Tools & Resources

If you work at MSU and have questions about how to use the MSU Library's curated resources while staying copyright compliant, consult with office of copyright.  They'll help you determine what resources are available to you and how best to stay compliant when using any of the myriad library resources available at lib.msu.edu.

Before using the resources for content building in the section below, I recommend that you watch this short, humorous video that elucidates some of the mysteries surrounding the use of resources that aren't yours, including the mysterious term, "Fair Use." This video provides a quick explanation of the significance of copyright and why it is important to cite resources appropriately. 

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is internationally recognized for the standards they've developed for internet design. On their website, they offer a robust collection of resources - including certificaiton programs - relating to how to develop accessible web content. Perhaps most compelling is their library of videos demonstrating why accessibility considerations are significant to users of all abilities and backgrounds.  

This video library provides short videos covering topics related to accessibility, copyright, and other topics related to developing instructional materials and methods. This resource was developed by Jessica Wicks, PhD, and is contributed to by her team of academic specialists, including myself, Sara Potter, MA, and Alison Lux.  Of note are the video series relating to Accessibility and Copyright. 

This is a website provides a robust library of photographs by a multitude of contributors.  The images are not only high quality and diverse, but they are also free to use, as long as you attribute the Pexels.com domain (they recommend attributing the specific contributor, as well).  

This website provides access to graphics that represent a variety of topics and disciplines. Use the built-in filtering to find "free license" images and vector files that will help enhance your slides, websites, videos, and more.  Just remember to attribute the website and the author.  

If you're looking for high quality music that's free to use and comes in a huge variety of options for different content length, mood, or energy, look no further. Bensound.com offers a vast music library that can be used for a variety of purposes.  The site allows you to filter your search for songs with specific beats per minute, general mood, length, and more. Just make sure to follow their licensing terms.  

If you're a science teacher and like to build your own images of scientific concepts, bioRender is a great resource.  You can build images for free using their library of pre-built graphics and then import them into your PowerPoint or journal article. They offer a free account with limited tools for developing educational resources, or if you are a wanting to publish something for a journal or other project and you work at Michigan State University you can get an individual license at a discounted rate. Remember to follow their citation rules.

If you're developing content for a course at Michigan State University and need to provide your students with high quality e-books, journal articles, images, or other media related to your discipline, you should start with MSU Libraries.  The Libguides provide a curated list of resources organized by discipline, and each discipline contains content organized by medium with an explanation of how to use the resource in your course. They have a page dedicated to medicine-related libguides here. 

If you are a Michigan State University faculty, staff, or student, you have access to the Microsoft 365 suite, which includes their generative AI solution, "Copilot." Significant about this LLM instance is that as long as you are signed in with your MSU credentials, all information you type into Copilot is protected data and is not used for any training purposes (look for the shield icon, representing Enterprise data protection).  Copilot can be used to generate images, write alternate text for an image, help to write learning objectives, summarize a topic, co-author a response to an email, and more.  Remember to check the outputs, as AI can generate incorrect information. 

ThingLink is an incredible tool for developing interactive visual resources that promote self-exploration and discovery.  The tool allows you to upload graphics and then embed hotspots throughout the image, with the option to turn that hotspot into a variety of interactive options - click here for a simple example I developed for one of my MAET courses. ThingLink offers free accounts, but MSU faculty and staff can also request a consult with the Digital Scholarship Lab at MSU Libraries for suggestions on how to utilize the platform in their course and gain access to a university license.   

For MSU faculty, PlayPosit is a powerful tool for creating all-in-one multimodal learning modules. PlayPosit is integrated through MSU's learning management system, D2L Brightspace, and allows you to embed PlayPosit "bulbs" in your course. A bulb can consist of a vast array of media types, including video, PDF files, formative assessments, links to external resources, and more. All of these elements can be customized to release in sequence or at the same time. Timed assessments can be triggered throughout a module to check for comprehension, and they can tie back to the D2L gradebook.  If you haven't tried it yet, it is worth checking out!