online learning – Teaching Hub

Using Discord + GitHub to Organize Small Group Active Learning

March 29, 2021

by Nathan Loewen, Faculty Technology Liaison & Department of Religious Studies Based on an interview and materials shared by Dr. Traci M. Nathans-Kelly, College of Engineering at Cornell University I recently spoke to Dr. Traci Nathans-Kelly, who is a partner teacher for Games Design courses at Cornell University, where they have used Discord for Spring 2020 and 2021. This was a unique challenge for these courses that rely heavily on in-person teams and live playtesting. Dr. Walker White is the instructor […]

Discord App Adds Options for Remote Learning & Teamwork

March 15, 2021

by Nathan Loewen, Faculty Technology Liaison & Department of Religious Studies Someone responded to the survey for Last Week’s Teaching in 2020 with a comment about the Discord app. It turns out plenty of people use Discord for teaching and learning (Several teachers in France and Quebec are adopting Discord). Here are the experiences of four people at UA. (Please continue to share your ideas and experiences here, and your entry could spark another cross-campus search for teaching innovation!) Creating […]

Social Reading Supports Student Success (e.g., Hypothesis)

December 17, 2020

by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies Maintaining engagement and a sense of community is valuable no matter how strange and extenuated the conditions for teaching and learning. 24 UA courses used the new Hypothesis tool in Blackboard (found in your “build content” menu). Hypothesis allows teachers and learners to add a layer of commentary over PDF files and web pages. At UA in Fall 2020, 1004 students and 48 teachers made 11,863 annotations on 547 assignments. If you do […]

Social Reading in Undergraduate Courses

October 20, 2020

by Matt Smith (Hudson Strode Program in Renaissance Studies), Andrew Deaton (History), and Camille Morgan (Anthropology) How might a class read together remotely? One way is to assign a reading and then have students respond on a discussion board. Compared to Blackboard’s Discussion Board, the Hypothesis app has both drawbacks and benefits. One drawback, for example, is that the tool has only a few built-in options, including annotation and highlighting. There are, however, several specific pedagogical advantages to using Hypothesis […]

Transition Multiple-Choice Exams Online: A Large-Enrollment Solution

October 8, 2020

empty notebook with pencil and pencil sharpener

by Diana Leung, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry In 2020 the changes brought about by COVID-19 forced me to transition my normally face-to-face classes to an online format. This fall semester I teach two sections of a freshman Introductory Chemistry class (CH 104), each with about ~200 students, and an Organic Chemistry II (CH 232) sophomore class with ~130 students. One of the worries I had when transitioning online was how to give exams to this large student population. Ultimately, […]

Zoom Roleplay Practices to Teach Theory and Case Studies

October 8, 2020

Humorous image of two dogs in a zoom videoconference

by Elif Kalaycioglu, Political Science A key goal for my hybrid, advanced seminar this semester is to get students to think about the multiple roles that expertise plays in diverse domains of global politics. This requires familiarity with a range of IR theories on expertise, as well as linking these theories to concrete case studies. I have found this last link to be a trickier one for students to make. They can get excited about the real-world cases, like the […]

Academic Support in Our New Online Context

April 8, 2020

large tree with branch supported by hand scuplture

By Amy Dayton, Department of English Many faculty members rely on UA’s academic support programs to provide students with the individualized help they need outside of class. Despite the current crisis, the UA Libraries, Capstone Center for Student Success, and UA Writing Center continue to offer support to help students meet their academic goals and to supplement your classroom instruction. “University Libraries faculty and staff have been redeployed to critical priorities to support all UA students, staff, and faculty in […]

So You’re an Online Student! Tips for Success

March 19, 2020

by Dr. Jennifer Roth-Burnette, Capstone Center for Student Success 1. Treat online study like a job. Plan 1.5–3 study hours per credit hour each week. If you are taking 12 credit hours, that’s 18–36 hours per week, depending on the difficulty of the courses you are taking. It’s a lot, but you can do it! Plan to spend the most time on the most difficult classes. 2. Manage your time proactively. Treat your online course like a job, and schedule […]

List of Remote Teaching Resources for Business Continuity

March 19, 2020

Below is a list of business continuity websites by American universities. It is being compiled by Daniel Stanford, Director of Faculty Development & Technology Innovation in the Center for Teaching and Learning at DePaul University. List of websites: Remote Teaching Resources for Business Continuity Submission form: http://bit.ly/rtresourceform

Blackboard Pro-Tip: Step Up Students’ Blackboard Literacy

January 8, 2019

by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies “We couldn’t find it on Blackboard!” Maybe you heard this about your syllabus? I heard this from my class after I returned their assignments online. Some people could not find their grades. Others could not find the general feedback I wrote about the assignment. Others still could not find the individualized notes that I added to each of their assignments. “Blackboard Literacy” means being able to navigate, find and use items on UA’s […]

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