Category Archives: Instructional Design

College Teaching Seminars

Equity and Inclusion, Instructional Design, TA/Postdocs, ,

Attention all Teaching Assistants and Postdocs! The Center for Inclusive Education (CIE) and the Center for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (CELT) is excited to announce the Fall 2021 College Teaching Seminars!

Register below for the Fall 2021 College Teaching Seminars! You can attend one, some, or all of the seminars. All seminars will be held on Wednesdays from 3:30pm – 5pm on Zoom. Please register for each session you plan to attend. The series will continue in the Spring. 

Seminar Topics and Descriptions:

10/6: Building a Foundation for a Teaching Philosophy
Facilitator: Kimberly Bell, PhD – TA Development Specialist, CELT

  • In this session, you will reflect on how you teach or how you would like to teach with the goal of building a solid foundation for your Teaching Philosophy. A full Statement of Teaching Philosophy will be a required component of your job applications and a condensed version is often used as part of faculty profiles on department websites.

10/20: Developing Inclusive Pedagogy
Facilitator: Kimberly Bell, PhD – TA Development Specialist, CELT

  • In this session we will reflect on the connections between social identity, privilege, and equity and how these can influence both you and your students. By becoming aware of our own biases and the identities that may be present in our students, we make great leaps in being able to prevent negative influences, and perhaps more importantly develop strategies for open and honest communication to help us when we inevitably make mistakes.

11/3: Overview of the Scientific Teaching Framework
Facilitator: Marvin O’Neal, PhD – Director of Introductory Biology Labs

  • Scientific Teaching is a framework of teaching designed specifically for teaching science in higher education. Drawing on large domains of effective pedagogy practices including Diversity, Active Learning, and Assessment we can reframe how we think of science courses and begin to develop strategies to bring these foundations of effective learning into our teaching.

11/17: The Flipped Classroom
Facilitators: Rose Tirotta, EdD – Director, CELT and Bill Collins, PhD – Associate Professor, Neurobiology

  • Want to know more about LIVER activities? Learn how the hybrid course format is implemented in a large Biology lecture course. A hybrid course is a mix between an online and a face to face course. Lecture material is delivered online, for students to access nearly anytime. During scheduled class time, students participate in activities. In addition, general strategies for putting the flipped classroom into action will be discussed.

12/1: Course Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs)
Facilitator: David Matus, PhD – Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Cell Biology

  • Course Based Undergraduate Research Experiences, or CUREs are a great way for students to get involved in research. Involving students in authentic research is more engaging than traditional lab courses and encourages deeper critical thinking and analysis. In this session, we will hear about a CURE lab offered at SBU, BIO 327: Developmental Genetics Lab.

Teaching Tuesdays

Assessment, Equity and Inclusion, Instructional Design, Online Learning, TA/Postdocs, Updates, , , , ,

The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) has always been dedicated to the belief that excellent teaching in all its forms is vital to student success. Recently, to better align with our mission, we have been moved to the Office of the Provost under Elizabeth Newman, PhD, Vice Provost for Curriculum and Undergraduate Education. 

Teaching Tuesdays This semester, we are excited to begin a new initiative: Teaching Tuesdays. During these sessions, CELT experts will discuss evidence-based practical strategies and reflective questions aligned with the research expertise of staff in our department. Please join us at 11:15am in the Faculty Commons (Melville Library E1332) for any of the following topics:

  • Using Critical Self-Reflection to Catalyze Inclusive Pedagogy with Carol Hernandez on October 5th 
    • The pandemic has made clear that social identities, both those of our students as well as our own, shape not only how we are experiencing the fallout of the crisis, but also how we experience teaching and learning. Our session will address how reflecting on the intersection of our identities is a crucial catalyst to improving an educator’s inclusive teaching practice.
  • Grading for Teaching Assistants (TAs): Reducing Bias and Time-Saving Tips with Kimberly Bell, PhD on October 19th 
    • Grading and assessment are an integral part of any teaching experience. In addition to the technical details of entering and submitting grades, time management and biases also play an important role in grading and assessment, and these are often more challenging to overcome. Join this workshop to hear more about time saving tips and strategies for reducing bias in your grading and assessment.
  • Supporting Students’ Self-Regulation Skills in Your Course with Kristin Hall on October 26th 
    • In this workshop, we will go over the importance of self-regulation skills and how they are linked to academic achievement and academic success.  We will also discuss how to model and help students develop these skills in your course. 
  • Designing Courses for all Students with Jennifer Jaiswal on November 2nd
    • Not all students learn in the same way. Creating courses that allow for diversity in how we interact with the content helps students to find different ways to engage and to connect with the course material. In this course we will discuss Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and redesign a course activity to be more inclusive.
  • National Distance Learning Week: Regular and Substantive Interaction: Reflections Based on the Updated Distance Education and Innovation Federal Regulations with Rose Tirotta, EdD on November 9th 
    • In July of 2021, the US Department of Education updated the Distance Education and Innovation Federal Regulations to align with updated pedagogical research and technological capabilities. This session will review these changes in parallel with evidence-based practices to reflect on future and current course development and organization. 
  • Ideation as a Teaching Strategy with Jennifer Jaiswal on November 16th 
    • How can you help your students craft new ideas in their area of study, create new products, or design new models for problem solving? Ideation is the process of creating many new ideas using generative thinking strategies. Ideation takes advantage of creativity to create new ways of thinking about problems and creating solutions. In this session we will cover generative thinking,  project models that can be applied and take on a design challenge.
  • Designing a Logic Model for Your Grant Evaluation with Catherine Scott on November 23rd 
    • Logic models are often required when submitting grant proposals. So what are they? Why do you need one? And how can you create your own? Join this workshop to have these questions answered and leave with a template to help you create your own.
  • Jump Start Engagement with Active Learning with Kimberly Bell, PhD and Rose Tirotta, EdD on November 30th 
    • Active learning can improve student outcomes and keep students engaged during and in-between your class meetings. Getting started incorporating active learning, implementing it, and assessing its effectiveness can seem challenging. Join this workshop to hear more about why active learning works and strategies you can implement and assess easily in your courses right away.

Please register prior to the session using the links above and email us if you have any questions.

Online Teaching Certificate (OTC) Courses Start in October!

Instructional Design, Online Learning, Updates

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.

path through fall trees
Image by Valiphotos from Pixabay

Supporting Students’ Return to Campus

Assessment, Educational Technologies, Equity and Inclusion, Instructional Design, Uncategorized

Jennifer Jaiswal  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

 

Syllabus updates!

Equity and Inclusion, Instructional Design, ,

Jennifer Jaiswal  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.

  • Headers – Headers or styles are used in Microsoft word documents to help create a hierarchy of information and to structure documents. Important information should be in Header 1, secondary information in Header 2, tertiary information in Header 3 and so on. This information can be used to help generate your table of contents
  • Table of Contents – Having a table of contents may seem like overkill in a syllabus but it helps students quickly and easily find the information that they are looking for. Your headers can easily generate and update your table of contents as you make changes. When navigating with a screen reader, the table of contents will be one of the first things that is read out loud to the student. This helps them understand the format of the document and where to start looking for information. It also creates a series of links that the students can use to jump to sections and navigate quickly through the document using keystrokes.
  • Alternative Text – Alternative text or alt text is a description of an item that cannot be read easily or at all by a screen reader. The most common example is an image. Images in your syllabus should all have alt text descriptions to describe the image. Alt text descriptions can be short, but sometimes you may need long descriptions to tell detailed information. In the image below the alt text could be “Stony Brook University and crest.” This tells the reader what is in the image with words.

SBU crest and name

  • Tables – Table should also have alt text descriptions and their header rows marked in the table settings. This provides additional information to the screen reader to let the person know how complicated the table is, what information is in the table, and what order the information appears in. Do not merge cells in your table as this can make it confusing for the person reading it since they would not be sure which column heading applies to the merged cell. 

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:

  • What language are you using? Try to avoid negative words and instead use your syllabus to show students how to succeed in your class. 
  • Be approachable! Give students multiple ways and opportunities to connect with you if they need assistance.
  • But give boundaries! Tell students upfront what you expect from them and what they should expect from you. Will it take you 24 hours to respond to an urgent email? Will you be available over the weekend? Lay the ground rules early. 

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.

Reflections on Remote Teaching

Instructional Design, Online Learning, Updates,
multiple lightbulbs
Image by chenspec from Pixabay

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.

 

No longer “Javits homeless”!

Instructional Design, Online Learning, , ,

 Linda UngerLinda Unger, Senior Instructional Designer

Dr. Sangeet HoneyCongratulations 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:

  •     VoiceThread for his recorded lectures,
  •     A variety of open source media to elaborate on lecture material,
  •     Bb student discussion groups (each led by a TA or himself) for clarifying concepts,
  •     Multiple, low-threshold assignments and quizzes,
  •     A large pool of questions and Respondus Monitor to safeguard exams.

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. 

Integrating Technology into your Class

Educational Technologies, Instructional Design,

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  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? (Technology integration will work best if your course is well-aligned.) 
  • Does the technology support or enhance learning more effectively than a previous method? 
  • What skills and resources do my students need to use this new technology?

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. 

Recap: What is Alignment?

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:

  • Learning Objective: Students will be able to discuss the theme of science in Victorian Literature.
  • Assessment: Students will be assessed on their ability to work together to discuss and synthesize information into a group presentation based on their perspective of science in Victorian Literature.
  • Activity: Students will participate in a discussion board where they will discuss how the scientific advancements in the Victorian Era are shown in their reading of George Eliot’s “The Lifted Veil”. Based on their discussion, each group will create a presentation using VoiceThread. 
  • Technology:
  • Support:
    • Support Desk contact information 
    • Documentation links for Blackboard and VoiceThread 

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:

  • Instructions on how to log in and the basic functionality of the new technology
  • Video demonstrations of how to use the technology
  • Sample or practice activities using the new technology
  • Submitting draft versions of the assignment using the technology
  • Contact information for technology support 

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! 

 

TAs and Postdocs: Join us for the upcoming College Teaching Seminars to learn and discuss strategies and practices for effective teaching (new dates!)

Instructional Design, Online Learning, TA/Postdocs, ,

All seminars are Wednesday 3:30-5:00pm

Join using this Zoom link

books and tablet on a table
Image from: Wokandapix

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!

Engaging All Students Virtually

Classroom Technology, Instructional Design, , ,

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:

  • Have a TA or student monitor the chat and update you when questions arise.
  • Virtual students will need more “wait time” due to the technology – wait for most students to be ready after asking a question.
  • Be clear in your expectations around discussions, breakout rooms, presentations, and assign a role for each member.
  • Use polling or clickers. 
  • Look directly into the camera.

Contact AV Services or AV Services HSC if you have questions about your room, and contact CELT if you want to discuss teaching strategies! two monitors on a podium