Skip to content Where Legends Are Made

Tag: Learning Management System (LMS)

Use Your LMS to Reclaim Your Syllabus

neon sign saying open 24 hours

by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies Cutting to the chase Here is how to make your syllabi openly accessible online. Have your syllabi do less and then use your institution’s Learning Management System (LMS) to make up the difference and then some! I previously challenged the notion of “learning management” and championed what an LMS does. Now I want to think about how to divide tasks between publicly accessible syllabi versus password-secure course pages: Keep your syllabus basic with a […]

Read More from Use Your LMS to Reclaim Your Syllabus

Reflections on Inclusion and Equity in Digitally Mediated Learning Spaces

by Heather Pleasants, Office of Institutional Effectiveness After returning from the Digital Pedagogy Lab Summer Institute (DPL)*, writing a post about “Assessing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Digital Classrooms” seemed to make sense. However, I encountered a few challenges right away: Challenge #1: Who wants to read a blog post that starts with “assessing?”  (…crickets) Challenge #2: How exactly does one “assess diversity?” (Crap. That doesn’t really make sense, does it? …Don’t answer that). Challenge #3: Given our current social and […]

Read More from Reflections on Inclusion and Equity in Digitally Mediated Learning Spaces

8 Reasons Why Your LMS is Awesome for Teaching and Learning (Yes, Eight)

Cat looking up

by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies This week, I learned about digital literacies.* My workshop leader was Jade Davis, the Manager of Digital Projects at Columbia University Library. Right at the beginning of the workshop, she stated why she loves the LMS. I have previously expressed skepticism about the LMS. Dr. Davis helped crystallize how my opinion of the LMS has begun to change. Here is why: Among all the digital platforms available, LMS providers are the ones most likely to […]

Read More from 8 Reasons Why Your LMS is Awesome for Teaching and Learning (Yes, Eight)

Is “Learning Management System” a Misnomer?

by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies Is there a difference between “course delivery” and “teaching,” or are these equivocal terms? What does it mean to deliver verses to teach? Think about this for a moment in pedagogical terms. Do the following make pedagogical sense? Delivering a learning objective. Delivering a formative assessment. Delivering the ability to compare differing perspectives. Delivering critical thinking. I am not at all convinced that pedagogy is deliverable. Here are examples of what is deliverable in a learning […]

Read More from Is “Learning Management System” a Misnomer?

These Aren’t the Grades You’re Looking For

by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies Today is the final day for the entry of mid-term grades for lower-level courses. As a new faculty member at UA, I had already noted the provost’s blog entry on entering these grades. I teach a 100-level course, so I have until midnight tonight to do so. According to the FAQ posted by the University Registrar, this is a hard deadline. Don’t miss it! I have already gone about the business of entering the marks, and I want to […]

Read More from These Aren’t the Grades You’re Looking For

Mistakes Were Made. What Next?

Wizard of Oz pulling back the green curtain

by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies I felt a little bit like John Lindsay this morning. I put a quiz on Blackboard, and, as he said in one of his 1969 campaign ads, “some mistakes were made.” When the student emails started trickling in, I started to have a Lindsay moment. In reality, this is my first term teaching at UA, and I needed to re-familiarize myself with the process of creating quizzes and tests inside Blackboard Learn. I used […]

Read More from Mistakes Were Made. What Next?