Join the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) for one of our Online Teaching Certificate (OTC) multi-week courses:
Please register in advance. Email celt@stonybrook.edu if you have any questions.
Jennifer Jaiswal, Instructional Designer & Sr Instructional Technologist
The pandemic and move to remote online learning over the last year and a half or so has exposed the realities of our students’ lives and highlighted some of the inequities that exist. It is important to be mindful that our students may have been affected by these social changes. Maintaining the empathy and compassion from the past year will be important as we transition and move forward and ask: What have we learned from our remote teaching experiences that we can continue to incorporate into our courses?
Communication:
Communicating regularly with our students and being very explicit about course information, course expectations, office hours, policies, etc., should be detailed in the syllabus. One strategy to ensure students read the syllabus is to give them a low stakes quiz about the important information or record a syllabus overview video and make it available in Blackboard.
It is considered good practice to send an announcement via Blackboard at least 24 hours before the start of class. This might include explicit directions to your classroom if you are teaching face-to-face as well as the schedule and other important information for the first day of class.
Resources:
During the pandemic, many faculty incorporated more technology into their course to help with the transition to remote learning. Many of these resources can be helpful and useful for students even when returning to face-to-face instruction.
Blackboard is a great repository for course materials and resources and many other technologies like Zoom, VoiceThread, Echo 360, etc., are integrated into Blackboard. Using Blackboard as a resource repository helps you and the students manage course documents, media, grades, and communication in one place. Using the discussion boards, VoiceThread, and Zoom recordings can help extend the learning environment beyond the classroom and class time. The Zoom integration allows you the opportunity to to record short demonstrations or clarifying remarks and posting them for students to watch or rewatch as many times as they need to.
Assessment and Grading:
Having a couple of small, low stakes assessments in the first couple of weeks can help students build confidence and ease anxiety about the course. Providing flexibility in assignments and exam design such as using more open assessments and less closed assessments (i.e., multiple choice tests) follow good assessment practices. We recommend that rather than having a few large, high stakes assessments that you break those assessments into smaller ones with each having less overall weight on the students’ grade.
Group Activities:
Getting students working together became more important but also more challenging during the pandemic. Consider how you might group students and possibly keep them working together for a large part of the semester. Returning to the classroom after the pandemic, students are likely to be eager to connect with their classmates. What technologies (VoiceThread, discussion boards, etc.) might be used to facilitate those groups in and out of the classroom?
Group Contracts – for project-based groups, they can be useful as they lay out expectations of the group members including communication policy so the groups have a guideline on how to interact.
As we return to campus and into the classroom, it will be important to continue to extend the empathy and understanding to our students as they return. With the situation ever changing, it will be important to be flexible as institutional protocol may change throughout the semester.
Dickinson, A. (2017). Communicating with the Online Student: The Impact of E-Mail Tone on Student Performance and Teacher Evaluations. Journal of Educators Online, 14(2), n2. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1150571
Jennifer Jaiswal, Instructional Designer & Sr Instructional Technologist
Over this past semester, we have made multiple updates to CELT’s online syllabus template and the supporting documentation. This new version will speed you through the process of creating a comprehensive syllabus that supports student success in multiple ways!
Accessibility
Earlier this year we adapted our syllabus template to make it accessible for all audiences. Navigating a syllabus with a screen reader technology is very different compared to navigating a syllabus by sight. Screen readers will read through all of the text, both visible and hidden in a document. Making sure that you clearly label information, use headers, have a table of contents and provide alternative text is key to creating a syllabus that all learners can read.
For information on the changes made to our syllabus template and how to update the template, please see the video below.
For an example of how a screen reader navigates our syllabus template please see this video.
Inclusivity
When writing your syllabus, keep in mind Universal Design for Learning. Are you addressing all students in your syllabus? Is there flexibility for students? Is the content multimodal? Can students see the connections between learning objectives and what they are being asked to do? Some other pieces to think about are:
For more information, visit our resources on inclusive teaching.
Other Updates
Best of all, we now have an orientation video designed to introduce you to the template in just 15 minutes. Don’t miss it–it explains everything that should be considered when creating an online version of your course. There’s also a “guiding comments” pdf file you can print to have by your side as you write your syllabus.
In March 2020, the pandemic pushed all faculty and students to a remote teaching reality. CELT is hosting two online conversations where faculty members can get together to talk about what worked well, what they might want to incorporate into their teaching practice moving forward, and what they wish they had known back then.
When you register, you will have the option to respond to three reflective prompts. Using those responses, we will take a deeper dive into what actions faculty can take as they prepare to teach in the fall.
Your responses will remain confidential and will only be shared in aggregate as part of our study on the overall effectiveness of CELT. Your participation in this study is voluntary and you may continue to participate in CELT services even if you withdraw from the study of its effectiveness.
Register in advance to attend either of the CELT Reflections on Remote Teaching. Even if you cannot attend, register so that you can receive the recording and resources.
Linda Unger, Senior Instructional Designer
Congratulations to Dr. Sangeet Honey who was recently honored at CELT’s Celebration of Teaching Awards, for development of BIO 315 Microbiology, online. This course, when taught face-to-face in Javits, enrolled about 600 students each term it was scheduled. With Javits going offline this month, Dr. Sangeet Honey, Research faculty in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and undergraduate biology program director Dr. Peter Gergen collaborated with CELT to transition the course to fully asynchronous in Blackboard.
Quite a challenge–redesigning such a large course to a fully asynchronous delivery, but Sangeet’s commitment to his students and Peter’s administrative support made it both possible and, more importantly, effective. Beginning in August of 2019 (no, it didn’t take 2 years), Sangeet collaborated with two instructional designers, Linda Unger and Jennifer Jaiswal, at CELT to rethink how content could be provided, but more importantly, how interaction could be maintained with such a large group of students. Thanks to ample support from Peter in the form of grad and undergrad TAs, Sangeet and CELT were able to create an academically robust structure for students, while managing facilitation workload for Sangeet.
The first fully online version was taught in Summer of 2020 after the Spring course had hastily moved online mid-semester due to the pandemic. Since then it has had numerous tweaks each time to make it run more smoothly by maximizing effective learning activities and redesigning less effective strategies, especially with respect to assessment of students. This course has been taught in Spring 2021 with 400 students and is being taught this Summer 2021 semester with over 100 students.
Throughout these iterations, Sangeet’s “teaching presence” has been consistently excellent, as demonstrated through his recorded lectures; participation in discussion; Zoom office hours; and frequent announcements that provide guidance and general feedback. He also demonstrates compassion, flexibility and approachability with respect to his policies, especially his grading appeals policy.
Sangeet uses:
A critical aspect of Sangeet’s success is his willingness to try new approaches and take risks with new teaching methods in order to engage students and promote learning using various modalities. He’s also worked hard (with CELT’s help) at making his materials accessible.
Peter’s commitment to sound pedagogy in large online courses, as demonstrated by allocation of numerous departmental grad and undergrad TAs, has enabled Sangeet to divide the >400-student class into “teams” of about 35–a critical factor that makes this course run smoothly by giving students a sense of community along with the individual attention they need.
In May, Sangeet received CELT’s annual award for Excellence in Teaching an Asynchronous Online Course at the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and CELT is delighted to have honored his work. Watch the video.
Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part blog series on choosing the right technology for your teaching needs. Read part 1, Engaging Students in an Online Math Course During the Pandemic, by Associate Professor of Mathematics, Moira Chas.
Jennifer Jaiswal, Instructional Designer & Sr Instructional Technologist
When considering the use of a new technology in your class, it is important to consider how it supports your course alignment. Alignment is the connection between learning objectives, learning activities, and assessment. An aligned course means that your learning objectives, activities, and assessments match up so students learn what you intend and you accurately assess what students are learning.
To ensure that your chosen technology supports the alignment of your course, you should ask the following questions:
Does my content, activities, and assessments align to my learning objectives?
Looking at the image below, go through each step starting with your learning objectives, assessments, and activities, and make sure they all work together to support each other.
Does the technology support or enhance learning more effectively than a previous method?
The technology should support the activities, assessments, and therefore, the learning objectives that you have identified. Below are examples for each step of the course alignment process:
By focusing on your learning objectives, you will see what types of technologies are needed in your class to help you make decisions. For this example, you would look for tools to aid in the discussion and the presentation. It is helpful to list out what technologies you need for your entire course so you and your students know what will be used so they will be better prepared.
Looking through your course you may see opportunities to incorporate technology into your class. Using technology for technology’s sake may not support the students’ achievement of the learning outcomes. In fact, it may lead them to a different learning objective then you intended. If technology has the potential to drastically change your class and its outcomes, you may want to consider revising your learning outcomes and realign the related activities and assessments.
What skills and resources do my students need to use this new technology?
Now that you have decided which technologies to use, it is time to start thinking about what resources to provide to your students. Some recommendations are:
Providing additional resources gives your students the best opportunity to complete the assignment successfully and meet the learning outcomes. Preparing detailed instructions and support documentation in advance can also help reduce your workload as the course progresses.
There are many useful resources available internally and on the web. Be sure to search for them before creating anything from scratch.
Reflection
At the end of the semester, it is important to reflect on the major takeaways from the experience. Think about what worked well and what didn’t, and what you could change to make improvements. This helps you close the loop and decide what will be needed the next time you teach, and decide if the new technology was a success or a hindrance to your class experience. Ask your students questions about the experience. This can help you assess engagement with not just the tool but the tool and the content together.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, do not hesitate to reach out!
All seminars are Wednesday 3:30-5:00pm
Join using this Zoom link
2/17- How Selected Learning Theories Inform Pedagogy (rescheduled from 2/3)
In this session we will discuss a selection of current learning theories and strategies/considerations for your teaching. Learning Theory elements discussed include Constructivism, Metacognition, and Growth Mindset and how to implement them in your classes.
2/24- Effective Teaching Online (rescheduled from 2/17)
Effective teaching online has become critical with the ongoing pandemic, and will continue to be a valued skill. In this seminar, we will discuss strategies and tools for student engagement in both asynchronous, synchronous, and blended classes.
3/3- Panel Discussion with CIE/IRACDA Postdocs
In this panel discussion you will hear from IRACDA Postdocs who have taught in local institutions – Suffolk County Community College, SUNY Old Westbury, and Brooklyn College.
3/17- Different Student Populations and Institution Types
We will discuss the ins and outs of applying the teaching strategies you have developed. This will focus on the different types of institutions you may teach at and their varied student populations.
Do you have any questions? Send us an email!
As we begin the semester, be sure to find out more about the technology setup in your scheduled room. Concerned about engaging all students? Here are some tips:
Contact AV Services or AV Services HSC if you have questions about your room, and contact CELT if you want to discuss teaching strategies! 
One of the frameworks we often use for crafting learning objectives is Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy of the cognitive domain. Bloom’s taxonomy is a hierarchy with six levels that are used to categorize educational goals. Each level has different groups of verbs that are associated with the level of knowledge or skill students should have acquired.
The lower levels of the hierarchy (remember, understand) are low level, usually involving simple recall or restatement of content. While these are appropriate in most courses, we also want students to go beyond remembering and understanding to higher order thinking skills, such as apply, analyze, evaluate, create. These higher order thinking skills are often the main focus of upper division and graduate courses, but can be implemented across the curriculum from general, introductory courses to graduate seminars.
Well-crafted objectives are concrete, specific, measurable/observable, achievable, and relevant. Instead of thinking about what the course will do, think what students should be able to do, having taken the course. Try to avoid using passive verbs such as “know,” “appreciate,” or “understand” because these can be too subjective and difficult to measure. Good learning objectives focus on what we want students to be able to learn or to do by the end of our course, and we need to choose what evidence (behavior/performance/artifact) best demonstrates that learning.
For assistance in creating objectives, you can use our homegrown digital tool. Select the best verbs by grabbing the red portion with your mouse pointer and dragging it clockwise. The medium blue in each wedge includes the appropriate verbs, and the lighter blue outside includes related teaching methods. The notes in the left-hand, gray column will change with each new section you uncover; they elaborate and give some examples from various disciplines.
If you have difficulty crafting your learning outcomes, it often helps to work backwards. That is, think about student assessments first. What are you actually measuring? Whatever the graded items measure, that is what you want students to know and be able to do with their knowledge.
If you would like a consultation with one of our instructional designers, please reach out!
Mcdaniel, R. (2020, March 25). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Retrieved January 19, 2021, from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/
Kimberly Bell, PhD., Postdoctoral Associate
Online engagement may look different from what you are used to in your face-to-face classes, and perhaps even different from your previous online courses. If you are teaching on Zoom to a sea of black boxes with names on them, it is impossible to see facial expressions or body language – those cues we may be used to looking for in a physical classroom. The same is true for asynchronous courses, where you may not have video interaction with students. To determine if students are engaged in your online courses, you might ask: Are they submitting their work on time? Are they posting thoughtful replies in the discussion forums? Do they ask questions? Do they reply to quick polls in Zoom? How are their weekly quiz and exam grades?
→ Asynchronous Engagement
If you make your presence known in your asynchronous online course up front, it will be off to an engaging start. A welcome video shows your students who you are and lets you speak to them more directly about course expectations. Post announcements frequently in Blackboard, and give students timely feedback. You can record videos to the cloud in Zoom for quick and accessible summaries or feedback. A clear and detailed syllabus, a variety of activities, frequent formative assessments, open-ended questions for discussion, opportunities for group work, and a careful choice of tools all make for an engaging asynchronous course.
→ Synchronous Engagement
Use synchronous sessions for interactive lectures, office hours, recitations to follow up on asynchronous lecture material, review sessions (try a trivia game!), group projects, and other active learning activities. Make eye contact with the camera, allow time for your students to become familiar with engagement features, wait after you pose a question, plan structured breakout activities, and check in often making sure your students are engaging in your synchronous sessions. If time allows, you can start your Zoom sessions 10 minutes early and stay around 10 minutes after, so students can chat with each other and ask you questions, as they would before and after an in-person class.
*The pandemic is an ongoing challenge*
I mentioned teaching to a “sea of black boxes” above. Does that sound familiar? Teaching remotely can be challenging, but there are many engagement options in both the synchronous and asynchronous space. It may be tempting to convince yourself that none of your students are paying attention in Zoom and that you need to require a webcam. Or it may be easy to give up if students become disengaged in asynchronous discussion forums a few weeks into the semester. At this time, when it remains hard for many of us to stay engaged, remain flexible and understanding. Reach out to struggling students. We are all doing our best!
Tools and Tips for Engaging Students in Online Courses
VoiceThread
VoiceThread is an asynchronous discussion tool designed to enhance student engagement and foster presence in online courses. You can upload media in various formats and both you and your students can add comments (video, audio, text). Read our previous blog post about VoiceThread. Try using VoiceThread in the following ways:
Blackboard Discussion Board
Discussion forums are commonly used in online courses. Questions that encourage critical thinking, forums for purposes other than homework, and clear expectations help to ensure your students stay engaged in the conversation. Try out the following forum ideas:
Zoom Breakout Rooms
Breakout rooms in Zooms can help you incorporate small group engagement in your courses. You can assign them randomly, manually, or let students choose (Zoom may need to be updated). You can assign TAs or student leaders co-host status to help manage your breakout rooms.
Assign random pairs to breakout rooms for a quick think-pair-share. In large classes, combine with Google Docs or have only a few pairs share
Polling & Quizzing
In both synchronous and asynchronous learning environments, frequent quizzing and polling can help keep students engaged. Zoom polling is already built in!
Google Docs
Google Docs are a great way to foster collaboration in your courses. Think of creative ways to incorporate docs, sheets, slides, and other Google apps.
Echo360
Echo360 is a lecture streaming/capture/recording/active learning tool you can use to record lectures and foster student engagement.
What has worked well in your courses?
Contact CELT and request a consultation if you would like to discuss with us how you can best incorporate engagement tools and strategies.
References
