Smeal Academy Sessions

In this session we give out an array of inclusive classroom treats that can be shared with your students to help everyone feel a greater sense of belonging. You will leave the session with a variety of tools you can implement right away!

• Welcome Statement Sample: https://pennstateoffice365.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/eLDIGCourses/EQTUCvYohEFFv7JHJwxdqUMBIXks2EpNLBzl-f06A-GTUg?e=D2ciTR
• Who’s In Class Form: whos_in_class_form.pdf
• Diverse Image Repositories: https://canweallgo.com/plus-size-stock-photos/plus-size-stock-photos-office-work-employment/
• Adding Pronouns to Canvas: https://pennstate.service-now.com/sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0016421
• Adding Pronouns to Zoom: https://pennstate.service-now.com/sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0016426
• WeConnect Cards App: https://weconnectcards.com
• Microaffirmations: This resource (https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/16/12/accentuate-positive) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education
• UDL – Aligned Strategies: https://goalbookapp.com/toolkit/v/strategies
• eLDIG accessibility presentation: https://eldig.psu.edu/accessibility-tips-for-everyday-instructors/
• Send a Letter to Future You: https://www.futureme.org/

 

Canvas is transitioning to a new quiz platform and all of our courses will be migrating to New Quizzes in the next year. This session provided a very basic introduction to Canvas’s New Quiz engine. We also demonstrated some tips, strategies, and considerations for quiz setup using New Quizzes.

Link to Session Slides

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

This session was designed to help faculty and staff who support faculty to put the finishing touches on Canvas for the upcoming semester. We cover some Canvas basics, a checklist of items that you don’t want to forget before publishing your course(s), and some best tips and practices to get the semester off to a great start.

Link to Session Slides

Penn State will be moving to “New Quizzes” that can be used in your live courses beginning in 2023, with a plan to sunset the Class Quiz Engine in 2024. Come hear about New Quizzes and how the new quiz engine compares to classic quizzes. We will also discuss some considerations, tips, and strategies for planning your migration to the new quiz engine.

Link to Session Slides

Helpful Resources

• Penn State New Quizzes Timeline
• Canvas Quiz Feature Comparison
• Instructure (Canvas) Quizzes Planning
• Instructor New Quiz Readiness Checklist
• Instructure (Canvas) New Quizzes Documentation
• How to Create a New Quiz from scratch
• How to Migrate a Quiz from Classic to New Quizzes

Link to Session Slides

Engaging Students via Microlearning

Are your students mentally stuffed to the gills from your course content? There are things you can do to help them!In this interactive Smeal Academy session, we’ll look at Microlearning (providing small, bite-size chunks of information in a timely manner) and how you might apply it to your course content. We’ll look at the theory behind Microlearning, provide some examples, and see how to apply it in Canvas.

Helpful Resources

• 4_Step_Microlearning
• 56 Tiny Tips for Microlearning Mastery
• 7taps Microlearning Use Cases

Join us for a Microsoft Bookings Lunch & Learn facilitated by Jessie Sorensen and Carrie Marcinkevage. Several members of the Smeal College of Business utilize MS Bookings for admissions, coaching/advising, and individual appointments. Participants are invited to share their tips and tricks for maximizing MS Bookings’ value and use.

Please note that rather than a first-time training for MS Bookings, this facilitated sharing session assumes basic knowledge and use.

Join Jamie Campbell and Olivia Lewis from Smeal’s Office of Diversity Enhancement Programs as they share tips and strategies to make our classes more inclusive for Smeal’s diverse student body. We will discuss 5 specific things everyone can do to promote a feeling of belonging in our classrooms.

“HOW-TO” RESOURCES:

• Displaying your pronouns on Zoom (Please note that you are asked in every meeting whether or not you want to share your pronouns, so you can choose when/whether to share).
• Adding your pronouns in Canvas 

GENERAL RESOURCES AND TOOLS THAT FOSTER DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION : 

• Link to Inclusive Practices infographic
• Flipgrid: Could be used to ask students to record themselves pronouncing their names or sharing introductory videos.
• 2 Words To Foster Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion: Video that talks about the power of two little words: “for me” and “for you” in acknowledging others’ experiences

PHOTO RESOURCES THAT FOSTER DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION:

• WOC in Tech
• Beyond the Binary
• Plus Size Office
• Disabilities in the Office

Are your students stifling yawns over your course content? Want to add some easy-to-use motivational tools to turn those yawns into gasps? In this session, we’ll look at over a dozen micro-engagements that will kick your course up a notch without breaking the bank or your clock.

Our busy lives pull us in so many directions. Taking time to relax, reconnect with ourselves, and reset is critical for being able to show up for others. In this session, we share a wide variety of resources you can use every day to feel calmer, more centered, and refreshed.

Links Shared in Presentation:

• Let’s Take a Mental Vacation
• Burnout by Amelia and Emily Nagoski
• Consider a Two-Song Practice
• Box Breathing
• Creative Expression
• 20-Second Hug Research