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MSU seeks new ideas aimed at improving the digital learning experience. Incorporating digital strategies to support pedagogy can enhance students’ learning experiences and offer efficiencies in assessment and analysis. Many digital learning innovations impacting institutional initiatives at scale often start small. Innovations may spring from novel pedagogical approaches in individual courses, as collaborative experiments across disciplines, or the result of student feedback and needs analysis. We recognize the value of providing support and resources to change the student experience for the better. MSU's Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation is committed to facilitating new ideas and announces the following call for proposals for the Catalyst Innovation Program.
Catalyst Innovation Program
The Catalyst Innovation Program seeks to fund creative and innovative uses of tools, technology, and pedagogical approaches up to $10,000 for the purposes of allowing experimentation in spaces with the potential to enhance student learning experiences.
Please note that these funds are intended to fund software, technology, and/or services but are not able to support salary lines, including faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students. We are especially interested in proposals that include one or more of the following criteria:
Learning

Demonstrate learning, conceptual understanding, or increased content knowledge

Inclusivity and Accessibility

Increase access, as defined as “providing the means for all qualified, motivated students to complete courses, degrees, or programs in their disciplines of choice (Online Learning Consortium, n.d.; MSU Learning Design Strategy.)” For example, reduced or zero cost to students beyond tuition, universally designed experiences, and the like
Contribute to more equitable and inclusive digital learning experiences and environments
Experiences that are universally designed and accessible

Feedback and Adaptivity

Increase formative feedback (assessment for learning)
Provide learning analytics to educators to enable adaptive or personalized pedagogy
Provide mechanisms for student input and collaboration
Increase student engagement as defined by your discipline. For example as increased participation, collaboration, peer learning, and so on

Proposals
Proposals should include a description of the innovation and idea, implementation approach, evaluation and assessment plan, and budget. Click the following link to apply (Application closed)
Timeline

The Call for Proposals opens: December 16, 2021
Proposals are due: 5:00 pm EST, January 21, 2022
Awards will be announced: February 7, 2022
Once awarded, funding is available through June 30, 2022.  

Selection Criteria

Completeness of the idea proposal

Clearly explained potential impact on student engagement, mastery, or success
Challenge or shift current teaching and learning practices

Readiness to implement

Plan to implement during the funding period in an existing course or program

Opportunity for scale/re-use
Assessment and evaluation plan for your project
Proposed budget
Alignment with MSU Learning Design Strategy

Quality
Inclusivity
Connectivity


References
https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/about/quality-framework-five-pillars/
http://lds.msu.edu

MSU IT’s Educational Technology Department is excited to announce that applications are now open for the AT&T Excellence in Teaching with Technology Awards. These annual awards highlight successful uses of instructional technology to support student success in any courses at MSU and celebrate the educators responsible for implementing them. 
 
For application details and information about past winners, visit the AT&T Awards website.

MSU seeks new ideas aimed at improving the digital learning experience. Incorporating digital strategies to support pedagogy can enhance students’ learning experiences and offer efficiencies in assessment and analysis. Many digital learning innovations impacting institutional initiatives at scale often start small. Innovations may spring from novel pedagogical approaches in individual courses, as collaborative experiments across disciplines, or the result of student feedback and needs analysis. We recognize the value of providing support and resources to change the student experience for the better. MSU's Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation is committed to facilitating new ideas and announces the following call for proposals for the Catalyst Innovation Program.
Catalyst Innovation Program
The Catalyst Innovation Program seeks to fund creative and innovative uses of tools, technology, and pedagogical approaches up to $10,000 for the purposes of allowing experimentation in spaces with the potential to enhance student learning experiences.
Please note that these funds are intended to fund software, technology, and/or services but are not able to support salary lines, including faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students. We are especially interested in proposals that include one or more of the following criteria:
Learning

Demonstrate learning, conceptual understanding, or increased content knowledge

Inclusivity and Accessibility

Increase access, as defined as “providing the means for all qualified, motivated students to complete courses, degrees, or programs in their disciplines of choice (Online Learning Consortium, n.d.; MSU Learning Design Strategy.)” For example, reduced or zero cost to students beyond tuition, universally designed experiences, and the like
Contribute to more equitable and inclusive digital learning experiences and environments
Experiences that are universally designed and accessible

Feedback and Adaptivity

Increase formative feedback (assessment for learning)
Provide learning analytics to educators to enable adaptive or personalized pedagogy
Provide mechanisms for student input and collaboration
Increase student engagement as defined by your discipline. For example as increased participation, collaboration, peer learning, and so on

Proposals
Proposals should include a description of the innovation and idea, implementation approach, evaluation and assessment plan, and budget. Click the following link to apply: https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cSa6sOXdRCQxPtc
Timeline (Extended deadline)

The Call for Proposals opens: April 29, 2022
Proposals are due: 5:00 pm EST, June 3, 2022
Awards will be announced: June 15, 2022
Once awarded, funding is available through December, 2022.  

Selection Criteria

Completeness of the idea proposal

Clearly explained potential impact on student engagement, mastery, or success
Challenge or shift current teaching and learning practices

Readiness to implement

Plan to implement during the funding period in an existing course or program

Opportunity for scale/re-use
Assessment and evaluation plan for your project
Proposed budget
Alignment with MSU Learning Design Strategy

Quality
Inclusivity
Connectivity


References
https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/about/quality-framework-five-pillars/
http://lds.msu.edu

The Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology is transforming into a new unit under the Office of the Provost umbrella, within the MSU Libraries: the MSU Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation (Center for TLI).  
In a recent message to the MSU educator community, Provost Woodruff explained that this transition represents a deliberate effort to locate fundamental support for educators at the academic heart of the university, the Main Library. Centrally located, and central to the lives of our faculty and instructional staff, this new role and added portfolio of services will bring together outstanding faculty and academic staff from across campus to advance teaching and learning methodology, technology, and innovation at MSU. 
The Center for TLI will be staffed by a combination of former Hub and current library employees. According to a message from Dean of Libraries and Interim Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning Innovation Joe Salem, the Center for TLI will also be looking for additional staff next year. 
“The team and I know there are already invaluable educator support efforts in place across campus. We intend to collaborate with and help amplify those,” says Salem. “The Center for TLI will use a networked approach, keeping a core team supporting educator efforts centrally while working closely and collaboratively with center affiliates in colleges, departments, and units across campus.” 
As a new initiative, The Center for TLI is still evolving. Salem wants to ensure the process of building out the unit involves stakeholders in the crucial, early phase of development. “As part of our process, a small group of educator development stakeholders are being asked to participate in a kick-off summit this January,” he says. “Together, this team will synchronously contribute to developing ideas for how a networked approach can best complement the existing MSU educator ecosystem and fill gaps in support.” 
Salem adds that in addition to the kick-off summit and follow-up work with educator development stakeholders, his team will be offering additional engagement opportunities for educators themselves in the new year. 
This engagement and the feedback collected will be used to help shape the vision and mission of the unit.  
“There is a remarkable amount of expertise on our campus regarding teaching and learning innovation,” says Salem. “We are extremely excited to have the Provost’s support in aligning the great work so many are already doing, and just as excited to break new ground in this space. We’re bringing together a team of cross-unit educators to plan opportunities for MSU educators to share ideas about making the Center for TLI as supportive and collaborative as it can be.” 
While still under construction, the evolving vision for the Center for TLI has at its core an unalterable value: faculty and staff success. As stated unequivocally in MSU’s recently unveiled strategic plan, faculty and staff are MSU’s biggest investment and most important asset. The Center for TLI will be a place to fortify this crucial strategic pillar. Stakeholders across campus can expect a continued commitment from the Center for TLI to iterate on the colossal professional development strides and technological innovation created as a response to the demands of remote teaching and learning.  

The MSU Libraries’ Open Educational Resources (OER) Award Program call for applications for academic year 2021-2022 has been extended to January 31, 2022.
Now on its 3rd year, the OER Award Program provides financial incentives and support for instructors interested in adopting, adapting, or creating OER as an alternative to traditional textbooks to advance our goals of affordability, access, equity, and student success.
You can download the Call for Proposals overview to learn more about the application categories, eligibility, participation requirements, timelines, and criteria for evaluation. The OER Advisory Committee will meet to review applications and successful awardees will be notified on February 14, 2022.
Application forms are available in the OER LibGuide. Please submit your proposals via email to Regina Gong, OER & Student Success Librarian at gongregi@msu.edu. Deadline for submission of proposals is 5:00 pm, January 31, 2022.
If you have questions about the OER Award program and the application categories, Regina offers a one-on-one project consultation. Please send an email to gongregi@msu.edu to schedule a session.
 

Studying and Learning
Study Tips for Open Book and Take Home Exams
Study Through Active Recall
How to Read Your Textbook More Efficiently
Study Less, Study Smart
How to Motivate Yourself to Study
How to Study by Subjects
How to Study for Any Test or Exam
How to Improve Your Memory: A Comprehensive, Science-Backed Guide
How-To Videos
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How to Remember More – Spaced Repetition
How to take Better Notes: The 6 Best Note-Taking Systems
How to Make Studying Fun
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How to Improve Your Grades on Multiple Choice Tests
How to Overcome Test Anxiety – 5 Strategies that Work
How to Create a Study Schedule for Final Exams
Confidence Tracking: A Brain Hack for Improving Your Exam Grades
How to Recover from a Failure
 
Math Resources
mathTV.com
Khan Academy
Worksheets (Kutasoftware)
Online Graphing Calculator (Desmos)
Print Your own Graph Paper:
Rectangular
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Science Resources
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Chemistry Resources
Virtual Organic Chemistry Textbook
Physics Resources
In-House Guidelines
Academic Planning Calendars
Instructions for Academic Planning Calendars
Strategies and Tips for Online Learning
Getting the Most Out of Mathematics
Post-Test Evaluation (Math)

Topic Area: Student Success
Presented by: Regina Gong, Jason Almerigi
Abstract:
The MSU Libraries' OER Program is a student success initiative that was launched in the Fall 2019 semester. The OER program goals are affordability, access, agency, innovation, and engagement in innovative pedagogical models that facilitate learning. This presentation will provide an overview of the OER program, including the courses using an OER as course learning materials. It will also present survey results and course success metrics disaggregated by relevant demographic background factors from over 8,000 students enrolled in Fall 2020 courses that adopted OER learning materials. We will discuss how the cost of textbooks has impacted our students' lives and how OER has provided them the means to address the affordability and accessibility of learning materials, especially during the pandemic.

There are a variety of considerations when it comes to course content. Now, if you’re close to the start of the semester, it is likely that you have already chosen (and submitted to the Registrar Office) your textbook and/or required materials for student purchase. Please consider the following when selecting your supplemental course content (additional materials, case studies, scenarios, etc.)... and for your primary texts next term. 
Diversifying voice - who is represented?
“Does your syllabus demonstrate to students that everyone has a place in your field of study? … Pedagogically, we might find it challenging to create a sense of belonging in a course when some students cannot imagine themselves as part of the community of scholarship and practice” (Marcella Addy et al., 2021, p. 52). Wow, that statement is really powerful, especially considering some recent scholarship. Schucan Bird and Pitman (2020) found, after an analysis of reading lists, that the reading lists did not represent the diverse local student body but came closer to representing the demographic profile of academic staff (dominated by white, male, and Eurocentric authors). Despite challenges across disciplines and settings, educators should make every effort to center students in their course design and make course materials a descriptive representation of the student body itself (Schucan Bird & Pitman, 2020). This shift can include showcasing the contributions of marginalized groups (Blackburn, 2017) with greater representation of perspectives, histories and approaches of scholars (Le Grange, 2016), along with adopting efforts to decolonialize teaching and learning (Phillips & Archer-Lean 2018). 
Looking for ways to get started? Colleagues at Tufts University Libraries (according to this Inside Higher Ed article) have noted that diversifying your course materials to include content about and by marginalized scholars (groups whose characteristics result in the systematic denial of equal rights and opportunities within a community or society including but not limited to race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation)  helps to “foster an environment that includes knowledge that has been systematically excluded from academia.” You might…

Considering diverse authorship of readings (ethnicity, gender, geographic location)
Inviting guest speakers who bring different perspectives
Using diverse audio and visual materials, such as films, interviews and TED talks
Incorporating readings that challenge standard approaches
Using primary research with authorship that reflects local collaborators
Offering multiple perspectives in assigned readings and letting students choose what to read or discuss at times.

Faculty members “can identify resources that highlight historically underrepresented researchers and activists in our fields,” she suggests. “We can include statements and topics in syllabi to decode our courses, structures and expectations. We can work to decolonize the power dynamics of our classrooms so what students already know and experience is also seen as a valuable contribution to the learning environment,” said Bridget Trogden (presently serving as Dean of Undergraduate Education at American University). Improving diversity and inclusion of voices in educational materials isn’t necessarily difficult, educators just need to be intentional. Fuentes et al. (2021) go beyond centering authors of mariginalized backgrounds, and recommend educators transparently acknowledge their intentional material selections. The example they provide in their article Rethinking the Course Syllabus: Considerations for Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is, "The following text/articles for the course have been chosen in efforts to highlight the important work of historically underrepresented and marginalized scholars in the field" (Fuentes et al., 2021, p.75).
“The proof is in the data: children are more likely to have a more productive learning experience and thrive in the classroom, throughout the school and in their communities when they see themselves represented in curriculum and library materials,” said Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada, President of the American Library Association. If data supports diversifying reading may boost a student’s development and well-being, WHILE ALSO increasing a sense of belonging and breaking down barriers to collegiate success… what reasons do we have not to reimagine our course materials?
Accessibility of digital content
The experts at MSU IT who manage the Digital Accessibility page recommend that educators ask the following questions before adopting digital content (adapted with permission from UC-Boulder’s Digital Accessibility Program):

Ask for Publisher Information: Contact the publisher to ask them for details about the accessibility of your particular textbook and/or digital content. This should include all known accessibility issues, any workarounds that the student can use, a named point of contact, and any guidance on how to ensure any content you create within the platform is accessible.
Review your Assessments: If you use digital online quizzes, ask the publisher for a list of quiz question types that are accessible. Review your own quiz content to ensure that none of your questions rely on drag-and-drop actions, images without alt text, or other inaccessible mechanisms.
Consult with Digital Accessibility Specialists: Contact your local Accessibility Policy Liaison for support and reach out to the MSU IT Digital Experience (DigitalX) team for help evaluating your digital content at webaccess@msu.edu or call the IT Help Desk at 517-432-6200.
Notify your Students: If the digital content (including texts, assignments, tests, or online homework systems) used in your course are not fully accessible, please notify your students in your syllabus with the following statement: “This course requires the use of [name of software or service], which is currently not accessible. Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. Accommodations for persons with disabilities, with documentation from the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, may be requested by contacting [insert Professor name or "me"] at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the accommodation date (test, project, etc). Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible. For questions, contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at 517.884.7273”

For more information on Digital Accessibility check out the “Course Accessibility: Commitments, Support, and Resources” article, visit the Accessibility Evaluation Questions for Digital Content page, or contact your college/department’s Web Accessibility Policy Liaison. 
Cost as a barrier to access
Buying school materials can cost a lot, creating a barrier for students and impacting their collegiate success. Taking measures to curtail expenses on mandatory learning resources is not only a stride towards rendering college more cost-effective and attainable but also promotes equity. Embedding no-cost course materials into a syllabus provides the avenue to diminish financial burdens on students, foster more inclusive access to education, and enables the repurposing, blending, and creation of course content specifically tailored to each class. According to MSU Libraries Open Educational Resources (OER) Program, OER are “teaching, learning, and research resources that are copyright-free (public domain) or have been released under an open license that permits others to reuse, revise, remix, retain, and redistribute them. Examples of OER include open textbooks, videos, images, course modules, lectures, homework assignments, quizzes, lab and classroom activities, games, simulations, and other resources contained in digital media collections from around the world.” 
Diversifying Course Materials: A How-To Guide on Inside Higher Ed (previously linked) shared four additional considerations for instructors when considering their course materials.

Accessibility, affordability and adaptation
Relatability and reflection
Clarity and intentionality
Alternative perspectives

Read more about each of these four considerations at the link above and check out the resources below for more in depth from authors cited throughout this article. 
Resources

Marcella Addy, Dube, Mitchell & SoRelle (2021) What Inclusive Instructors Do. Stylus Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003448655
Schucan Bird, K. & Pitman, L. (2020) How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the UK. Higher Education, 79, 903–920. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00446-9. 
Le Grange, L. (2016). Decolonising the university curriculum. South African Journal of Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.20853/30-2-709.
Blackburn, H. (2017). The status of women in STEM in higher education: a review of the literature 2007–2017. Science & Technology Libraries. https://doi.org/10.1080/0194262X.2017.1371658.
Phillips, S. R., & Archer-Lean, C. (2018). Decolonising the reading of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writing: reflection as transformative practice. Higher Education Research & Development, 38(1), 24–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2018.1539956.
Fuentes, M. A., Zelaya, D. G., & Madsen, J. W. (2021). Rethinking the Course Syllabus: Considerations for Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Teaching of Psychology, 48(1), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320959979


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