Treks

This session introduced participants to all the ways Canvas courses, content, and activities can be shared. Including Canvas Commons, Course Import Tool, development sites, and the "Send to" feature. We will share our recommendations and tips about what Canvas settings/features that can help instructors and teaching assistants work together. We will invite participants to share their own tips and recommendations. 

• Working with Other Instructors in Canvas

• Canvas and Zoom: What Teaching Assistants (TAs) Need to Know

As you may have heard, Jamboard (Google’s whiteboard tool) is now view-only and will be retired on Dec. 31st, and Flip (Microsoft’s video discussion tool) is no longer available at the University. Fortunately, there are alternative tools that can help facilitate collaborative whiteboard activities and video discussions. Zoom Whiteboard allows for collaboration both during and outside of Zoom meetings with features similar to Jamboard. Canvas Discussions, VoiceThread, or Video Ant can each be used to conduct video discussions in your classes. In this monthly Treks session, we explore these tools and demonstrate how to use them in your courses.

• Exploring Video Discussions and Whiteboard Tools Slides Presentation

• Recording of Exploring Video Discussion and Whiteboard Tools (Kaltura, 37:50)

The folks behind Canvas are constantly working on new features and enhancements to existing features. This session will look at the newest Canvas feature releases available this Fall. Through a short presentation and a few demonstrations, we will explore what’s new and how to get started. We will close our time together in a discussion of how these changes might impact how instructors and students use Canvas.

• Presentation Slides with Resources in Speaker's Notes

• Recording (39:48)

Do you use quizzes in your course? Wondering about how to choose between Classic and New Quizzes in Canvas? In this session, we discussed how to effectively use all of the quiz features in Canvas to assess student learning, engage students in learning practice, and gather data to inform teaching. 

• Watch the Zoom presentation (Kaltura, 46 minutes)

• View the presentation slides, which include extensive notes and links

Zoom has rolled out several new features (whiteboard, notes, AI companion)  that can enhance your experience beyond the basic video call. This Treks monthly session will include a brief overview of these new tools with special emphasis on what can be useful for remote and in-person instruction.

• View and experiment in the Zoom Whiteboard created for the session.

• Watch the Zoom presentation (Kaltura, 53 minutes).

How do students see your Canvas site?  What do your students really want from your Canvas site? How might these insights influence how you use Canvas? 

In this session, we’ll explore student views of Canvas and discuss what we have learned from recent student focus groups. By the end of the session you will gain insights and recommendations that you can use to create a Canvas site that is designed for student success.

Presentation slides with resources (PDF)

This session takes a deeper dive into the Google tools to share tips and tricks to help you to be more efficient and effective in your work (or play). We share ideas on how to streamline your collaboration, searching, sharing, and planning. 

• Into The Google Verse: Presentation Slides

• Into the Google Verse Recording (Kaltura, 54 mins)

Join us for live demonstrations of the advanced video editing features of ScreenPal (formerly Screencast-o-matic) to create impactful videos for teaching and learning. In addition to screen capture and webcam recording, use ScreenPal to add text and images, insert transitions, edit audio effects, and even change existing videos or import clips from other sources such as Zoom. Instructors and teaching assistants are invited to join us for this monthly Treks session via Zoom. 

• Advanced ScreenPal: Do More with Video - Handout

• Advanced ScreenPal: Do More with Video Live Zoom Session Recording

Students ask, “What’s my grade? How am I doing as of today?” Outcomes from recent student focus groups indicate that students want instructors to make full use of the features of Canvas to provide a centralized place for assignments and course information. The Canvas gradebook can be set up to accurately calculate and display course grades, which students can access at any time. This reduces the time and effort instructors spend tracking progress and communicating assessment information. In this session, we demonstrate how to set up a Canvas gradebook to match the plan you have for assessing your students, take full advantage of the features, and provide an overview of the student experience.

• Treks Monthly: Canvas Gradebook Presentation Slides

• Canvas Gradebook Guide

• Treks Monthly: Canvas Gradebook Session Recording

You don’t need to be an expert to create quality videos! Join us to learn about the services of the Digital Education and Innovation team’s media producer, as well as the software and tools you can use to create and edit your own videos and the other video services you can use at the University. 

Videos can be used to provide content online. You might do this when you want students to watch a video prior to class and come prepared to discuss or when classes are unexpectedly canceled. This may also be valuable when you need to miss a class while at a conference or when a student is unable to attend class. 

• Video Tools and Services Handout

• Video Tools and Services - Session Recording (4/19/23)

Provide your students with opportunities to apply critical thinking, analysis, and evaluation skills, while fostering community in your course. Peer review-- student review of classmates’ work--can increase student engagement and ownership of their own learning. Feedback Fruits (FbF) is a suite of tools for peer review assignments, group member evaluation, skill review, and student self-assessment. FbF has been integrated into Canvas as an external tool assignment. In this Treks session, we take a closer look at the FbF features specifically for peer review. The FbF Peer Review activity enables students to easily review each other’s work in order to give feedback on how the work might be improved. 

• Feedback Fruits Guide (Google Doc) 

• Successful Peer Review Assignments (Google Doc)

• The Sweet Rewards of Peer Review: Feedback Fruits (Google Slides)

ChatGPT is an Artificial Intelligence program that can respond to questions or prompts on a wide variety of topics and produce written content that is stunningly similar to human-generated writing. The launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 has generated a lot of controversy regarding the future of writing, academic honesty, and the role of Artificial Intelligence in education.

• ChatGPT Demonstrations (Google Doc)

• ChatGTP - Handout (Google Doc)

Using papers, quizzes, and exams to assess learning are just a few of many ways to make sure students are meeting the goals and objectives for your course. In this Zoom session, we explore different ways to assess student learning.

• Planning Assessment Alternatives Questionnaire (Google Doc)

• Assessment Alternatives Ideas (Google Doc)

We dive into some lesser-known Canvas features to create efficiencies for you and your students.

• Things You May Not Know About Canvas, But Should - Slide Resource

• Strategic Use of Recorded Video Discussions, Slide Resource