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 ...

Khaled Musa, Academic Technologist, ATSS 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 v...

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 ...

Technological advancements have and continue to revolutionize education, helping instructors reach their students in new and exciting ways. But sometimes chalkboards and whiteboards are still the best way to convey vital information to a classroom full of students. What would happen if the whiteboard was turned around so that instructors could face their students? What if all the vital whiteboard information was put into an engaging video that students could watch as many times as they needed?  One of the ATSS video production studios houses Gopher Glass: a large piece of glass that is illuminated by small LED lights and mounted to an adjustable height table. It allows instructors to diagram and convey complex information, similar to a whiteboard used in classroom spaces. I recently asked two instructors, Victor Barocas and Seonkyoo Yoon, to share their perspectives about their experiences with using Gopher Glass to create content for their courses. Prior to using Gopher Glass ...

  Overview In February 2023, the UMN FeedbackFruits implementation team completed usability testing for FeedbackFruits , a suite of tools for peer learning including self-assessment, peer review, and group member evaluation. The focus question of the sessions was:  What could make FeedbackFruits an easier system for instructors to learn to use? What is usability testing? Usability and user experience (also known as UX) analysis help teams better understand the people who use a technology or website. Usability testing is regularly conducted by UMN teams to understand how instructors and students are using different learning technologies. Previous usability sessions explored learning analytics, Canvas New Quizzes, mobile learning, and focus groups with students and instructors on remote learning. The usability testing sessions include participants, a team of observers, and a member of the Usability Services team who conducts the sessions. All observers sign a code of conduct. ...

It’s the start of the semester: how do you know that your students are ready to learn? Setting a clear learning path for the first four weeks of the course is critical for student success. This post offers strategies that connect learning analytics to classroom practice at the beginning of the semester and provides an instrument to implement those strategies.  It draws on the Unizin Stepping Stones Learning Analytics Curriculum, a cross-institutional effort to prepare faculty to use learning analytics ethically and effectively. Guidelines for using learning analytics We use learning analytics to improve instructional practice, and students are our partners in this process. Take a thoughtful approach, and ensure that your use of learning analytics aligns with ethical principles and educational goals.   Keep in mind, learning analytics must: Benefit the learner. Learning analytics should not focus solely on deficit models that target underperforming students or those cons...