The Learning Technology Center (LTC) is sponsoring a project that will support five instructors in their exploration of Cerego’s adaptive learning platform. With the use of Cerego, the goal is to reduce DFWI rates – particularly for underrepresented minority (URM) students in their courses. If this is something you are interested in joining, keep reading!
What is Adaptive Learning?
Adaptive learning offers an individualized learning experience for students. Instructors are able to customize their course for students through activities and assessments. This system continually adapts content and assessments based on a student’s performance. Students are able to gain feedback as well as additional learning material in order to gain a full understanding of course material.
Cerego, an Adaptive Learning Platform:
Cerego is an adaptive learning platform that instructors can use to actively engage their students and assess their learning throughout the course of the semester. With Cerego, instructors can create content for students to work through at their individual learning level. Knowledge is tested through the use of multiple choice and true/false questions, flashcards, fill – in- the – blank passages, and interactive figures. Cerego adapts to an individual’s strengths and weaknesses by honing in on the specific concepts that each individual student needs more practice with and then practice is distributed over time. This process can help remove the pressure of learning by providing content that is customized to individual students’ needs and notifying students when they should return to refresh their knowledge. Students are able to track their individual progress over time and instructors can track their students’ progress as well, allowing instructors to identify where improvements can be made at the individual and class level.
Cerego can help instructors to: · Support and encourage students · Reinforce students’ persistence · Provide students with feelings of “instructor presence” within the course · Figure out where students are falling short and determine what instructors and students can do to turn it around
Purpose of this Project:
Participants in this project will use Cerego to provide a personalized, adaptive learning solution to increase success for all students, particularly those in courses with high DFWI rates. More specifically, Cerego will be implemented to increase student success and improve retention rates in courses that show large equity gaps related to URM, Pell-eligible, or first generation student populations. Cerego will be used by instructors in a course that they offer both fall and spring semester to help support and encourage students to be persistent in their learning and to provide reinforcement, as a solution to mending the equity gap.
Please review the requirements for participation in this project:
Summer 2019
Attend faculty development sessions with LTC staff (dates TBD).
Fall 2019
Conduct at least one course using adaptive learning.
Complete early semester check in with LTC staff.
Support the LTC in administering an end-of-semester (IRB approved) survey about the course to students.
Winterim 2020
Complete one enhancement to the course that will be used in Spring 2020.
Spring 2020
Conduct one course using adaptive learning, with the enhancement discussed, and check in with LTC staff.
Support the LTC in administering an end-of-semester (IRB approved) survey about the course to students.
Complete a presentation on how Cerego facilitated instructor-student interactions as well as students’ outcomes in the course, at an LTC event.
The UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center (LTC) is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the Summer 2019 Online/Blended Teaching Institute.
The Online/Blended Teaching Institute consists of a series of interactive workshops focusing on designing and teaching courses in a blended or online format. There is an emphasis on developing appropriate online or blended content, assessment, and learning activities. Additionally, the Institute teaches best practices for managing instructor workload and supporting students in an online or blended environment. The Institute accepts applications from faculty or instructional staff. Deans select participants from their respective College’s pool of applicants.
The Summer iteration of the Online/Blended Teaching Institute prepares for the Spring 2020 semester. The Winterim iteration prepares for teaching in the Summer and Fall terms. Ted Witt, Teaching Learning and Technology Consultant, and Eric Loepp, Assistant Professor of Political Science are your 2019 summer co-facilitators.
Dates for the 2019 Summer Online/Blended Teaching Institute:
June 14: Face-to-Face meeting: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
June 21: Face-to-Face meeting: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
June 28: Online using WebEx: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
July 12: Online using Web Ex: 9:00 am – 12:00pm
Submission of final Institute content: July 26th
For any additional information or questions, please contact the LTC.
Learning Technology Center
(262) 472-1004
ltc@uww.edu
The UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center (LTC) is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the Summer 2019 Online/Blended Teaching Institute.
Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. Monday, April 15th, 2019. Deans will select participants from their College’s pool of applicants.
The Online and Blended Teaching Institute consists of a series of interactive workshops focusing on best practices for teaching online and blended courses. Ted Witt, Teaching Learning and Technology Consultant, and Eric Loepp, Assistant Professor of Political Science are your co-facilitators.
Dates for the 2019 Summer Online/Blended Teaching Institute:
June 14: Face-to-Face meeting: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
June 21: Face-to-Face meeting: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
June 28: Online using WebEx: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
July 12: Online using Web Ex: 9:00 am – 12:00pm
Submission of final Institute content: July 26th
Institute Objectives:
Develop a unit/module utilizing best practices in online/blended course design.
Demonstrate technological proficiency useful in facilitating online/blended courses.
Apply methods to facilitate assessment and evaluation.
Illustrate approaches to building community online.
Develop strategies for effective time management.
For any additional information or questions, please contact the LTC.
Learning Technology Center
(262) 472-1004
ltc@uww.edu
The LTC will be offering Canvas Hands-On Introduction, Canvas Construction Zone, Canvas Open Labs and Canvas Deep Dive sessions during March and April 2019. Additional Summer 2019 workshops will be scheduled in April.
Canvas Hands-On Introduction – 2 Parts (1 Hour) We will cover the basic function of the core tools in the Canvas platform. There will be time to ask questions along the way. If this is your first time touching Canvas, this workshop is the one for you!
Part 1: 24/7/365 Support, Global Navigation, Create Module, Create Page Upload File (PowerPoint, PDF, Word, etc), Assignment Groups (set up gradebooks categories)
Part 2: Create Quiz, Create paper submission area, Doing grading and feedback in Speed Grader, Syllabus, Calendar
Canvas Construction Zones Are you ready to start digging into your course setup? Do you need help straightening up after moving a course from Desire2Learn (D2L) into Canvas? Do you have questions on how to set things up? This is the session for you! This session will be 1 hour of lab time with support staff on hand to help you construct your course in Canvas. Don’t forget your hard hat!
Please transfer a course from D2L to Canvas before coming to the workshop. A step by step guide is available at: https://spaces.uww.edu/x/HoCc
Event Name
Date/Time
Location
Register
Canvas Hands-On Construction Zone (2 Hours) + LUNCH
Canvas Open Lab (1 Hour) We will be available to answer your Canvas questions during the sessions below! Whether you are working on your current course, or if you are getting ready to teach in Canvas for the first time – stop on by!
Canvas Deep Dives (1 Hour) We will focus on a single tool, and dive deep into various options and use cases for how that tool works.
Content: This is delivered on the concept of backwards design driving the look and feel of course setup. It is about taking what you already do and molding a better experience for you and your students.
Quizzes: This will touch on different question types, building in targeted feedback in auto-graded quizzes, and most likely spend the bulk of the time in the Question Bank area to help instructors get a feel for how Canvas Question Bank is different than D2L Question Library.
Rubrics: This will start by touching briefly on rubric creation, but will focus on techniques to maximize the amount of value you can get by building rubrics directly in Canvas.
Discussions: We will look at setup (including threaded vs unthreaded), visibility, the lack of a “Forum” in Canvas (compared to how D2L had it), group setup, and grading.
Grades: Weighting grades, Late policies, Muting Assignments, SpeedGrader, setting a default grade, and setting up extra credit.
The LTC’s Spring 2019 “Teaching with Webex Teams Bootcamp” takes place on a series of Thursday afternoons in April (4/4, 4/11, 4/18) from 3:30 pm to 4:15 pm at the UW-Whitewater campus.
Any instructor interested in using Webex Teams is welcome. Registrations are encouraged. You do not need to attend all sessions, but the second and third sessions build upon the information provided in the first session.
Webex Teams
Thursday, April 4, 2019: Why Should I Use Webex Teams?
This first session introduces participants to Cisco Webex Teams, and why instructors and students might benefit from incorporating it. Participants will be introduced to the concepts of “Teams” and “Spaces.” Facilitators will provide examples to help participants understand what Webex Teams is (and is not), how Webex Teams works, and the purpose in using Webex Teams.
Thursday, April 11, 2019: How Do I Use Webex Teams?
This second session provides participants with a hands-on technical training with Cisco Webex Teams. Participants will practice creating “Teams” and “Spaces,” as well using Webex Teams to communicate and collaborate with others.
Thursday, April 18, 2019: Now What Do I Do With Webex Teams?
This third, and final, session provides participants with a forum to discuss potential applications of Webex Teams in their teaching. Facilitators will provide participants with “best practices” for using Webex Teams based on recent pilots at UW-Whitewater.
Please note: The LTC does not provide a stipend for attending the “Teaching with Webex Teams Bootcamp.” However, if you complete all three sessions, you will receive a digital badge.
If you have any questions about the “Teaching with Webex Teams Bootcamp,” or any other LTC training or workshop, feel free to contact the UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center.
From approximately 5:30PM on Friday, February 15th until 8:30AM on Monday, February 18th instructors and students were unable to launch Webex meetings from within Canvas. The issue is now resolved, and meetings can be launched successfully.
Welcome to a very special 25th issue of UWW Ted Tips! This special blog post takes the form of a video blog or VLOG! You’ll find a video recording below with an outline of notes.
The main purpose of the TED Tips blog this week is to provide some ideas of how to build a digital “lesson” and to show you some ideas how to do that inside of Canvas!
The main idea is to create a written outline or “to do” list associated with that idea. It is always a good idea to provide communications to students for a completed lesson — in this case, I’ve shown an announcement in Canvas for that page.
Inside of Canvas, you’ll want to create a page or a module as a “wrapper” to contain the content. It’s a good idea to include a purpose or objectives — what’s the key idea or essential learnings for the digital content.
Things to consider including in a lesson:
Summary of key points
Outline of main ideas
A review of previous content or how this connects to the larger course content
You can include a Video summary or note
(similar to what’s shown in the VLOG!) this particular vlog posts shows an introduction [timestamp 1:21]
an example is shown in the Vlog to a previous piece of digital content
Canvas supports Kaltura Capture which is an easy way to record simple videos or screencasts
Lecture notes
Powerpoint presentation
Related readings from a textbook or other course documents
TIP: It is always helpful for students to provide context and clear insights for what is important for students to review. Instead of just linking to a multimedia source or video, provide a timestamp and other clear guidance. [timestamp: 2:59]
Resolved March 18th, 2019: Canvas Engineers worked over the weekend to automatically submit any past assignments that received an error when sending to Turnitin. The issue is now resolved. If you continue to have issues with Canvas and Turnitin, please contact 24/7/365 Canvas Support.
Update March 7th, 2019: Canvas and Turnitin have been working to resolved the issue. Earlier this morning, there was a fix deployed that corrected the issue with Turnitin. New submissions should automatically receive an Originality Report, and existing submissions can be manually submitted using the “Resubmit to Turnitin” button. (Note, in some cases you may need to press the button twice before the submission goes through).
Canvas and Turnitin are working on a process to automatically resubmitted all failed submission to Turnitin, but we do not currently have a timeline on when that will be completed.
Original Message:
Turnitin enabled Assignment Dropbox’s in Canvas may not be passing submissions through to the Turnitin Originality Checker. Both Canvas and Turnitin are actively investigating the issue. We will provide an update as soon as we have additional information.
Celebrating Teaching and Learning Call for Proposals
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference 2019. This special forum hosted by the LEARN Center and the LTC showcases the wide variety of ways we are all transforming the lives of our students through teaching and learning. The Conference will be held Wednesday, May 22, 2019 on the UW-Whitewater campus. Concurrent presentation sessions will consist of 45 minute presentations with 30 minutes to discuss their topic and 15 minutes for questions and answers.
We encourage proposals in the following themes:
Student Engagement
Integrating Teaching and Technology
Civil Discourse and Diversity
High Impact Practices
Something Else
To submit a presentation proposal or learn more about this year’s Celebrating Teaching and Learning conference visit: Conference Website
The UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center (LTC) is here and ready to help you! Our team of experts have a wide range of skills to tackle all of your instructional course-related needs.
Canvas Transition
As the Spring semester carries on, we wanted to make sure you are aware of some key changes with Canvas. Approximately 80% of courses at UW-Whitewater are being offered in Canvas this semester. Thanks for all the hard work!
Course Navigation Changes. The “Discussion” and “People” tools can now be added to the navigation bar. In addition, the “Syllabus” and “Collaborations” tools may be removed.
Summer 2019 Reminder. Starting with Summer 2019, all courses must use Canvas. Desire2Learn will no longer be available for courses.
Course Combinations. Do you want to combine multiple sections of the same course into a single Canvas course? Follow the steps in the Cross-Listing/Merging Canvas Courses guide. If you need to combine courses that you are not the teacher for or if you have any questions please contact Canvas support.
Here are a couple most frequently asked questions from last semester.
Gradebook Differences. In Canvas, blank grade items to not show to students as 0’s when they are viewing their grades. They are however interpreted as 0’s by WINS. This means that if you are not entering 0’s in the Grades area, students may not have a clear understanding of what there grade is. We recommend using the Set Default Grade feature each time you are done entering grades for an assignment.
Additional time on quizzes. It is common for each class to have a few students that need additional time on Quizzes. This can be accomplished by using the Moderate This Quiz feature available in each published quiz.
Canvas has a robust technical support service that includes 24 / 7 / 365 toll-free hotline and live online chat interactions. Please use this for all Canvas Questions.
Whether you are already in Canvas or looking to make the move from D2L to Canvas this Summer, the LTC will be offering Spring Workshops that you may be interested in. Hands-On Introduction sessions will cover basic functions of the core tools. Deep Dives focusing on specific tools can help you in your current courses, and Construction Zones can help you transfer courses for the future. Given everyone’s tight schedules, we are also pleased to provide open lab time after the Construction Zones, where anyone can come in and work while support is present.
During the start of the Spring 2019 semester, there was an issue identified with Canvas that was causing delays with user enrollments and drops. For the past week, Canvas has been working on a resolution and they have been able to identify a number of issues that have since been resolved. The investigation is ongoing, and in the interim there have been processes put in place to help reduce the impact on enrollments in courses.
All new enrollments and drops should now be processing within 24 hours of being changed in WINS. If you are still seeing enrollment issues with your course after 48 hours, please contact Canvas 24/7/365 support and provide the student name and course name so they can investigate it further.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as the vendor works through this issue.
Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference – May 2019
The LEARN Center and the LTC would like to present the 2019 Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference. The Conference will take place on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019 in the University Center on the UW-Whitewater Campus.
What Will I Gain from this Conference? Strategies that transform educational experiences and enhance student success.
Who is this Conference For? For instructors, instructional support staff, administrators or anyone interested in teaching and learning are invited to register.
GoReact Video Capture
This spring semester, a few instructors from the College of Education and Professional Studies, working along with LTC staff, are piloting the “GoReact” video capture platform. The tool can be used to provide pinpointed feedback on speeches, presentations, and other types of performances. Additionally, students can review other types of media, and conduct peer reviews. GoReact is commonly used in courses and content areas such teacher preparation, ASL, communication, nursing, psychology, counseling, performing arts, and foreign language courses.
Cerego Adaptive Learning
This spring, the LTC is working with a small group of instructors in piloting an adaptive learning platform called “Cerego.” Throughout the pilot, LTC staff are examining whether Cerego can be used to help engage students in better learning the course material, and help instructors more accurately assess student progress throughout the course of a semester. With Cerego, instructors create content for students through the use of various options including multiple choice and true/false questions, flashcards, fill-in-the-blank passages, and interactive figures. The Cerego platform then determines from students’ performances exactly what an individual student needs to study based on their correct and incorrect responses.
Weekly Email Updates
Did you know that you can get a weekly email update about what’s going on in the LTC? Every Monday morning, you’ll get an email that contains a summary of the latest items from our blog. To signup for these updates, just fill out the form below!
Turning Point 8
With Turning Point 8 and Canvas, the course roster sync has been greatly improved – and now happens on a nightly basis! You will need to Publish your course before you can sync the course roster.
Instructors will need to add a link into their course for the
registration. There is a guide that walks through this process
available at: https://spaces.uww.edu/x/VwOv
Poll Everywhere allows you to collect “real-time” feedback from your students on prompts that you create. You can display results to the polls live in class. Options include open and close-ended polls, and advanced features including competitions (like trivia) and word clouds.
If you think you might be interested in using Poll Everywhere but aren’t sure where to get started, consider attending one of the LTC’s information sessions this spring.
Did you know that Respondus StudyMate is integrated with Canvas and available for use in your courses? StudyMate Campus makes it easy for teachers and students to create flash cards, self-assessments, and learning games.
11 Games and Learning Activities
Easily create (and share) an unlimited number of StudyMate projects
Free mobile apps for students (iOS, Android)
Instructors can view statistics on what their students have studied
The Learning Technology Center (LTC) offers video recording and media production services for instructional use. We now have a new web based scheduling form!
We would like to welcome Kirsten Mortimer as the new Technology Documentation and Training Specialist for the LTC. Her first day was Monday (1/28). Kirsten’s responsibilities will include: designing and developing training strategies utilizing documentation, consultations, workshops, and online training materials in both text and video to support tool use as well as creating documentation for new technology tools adopted by the campus, working with positions inside and outside of ICIT to understand audience needs.
LTDC Virtual Showcase 2019
The University of Wisconsin System is in the midst of restructuring. Longtime organizations are being re-shaped in this transition year. The University of Wisconsin System Learning Technology Development Council supports the University of Wisconsin System 2020FWD Vision. This Virtual Showcase is one way to promote the concept while we embrace and implement change in the learning technology world. We hope to ease the transition for our instructors and learners.
Are you still with us? If so – great, you made it to the end! Be sure
to stop by the LTC throughout the semester to visit. As a reminder, we
are located in McGraw Hall, Suite 120 and are available between 8:00 AM
and 4:30 PM weekdays. We can also be reached at ltc@uww.edu
or 262.472.1004. We’ll always be willing to help, and have plenty of
treats on hand for your sweet tooth. Have a great semester!
I
