Using Ally to be an Instructional Ally

 When you are an ally, you are someone who promotes and aspires to advance the culture of conclusion through intentional, positive and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole.  You foster relationships based on trust and accountability with marginalized individuals or groups.  This requires that your effects not be self-defined and that your work is recognized by those who you are seeking to ally with. One such way of doing accomplishing this is to adopt inclusive teaching practices.

 

Blackboard Ally is a tool that can assist you on your path to promote inclusive practices. This platform tool scans for inaccessible content and offers advice for faculty on remedying inaccessible content. Besides contributing to courses accessibility, the tools also promotes principles of Universal Design for Learning, by offing students’ alternative formats to the content within the course. Impressively, it does this while being architecturally agnostic, i.e., Blackboard Ally works in D2L, Moodle. Canvas as well as Blackboard Learn.

 

Content is reviewed and a gauge illustrate how accessible it is.  Those with a low rating will appear in red while highly accessible content will have a green color.  Only faculty see this gauge and selecting it will provide the specific issues, if any, with the content and solutions to fix those issues.  This can help guide faculty through developing a perfectly accessible course.

 

Another feature of Blackboard Ally that helps promote inclusion is that alternative content option it provides students.  At a click of a button, students can have the content presented to them in various modalities, including: Tagged PDF, Beeline Reader, or MP3 Audio.  This can not only benefit students with disabilities, but all students can choose the modality the best suits they way the need to learn.  Likewise, Blackboard Ally can translate material in over 75 languages.  This can be very helpful to any student wishing assistance because English is not their first/preferred language.

6 Inclusive Teaching Tips

"It is the little things that can make a major difference"

Often there are little changes in the way you teach or organize your course that make big difference for promoting inclusiveness.  This is particularly true in an online environment where often students face challenges such as a digital divide. By adopting a few heuristics to promote an understanding of diversity and equity, you can help foster a more inclusive learning experience that will result in higher student success rates.  


The embedded webinar includes tips for making your courses more inclusive.  It provides the following tips:

1. An Optional Session 0
2. Tips for Accommodating Multiple Learning Styles
3. Threaded Assignments and Scaffolds
4. The Value of Checklists
5. Multiple Representations of Content
6. Inclusive Reflection

Many of these can be an easy as adopting a different document for organizing content or adding an element within the course design.  Likewise, sometimes just being mindful of vernacular and the fact that we do not all have the same shared experiences can go a long way. 

Creating Online Images & Tables that Engage & are Accessible

 

For years there have been a common place bias favoring textual learning over other forms of learning, such as the use of visuals.  However, humans are highly visual creatures and relied on visual far before text existed.  It is not surprising that images can have a profound effect on us, and this includes our learning.  When carefully employed, images can generate:

• Discussion,
• Critical thinking,
• Empathy, and
• Motivation

All of this can be harnessed to increase learning.

There is over thirty years of research illustrating that images can play a key part in knowledge transfer.  For example, Mayer’ s Multimedia Learning Theory have a plethora of studies confirming that combining visuals with another modality of presentation, such as auditory content or textual content, significantly increases learning in subjects.  This applies to more than diagrams, but all types of images.  Even decorative images, when applied correctly, can increase learner retention of content.

The embedded webinar includes tips for making your images have a greater impact.  It also reviews the importance of accessibility issues.  Furthermore, tables will be reviewed and solutions suggested to ensure that they are accessible and effective. 

References

 Austin, A. A. (2009) Multimedia learning: Cognitive individual differences and display design techniques predict transfer learning with multimedia learning modules. Computers & Education. 53(4): 1339-1354.

Magner, U, Schwobke, R., Aleven, V., Popescu, O., and A. Renkl (2014) Triggering situational interest by decorative illustrations both fosters and hinders learning in computer-based learning environments. Learning and Instruction 29: 141-152

Levie, W. H, and R. Lentz. (2015) Effects of Text Illustrations: A Review of the Research. ECTJ 30.4 (1982): 195-232.

Kaas, J. H., & Balaram, P. (2014). Current research on the organization and function of the visual system in primates. Eye and brain, 6(Suppl), 1–4.

Mayer, R. E. (2001). Multimedia learning. Cambridge: University Press.

Mayer, R. E. (2014) Incorporating motivation into multimedia learning. Learning and Instruction. 29:171-173.

Mayer, R. E. & G. Estrella (2014) Benefits of emotional design in multimedia instruction. Learning and Instruction. 33:12-18.

Meyer, A. D. (1991) Visual Data in Organizational Research. Organization Science 2(2):218-236.

Whitenton, K. (2014) Image-Focus Design: Is Bigger Better? Evidence-Based User Experience Research: Nielsen Norman Group.   

Fall 2021 Teaching and Learning Webinars

 

This Fall, SUNY Schenectady has coordinated a set of webinars to help you improve your teaching, both online and in the classroom.  Topics will include:

• Accessibility is Not Optional
• 5 Easy Pieces: Tips for Improving Online Student Engagement
• Online Labs! Successfully Implementing Science Labs
• Diversity Awareness in the Curriculum and Inclusive Teaching: What can I do as a faculty?
• Making the Most from PowerPoint

The webinars will have a short presentation period and ample time for discussion.  Besides featuring Teaching and Learning Specialist, Dave Wolf, several guest speakers share their expertise. 

The webinars will occur every other Monday, from noon to 1:00PM, starting October 4th. You can download a schedule with more details as well as the links to each webinar.  

The series is open to all educators. 

Live in 3..2..1: Resuscitating Synchronous Classes with Dynamic Delivery

Students have reported more dissatisfaction with synchronous online delivery over face-to-face or asynchronous delivery.  This can often be attributed to the content expert not being aware of successful practices in presentations or the online medium.

Often instructors are never taught vital presentation skills that are key for capturing their classes attention.  For example, within the first few minutes of a presentation the audience's attention can be commanded by:

• Reflecting on a bold statement
• Considering a story
• Reviewing, and being primed for, the content they will learn
• Engaging in an interactive activity

When the presenter presents in a lively fashion, the movement keeps the viewers' attention.  Also, revealing one’s own humor and why you are excited about the topic both makes the talk personal to the audience. They then become more invested in the topic. These presentation skills benefit both synchronous online presentations and face-to-face presentations.   

The issue with teaching online is that instructors both must wrestle with using technology effectively as well as employ instructional strategies that best suit the medium they are using.  This webinar will first address faux pas with technology that diminishes the instructional effectiveness of the presentation.  Then it continues to investigate effective strategies for the medium.  Specifically, attention spans in this medium our short and instruction must be interactive to be effective. By adopting a micro-lesson approach as well as a flipped approach, instructors can maximize student engagement in their synchronous sessions. The session concludes on some of the pitfalls experienced by faculty using flipped classes online and how to overcome these issues. 

References

 

Azib-Powell, B. (2005) David Byrne really does love PowerPoint. UC Berkeley News.

Bumiller, Elisabeth (2010) We have met the enemy and he is PowerPoint, New York Times.

Cohen, N. (2010)  “The magical mystery four: how is working memory capacity limited, and why?”  Current Directions in Psychological Science. February 2010 vol. 19 no. 1 51-57. 

Goa, Philip (2012) Optimal Video Length for Student Engagement. EdX.

Grabill, Carolyn (2009) Why learning from PowerPoint lectures is frustrating Carolyn Works. 

Hicks, Cat, Emeline Brulé, and Roberta Dombrowski. 2020. “You Have to Put Your Class Online: Simple Things to Think About.” Online resource.

Hinck, G. & Burke, L. (2019). New Technologies Deliver on the Promise of HyFlex: University of St. Thomas. In B. J. Beatty, Hybrid-Flexible Course Design: Implementing student-directed hybrid classes. EdTech Books.

Lokken, F. (2017) Online Courses as Good as In-Person Classes. Inside Higher Ed.

Malczyk, B. R. (2019). Introducing Social Work to HyFlex Blended Learning: A Student-centered Approach. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 39(4-5), 414-428.

Meyer, R (2001) Multimedia Learning. Cambridge Press, NY.

McGee, P. &. A. Reis (2012) “Blended Course Design: A Synthesis of Best Practices.” Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14(4).

Rhoads, D. (2020). Traditional, online or both? A comparative study of university student learning and satisfaction between traditional and Hyflex delivery modalities. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

Rose, D & A Meyer (2002) Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Singh, C. (2021) Why Flipped classes often flop. Inside Higher Ed.

Sweller, John (1999) Visualization and instruction design, Australian Educational Review

Tufte, Edward (2003) PowerPoint is evil, Wired. 11:09.

Vanderstoep, S. W., Pintrich, P. R., & Fagerlin, A. (1996). Disciplinary differences in self-regulated learning in college students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21(4), 345-362.

Whittaker S.&  Hirschberg J (2003) Look or Listen: Discovering Effective Techniques for Accessing Speech Data. In Proc. CHI98. Springer-Verlag, 253-269

Leave No One Behind: Accessible and Equitable Synchronous Online Instruction

With the necessary move to remote learning during the pandemic, face-to-face classes were rapidly converted to a synchronous version with little time to consider accessibility or issues of equity. Now it is time to examine our practices to ensure that we are accommodating students who need help the most. While there are several technological options for synchronous online courses, some or more accessible than others. 

This session discusses key issues in producing accessible synchronous online courses. It will also explore what you can do to promote a more equitable environment in your online course. Specifically, it will discuss:

1. Issues of equity
2. The Monsters: bandwidth and technological inequities
3. Tips when you are live
4. Rethinking instruction and content delivery
5. How to prepare your sessions to be inclusive

These slides are from the webinar from the OTTER Institute held on June 10th, 2021.

Resources: 

Cohen, Jenae and Beth Seltzer. 2020. “Teaching Effectively During Times of Disruption." Stanford University online resource.

Dill Emma, Karen Fischer, Beth McMurtrie, and Becky Supiano. 2020. “As Coronavirus Spreads, the Decision to Move Classes Online is the First Step. What Comes Next?” Chronicle of Higher Education, March 6.

Goa, Philip (2012)Optimal Video Length for Student Engagement.EdX.

Hamraie, Aimi. 2020. “Accessible Teaching in the Time of COVID-19.” Mapping Access.

Hicks, Cat, Emeline Brulé, and Roberta Dombrowski. 2020. “You Have to Put Your Class Online: Simple Things to Think About.” Online resource.

Puang, Serena (2021) “As Colleges Strive for a Return to Normal, Students With Disabilities Say, ‘No Thanks’”. The Chronical of Higher Education. May 11.

Walia, Apjit & Ravindran, Sai (2020) America’s Racial Gap & Big Tech’s Closing Window. Deutsche Bank Research.

Wieck, Lindsey Passenger. 2020. “An Equitable Transition to Online Learning: Flexibility, Low Bandwidth, Cell Phones, and More.” Pedagogy Playground

Tips for Virtual Instruction

Teaching online poses several challenges for instructors, such as managing to keep or increase student engagement in a traditionally sterile environment. It has always been a challenge to leveraging instructional technology to motivate and inspire student interest.  The rapid pivot to virtual instruction due to the pandemic has exacerbated this issue, as now many instructors are still learning a new medium of instruction while working at engaging students.

The following guide is a collection resources that can both help online instruction as well as enhance traditional or hybrid instruction.  Included is a collection of standards, such as our guides to maximizing instructional technology and design to make teaching more accessible and effective.  The guide also includes collections of tips for using PowerPoint, YouTube, and Podcasts that can be harnessed to enhance instruction.

The guide is designed for your convenience.  Selecting the number on the tab on the home screen will take you directly to the category. Each tip is hyperlinked to a webpage or video to assist you quickly. You can select the arrowhead on the bottom right to return to the home screen.

 

You might want to download the guide for whenever you want to explore new options on a raining day.  Alternatively, it may give have answers for you when you need for assistance. An interactive tabbed Powerpoint like this can also easily be build and use to present your own lessons as well.  

Recorded Webinars - Instructional Technology

Are you moving to virtual learning during the pandemic or want to improve you online presence?  If you are like most teachers, you are pressed for time and attending training or webinars are not a viable option. Luckily, most webinars can be recorded. 

Below are recorded webinars on Blackboard training and other instructional technology that you can access on your own time:

Advice:  Selecting fullscreen allows for better viewing (see far right corner).  You can also download this presentation in PDF format.  Be sure to select the links to launch the recorded webinar.

Recorded Webinars - Instructional Design

With lockdowns increasing and all courses going back to virtual learning during a second wave of this pandemic, there is no better time to work on improving your online content delivery and knowledge of instructional design.  Unfortunately, most instructors are at their wits end to find time.  Luckily there are plenty of recorded sessions that are available on various topics (from Accessibility to Working with Groups Online). Having access of the recorded webinars (25-40 minutes) allows educators to view them on their own time.  

The following presentation below has links to various webinars to help assist educators, from beginners to experienced online teachers:

Advice:  Selecting Fullscreen allows for better viewing (see far right corner).  You can also download this presentation in PDF format.  Be sure to select the links to launch the recorded webinar.