In April 2024, Academic Technology Support Services (ATSS) conducted focus group sessions with UMN instructors. The sessions’ goals were to: understand instructors’ level of awareness about generative AI.  understand how instructors perceive acceptable use of generative AI for their academic courses. learn how instructors would like to be involved with shaping how generative AI is used in education and what support, if any, instructors desired around the use of generative AI. Note: throughout this post, ‘generative AI’ and ‘AI’ are both used to refer to the broad category of artificial intelligence that can produce content such as text, images, video, audio, and/or code. Focus group process ATSS partners with Usability Services to establish the session goals, determine participant recruiting criteria, craft the interview protocol, and set the ground rules for the focus group sessions. During the sessions, the project team takes notes and documents their observations, including di...

If you have not logged into Canvas since May 2024, you will notice much has changed. Let's catch you up: some things are gone (Flip), some things are improved (Discussions), and others moved to a different location (Turnitin). This post is excerpted from  a group presentation  (Video 1:06:57) at the August 7th Canvas Investigations . Timestamps next to headings will link you directly to that topic in the recording. The most important take-aways are highlighted in yellow . DoJ Ruling on Accessibility 2:29 In April, the clock started to count down two years for us to ensure all web content is accessible. The newly formed  Office of Digital Accessibility  (ODA) will guide us. Watch for messaging on the  3 Rs—Remove, Revise, Right First . The easiest and most impactful thing instructors can do now aligns with Remove — be selective when importing content from old courses . Discussions/Announcements Redesign 4:09 Canvas Discussions  have changed in appear...

This fall Extra Points will feature a series of conversations focused on how faculty and staff around the University of Minnesota are using Generative AI to do University work.  Cody Hennesy, computational research librarian Lauren Marsh and Sara Schoen are kicking off our new series interviewing Cody Hennesy. Hennesy is a computational research librarian for the Twin Cities campus and a facilitator for the system-wide  Emerging Technologies Faculty Fellows Program . In these roles he explores and supports work in Generative AI (GenAI). He is also a lover of nerdy board games.  As a librarian at the University of Minnesota, how do you use Generative AI?  Cody Hennesy: I use Generative AI in some specific ways. I use it to help with computer programming  - it’s really helpful for suggesting Python code snippets, for troubleshooting code that doesn’t work, and suggesting more efficient ways to solve specific problems. Code either works or it doesn’t, so it can b...

On July 1, Flip (formerly Flipgrid) will no longer be available for use in the app or in Canvas courses. You will no longer be able to create new groups, topics, or videos after this date. Flip, owned by Microsoft, is limiting the use of this application to Microsoft Teams. The Flip.com website will go into view-only mode. You will be able to download previously recorded Flip videos through September 30, 2024. Refer to the complete announcement from Flip .  Flip is used for: Class introductions Small group discussions Video assignments If you use Flip in your courses, there are alternative tools to consider that can support similar activities. Below is an at-a-glance comparison of options available for your consideration. Activity selection criteria   Discussions with media recording in Kaltura Kaltura Video Assignment VoiceThread Google Assignment Integrated with Canvas Yes Yes Yes Yes Grading in SpeedGrader Yes ...

In this post, Academic Technology Support Services (ATSS) staff members continue our exploration of generative AI tools that could support our work as instructional designers and academic technologists. Previously, we  investigated the NOLEJ platform . This time, we looked at Bongo to investigate how it might be used in instructional design work to support teaching and learning.   Note: ATSS does not endorse the use of Bongo or any other tool that is not supported by the central Office of Information Technology. This blog post is part of an ongoing investigation of generative AI tools and their uses in teaching and learning.  Tool Overview Bongo is a video-assignment platform that offers an AI Coach with features for instructors and students. Used in education and industry, Bongo allows students to practice and receive feedback on video assignments (e.g., video presentations or practice interviews). Additionally, Bongo’s AI Coach provides options to generate assign...

The process of submitting final grades can be daunting. This post breaks down the grade submission process into discrete steps and provides guidance for each step of the way. Step 1: Check the grading scheme The grading scheme is the breakdown of percentages and letter grades and is used to calculate grades that students see in the Canvas gradebook. The default grading scheme in Canvas sites differs from the UMN Letter Grade Scheme. For example, the UMN Grade Scheme has an “A” at 93-100% whereas the default Canvas scheme has an “A” at 94-100%.  You may have already set the grading scheme at the start of the semester, so if you change it at the end, notify students as their grades may change from what they have been monitoring.  The first minute of the following video shows how to check/set the grading scheme in your Canvas course (the rest of the video shows Steps 2, 3 & 4). Step 2: Update gradebook scores All empty/blank grades need a score or another value like “EX” for ...

In a “flipped classroom” students get the course lecture or learning material before they come to class. Then, classroom time presents an opportunity to engage students in new ways. This strategy is one of many active learning strategies to more fully engage students in course materials.  We ( ATSS ) had the opportunity to talk with Victor Barocas about his experience “flipping” his classes. Professor Barocas, who teaches in the College of Science and Engineering, began by flipping a new class he was scheduled to teach in 2018. The experiment worked wonders. Today, he is working on flipping his third course because this method of teaching has elevated his students' learning and his own satisfaction as a teacher. Read edited excerpts from our interview below. What does your flipped classroom look like? Students watch a recorded video lecture before class. For the recorded video lecture, I talk for 15 - 20 minutes about the concept and then do a problem. Every video for my class ...