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Greetings from the CTL. We know the last couple of weeks have been very busy for everyone as this semester full of twists and turns approaches closure. Your commitment and resilience has inspired us!
In this edition:
- The Commons: Announcing the "CTL Online/Blended Course Planning Commons" - opening May 26
- Tech for Teaching: Getting ready for summer (Canvas & Panotpo)
- ITL Symposium News Post: Reflections on the April event to keep conversations going
- News from CTL Partners: An updated list of services offered by UT Libraries
The Commons - May 26
Some of you will be teaching and supporting summer courses delivered online. All of us will begin planning for fall, knowing the circumstances will continually evolve. These courses may require quick pivots between online and face-to-face formats.
To support you on this next step in the journey, we are excited to announce the CTL Online/Blended Course Planning Commons. This gathering space and curated collection of resources will open May 26 with new additions coming throughout the summer. Feel free to contact us if you have thoughts or questions as you read more below.
The CTL deeply values questions and concerns around student access and inclusion. These values will be integrated throughout this experience in the form of evidence-based strategies as well as lessons learned from UT instructors.
Interactions and resources will be organized by six topics and guiding questions:
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Course Design: How can I redesign my course for remote instruction?
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Content Curation: How do I create content for remote instruction?
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Student Support: How can I make sure my students get the support they need to meet essential course objectives?
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Community Building: How can I connect with and engage my students in virtual environments?
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Instructional Activities: How can I design activities and choose technology tools that help my students reach learning outcomes?
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Assessment: How can I creatively measure student understanding of concepts?
On May 26, the CTL will release short video introductions to each topic with links to supporting resources, and offer two opportunities for synchronous engagement: open office hours with CTL staff and workshops offered by CTL and campus partners.
Beginning June 8 and throughout the summer semesters, we will feature video resources crafted by creative, experienced faculty and staff. They will also lead complementary 45-minute Zoom meetups, where instructors can come together as a community to share best practices and lessons learned.
The Commons will draw upon the collaborative spirit of sharing we’ve seen unfold this spring. We are excited to offer our expertise and facilitate connections that ultimately make a positive impact on student learning experiences.
The CTL and Canvas Teams continue to provide additional opportunities to become familiar with digital technology tools and platforms that can enhance teaching.
- Canvas workshops will help you prepare summer courses by introducing and building upon a variety of features. There are two sessions on May 26 specifically designed for graduate student instructors.
- The CTL and iSchool IT Lab are offering many sessions to learn about Panopto.
ITL Symposium: Remotely Recharged
- We have been energized by memories of the April Inclusive Teaching and Learning Symposium. CTL team members recorded reflections in a News post to keep the conversations going during these challenging times. See "Remotely Recharged" and let us know if reading these spark thoughts, ideas, or questions.
News from CTL Partners
Our friends at UT Libraries have put together this slide listing resources to support the campus community. or campus. We are grateful!
- Collections and Materials for Classes: Librarians can help you find and possibly purchase ebook versions of your materials or find alternate resources. In addition, approximately 40% of our print collection is available via HathiTrust. Librarians can also help you find open educational resources (OER) – these are free to students and can be customized by you.
- Research consults: Virtual research consults are offered in lieu of in-person consults.
- Research Assignment Design: Librarians can assist with designing or revising research assignments.
- Library Instruction: Librarians are offering asynchronous and synchronous options for library instruction sessions.
- Research Guides: Research guides are available for independent learning, and can be integrated with Canvas courses.
