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Below is a list of resources that promote student success. All links provided are direct links (ONE CLICK) connecting you to contact information or an educator who can respond to your questions and/or help your students who are struggling with stress or grief. Thank you for helping our students achieve their goals.
Counseling and Psychiatric Services [CAPS]
Who to Contact for What Service   
Faculty and Staff Resources including the Green Folder- who to contact and how to help students in distress
Staff Contact Information 
Addressing Student Mental Health Concerns in Online Courses

Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation (CTLI)
Purpose: The mission of the Center for TLI is to support MSU’s educators and their practices through collaboration and consultation. What do we do:

Support MSU communities where educators work together across roles to provide inclusive, research-informed experiences that support student success.
Build a path to success for every educator by leading the university with unwavering integrity and a strong culture of teaching and learning
Collaborate with and empower all MSU educators in their engagement in equitable, student-centered teaching and learning practices.

Services Provided:

Instructional Consultation
Curriculum Development & Course Design
Online Program Management
Academic Entrepreneurship
Training and Workshops

Website: https://teachingcenter.msu.edu/Contact Usteaching@msu.eduRequest a ConsultationContact Staff Directly 

This week, we are featuring Candace Robertson, Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) Assistant Director.  Candace was recognized via iteach.msu.edu's Thank and Educator Initiative! We encourage MSU community members to nominate high-impact Spartan educators (via our Thank an Educator form) regularly!
Read more about Candace’s perspectives below. #iteachmsu's questions are bolded below, followed by their responses!


You were recognized via the Thank an Educator Initiative. In one word, what does being an educator mean to you? 
Brainstorm. 
What does this word/quality look like in your practice? Have your ideas on this changed over time? If so, how?
In practice, this looks like listening to learners and brainstorming with them to maximize their learning experiences and future professional opportunities. This is done with empathy and creative thinking, as I act as a solution-oriented sounding board. It also looks like me brainstorming as a reflective practitioner to improve the content, experience, and my facilitation abilities.
Tell me more about your educational “setting.” This can include, but not limited to departmental affiliations, community connections, co-instructors, and students. (AKA, where do you work?)
 I work for the College of Education’s Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program, in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education (CEPSE). I advise our MAET students and teach courses for our program as well, among my other responsibilities. My interactions with learners and our instructors ranges from in-person, to hybrid, to fully online.
What is a challenge you experience in your educator role? Any particular “solutions” or “best practices” you’ve found that help you support student success at the university despite/in the face of this?
A current challenge I am facing in my advising and teaching role is the hardships that PK-12 educators (many of our students) are facing in their professional roles and how that is impacting their ability to make the time and cognitive space needed for their graduate coursework. To support this challenge, our program provided training in trauma-informed practice to our instructors. On the student side, we worked with MSU’s CAPS to offer group connection sessions to focus on mental health.
What are practices you utilize that help you feel successful as an educator?
 It helps me feel successful as an educator when a learner shares a positive or critical reflection of their experience with me. In working with educators as our learners, I want to be the best that I can be and when I’ve created the setting where the learner feels comfortable enough to reach out and share feedback at any point in the experience, I know that I’ve done well in building a trusting community focused on growth – my own included.
What topics or ideas about teaching and learning would you like to see discussed on the iteach.msu.edu platform? Why do you think this conversation is needed at MSU? 
 I would be very interested to learn more about what other educators on campus are doing to support students who are facing challenging work demands and how they are accounting for this in their teaching and learning spaces. This is especially needed at the master’s level, where the majority of students are working full-time and balancing those demands with their graduate experience.
What are you looking forward to (or excited to be a part of) next semester?
We are excited to be able to offer our hybrid and overseas (face-to-face) cohorts this summer, after postponing the last two summers due to COVID-19. I’m excited for the opportunity to bring our students together safely in the same physical space to watch them explore and create together!



Don't forget to celebrate individuals you see making a difference in teaching, learning, or student success at MSU with #iteachmsu's Thank an Educator initiative. You might just see them appear in the next feature!

Learning Objectives

Define transparent Task instructions
Describe the importance of clearly written task instructions in an assignment
List 10 tips for writing clearly stated task assignment instructions.
Identify whether the transparency in a set of task instructions is weak or strong 

Introduction
This is part 3 of a 5 part series of articles on Transparent Assignment Design (Part 1, Part 2)The second critical element of a transparent assignment is the Task. The task is what students should do and deals with the actions the students have to take to complete the assignment. 
The Significance of Transparency in Task
Have you ever had to follow a cooking recipe or build a piece of furniture with poor instructions? Perhaps the instructions were word-heavy or confusing, the steps were out of order, a step was missing, or the diagrams were incorrect, confusing, or absent. When writing instructions for an assignment, especially multi-step, scaffolded types of assignments, we need to think like Instructional Designers. A guiding question that should be at the forefront of an Instructional Designer’s mind is: How could a non-expert complete this activity with the fewest errors? Our goal as educators is to set students up for success, not to create obstacles with unclear instructions. Instructions should be concise, straightforward, include all the required tools/resources, and be seamless to follow.
The "Task" section explains to students the steps they need to take to complete the assignment. It often includes any additional resources that students will need, such as data sets, articles to cite, websites to visit, etc.

Watch:

10 Tips for Writing an Effective “Task” Section:
1. Keep it Simple:

Avoid text-heavy instructions. Over-explaining can lead to distraction and confusion.

2. Use Positive and Direct Instructions:

Cognitive psychologists have found that it is easier for our brains to process what ‘to do’ than what ‘not to do’. If you must add avoidance statements, start with what students should do first.
Focus on direct instructions for what students should do, and limit how often you focus on what students should not do.
Example: Instead of saying, "Don’t forget to use APA style," say, "Use APA style for citations."

3. Consistent Formatting:

Use sparing bolding, underlining, italicizing, highlighting, all caps and font color.
Overuse of these features can create accessibility problems for screen readers and dilute the importance of truly key information.

4. Utilize Visual Aids:

Incorporate screenshots, mini-videos, gifs, and diagrams. As the saying goes, pictures can speak a thousand words and sometimes it's just easier to see someone carry out the task first.

5. Use Lists:

Numbered or bulleted lists help cut back on words and make instructions clearer. Avoid excessive levels of granularity in your lists (e.g., 1.2.5.14), which can be confusing.

6. Leverage Collaborative Tools:

Consider using Google Docs or other collaborative, cloud-based processors instead of the upload/download method of sharing assignment documents. 
The perks of using cloud-based processors include avoiding multiple versions of the same document, allowing for seamless updates, embedding of images, videos, and hyperlinks, allowing for students to “comment” on the document.

7. Hyperlink to Resources:

This increases usability and reduces time spent searching for materials buried in the course by centralizing all necessary resources to complete the assignment in one spot.

8. Consistent Labeling of Key Terms:

Use consistent terminology. Avoid using different labels for the same concept, as this can be confusing, especially for non-experts and second-language speakers.

9. Provide Troubleshooting Tips:

Include a separate document with common issues and their solutions, linked from the main instructions. Invite students to help curate this FAQ.

10. Seek Feedback:

Have someone unfamiliar with the assignment go through the instructions or use a generative AI tool to identify areas for improvement in usability and understanding.


Examples of Tasks Instructions
Weak Task Instructions:
Assignment: Write a Literary Analysis Essay on a Novel of Your Choice.
Task Section: Read the novel and write an essay about it.
Explanation: This task section is too vague and lacks specificity. It doesn’t provide clear steps, structure, or resources, leaving students uncertain about what is expected.

Strong Task Instructions:
Assignment: Write a Literary Analysis Essay on a Novel of Your Choice.
Task:

Choose a Novel:


Select a novel from the provided list in the course’s Week 2 folder. Ensure your choice is approved by [date].

2. Read the Novel:

Read the entire novel. Take notes on key themes, characters, and plot points as you read.

3. Develop a Thesis Statement:

Craft a clear, arguable thesis statement that reflects your analysis of the novel. Your thesis should focus on a specific theme, character, or literary device.

4. Gather Evidence:

Collect textual evidence (quotes, passages) from the novel to support your thesis. Make sure to note the page numbers for proper citation.

5. Outline Your Essay:

Create an outline that includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each body paragraph should focus on a single point that supports your thesis.

6. Write the First Draft:

Write the first draft of your essay, following the outline. Ensure your essay is 1500-2000 words in length and includes an introduction with a thesis statement, body paragraphs with evidence, and a conclusion.

7. Use MLA Formatting:

Format your essay according to MLA guidelines. Include in-text citations and a Works Cited page for the novel and any other sources you reference.

8. Peer Review:

Submit your draft to the peer review forum by [date]. Review at least two of your classmates' essays and provide constructive feedback.

9. Revise and Edit:

Based on peer feedback and your own review, revise and edit your essay. Focus on clarity, coherence, and correct grammar.

10. Submit the Final Essay:

Submit your final essay via the course’s online portal by [date]. Ensure you attach your draft with peer review comments.

Resources:

Refer to the “Literary Analysis Guide” available in the Resources folder for detailed instructions on developing a thesis and gathering evidence.
Use the “MLA Formatting Guide” linked [here] for help with citations and formatting.

Submission Checklist:

Thesis statement
Evidence from the text with citations
Outline
Draft with peer comments
Final essay in MLA format

Explanation: 
This task section is detailed and structured, providing clear, step-by-step instructions and necessary resources. It specifies what students need to do at each stage, the tools they should use, and deadlines, ensuring that students understand how to proceed and complete the assignment effectively.

Resources: 
Note: This is article 3 of a 5-part series on Transparent Assignments.

Quick Guide to Transparent Assignments (CTLI:MSU)

In-Person Lectures vs. Online Instruction
Actively engaging students in the learning process is important for both in-person lectures and for online instruction. The ways in which students engage with the instructor, their peers, and the course materials will vary based on the setting. In-person courses are often confined by the fact that instruction needs to be squeezed into a specific time period, which can result in there being a limited amount of time for students to perform group work or to actively think about the concepts they are learning. Alternatively, with online instruction, there is often more freedom (especially for an asynchronous course) on how you can present materials and structure the learning environment.
Currently, many instructors are faced with the challenge of adapting their in-person courses into an online format. How course materials are adapted into an online format are going to differ from course to course – however, a common practice shared across courses is to create lecture recordings or videos for students to watch. The format and length of these videos play an important role in the learning experience students have within a course. The ways in which students engage with a longer video recording is going to be much different than how students engage with multiple shorter videos. Below are some of the important reasons why shorter videos can enhance student learning when compared to longer videos.
 
More Opportunities for Students to Actively Engage with the Material
Decades of research on how people learn has shown that active learning (in comparison to more passive approaches, such as direct instruction or a traditional lecture) enhances student performance (Freeman et. al., 2014). While “active learning” can often be a nebulous phrase that has different meanings, active learning can be broadly thought of as any activity in which a learner is metacognitively thinking about and applying knowledge to accomplish some goal or task. Providing multiple opportunities for students to engage in these types of activities can help foster a more meaningful and inclusive learning environment for students. This is especially important for online instruction as students may feel isolated or have a difficult time navigating their learning within a virtual environment.
One of the biggest benefits of creating a series of shorter videos compared to creating one long video is that active learning techniques and activities can be more easily utilized and interspersed throughout a lesson. For example, if you were to record a video of a traditional lecture period, your video would be nearly an hour in length, and it would likely cover multiple important topics within that time period. Creating opportunities to actively engage students throughout an hour-long video is difficult and can result in students feeling overwhelmed.
Conversely, one of the affordances of online instruction is that lectures can be broken down into a series of smaller video lessons and activities. By having shorter videos with corresponding activities, students are going to spend more time actively thinking about and applying their understanding of concepts throughout a lesson. This in turn can promote metacognition by getting students to think about their thinking after each short video rather than at the end of a long video that covers multiple topics.
Additionally, concepts often build upon one another, and it is critical that students develop a solid foundation of prior knowledge before moving onto more complex topics. When you create multiple short videos and activities, it can be easier to get a snapshot of how students conceptualize different topics as they are learning it. This information can help both you as an instructor and your students become better aware of when they are having difficulties so that issues can be addressed before moving onto more complex topics. With longer videos, students may be confused on concepts discussed at the beginning of the video, which can then make it difficult for them to understand subsequent concepts.
Overall, chunking a longer video into multiple shorter videos is a simple technique you can use to create more meaningful learning opportunities in a virtual setting. Short videos, coupled with corresponding activities, is a powerful pedagogical approach to enhance student learning.
 
Reducing Cognitive Load
Another major benefit of having multiple shorter videos instead of one longer video is that it can reduce the cognitive load that students experience when engaging with the content. Learning is a process that requires the brain to adapt, develop, and ultimately form new neural connections in response to stimuli (National Academies of Sciences, 2018). If a video is long and packed with content, developing a meaningful understanding of concepts can be quite difficult. Even if the content is explained in detail (which many people think of as “good instruction”), students simply do not have enough time to process and critically think about the content they are learning. When taking in various stimuli and trying to comprehend multiple concepts, this can result in students feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Having time to self-reflect is one of the most important factors to promoting a deeper, more meaningful learning experience. Unfortunately, long video lectures provide few opportunities (even when done well!) for students to engage in these types of thinking and doing.
Additionally, an unintended drawback of long videos is that the listener can be lulled into a false sense of understanding. For example, have you ever watched a live lecture or an educational video where you followed along and felt like you understood the material, but then after when you went to apply this knowledge, you realized that you forgot or did not understand the content as well as you thought? Everyone has experienced this phenomenon in some form or another. As students watch long video lectures, especially lectures that have clear explanations of the content, they may get a false sense of how well they understand the material. This can result in students overestimating their ability and grasp of foundational ideas, which in turn, can make future learning more difficult as subsequent knowledge will be built upon a faulty base.
Long lecture videos are also more prone to having extraneous information or tangential discussions throughout. This additional information may cause students to shift their cognitive resources away from the core course content, resulting in a less meaningful learning experience (Mayer & Moreno, 2003). Breaking a long video into multiple shorter videos can reduce the cognitive load students may experience and it can create more opportunities for them to self-reflect on what they are learning. 
 
More Engaging for Students
Another important factor to think about is how video length affects student engagement. A study by Guo, Kim, and Rubin (2014) looked at how different forms of video production affected student engagement when watching videos. Two of their main findings were that (1) shorter videos improve student engagement, and that (2) recordings of traditional lectures are less engaging compared to digital tablet drawing or PowerPoint slide presentations. These findings show how it is not only important to record shorter videos, but that simply recording a traditional lecture and splicing it into smaller videos will not result in the most engaging experience for students.
When distilling a traditional lecture into a series of shorter videos, it is important to think about the pedagogical techniques you would normally use in the classroom and how these approaches might translate to an online setting. Identifying how these approaches might be adapted into a video recording can help create a more engaging experience for students in your course.
Overall, the length of lecture videos and the ways in which they are structured directly impacts how students learn in a virtual setting. Recording short, interactive videos, as opposed to long lecture videos, is a powerful technique you can use to enhance student learning and engagement.
 
References
Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415.
Guo, P. J., Kim, J., & Rubin, R. (2014, March). How video production affects student engagement: An empirical study of MOOC videos. In Proceedings of the first ACM conference on Learning@ scale conference (pp. 41-50).
Mayer, R. E., & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning. Educational psychologist, 38(1), 43-52.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). How people learn II: Learners, contexts, and cultures. National Academies Press.

Here is a syllabus template that 1) meets MSU requirements as of 2023, 2) is accessible for online documents, 3) meets or describes how to meet most Quality Matters rubric criteria, and 4) encourages an inclusive and welcoming class. This includes a thorough list of student resources, statements that reduce the hidden curriculum (such as describing the purpose of office hours), and notes that continually encourage students to seek assistance from the instructor or resources.This template was developed for the Center for Integrative Studies in General Science (CISGS), College of Natural Science, but most of it is appropriate for other departments. The CISGS-specific aspects are highlighted in green (or search for CISGS in the file) and therefore can be easily removed. The template begins with an introduction to instructors so that you can learn more about the development of the syllabus. It was developed summer 2023 and is periodically updated- if you notice any issues (e.g., broken URL links), then please contact Andrea Bierema (abierema@msu.edu). To see any updates since last you looked at the template, once in the file, click "File," click "version history," select any version dates since last you looked at the file, and turn on "show changes."Check out the syllabus template, use whatever information you find useful, or start from the beginning by downloading and editing the template for your class!Featured Image: curriculum by Candy Design from <a href="https://thenounproject.com/browse/icons/term/curriculum/" target="_blank" title="curriculum Icons">Noun Project</a> (CC BY 3.0)

Title: Welcome to my classroom: COILPresenters: Antoinette Tessmer, Guanglong Pang (Education)Format: WTMCDate: May 11th, 2023Time: 2:45 pm - 3:45 pmClick here to viewDescription:COIL is an innovative online tool for international and intercultural learning among instructors and learners. It allows instructors and learners to enjoy many benefits of international and intercultural learning without the costs and implications of international travel. However, designing and running a successful COIL activity remains challenging because such a task is non-traditional, often requiring instructors to plan and teach outside of their comfort zone. We propose to run a COIL activity with a mock group of remote partners. Attendees will be grouped with remote collaborators to complete a collaborative project. Our session comprises steps that are typically present in a COIL activity. Attendees will participate in (a) an ice breaker activity followed by (b) a group discussion to identify a common topic based on their shared teaching/research interests. Groups will (c) brainstorm a hands-on project related to their topic. We then invite groups to (d) share their ideas with others. We will end with a general discussion about the logistics, challenges and lessons learned while participating to the COIL activity. As teleconference technology will be needed, participants will need to bring a laptop. We recommend that interested participants consider attending the “Workshop: COIL” session as an introduction to this “Welcome to My Classroom: COIL” session.

This summer, the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation is launching two asynchronous courses for educators: Inclusive Pedagogy and Welcome to Teaching. These two courses represent early offerings in what will be an expansive suite of self-paced, asynchronous educator development programming that will roll out throughout the 2025-2026 academic year.
Inclusive Pedagogy CTLI Course
This self-paced course is designed for MSU educators—broadly defined to include not only faculty and instructors, but also advisors, librarians, teaching assistants, instructional designers, coaches, Extension educators, and anyone involved in teaching, learning, or student success. In this course, you’ll explore the foundations of inclusive pedagogy and how it can be applied in your unique context. You’ll engage with videos, readings, reflections, and activities across seven modules, each building toward practical strategies for creating more inclusive educational spaces. The course is now available for self-enroll and offered in D2L. 
 
Welcome to Teaching CTLI Course [Forthcoming in early Fall 2025]
Discover the foundations of effective teaching at MSU through this self-paced online course designed for educators across roles and disciplines. Through CTLI-curated content, you’ll examine key principles of quality instruction, learn practical strategies for creating equitable and engaging learning environments, and build your understanding of pedagogy and instructional design within the context of Michigan State University—all on your own schedule. Whether you're new to teaching or looking to refresh your practice, this course offers a meaningful entry point to MSU’s commitment to teaching and learning for student success.