The goal of the Smeal Academy is to equip instructors with best practices and strategies for teaching, learning, and technology to ensure the Smeal community is prepared to respond to today’s unique challenges. We do so by sending weekly emails with practical tips and information, providing live sessions, and holding virtual consultations.
On May 7, 2024, Canvas’ Discussions and Announcements Redesign will be forced on for all Penn State courses. There is no migration or transition needed from the old discussion…
Penn State now supports the creation of quizzes using Canvas’s New Quizzes tool. Are you ready to jump in? Join the eLearning Design & Innovation Group (eLDIG)in the Smeal…
The third session of a Smeal series on the role of artificial intelligence in our teaching and research focused on our shared commitment to preparing leaders to responsibly leverage…
Join us for the second session of a Smeal series on the role of artificial intelligence in our teaching and research, which focused on our shared commitment to preparing…
Join us for a special Smeal Academy session with disability specialists, Krista Biesinger and Fran Zola. We discuss the basics of who SDR is and SDR's role on campus…
A recent survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse revealed that college students want their professors and advisers to be very involved in promoting their mental health…
Did you know there's a new Faculty Senate guideline in Policy 42-27 stating that "Instructors should provide, within reason, pedagogical and curricular necessity, the opportunity for a day consisting…
Are you on the lookout for new case studies for your course or interesting content to support curriculum and independent research? Would you like to help students better understand…
The University has enabled a Canvas feature called Ally in all Fall courses. The tool helps support our goals of equity and inclusion, improving course accessibility and usability. With…
With a career at Penn State dating back to 1984, Dr. Brett Bixler brings almost four decades of instructional design experience to his role as an instructional designer on…
In this session we discuss the brave, new world of Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity. If ChatGPT passed a Wharton MBA exam, could ChatGPT pass Smeal classes? ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools make it…
In this session we explore strategies and tools to increase student engagement and take your content creation to the next level. We discuss faculty- and student-created content as well…
In this session we discuss tools, best practices, and strategies for online course discussions. We will give an overview of Canvas, Packback, Piazza, and Yellowdig discussion tools. Come with…
This session will help you get started with new quizzes and includes a basic overview of how to enable, import, and create new quizzes in Canvas. We also discuss…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
Link to Session Slides Interactive Trick-or-Treat Map Learning Analytics Tricks and Treats Come trick or treating with the eLDIG team and collect some creative basic learning analytics treats to inform…
Link to Session Slides How to Enhance Pedagogy Through Video and Integrate Video into Penn State’s Learning Systems In this Smeal Academy session, we discussed numerous ways to enhance pedagogy…
Supporting Distressed Students Penn State Counseling and Psychological Center (CAPS) led a session about Supporting Distressed Students and Red Folder Resources. The Red Folder initiative is a guide to…
Clickers Be Gone: Now What? With iClicker support at Penn State ending in Spring 2022, this session explores alternative technologies and strategies for interactive polling in your courses and…
Session Slides Student enrollments are beginning to shift to reflect the long-term desire of some students for flexible learning with the option of accessing the robust remote learning designs…
Remove barriers, meet diverse audience needs, and make your course materials better! Learn some quick time-saving tips to help you make your Word docs and Canvas courses accessible. Session Slides…
As we prepare for the new normal in teaching and learning, let’s pause to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned over the past year. We will be joined by a…
Not all students will be able to return to campus this Fall. Will you be teaching students both in the classroom and online? This session, which was held on…
We are moving rapidly through the semester, and many students are in the process of returning to some version of on-campus instruction. Amid the pressures and transition, there are many…
Smeal Academy - Key Lessons Learned from Remote Teaching Well, it's Groundhog Day - and here we are teaching remotely again this semester! What have we learned from our…
This January 29, 2021 session reviewed Canvas gradebook setup and essentials for remote instruction and also explored some basics tools (such as Top Hat) and approaches to help evaluate…
Active Learning Session - January 13, 2021 Think about the last time you learned something. What was the topic? How did you learn it? What motivated you to engage…
Top Hat Tricks and Treats: In September 2020, Penn State adopted Top Hat, a tool that tracks attendance while creating engaged learning environments for students. In this session, the…
Faculty Panel - Group Projects in Online, Remote, and Hybrid Courses: Are you trying to figure out strategies for group work in your online/remote and hybrid classes? This session…
Link to Session Slides Engaging Students Synchronously (A session designed as a collaboration between TLT and eLDIG): Are you interested in improving student engagement in your synchronous online classes?…
Link to Session Slides Engaging Students Through Assessment (A session designed as a collaboration between Teaching and Learning with Technology and eLDIG): How can you engage your students through…
Link to Session Recording Link to Session Slides Assessment Strategies for Remote Learning This August 5, 2020 session explored strategies and best practices for assessment when some or all students…
Link to Session Slides You Got This - Prepping Your Course for the New Normal This August 12, 2020 session reviewed strategies for the first week of class, orientation tips…
Session PowerPoint Slides Session Resources This July 29, 2020 session reviewed active learning strategies for remote and asynchronous teaching contexts.
Session PowerPoint Slides Using iPads as Whiteboards in Remote Learning: This July 22, 2020 session, led by Mark DeLuca, explored strategies and best practices for using iPads as whiteboards…
Link to Session PowerPoint Office 365 isn’t just Office Suite This session, led by Jessie Sorensen on July 8, 2020, discussed how participants can get the most out of…
Session PowerPoint Slides Strategies and Tools for Live and Pre-recorded Course Videos Are you pre-recording your lectures for Fall, but aren’t sure where to begin? Do you have questions…
This session was held on June 24, 2020 for individuals who are new to Canvas or wanted a Canvas refresher.
Part 1 Session Recording Link to Session PowerPoint Part 2 Session Recording Link to Updated Part 2 PowerPoint
This page shares some takeaways from our April 30, 2020 session concerning strategies and challenges of working remotely. Challenges Shared It's hard not having the informal opportunity for chatting that…
PowerPoint File This session was held on April 15, 2020. It was led by Ana Enriquez, Scholarly Communications Outreach Librarian, and Lauren Reiter, Business Librarian. The presentation explored copyright concerns…
PowerPoint File Questions and Answers from the Zoom Chat This session was held on April 9, 2020, led by the eLDIG team and Megan Marshall from the Business Core office…
Part 1 This session was held on March 25, 2020. We explored strategies to increase student engagement in remote learning contexts with a heavy focus on leveraging advanced features…
This session was held on March 17, 2020, to share tips, tricks, and strategies for remote instruction using Zoom, Canvas, Kaltura, and other tools in response to the University's…
In this session, we discuss and demonstrate some Canvas strategies and best practices with an eye toward easier course management and improved student and instructor experiences. Now that Canvas has…
Are you a frenzied faculty member? Do your conference engagements conflict with your teaching responsibilities? Check out this session to learn strategies for effectively meeting the needs of your students…
Do you think it's important to teach your students ethical decision-making? Listen to this presentation on Smeal's new initiative to engage students in a practical, challenging ethics simulation that draws…
Are you interested in learning about the new features in the Canvas gradebook? In this session, presenters from Penn State's IT Learning & Development discuss and demonstrate the new…
Resources and Next Steps Please visit the Zoom Learning Paths for just in time resources for using Zoom or to explore additional learning resources. For Hosts For Participants If…