Fall semester will soon be starting across the University of Minnesota system and our campuses will welcome new students and instructors. In collaboration with local units, our Academic Technology Services team offers instructional support to instructors at all UMN campuses. One of the course design challenges that the instructional designers on our team have observed is that while instructors typically have a high degree of customization of their courses, instructors who are new to the University are not sure where to start or what resources are available to them. Our observations are supported by Davis, McGuire, & Poulin (2022). The following infographic seeks to provide a starting point. Resources Canvas Essentials registration Teaching Support : one-stop resource for teaching-related questions Teaching with Technology newsletter References Davis, V., McGuire, A., Poulin, R. (2022, February 17). Online adjunct faculty: A Survey of institutional policies and pra...

This is the second post in a two-part series on effective messaging in support of teaching and learning.  The University of Minnesota has piloted ECoach, a platform that provides timely nudges and messages to students, for three semesters. ECoach gives students advice on how to get through challenging classes, empowering them to make positive actions: “It helps you reflect on past assignments and change things for the future.”  The ECoach support team gathered information from students about ECoach messages, including tone, timing, and content. In this post, we will consider how instructors can apply these lessons in any Canvas course site. We will review how to: foster a growth mindset, craft a successful message, create an effective communication plan, and use Canvas to deliver the right message at the right time.  Foster a growth mindset Students have to know that there's a path forward, and often, they need educators to help them see and move down that path....

  For faculty and instructors, the beginning of the semester presents us with a formidable new cohort of students, each with unique abilities, experiences, and course goals. For students, the start of a new course can begin with apprehension about their readiness for the course and the expectations of their new instructor. A Student Readiness Survey can work to assist both students and instructors in creating an inclusive atmosphere, building community, and establishing common ground beyond the typical getting-to-know-you survey or icebreakers.  Student Readiness Survey A typical Student Readiness Survey includes questions about students’ access to technology, if they have designated study space, and more. These questions can help you and your students understand what resources and tools they will need this semester and their relative familiarity with them. For students already familiar with the technologies you use, it can boost confidence to learn how they will apply them ...

Canvas facilitates reusing content. When managed well, you save time and spare yourself headaches prepping your course for the new term. But there are pitfalls, unintuitive choices, and loose ends to tidy up. This article fills in what official documentation leaves out, offering Pro Tips to try, and gotchas to avoid. This article will not cover the step-by-step procedure for importing course content . Rather, it will help you make informed decisions around selecting which content from a 'source' (a previous Canvas course, a development site, or a file exported from another learning management system) to import into your 'destination' (the course you're prepping).  Before You Begin Set Up the Import Select Suitable Content Run the Import and Adjust Content Deal With Kaltura Content Before You Begin Scan Your Course Shell Click through your destination course and note what's already in place. It may be blank or, if your college uses course template...