Co-authored with Mariam Tahir and Jeff Weber This is the first in a series of posts that describe how the Academic Technology Services team is partnering with the Carlson School of Management in order to learn more about student perspectives on learning data and accelerate the adoption of learning analytics. We invite you to follow our journey and find out what happens next! In early 2023, the Academic Technology Services team sponsored a capstone project with the Carlson School of Management for the undergraduate Information and Decision Sciences Department. The capstone project, called “Learning Analytics: The Student Perspective,” offered a unique opportunity to have students engage their peers on the topic of learning analytics and then submit recommendations based on their findings. This post describes the goals of the capstone project and the recommendations offered by the participating student teams. We will also describe some next steps that we are actively exploring. What is ...

Co-authored with Rebecca George-Burrs in collaboration with Khaled Musa In this post, Academic Technology Support Services (ATSS) consultant Khaled Musa reflects on his own journey to being an accessibility expert and on efforts at the University of Minnesota to advance access and inclusion in courses. Khaled was an undergrad in New York when he lost his vision suddenly. He spent the next few years adjusting to vision loss, learning to use adaptive technology, and discovering a new career path. How did you come to a career in accessibility?  In 2004 I lost my vision. I learned assistive technology over a period of 3 years so that I could go back and finish my education. When I lost my sight, I was 11 credits away from graduating, but I could not adjust to my vision loss and finish my education. I was going for a bachelor of science in computer science, so technology was easy for me. But it still took me years to adjust to my new life with vision loss and to using technology in a d...

Creating a learning context for your course videos will make the learning experience more focused and engaging; therefore, it will be easier for students to understand, remember, and retain new knowledge. What is a learning context? Learning context is defined as "the situation in which something is learned or understood, a situation that can impact how something is learned or what is taught."   Retrieved from  https://www.yourdictionary.com/learning-context When you provide a learning context, you should consider how:  your video content is aligned with your instructional goals and desired outcomes,  the information presented in the video connects with other instructional units and materials,  students will transfer, practice, and apply new knowledge in other learning situations. It is recommended that course videos be hosted on Kaltura , the University’s video management system, and shared with students through Canvas course sites. You can use Canvas...

As instructors and course designers plan for accessibility and accommodations, many factors establish and maintain a classroom atmosphere and an accessible Canvas site to empower better learning. This guide focuses on the tools you can use to support student learning (and make your life easier). It is organized around the Planning Flexibility for Accessibility in your Teaching workshop that was held in April 2023. 🔑 Essential Requirements UMN Essential Course Requirements are defined as "the core competencies and fundamental skills students must demonstrate to earn a passing grade or complete your course. Conceptually, these requirements often overlap with student learning outcomes, course objectives, and technical standards. However, essential requirements refer specifically to the foundational knowledge or baseline level of proficiency expected of all students" ( source ). As you are developing Essential Requirements for your course(s), the following resources may be ...