Highlights of this week’s Bulletin include:
- From Your Colleagues: Sample Course Video
- AD Day/In-service Follow Up: Equitable Student Engagement in Zoom Synchronous Classes
- Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor
- CTL Teaching Consultations
- More Summer Events and Development Opportunities
- Minnesota State highlight: Five Ways to Humanize Your Online Course (Webinar)
- National and Vendor-Sponsored highlight: Respondus Introduction to Online Proctoring Webinar
From Your Colleagues
All faculty have needed to make major adjustments as they’ve moved courses online. While we’ve tried to showcase faculty work in recent AD Day and In-service sessions, there are simply too many examples to share.
In moving his courses online, Jake Marthaler, Electrical Lineworker Instructor at DCTC, recently created this instructional video. It’s an excellent example of the kind of work faculty are doing at both DCTC and IHCC.
Equitable Student Engagement in Zoom Synchronous Classes
Our Academic Development/In-service Days included some rich topics, such as Academic Dishonesty in the Digital Age (see Respondus information below) and Equitable Student Engagement in Zoom Synchronous Classes. To follow up on the latter, and after a significant amount of local/campus crowdsourcing of recommendations for best practices, here are several suggestions for how to run your Zoom sessions in a more equitable manner:
- Infographic: Using Video to Assess Student Attention in Virtual Class Meetings
- Infographic: Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning
- Guide to Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- IHCC Photovoice Project and Equity
- Also review the Minnesota State guidelines for conducting and recording Zoom sessions. Note these are only guidelines and not meant to aid in development of class policy.
- If non-consenting persons (children or others) appear in the background of student videos, ask those students to either a) turn off their cameras, b) move to a new location where they will not include other people in their video, or c) especially in the case of students with minor children, ask students to make a decision about whether it is okay to have their own children on camera.
In addition, see these helpful resources provided by faculty:
- Five reasons to let students keep their cameras off during Zoom classes
- Inclusive Zoom Meetings at Stanford University
Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor
As you know from announcements made during Academic Development/In-service Days, Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor are the tools we are using to proctor exams online this academic year. Respondus offers many online training resources for faculty and students. These resources include webinars, training videos, and resources such as downloadable start-up guides. Access these resources at:
https://web.respondus.com/he/lockdownbrowser/resources
https://web.respondus.com/he/monitor/resources
Please contact Martin Springborg with any questions about these products, or for individual assistance.
CTL Teaching Consultations
Thanks for your continued patience as we transition to new staff in the Center for Teaching and Learning. Good things are on the way – including a new website with new resources! In the meantime, we continue to offer teaching consultations designed to meet the needs of faculty members who prefer to work one-on-one with staff. Whether you need just-in-time training or advice in the application of a specific teaching tool, or are planning for next semester or next year, our staff are available to offer support.
Examples of topics addressed through consultation services include, but are not limited to:
- Course design
- Academic technology, including D2L Brightspace
- Implementing a change in your course(s)
- Applying student or other formative feedback to course redesign
For staff information and scheduling, visit Teaching Consultations pages at Inver Hills Community College and Dakota County Technical College.
More Summer Events and Development Opportunities
Additional Campus Programs and Services
Faculty Teaching Online Group
We are excited to be continuing this group at DCTC all summer! If you are experiencing some success in this environment and would like to share with your colleagues, these sessions are for you. If you are struggling and need to draw upon on the wisdom of your peers, these sessions are also for you. Or if you’re anywhere in between, again – these sessions are for you.
These sessions will run without agendas. We’ll simply talk about whatever faculty bring to the meetings. Several members of the Faculty Development Committee will participate on a rotating basis. Join us any or every Thursday from 3:30-4:30 pm. Registration is not required. Come as often or as infrequently as you need. See the Zoom invitation from Martin Springborg in your campus email to join.
From Minnesota State
Upcoming Webinars
September 10:
What’s a Humanized Online Course? Option 1 (Webinar)
September 14:
Improving Student-to-Content Interaction – Option 1 (3 week short course)
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: A Learning Community
What Should We Do To Ensure Equal Justice and Fair Treatment in Our Communities? 1 (Text Forum)
Deliberative Forum: How Do We Fix America’s Troubled Election System? 1 (Text and Video Forum)
What’s New in 20.20.09? (Webinar)
September 15:
Five Ways to Humanize Your Online Course (Webinar)
Free Speech and the Inclusive Campus: How Do We Foster the Campus Community We Want? 1 (Text Forum)
Conversations with Colleagues – September
Drop-In Session – Academic Continuity
What Should We Do To Ensure Equal Justice and Fair Treatment in Our Communities? 2 (Text Forum)
Koffee with Karen: OER Community Conversations – September
September 16:
Annotations in Assignment Submissions (Webinar)
Open Education Network Webinar
Free Speech and the Inclusive Campus: How Do We Foster the Campus Community We Want? 2 (Text Forum)
September 17:
Drop-In Session – Academic Continuity
Zoom: Securing Your Digital Learning Environment – Option 1 (Webinar)
Deliberative Forum: How Do We Fix America’s Troubled Election System? 2 (Text Forum)
September 18:
OER Discovery and Introduction to Advocacy
Deliberative Forum: How Do We Fix America’s Troubled Election System? 3 (Text Forum)
What Should We Do To Ensure Equal Justice and Fair Treatment in Our Communities? 4 (Text Forum)
September 21:
Applying the QM Rubric – Option 1 (2 week short course)
Humanizing Your Online Course (3 week short course)
September 22:
Drop-In Session – Academic Continuity
September 23:
Using HTML Templates in D2L (Webinar)
Designing Your Course for Student Learning: Learning Objectives Deep Dive – Option 1 (Webinar)
September 24:
Drop-In Session – Academic Continuity
Zoom: Creating Inviting Learning Spaces – Option 1 (Webinar)
See https://asanewsletter.org/events for a full list of upcoming webinars and other opportunities! Also see resources on the NED Resource Site focused on course design, assessment, and instructional strategies.
In addition, the Minnesota State Educational Innovations Office maintains a page of resources for students at www.asanewsletter.org/academic-continuity-students.
The Minnesota State Learning Technologies Team offers a variety of faculty resources (opens in new window) on their SharePoint site, including:
- Recorded Training Webinars
- D2L Brightspace announcements
- D2L Brightspace monthly update and refresh calendars
- Reported or fixed issues
Navigate to the IMS opens in new window SharePoint site (https://mnscu.sharepoint.com/sites/IMS), and use YourStarID@minnstate.edu as your username and your StarID password. View the PDF for how to login instructions opens in new window.
National and Vendor-Sponsored
Respondus Introduction to Online Proctoring Webinar
Thursday, Sept 10
12:00 PM
LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor are used at over 1,500 institutions to prevent cheating during online exams. Join this free, 30-minute webinar to learn how universities around the world use these applications to proctor tens of millions of exams annually.
The session will include a brief overview of LockDown Browser (a custom browser that locks down a computer during online exams) and Respondus Monitor (a fully-automated proctoring system). Keys to success will be covered, including training resources for instructors, 24/7 live chat support for students, and how to approach privacy concerns. We’ll also discuss security, scalability, and pricing options. There will be time available at the end for Q&A.
Quality Matters
Bridge to Quality: A QM Online Course Design Guide
If you’re looking for a way forward from Emergency Remote Instruction that is rooted in QM Standards and focused on the learning experience, this guide is just what you need. This web-based guide provides a step-by-step approach to complete the hands-on, iterative work that is central to creating a quality course. This includes:
- Alignment of foundational course elements
- Promoting engaged, active learning
- Creative work and organization to develop the course within a digital learning environment (LMS)
Turnitin
Whether you’re a new user or need a refresh, join our training sessions to learn how to get started with Feedback Studio and Originality Check Plus, or how to enable remote learning and assessment with Gradescope. We have expanded our training calendar to provide recurring training throughout the rest of the academic year.
More information and registration at https://www.turnitin.com/resources/training-webinars.
D2L Fusion Conference
For the safety and well-being of our guests, we’ve determined that it is necessary to move Fusion 2020 entirely online with an all-new virtual experience that will launch this summer. While we can’t all be together in person this year, we’re fully committed to bringing you the absolute best Fusion experience possible.
The virtual Fusion program includes sessions of interest to K-12, higher education, and corporate learning audiences, and will take place three consecutive days each month (July-December) from noon–3:45pm ET (9am–12:45pm PT) each day.
See the full schedule at https://www.d2l.com/events/fusion/schedule.
Register at https://www.d2l.com/events/fusion/register.