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“Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.”
 
The MSU Libraries Teaching and Learning Unit incorportates these frames into our teaching.
Frames


Authority is Constructed and Contextual
Information Creation as a Process
Information Has Value
Research as Inquiry
Scholarship as Conversation
Searching as Strategic  Exploration


Read more:  http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework
Framework Curricula/Lesson Plans

Project Cora: projectcora.org
Framework Sandbox: sandbox.acrl.org

Local Expertise

Teaching & Learning Librarians: lib.msu.edu/infolit/
Research Basics Modules (short videos addressing some Framework concepts): libguides.lib.msu.edu/modules

Topic Area: Student Success
Presented By: Jesse Beal, Heather Shea
Abstract:
In this interactive, data- and practice-informed presentation, we will explore LGBTQA+ student success as a vital component of University student success efforts. Due to the lack of data on traditional student success metrics (persistence, retention, time to degree, and graduation) for LGBTQA+ students, LGBTQA+ student success work must be creative, collaborative, cross-disciplinary, and expansive. We will show how developing LGBTQA+ inclusive policies and practices supports student success and increases a sense of belonging. We will share the impact of implementing LGBTQA+ inclusive data collection practices on understanding student success on other campuses. We will explore the mental health challenges LGBTQA+ students face due to LGBTQA+ oppression, how these challenges have intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, available mental health support services, and promising practices for intervention and support. We will also discuss ways in which each of us, as educators, can make a real and tangible difference for our LGBTQA+ students. The ability of LGBTQA+ students to learn, develop, and succeed is inextricably tied to their sense of belonging and the support provided to them by the University to face and overcome challenges. This session will provide an introduction to theories of LGBTQA+ student success, as well practical application, creative solutions, and methods of intervention.

Hello, my name is KJ Downer-Shojgreen. My extensive experience in the public educational system as a teacher for both young and adult learners, combined with my roles as a Technology Coach and trainer in a large-scale school district, and as an Instructional Designer and trainer in both corporate and public university settings, has provided me with a solid and diverse professional foundation. My academic background, consisting of dual Bachelor's degrees and a Master's in Educational Technology, further enhances my skill set and aligns seamlessly with my career focus.
I have a strong track record in designing, facilitating, and managing learning and development initiatives, including staff training processes and procedures. At Michigan State University, I served as a Training Program Developer III on the Student Information Systems (SIS) Project, where I created a variety of training materials for campus-wide use. These resources included self-guided trainings, instructional videos, and reference guides tailored for end users.
Previously, as an Instructional Designer at XPO, I developed, scripted, and produced all training videos for the Less than a Truckload division. Beyond video production, I cohosted global interactive seminars and learning summits using platforms such as Skype, Zoom, GoToMeeting, and Adobe Connect, engaging audiences that included Executive Management, Senior Leadership, and Vice Presidents. Additionally, I designed onboarding e-learning materials and comprehensive curriculums for both new hires and current employees. These materials combined webinars, e-learning modules, and on-the-job training, all focused on core competencies critical for employee success during 30-, 60-, and 90-day evaluations.
I am particularly passionate about the transformative potential of Mixed Realities in Learning and Development (L&D). My goal is to create training experiences that are engaging, entertaining, and rewarding. By leveraging technology to simplify and enhance L&D, we can maximize knowledge retention and empower individuals to achieve greater success.
Outside of my professional pursuits, I am an avid golfer, deeply fascinated by astrophysics, and actively involved in 3D printing. I also enjoy following Rally Car and Formula 1 racing. Finally, I am proud to be a member of the Educator Developers Network.
 

The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Natural Science. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".

Gabe Ording: Gabe has been an amazing leader, both before and now during the pandemic. He has worked for a decade to build community in the unit, is always willing to talk and seek creative solutions for problems, and was forward thinking when the pandemic forced us to go remote last spring. In fact, he had prepared CISGS for the possibility of remote teaching by hosting THREE learning sessions before MSU officially went online. This meant that many colleagues were prepared for the transition and that we had already begun critical conversations needed for effective movement to online work. He is similarly bringing people together to discuss challenges and successes in the online classroom this Fall, has worked to ensure any face-to-face instruction is safe for everyone, and is generally an inspiration. Prior to this, his work was instrumental in ensuring that all of the integrative studies centers were working together to collect assessment data to evidence efficacy. Gabe's students also value him as much as his colleagues!

Rachel Morris: Dr. Rachel Morris has worked to expand her knowledge and experience in online pedagogy and has been a great resource and mentor during the pandemic. During FS2020, MSU added access to Labster. Dr. Morris kept BLD up to date on the availability of Labster and offered her assistance to faculty. Dr. Morris carries a significant teaching load, has committee responsibilities at MSU and in our professional society, is an Academic Advisor, and serves as our Graduate Program Director. She is readily available to colleagues for questions and mentoring.

Rupali Das: Dr. Das always goes above and beyond for her students. Her focus is not only limited to her student's understanding the material she is teaching and extends to concern for their overall well being. Her passion for science in infectious and it is amply evident that her regard for her student's interests is paramount! She deserves every recognition for all the hard-work she puts into her science and into her students' growth as competent professionals and robust scientists!

Casey Henley: I appreciate your dedication to your students, colleagues, and the institution. You are a great advocate for continued improvement in teaching and learning and is illustrated with your leadership. 

Stephen Thomas: Stephen Thomas is one of the best educators I know of. Not only is he smart, skilled and knowledgeable, but he is a genuinely caring person who does everything in his power to help students and colleagues be their very best. He works daily to be remarkable in his work as an educator and then he goes the extra mile to help other educators become great in their own right also. In every interaction and collaboration I am lucky enough to have with Stephen, I always come away more inspired, empowered, readied and prepared to face the next big design challenge in education. Thank you, Stephen Thomas, for all you do as a leader-educator at Michigan State University. 

Saul Beceiro Novo: I met Saul through the 2019-20 Adams Academy facilitated by the Academic Advancement Network. From the moment I heard Saul reflect on his experiences making his disciplinary content more accessible and enjoyable to individuals new to the field - I knew I wanted to pay attention to his educator practices. In my experience, he shows great care for learners and colleagues alike, is dedicated to crafting positive and high impact learning experiences, and achieving learning outcomes in innovative and creative ways! Keep an eye on Saul. He's a great educator, doing cool things!

Ashley Dunn: In a very challenging semester, Ashley committed to helping me with ANS 300E, animal welfare judging. She served as both a ULA, an assistant coach for the judging team, and in both roles was a huge help to me. She came to each class prepared, thoughtful and ready to support the students and instructor. In her role as a ULA, Ashley created a mock welfare scenario for the students and monitored their fact sheet submissions providing valuable practice and important feedback to the students. With such a trying semester for me, the quality of this course would have suffered had it not been for Ashley. A million times over, thank you. 

Julia Hinds: Julia is just the best. This has been a very hard semester in many ways and she has been a support all along. She always goes above and beyond every step of the way and makes everyone else’s life easier. I learn from her every time we meet :)

Nick Rekuski: Nick is passionate about teaching and he is not afraid to take on new challenges. He has taught an extraordinarily wide variety of courses, ranging from MTH 101 (Quantitative Literacy I) to MTH 309 (Linear Algebra). Nick has excelled in his work with students at all levels of undergraduate mathematics – both students who have intense math anxiety and students who love mathematics and intend to major in it. Nick approaches each student as an individual, gets to know them from the first day of class, and creates a community where each feels welcome and is comfortable to contribute to the class discussions.

Cole McCutcheon: Cole is an outstanding person. He exemplifies what it means to be a graduate student: incredibly hard working, determined, stubborn, unwilling to give up, and absolutely tenacious in tackling tough problems. Cole is also an excellent teacher and mentor; he approaches teaching situations with grace and care, ensuring that his students understand and synthesize the concepts at hand. I'm so glad that I get to work and laugh and teach with Cole.

Teresa Panurach

I appreciate Teresa and her plethora of positive practices, as well as her commitment to excellence in mentoring others. She is an inspiration to us all and deserves a raise.


Thank you, Teresa, for improving the lives of MSU students. Teresa runs a program mentoring Drew scholars who are also astrophysics majors, regularly checking in on them, running workshops, and facilitating research experiences. For many students, she has been a splash of support and joy during a lonely and sad pandemic. Thank you for your generosity and energy!


Camilla Monsalve: Life has been difficult for EVERYONE!  Cami makes it a point to come to my zoom office hours every week to see how I am doing.  While I make sure all 190+ Physics and Astronomy graduates are okay mentally, she makes sure I am okay too!  Warms my heart in so many ways.

Meiqi Liu: Meiqi, a first year Ph.D. student, who has not yet even been able to come to the US and is working with us remotely, has done an outstanding job as a TA, particularly grading for STT 441 and STT 861. The students in those courses are fortunate that she is such a strong TA and so diligent in her work. And we as instructors are extremely grateful. In addition, for myself as a scholar, I am very grateful for Ms. LIU Meiqi's work in helping mentor the work of my team of undergraduate researchers, including helping them with their project, which she has been doing since the very start of her time as a Ph.D. student in STT last Fall. This is far above and beyond the call of duty.

Sarah Manski: Sarah has helped us tremendously to successfully navigate the introductory classes in our department. She's extremely knowledgeable, passionate, and very encouraging. Her ability to work with students is amazing. During these unprecedented times, Sarah has been understanding, calm, and very helpful. She has provided valuable insight throughout the course, helped the ULAs, and supported me in successfully negotiating any challenges we faced during this phase. Apart from her role as a TA, she is involved in her own research, and actively works towards the betterment of our department. She is a role model for new graduate students and especially for the new TAs. Thank You, Sarah!!! 
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.

***This is part of a series of articles compiling useful resources and information for new graduate students. Some of the information in this series will be relevant for anybody new to MSU, including undergraduates, postdocs, faculty and staff. The topical areas range from settling into East Lansing and Michigan, getting to know which services can be found on campus to administrative steps and information needed throughout a graduate program at MSU. For the full series, see this playlist dedicated to (international) graduate students.***
 
Welcome to East Lansing! Here are a few resources and tips on good places to eat, drink, shop and visit. Some things that will help make settling into your new hometown easier. These suggestions don’t represent any official endorsements but are rather some favourites from your fellow graduate students. There are always new shops and restaurants opening up, so keep exploring.
Housing
On campus
There are a few on campus housing options available for graduate students. Please see this website for an overview. Make sure they are open to graduate students! Common choices are Spartan Village, Owen Hall and 1855 Place. Spartan Village is a little older and a little further from main campus than the newer 1855 Place for example. Be aware that due to demand, you may be placed on a waiting list and not get an apartment immediately.
Off-campus
There are many options to live off campus, in apartments or houses, individually or shared with others, depending on budget and location. Some help to get started can be found here. Other common websites to use are Zillow and this Facebook page specific to MSU students. Again, this is just to name a few, you will find more options googling for housing in (East) Lansing. You can also ask around in your department.
Note that MSU offers legal support services to have lease agreements and such checked for you.
Grocery shopping
The big grocery chains in this area are Kroger and Meijer. They both have several stores around East Lansing and Lansing and are reachable by bus in case you don’t have a car.
On the west side of campus is a nice “farmer’s market” type supermarket called Fresh Thyme that is really good.
For organic, nice but a little expensive groceries, check out Whole Foods and Foods for Living.
For Asian and other ethnic foods try out Fresh International Market. Specifically Indian food can be found at Swagath Foods, next to Swagath Indian restaurant (near Fresh Thyme market).
There is an Aldi in Okemos (east of East Lansing), near Meridian Mall that is a great cheap option.
Horrocks on the west side of Lansing is a little far away but definitely worth the drive! Fantastic produce, cheese and beer/ wine section and you can grab a coffee while you’re shopping.
A word on groceries…
Many stores have rewards programs or special days on which you can save money. They can definitely be worth it! Just ask!
Restaurants
I thought about listing restaurants that have become favourites, however, everybody enjoys something different. So instead, I would like to point you to some areas (East) Lansing where there is a variety of dining options. This is by no means a comprehensive overview, so please google for restaurants serving your favourite cuisine!
Just north of campus in downtown East Lansing you can find several of the bigger chain restaurants but also some smaller businesses.
There are a few places near Hanna Plaza on Hagadorn Road just east of campus.
A few are dotted around Frandor Shopping Center just west of campus.
In Lansing, look at restaurants in ReoTown (southern Washington Avenue), in downtown (on Washington Avenue and Michigan Avenue) as well as Old Town (around César E. Chávez Avenue and Center Street).
Breweries
If you like to try new beers, check out the following local breweries:

Lansing Brewing Company
Midtown Brewing Company
Ellison Brewing (great Pizza food truck outside)
EagleMonk Pub and Brewery
Old Nation Brewing (outside of East Lansing, towards Williamston)

Coffee Shops
For local coffee shops, try Blue Owl Coffee and Foster Coffee in downtown East Lansing. Hooked (coffee, books, and wine) and Strange Matter are other local favourites. Find coffee, fantastic pastries and breads at Mitten Raised. For a little French flair, amazing pastries and desserts visit Chapelure east of campus.
Besides those, (East) Lansing is home to many bigger coffee shop chains such as Starbucks and Biggby Coffee with locations on and near campus.
Shopping
There are a few malls close by: Meridian Mall, Eastwood Towne Center and Lansing Mall (a little further away in west Lansing). Outlet malls are further away but can be great for finding bargains, e.g. Tanger Outlets.
(East) Lansing also has several second-hand shops, including Plato’s Closet, 2nd Time Around (both east of campus towards Okemos), St. Vincent and Paul Thrift Store (and more in ReoTown Marketplace) or Metro Retro (in Old Town).
Big “supermarkets” like Meijer, Walmart and Target also have a selection of clothing, as well as selling household products, electronics and even gardening supplies and furniture. Good to get some basics.
There are a few places that sell second-hand furniture (and used bicycles) like the MSU Surplus store and for example Dicker and Deal and many more. Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist can also be helpful for finding cheap second-hand stuff online.
A word on shopping…
There are many different stores, both big department stores that offer lots of different things as well as designated furniture/ gardening/ clothing/ etc. stores around. Too many to list here. They are often NOT located in the downtown areas but on the outskirts of the city. The closest place with a collection of stores is east of MSU campus towards and around Meridian Mall (can be reached by taking bus #1).
Cultural attractions
(East) Lansing has many cultural attractions and activities. Sometimes you just need to look a bit harder than in other places 😊 Many events use Facebook for advertising.
Directly on campus is the Wharton Center for Performing Arts that shows anything from orchestra and opera to musicals and Broadway shows. They have student discounts!
The Broad Art Museum is home to changing art exhibits and can be visited for free! There is also a Starbucks in there and sometimes free Yoga classes are hosted in the lobby.
Another great thing to do on campus is seeing a show at the Abrams Planetarium. They sometimes offer free lunch time Relaxing under the Stars or Rest with Music sessions, in cooperation with Health4You.
Old Town (a district in Lansing) is hosting different types of festivals throughout the year, including Art’s Night Out and Jazz Fest, etc. The same goes for Reo Town that regularly hosts pop-up (and thrift) stores and is home to the cute little Robin Theatre.
For a glimpse at historic Michigan, check out Meridian Historical Village.
A lot of bars have Live Music nights. I usually find out about those by “liking” events on Facebook and then getting suggestions for similar events. Again, you might have to look a little to find events but they do exist!
Nature/ Outdoors Activities
You might be wondering if there are things to do outdoors in “cold” Michigan. Of course! It actually gets pretty hot during the summer. In my experience, Michigan has very short Spring and Fall seasons, a pretty long winter with snow and cold temperatures below freezing, and hot humid summers. There is plenty to explore at any time of year. You might just have to layer up 😊 In the summer, don’t forget your sunscreen (if you’re as pale as me) and mosquito spray!
On Campus:
For a walk in the woods right on MSU’s campus, go to Baker Woodlot/ Rachana Rajendra Neotropical Bird Sanctuary. It’s beautiful any time of year. Beware the muddy pathways though!
Want to explore all sorts of plants and flowers? Check out the Beal Botanical Gardens, Horticultural Gardens and Arboretum.
Need some peace and quiet? Try the MSU Radiology Healing Gardens.
Near campus:
THE nature thing to do in Lansing in my opinion is to walk, run or cycle the Lansing River Trail. Check out the different parks along the way – Crego Park, Potter Park, Hawk Island – and follow its extensions trails further south and west. It’s a beautiful way to cycle from campus to ReoTown or all the way into Old Town for instance. There’s swimming at Crego Park and Hawk Island Park where you can also go tubing (think sliding down a snowy hill in a big rubber donut) in the winter.
Just slightly off the River Trail is Fenner Nature Center, good for a stroll and to learn more about specific vegetation and landscapes.
Missing a trip to the Zoo but don’t want to go all the way to Detroit or Chicago? Lansing has its own Zoo that also does a lot of conservation work! Visit Potter Park Zoo and maybe combine it with a walk down the River Trail.
If you’re into water sports, you can kayak on the Grand River. A rental company right in downtown Lansing is Rivertown Adventures. Though there are many more rental companies around, e.g. it’s very pretty heading towards Grand Ledge. Also make sure to check out the MSU Sailing Center for sailing boat, kayak and paddle board rentals on Lake Lansing (student discounts!).
Further afield:
Try Woldumar Nature Center for trail running and walking.
There is outdoor rock climbing at Grand Ledge.
Michigan has a decent network of hiking trails and even longer distance biking trails (e.g. the Great Lake-to-Lake Trail that crosses Michigan from east to west)
And of course so much more in other parts of Michigan, the further North you go, the more diverse the landscape 😊 Pure Michigan is a good website to use as a starting point. Definitely try to get to the Upper Peninsula while you are here. It is gorgeous up there.
 
Beauty/ Fitness
Besides the opportunities to stay fit on campus (see “Campus Services”), (East) Lansing has a multitude of gyms and fitness options to offer. From general gyms to dedicated Yoga studios, there is something for everybody. I won’t try to list them here. Please google for your most convenient location and check whether they have student specials.
In terms of hair and beauty salons, again, there are many different ones catering to all sorts of needs. Conveniently located and with good prices is Aveda Institute on Grand River Avenue, just across from campus. Be aware that this is a school, hence, students cut hair and provide the services – supervised by experienced staff.
When looking for things like beauty services or massages, it can be worth checking Groupon or other sites that offer special deals in local shops.
 
Other essentials
Postal Services
There are two post offices close to campus, one on Abbot Road and one on Collins Road. You can buy stamps and envelopes also online from USPS (United States Postal Services). Other common carriers include UPS and FedEx, especially when sending larger things. Make sure to compare prices!
A word on the postal service…
The mail is delivered every day. If you are expecting a package but weren’t home when a delivery attempt was made, THEY WILL NOT TRY AGAIN. They will leave a little note for you to know either where to pick up the package or to fill out, place in the outgoing mail box and have them try another time (according to a date you specified).
Phone plans
When choosing a phone plan, make sure you “shop around” for the best offers. The big companies here are AT&T, xfinity, Verizon, and T-mobile. But there are others too.

Title
Instructional Technology & Design Team Manager Instructional Technology and Development TeamEducational TechnologyMSU IT
Education
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MichiganMasters of Arts, May 2014 — Major: Education Technology  Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan  Bachelor of Arts, May 2010 — Major: Elementary Education  Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan  Bachelor of Science, May 2002 — Major: Food Industry Management  

Work Experience
My years of experience within the public educational system as a teacher of both young and adult learners in combination with my experience as a Technology Coach and trainer within a large-scale school district and finally as an Instructional Designer and trainer in both a corporate setting and a public university setting has given me a solid work history foundation. My Bachelor’s degrees along with a Masters in Educational Technology, rounds out the educational component to my skill set and aligns my skills perfectly.   
I am very familiar with designing, facilitating and overseeing learning and development of staff training processes and procedures. In one of my position at Michigan State University I worked on the Student Information Systems (SIS) Project as a Training Program Developer III. My role was to produce training materials for the campus in a variety of formats. I produced training material for end users. To date I have produced self-guided trainings, videos and reference guides for the SIS Project. In another previous position as an Instructional Designer at XPO, I developed, scripted and shot all the training videos for the Less than a Truckload division, in addition to training videos I have also developed and cohosted interactive seminars and a learning summit using Skype, Zoom, Go To Meeting and Adobe Connect for worldwide audiences comprised of Executive Management, Management and Vice Presidents. I also created onboarding e-learning materials and curriculums for both new hires and current employees. This material is comprised of a mixture of webinar, e-learning and on the job training materials that focus on the core subject matters that employees need to become proficient at for their 30, 60 and 90 day evaluations.  
Professional Interests
There are several interests that capture my attention, but only a few garner my full dedication. With Mixed Realities and what they can offere, Learning and Development (L&D) can provide the best growth and experience. My goal is to make L&D engaging, entertaining, and rewarding. Because if we increase our potential for success when making L&D easier with technology, we maximize our knowledge which allows use to be more.
Links to Useful Resources/Articles
 VR/AR Global Summit
The Third Teacher

 
“It’s not what you know, but who you know.” is one of the largest colloquialisms when it comes to career trajectory. In addition, a big part of attending higher education is to help propel student careers. While we may want to prepare students by just giving them the necessary knowledge for their future endeavors, we should also strive to take this time to help establish connections and reasonable paths forward for them as well.   
 
Engagement/Participation:
Student engagement is defined by how actively and enthusiastically students are involved in the learning process during class.  Meanwhile, participation refers to actual involvement of the students. So, it is possible for:  

A student may participate and not be engaged,
Or a student to be engaged but not participate.

This is important to consider when defining your pedagogical approach to classroom engagement and participation, and how you define it within your class. If you plan to award student participation, or your class heavily relies on discussion and active student engagement, you may even want to provide these definitions in the syllabus.
 
However, you may not directly explain these ideas and instead focus on whether ask these questions of your syllabus:

Does your teaching style facilitate your views of participation/engagement?
Is your syllabus communicating whether you want students to participate?
Is the syllabus itself engaging for students?
Do your assessments reflect your goals for participation/engagement?
In what ways is your syllabus contributing to student participation and engagement?

 
Peer-to-peer Interaction 
Students working together is crucial for learning and development. It helps students build necessary social skills, establish relationships between current/future colleagues, increases active participation and engagement and often increases student self-efficacy towards the course topic.
 
Therefore, it is encouraged that you construct course materials that facilitate peer-to-peer interactions and foster some sense of community within your classroom. As far as what to include in the syllabus, you should specify what types of activities you will hold that require peer-to-peer interactions, and what expectations you have of students during these interactions.
 
For example, the syllabus may contain:

A list of classroom rules that you or your class develops:

Developing them yourself lets you be in control of exactly what values you want accentuated in your class.  
Developing them as a class can communicate that students have autonomy over their learning and increase classroom engagement.  


Examples of peer-discussion techniques you use:

Whole Group Discussions:  

Ask your class to consider a question/topic and facilitate a group discussion on the topic, allowing students to speak freely and challenge one another.


Think-Pair-Share:

Ask students to individually consider a question/topic, discuss it with a partner, then share their insights with the whole class.


Mingle-Pair-Share:

Similar to think-pair-share, except students can move freely about the class and have discussions with multiple students.


Discussion Groups:

Breaking students into smaller groups to hold discussions on a question/topic, which can then be brought into larger group discussions.


Jigsaw:

Break down a larger topic into smaller pieces and allow each group to focus on an individual piece to share out in a whole class discussion.


Collaborative Assignments:

Students work together in small groups to develop material specified by a rubric or find solutions to laid out problems.


Socratic Seminar:

This is an open discussion based on an assigned set of readings. Instead of generating a question or specific topic you want students to consider, just allow them to openly discuss the material and explore at their own pace.





                               
There are numerous other ways you may facilitate peer-to-peer relationships and communication, but however you choose to do so, it is helpful to communicate that to students upfront and through the syllabus.
 
 
Instructor-Student Interaction:
Fair or not, how students reflect on course material, or a specific subject, largely depends on their (impression of)/ (relationship with) their teacher. For this reason, it’s important to have a positive relationship between an instructor and their student. The syllabus, again especially as a first impression, can help facilitate this relationship and help an instructor feel more approachable. For this reason, it’s important that your syllabus:

Sets a welcoming/positive tone:

Clearly communicate your enthusiasm for the course and the students participating.
Set expectations but don’t dictate them.
Include words with positive connotations

As an example, instead of describing student work as “acceptable” consider saying it is “valid” or “commendable”


Avoid negatives (such as “do not” or “unable to” as much as possible)


Encourages engagement:

You’ve explained what types of engagement you’re looking for, but now it is important to encourage that from students. To do so:

Give examples of your interactive content.
Engage in storytelling by sharing personal details you feel comfortable sharing.
Ask for and encourage student feedback.
Be authentic.




Promotes your own availability:

One of the leading reasons students don’t attend office hours is because they feel they are “awkward.” To break through this barrier, you might:

Explain the value office hours provide students:

Promote the benefits such as improved understanding and better test scores.
Highlight success stories


Offer flexible scheduling for office hours.
Consider Location/Modality:

Are you available via video or only in-person?
If in-person, where are you available to meet and how accessible is that to the students?


Set one-on-one meetings during the semester.

These can be informal and short to get students familiar with the process, or perhaps there is a specific purpose tied to the meeting.







 
Students who feel more comfortable with their instructor tend to perform significantly better in a course and have a stronger sense of confidence in their own ability. Fostering this relationship is one of the most crucial for the educator to create a positive classroom environment.
 
Provide Connections:
With the goal in mind that students attend college to increase career success, it is important to use our abilities and connections to help them achieve it. This will appear vastly different depending on the field of study, and possible career paths, but here are some forms this may take:
 
Connect students with other faculty: Perhaps another member of the department or institution you know has better connections that align with a student’s career aims, or areas of interest.
 
Have guest speakers: You can’t know everything, and having a guest speaker can help students gain exposure to the community around the topic they’re studying and form meaningful connections with them.
 
Utilize connections in the field: You more than likely studied this material at your own university/had a job in the field. Consider connecting students to relevant contacts or having them be a guest speaker.
 
Ask Alumni: If you’ve had students who have gone into the field, especially if you’ve stayed in contact with them, consider having them be a guest speaker or asking them to explain how your class helped prepare them for industry. What types of things could you change in your class to help make this transition more effective?
 

Course Clean-up Tips 
 
Keep Only Active Content
You may find greater peace of mind by uncluttering your course. Try to keep only the content you are using in a semester course and place content you might use later in a dev course or save it outside of D2L.
 
Ditch Past CMS Baggage
The Manage Files area of your course may be carrying extra baggage from previous conversions or years of accumulated files. This can affect the speed of your course copy and make it hard to find items. It is not necessary to keep copying these unused files year after year. The process on the reverse side will show you how to clean these out in one fell swoop.
 
Store Video Files in MediaSpace
There are several reasons to save video files in Kaltura MediaSpace and link them in D2L. It avoids duplication if you use them in more than one course. It makes your course copy faster and less prone to errors. It may be easier to manage them and you can order free captions!
 
Resources and Tools
Clean “Course Copy”This process copies all associated files from content and activities, such as quizzes and assignments, leaving behind any lingering files not actually used in the course.

 Start in an empty course site (new dev course or new semester)
 Go to Course Admin > Import/Export/Copy Components
 Search for the course offering (to copy from)
 Choose “Select Components”
 Check the box to Select All Components
 De-select Course Files (associated files will still copy)
 Click Continue and Finish
 Check the content in the new site

Files associated with Custom Widgets and Themes are not included.
 
What is contributing to course size?

Go to Course Admin > Manage Files. 
Click twice on the "Size" column to order the list from largest to smallest (anything in KB is small and over 10 MB is large). 
If the Manage Files area contains multiple folders, you will need to look in each folder separately. 

 
If you use the clean course copy process above, look at the number of files cleaned up by comparing the numbers at the bottom of the Manage Files area.