff attended our Summer 2020 Smeal Academy sessions. Here is a list of topics covered with links to curated recordings and resources:

• Canvas Basics – June 24
• New O365 Features – July 8
• Strategies and Tools for Live and Pre-Recorded Videos – July 15
• Using iPads as Whiteboards in Remote Learning – July 22
• Student Engagement and Connection Strategies – July 29
• Assessment Strategies – August 5
• You Got This: Prepping Your Course for the New Normal – August 12
• Engaging Students Through Assessment – August 19
• Engaging Students Synchronously – August 27

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