The Cisco/Presidio Teaching with Technology Innovator Honorarium is awarded to an instructor demonstrating marked integration of technology into their teaching to mitigate common challenges and enhance student learning.
Lori Trimble, lecturer of biology and chemistry, was named the 2023 Cisco/Presidio Teaching with Technology Innovator Honorarium recipient. Congratulations, Lori!
Award recipient Lori Trimble giving her presentation, “Leveraging a Variety of Technology Tools to Help Students”.
The LTC would like to congratulate the other outstanding finalists, Brian Schanen, Dr. Courtney Powers, Dr. Jeanine Rowe, and Linda Amann for their exceptional work demonstrating technological innovation and creativity in the classroom. Thank you for your continued dedication to UW-Whitewater students!
Each finalist presented their technology innovations at the Celebrating Teaching and Learning conference on May 17th. This award is sponsored by Presidio and Cisco Systems in conjunction with ICIT and the LTC. Presidio and Cisco are proud of their work with institutions of higher education to inspire learning and connect campuses to enhance student outcomes. ICIT and the LTC are dedicated to working with instructors to understand teaching challenges, explore solutions, implement strategies, and evaluate their effectiveness.
Brian Schanen, lecturer of communication, delivered his presentation, “The Attendance Conundrum”
Dr. Courtney Powers, assistant professor of communication, gave her presentation, “Fostering Connections through an Innovative Teamwork Model”.
Dr. Jeannine Rowe, professor of social work, discussed, “Impact beyond Walls: Using Technology to Connect Students to the Community”
Linda Amann, lecturer of information technology and supply chain management, presented, “Interactive & Accessible Canvas: Learning in Action-Based Tasks”.
In an era where innovation propels us forward at an astonishing pace, staying up to date with the latest advancements can be a challenge. To help, the LTC has summarized some of the recent updates related to artificial generative intelligence (AGI).
General AI Updates
Key updates include the release of ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google’s AGI, Bard. Tech companies are expected to continue ferociously to compete, with the AI landscape likely evolving by the Fall 2023 semester.
Incorporating AI into Assessments – UWW Event Recap
The LTC conducted a workshop on April 24th called “Incorporating AI into Assessments.” The workshop aimed to demonstrate how ChatGPT can be utilized to streamline the process, reduce instructor workload, and enhance learning objectives, assessments, and assignments. Led by Ted Witt and Ravneet Kaur, the LTC team guided instructors in real-time usage of ChatGPT, featuring practical demonstrations with real-life examples from various courses such as business, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The workshop also delved into the art of crafting effective prompts.
How ChatGPT and AI are Transforming Academia – UW System Event Recap
The UW System Learning Technology Development Council (LTDC) hosted two panel discussions on April 18th, 2023 centering on how AI is transforming education from both the student and instructor perspectives.
Watch the Student Panel to discuss how students are already using AI, including the benefits and potential pitfalls in and out of the classroom. Watch the Instructor Panel to explore how fellow instructors have already begun to incorporate AI into their courses and how it can be leveraged for future use.
TurnItIn Update
TurnItIn has launched an AI generated content detection feature on April 4th, 2023. It is integrated with the Similarity Report to show an overall percentage of the document that was likely AI generated. It is currently available to UW-Whitewater users.
A few key points regarding the AI detection feature:
Text that is flagged is 98% certain to be generated by AGI
False positives have been reported both by users and TurnItIn
Only instructors can see the AI detection indicator
Are you interested in enhancing or refreshing your online teaching skills?
Lecturer of Management Emily Iverson records her opening statements for the spring semester in her online business writing course. Lectures for the course are recorded in a studio at the Online Learning and Technology Center in Hyland Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)
The Summer 2023 Online and Blended Teaching Institute (OBTI) is now accepting applications from UW-Whitewater faculty and academic staff who want to develop and refine their online and blended teaching strategies.
This institute is designed to help you create engaging and effective online courses, while also providing you with the opportunity to collaborate and network with other instructors across UWW. Trainings will run from July 10th to July 24th, and will consist of a series of synchronous and asynchronous activities, including webinars, online discussions, and hands-on activities. More detailed information and full schedule available here.
For application information, submission, and any other inquiries, email Ted Witt at wittt@uww.edu by May 19th! Don’t delay!
As campus and some of the city of Whitewater has no power, we are regrettably rescheduling our Incorporating AI into Assessments Workshop, originally planned for today, April 19th at 3:30pm.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We have rescheduled the workshop for Monday, April 24th at 3:30pm in McGraw 19A or Webex. If you have already registered, the Webex link will remain the same. If you weren’t able to attend, now is your chance – register here! As before, the workshop will be recorded for those unable to attend.
Thank you for your understanding – we hope you are able to join us for the rescheduled workshop. If you have further questions or concerns, please contact us at ltc@uww.edu.
Help us better understand campus technology needs and develop resources to support your work by completing the 2023 Technology Resource Survey. This brief questionnaire should take no more than 10 minutes and is open to all current UWW employees.
To show our appreciation for your time, you’ll have the opportunity at the conclusion of the survey to enter a drawing for several prizes, including a Technology Surplus Sale Early Access Pass*, an iPad, and gift card!
All responses will remain anonymous; we appreciate your candor. We suggest you complete the survey with a computer to make text responses easier.
The deadline to complete the survey is May 1 at 11:59 pm. *To enter to win a Technology Surplus Early Access Pass, the survey must be completed by 4/16 at 11:59 pm; recipients of Early Access Passes will be notified on 4/17 on how to pick up their pass.
Thank you for your participation in this survey! If you run into any technical issues or have trouble completing the survey, please e-mail ltc@uww.edu.
Artificial Intelligence tools continue to generate exciting — and nervous — discussion. Both the UW System and UWW are offering opportunities to explore and share experiences with AI.
Are you curious about how AI can save you time and improve your work? The Learning Technology Center (LTC) is excited to host a workshop on how AI can revolutionize the work of designing assignments for instructors across all disciplines.
In this interactive workshop, LTC experts will:
Demonstrate specific use cases for using AI to generate ideas for assessments
Discuss strategies on how to implement these ideas directly into your assignments
Provide hands-on exercises for participants to practice their new AI skills
Field live examples from participants to showcase the power of AI
Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to expand your knowledge and gain valuable insights! Register now!
AI Panel Discussions – UW System Learning Technology Development Council (LTDC) April 18th, 2023 – 10:15 to 11am and 11:15am to 12pm – Zoom
The public debut of AI spawned a lightning reaction across educational technology; some are integrating AI driven chatbots into multiple applications, while others focused on academic integrity are rushing to install detection services. Where does this leave students, instructors and administrators? Is AI an industry changing tool threatening to change higher education forever? Or simply “spicy auto-complete”?
To discuss these and other questions, the LTDC has put together two panels of experts from across the UW System. Tune into to one or both sessions via Zoom. To participate, you will need to self-register in the LTDC Canvas Course. The Zoom links to each meeting are available in the course.
10:15 to 11:00 am – Student Panel
Listen and interact with a panel of students to explore how they are already using AI! The discussion will delve into how students are applying AI to daily life, including the benefits and concerns they have regarding usage.
11:15 am to 12 pm – Instructor Panel
Consult with a panel of instructors to explore how they are already using AI and ChatGPT! Ask questions related to their concerns, academic integrity, or changes to fundamental subjects. What does the future of digital literacy and artificial intelligence look like? What can we learn from those who have already recognized ways to save time and improve student outcomes?
Designers should always keep their users in mind! Join us for some bite-sized lunch and learn applied workshops on building more accessible classes in Canvas.
Join us this spring for a handful of quick “lunch and learn” workshops on accessibility and making a difference in Canvas for your students’ success! These workshops are held in person in McGraw Hall 19A or via Webex. These short workshops include 20 minutes of applied learning and demonstrations followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. Please feel free to bring a lunch!
Come Build with the Learning Technology Center as we discuss the Educause 2023 Top 10 Information Technology Issues this Spring. Image by Wokandapix
The Educause Top 10 IT Issues describe the foundation models that colleges and universities will develop next year and beyond, acting on what was learned in the pandemic and framed by the three building blocks of leadership, data, and work and learning. In 2023, thinking is giving way to doing. The old foundations—from enrollment to credentials to the campus to decision-making—are showing signs of wear. Existing foundations need to be examined and strengthened. New foundations may need to be developed. Institutional and technology leaders are building solid foundation models for higher education.
Come build with the LTC this Spring as we do a focused study of portions of the report to explore these new foundation models: leadership (Leading with Wisdom); data (the Ultra-Intelligent Institution); and work and learning (Everything is Everywhere). The Educause Top 10 IT Issues 2023: Foundation Models, are Builders Group modeled on a book club format; participants are expected to come prepared to discuss short key readings inspired by the Top 10 IT issues to explore these foundation models, tackle challenges, develop recommendations, and craft solutions.
This series is appropriate for educators, leaders, administrators, and technologists. By the end of our sessions together we hope to foster cross-campus communication and networking while providing feedback to help shape the future of Whitewater’s technology strategy. We hope that you will be able to apply what you have learned to your teaching or administration. While each session is connected, it is not required to attend them all. Anyone with interest can join as few or as many as able.
Wednesdays 3:30 – 4:30 pm McGraw Hall 19A and Online via Webex
LTC Construction crew: Eric Loepp, Director of Learning Technology Dana Wagner, Assistant Director, Learning Technology Ted Witt, Teaching Learning and Technology Consultant
Strapped for time and looking for a guiding hand on all the things you need to do to get a Canvas course up and running for Spring? Now is your chance! Join us for hands-on workshops broken up between quick demonstrations and supported work time.
These sessions are designed for instructors looking to get their Spring 2023 course up and running but all faculty and staff are welcome. Come with previous content ready to be updated or moved from paper into Canvas (e.g. moving a quiz or rubric into a digital form). This series of workshops will provide you the know how and time to complete specific tasks to get your course set up. Enroll in one, a handful, or all of them; even if it is just for a way to schedule your work time.
The UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center (LTC) is pleased to announce registration is now available for a self-paced asynchronous version of our Online and Blended Teaching Institute (OBTI) for Spring 2023.
OBTI aligns quality Canvas course design with best practices for teaching in a variety of modalities. Upon completion of OBTI, faculty and instructors will be well-prepared to design and develop their own courses, prepared with tips to continue the iterative process for future academic terms. This course is most useful for people thinking about teaching in the summer or fall.
Online and Blended Teaching Institute now available in a self-paced format.
The Online and Blended Teaching Institute offers an independent, online, self-paced experience combined with full support and contact with the Learning Technology Center. It showcases the work of Whitewater instructors and staff, allowing participants an opportunity to explore what has worked for their colleagues. After an initial consultation, participants will complete a series of short online assignments, be provided a sandbox to design content, and develop objectives and activities to serve as an exemplar module. This course will take an estimated 30 hours to complete during the Spring semester.
For more information or to enroll in this exciting training, contact Ted Witt at wittt@uww.edu.
