We found 184 results that contain "color contrast"
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Accessibility: Color Contrast Resources
Curious if the color in a graphic or text has enough contrast to be accessible to those with low vision or color blindness? If so, there are a few free online resources to help you out.The WCAG Color Contrast Checker, which you can use directly on their website or bookmark it, and the TPGI Colour Contrast Analyzer, which can be downloaded, are fairly easy to use. For either one, just use the "eyedropper" tool to grab a color from a document, webpage, etc. and it will provide you with the color contrast ratio and "pass" or "fail" results. Additionally, WAVE is a web accessibility evaluation tool in which you enter the website that you are interested in testing and it will locate any color contrast errors, in addition to other accessibility measures.If you have full color vision and would like to see for yourself how a website looks to someone who is colorblind, then try Coblis or Let's Get Color Blind. Let's Get Color Blind is a browser extension for Chrome or Firefox. It simulates reduced sensitivity to green, red, or blue for an entire webpage. If you are interested in testing a specific image, then try Coblis (The Color Blindness Simulator), which simulates reduced sensitivity and blindness for green, red, or blue as well as full-color blindness. I discovered these resources from Guide to Digital Accessibility (Ed. Mancilla & Frey, 2023, ISBN-13: 978-1-64267-453-8). Learn more about color contrast from MSU's Digital Accessibility.Feature Image: "Eight Ishihara Charts for Testing Colour Blindness" by Fae licensed under CC BY 4.0 DEED.
Authored by: Andrea Bierema
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Biology of Skin Color: Assignment Example
In ISB202, Spring Semester 2020, the first high-impact assessment is applying nature of science and scientific literacy concepts to a case study on the biology of skin color. The worksheet and corresponding answers are included below. The full grading rubric can be found by clicking the attachment.
Part 1: The Investigation
1. Consider the research question: “Is there a connection in the intensity of UV radiation and skin color?” What type of study did they perform to investigate this question (observational study, modeling study, or experiment)?
Modeling or observational study are acceptable answers.
2. Explain some of the key components of the study that explain your choice for question #1. Make sure to include specific components (e.g., if there is a control and experimental group, then what were they? If not, then how do you know?). Answer in 2-3 sentences.
Modeling: maps are models showing distribution of skin color and UV radiation
Observational: collected data and did not have a control and experimental group- would not make sense with this research question to do an experiment
3. Evaluate the study’s methods. For instance, what kinds of things were held constant (for example, when we compared different models of the tube activity, each model developer had access to the same materials)? What was the sample size and did it use replicates? Consider different factors that we discussed during Week 2. Evaluate the methods; do not just create a list. Answer in 3-4 sentences.
Answers will vary, such as constants being using similar tools for measuring skin color and UV radiation
4. After they created the two maps (one for UV exposure and one for skin color), what was the resulting conclusion? Make sure to consider this part of the study and not the entire video.
Correlation between skin color and UV radiation (they may make a causal statement, which is also used in the video)
Answer should be the causes of this correlation (such as folate and vitamin D)
5. Describe a general pattern in the maps (i.e., the data) that support the conclusion that you described for question #4. Then explain two specific examples that support it.
The general pattern of darker skin in areas with more UV radiation and they will need two specific examples; they might describe higher elevations also correlating with darker skin (and more UV radiation)
6. After viewing the entire video, what kinds of questions do you have? Develop one testable, scientific research question that extends the research (no just replicate it).
Answer varies but should be testable and not just ethical questions- it is fine if the question is a natural science or social science question.
Part 2: Data Analysis
7. The graph below summarizes the age at which people are diagnosed with melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Consider the claims made throughout the video. Does this graph support or refute a claim in the video? Complete “a” and “b” below to answer this question.
A. Describe the relevant claim in one sentence:
Darker skin (may also mention eumelanin) is selected for to protect folate, an important vitamin for preventing birth defects; it is not selected for to prevent skin cancer
B. Do the data in the graph support or refute the claim? Explain your reasoning in 2-3 sentences.
Majority of people get skin cancer after 45 years of age, which is after reproductive years- natural selection cannot act after reproductive years because it does not affect the probability of getting genes to the next generation.
Part 3: Controversies
8. Describe one scientific controversy mentioned in the video- either current or resolved. Describe the specific evidence and define “scientific controversy” within your explanation. Answer in 3-5 sentences.
The main controversy that students may describe is why dark skin was selected for. Originally thought it was due to protect against skin cancer, which evidence does support that those with darker skin are less likely to develop skin cancer. However, new evidence suggests that it is to protect folate after it was showed to be important in preventing birth defects and can be damaged by UV radiation.
The controversy must be a scientific controversy, not an ethical one.
Part 1: The Investigation
1. Consider the research question: “Is there a connection in the intensity of UV radiation and skin color?” What type of study did they perform to investigate this question (observational study, modeling study, or experiment)?
Modeling or observational study are acceptable answers.
2. Explain some of the key components of the study that explain your choice for question #1. Make sure to include specific components (e.g., if there is a control and experimental group, then what were they? If not, then how do you know?). Answer in 2-3 sentences.
Modeling: maps are models showing distribution of skin color and UV radiation
Observational: collected data and did not have a control and experimental group- would not make sense with this research question to do an experiment
3. Evaluate the study’s methods. For instance, what kinds of things were held constant (for example, when we compared different models of the tube activity, each model developer had access to the same materials)? What was the sample size and did it use replicates? Consider different factors that we discussed during Week 2. Evaluate the methods; do not just create a list. Answer in 3-4 sentences.
Answers will vary, such as constants being using similar tools for measuring skin color and UV radiation
4. After they created the two maps (one for UV exposure and one for skin color), what was the resulting conclusion? Make sure to consider this part of the study and not the entire video.
Correlation between skin color and UV radiation (they may make a causal statement, which is also used in the video)
Answer should be the causes of this correlation (such as folate and vitamin D)
5. Describe a general pattern in the maps (i.e., the data) that support the conclusion that you described for question #4. Then explain two specific examples that support it.
The general pattern of darker skin in areas with more UV radiation and they will need two specific examples; they might describe higher elevations also correlating with darker skin (and more UV radiation)
6. After viewing the entire video, what kinds of questions do you have? Develop one testable, scientific research question that extends the research (no just replicate it).
Answer varies but should be testable and not just ethical questions- it is fine if the question is a natural science or social science question.
Part 2: Data Analysis
7. The graph below summarizes the age at which people are diagnosed with melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Consider the claims made throughout the video. Does this graph support or refute a claim in the video? Complete “a” and “b” below to answer this question.
A. Describe the relevant claim in one sentence:
Darker skin (may also mention eumelanin) is selected for to protect folate, an important vitamin for preventing birth defects; it is not selected for to prevent skin cancer
B. Do the data in the graph support or refute the claim? Explain your reasoning in 2-3 sentences.
Majority of people get skin cancer after 45 years of age, which is after reproductive years- natural selection cannot act after reproductive years because it does not affect the probability of getting genes to the next generation.
Part 3: Controversies
8. Describe one scientific controversy mentioned in the video- either current or resolved. Describe the specific evidence and define “scientific controversy” within your explanation. Answer in 3-5 sentences.
The main controversy that students may describe is why dark skin was selected for. Originally thought it was due to protect against skin cancer, which evidence does support that those with darker skin are less likely to develop skin cancer. However, new evidence suggests that it is to protect folate after it was showed to be important in preventing birth defects and can be damaged by UV radiation.
The controversy must be a scientific controversy, not an ethical one.
Authored by: Andrea Bierema
Assessing Learning
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Crowdmark: Deliver and Grade Assessments
What is Crowdmark?
Crowdmark is an online collaborative grading and analytics platform that helps educators assess student work. The platform allows for easy distribution and collection of student assignments, offers tools for team grading with rubrics, and streamlines the process for providing rich feedback to students.
How does Crowdmark improve the assessment experience?
Crowdmark allows instructors to deliver assignments and exams to students online with a due date and time limit, if desired. Students complete the assessment digitally or scan their handwritten work (as an image or PDF) and upload their completed work using a computer or mobile phone for evaluation on Crowdmark.
Graders can make annotations on the pages, add comments including hyperlinks, embedded images, mathematical and chemical notations, and attach scores according to a grading scheme/rubric. After evaluation is complete, the graded assessments can be electronically returned to students with the click of a button. Crowdmark also provides tools for visualizing student performance and the data can be exported in a convenient format.
Crowdmark is now integrated with MSU’s instance of D2L Brightspace. This integration provides features such as roster synchronization, team synchronization, and the ability to export grades from Crowdmark into the D2L gradebook.
What limitations or alternatives should I consider?
The grading rubrics and comment library make grading more consistent and efficient, however, the assessments are primarily graded manually. For auto-graded questions, you may want to consider using the MSU Scoring Office tool, WebAssess™ Assessment Solutions, in Digital Desk or D2L Quizzes. Gradescope is another alternative similar to Crowdmark.
Where do I start if I want to use it?
See Accessing Crowdmark through D2L, navigate to the Crowdmark sign-in page and select Michigan State University.
Where can I find more information?
MSU D2L Help:
Getting Started with Crowdmark
Crowdmark Documentation:
Introduction to Crowdmark
Getting Started for Instructors
D2L and Crowdmark
Crowdmark support
Crowdmark is an online collaborative grading and analytics platform that helps educators assess student work. The platform allows for easy distribution and collection of student assignments, offers tools for team grading with rubrics, and streamlines the process for providing rich feedback to students.
How does Crowdmark improve the assessment experience?
Crowdmark allows instructors to deliver assignments and exams to students online with a due date and time limit, if desired. Students complete the assessment digitally or scan their handwritten work (as an image or PDF) and upload their completed work using a computer or mobile phone for evaluation on Crowdmark.
Graders can make annotations on the pages, add comments including hyperlinks, embedded images, mathematical and chemical notations, and attach scores according to a grading scheme/rubric. After evaluation is complete, the graded assessments can be electronically returned to students with the click of a button. Crowdmark also provides tools for visualizing student performance and the data can be exported in a convenient format.
Crowdmark is now integrated with MSU’s instance of D2L Brightspace. This integration provides features such as roster synchronization, team synchronization, and the ability to export grades from Crowdmark into the D2L gradebook.
What limitations or alternatives should I consider?
The grading rubrics and comment library make grading more consistent and efficient, however, the assessments are primarily graded manually. For auto-graded questions, you may want to consider using the MSU Scoring Office tool, WebAssess™ Assessment Solutions, in Digital Desk or D2L Quizzes. Gradescope is another alternative similar to Crowdmark.
Where do I start if I want to use it?
See Accessing Crowdmark through D2L, navigate to the Crowdmark sign-in page and select Michigan State University.
Where can I find more information?
MSU D2L Help:
Getting Started with Crowdmark
Crowdmark Documentation:
Introduction to Crowdmark
Getting Started for Instructors
D2L and Crowdmark
Crowdmark support
Authored by: Susan Halick
Assessing Learning
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Rebuilding Hope: Teaching in the Aftermath [Webinar]
We recognize that stepping back into the classroom next week will be challenging. To help you plan your next steps, we are announcing an upcoming webinar, "Rebuilding Hope: Teaching in the Aftermath," presented by the Office of the Provost in collaboration with leaders across campus.
This webinar aimed to serve as an essential resource to navigate the challenges of returning to the classroom after a crisis. MSUPD addressed campus safety and Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko provided opening comments.
The guest speaker, Dr. Alyssa Hadley Dunn, is a renowned expert on teaching after a crisis. Until recently, Dr. Dunn was a faculty member at MSU.
In this webinar, Dr. Dunn shared her insights on supporting our students and colleagues as we return to the classroom. She provided practical tools and techniques for creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment and addressing the unique challenges and opportunities that arise in the aftermath of a crisis.
Dr. Dunn has a deep connection to MSU, having served here as a faculty member until recently. She has colleagues, friends, and students here at MSU, and understands the unique challenges our community faces. Her compassion and empathy for our situation undoubtedly has helped us all navigate the difficult road ahead.
Rebuilding Hope silde deck [read only, with MSU netID]Teaching on Days After: What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do [read only, with MSU netID]Additionally, the MSU Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation has compiled the Resources for Teaching After Crisis playlist for all as the MSU community heals, and Lisa Laughman has shared a Special Message to Faculty on Spartan Resilience.
This webinar aimed to serve as an essential resource to navigate the challenges of returning to the classroom after a crisis. MSUPD addressed campus safety and Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko provided opening comments.
The guest speaker, Dr. Alyssa Hadley Dunn, is a renowned expert on teaching after a crisis. Until recently, Dr. Dunn was a faculty member at MSU.
In this webinar, Dr. Dunn shared her insights on supporting our students and colleagues as we return to the classroom. She provided practical tools and techniques for creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environment and addressing the unique challenges and opportunities that arise in the aftermath of a crisis.
Dr. Dunn has a deep connection to MSU, having served here as a faculty member until recently. She has colleagues, friends, and students here at MSU, and understands the unique challenges our community faces. Her compassion and empathy for our situation undoubtedly has helped us all navigate the difficult road ahead.
Rebuilding Hope silde deck [read only, with MSU netID]Teaching on Days After: What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do [read only, with MSU netID]Additionally, the MSU Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation has compiled the Resources for Teaching After Crisis playlist for all as the MSU community heals, and Lisa Laughman has shared a Special Message to Faculty on Spartan Resilience.
Posted by: Brendan Guenther
Navigating Context
Posted on: Creating Equitable ...
Dilemmas with Alternative Text
Alternative Text
Alternative (alt) text describes visual images or objects within the context that they appear. It helps individuals that rely on assistive technology, such as screen readers to understand the provided content. A good description of an image or table can also help all students understand the purpose of the content and begin to practice viewing images and tables as experts.
It may sounds like a simple process of describing an image, but depending on your content (graphic, animation, or table) or the purpose of your content, generating alt text can be challenging.
In addition to providing alt-text resources below, we have compiled some alt text related experiences from faculty. We asked what challenges they have faced surrounding alt text in their academic content, what they have done to tackle these challenges, and what resources they would like to see to help with alt text concerns. Please share your own challenges or solutions in the comments!
Who are We?
We are the Accessible Course Design Learning Community. We are a group of faculty and staff that meets once a month and takes a practice-based approach to exploring accessibility and Universal Design for Learning.
Alt-text Resources
The DigitalX Team at MSU has created tutorial about adding alt text to images, charts, and graphs
Microsoft Word
Microsoft PowerPoint
Tips for creating meaningful alternative text from WebAIM
The Diagram Center is striving to ensure that accessible educational material is created, published and available for all types of disabilities and learning styles
Faculty Experiences with Alt Text
Questions
What dilemmas or difficulties with alt text have you experienced? Are there any important types of images in your field that are particularly tricky to describe? Why?
How have you solved your difficulties/dilemmas (for now)?
Do you feel more is needed? Are there any technologies (real or imagined) that could help?
Casey Henley, Neuroscience & Physiology
My undergraduate course content centers on students analyzing data from primary literature research articles. Alt text has proven to be quite challenging. The simple solution would be to describe the results of the graph, and tell the students the main takeaway message from the graph. However, the skill I am teaching in the course is for students to interpret the data and generate a conclusion on their own.
My current solution is to provide numerical data points. Sometimes this requires a rather detailed table if there are multiple time points and/or multiple experimental groups.
I do not feel my alt text solution gives an equivalent educational experience to students. As an individual without sight impairment, visualizing data in a graph is a completely different, more efficient experience for interpreting data compared to reading a clump of numbers in a table. I believe a technology that could create braille-like representations of the graphs would help the situation. A raised version of the graph could allow individuals to compare bars or lines. However, even this solution might not work for more complex graphs.
Emilia Marcyk, Libraries Teaching & Learning
When I create tutorials with screenshots that show important features of websites or interfaces that students will need to notice in order to complete an assignment, I find it difficult to decide how much alt text to provide. Should I just describe the important features (such as search boxes or menu buttons that the student needs to interact with) or describe everything in the screenshot?
Currently, I provide a link to the active page with the screenshot, and only describe the important features that I am calling out in the screenshot in the alternate text. If the student needs greater context, they can go to the live page.
I would be nice to have the ability to embed directions into the live version of pages, rather than rely on screenshots to emphasize important aspects. There are tools that do this, but I don't have access to them currently.
Heidi Chen, Online Master of Science in Food Safety program
For complicated data graphs, the instructors only talk about what the graph demonstrates or takeaways as Casey mentioned above. For posters we try to describe the content on them but it can get really long
No good solution for screenshots. We try to persuade our instructors to reduce using screenshots.
Scott Mulrooney, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
In my Introductory Microbiology MMG 301 (enrollment ~500), we use PowerPoint slides containing over 700 images. Almost all of these do not have alternative text, so I added the text to each image. It took several days of being "in the zone" but I got the job done.
As I said, a brute force approach was used to simple get the job done.
Textbook publishers are addressing this issue. I have spoken to several publisher reps and they all say that future editions of their textbooks will address accessibility. The problem I faced was that the edition we are currently using does not have alternative text for its images. In addition, I use images from other creative commons sources that does not have alternative text. I suppose that undergraduates who are very familiar with the subject could enter much of the alternative text. In recording material for online presentations, I do a lot of drawing and creation of diagrams. I am now careful to describe what I am creating as I speak in the recording.
Antoinette Tessmer, Department of Finance
My challenge is in using alt text (or more likely another tool) to describe the content of an Excel sheet. (My course is 100% Excel-based)
I have not found a solution...
I am curious to learn about existing technology that could help.
Anne Violin-Wigent, Romance and Classical Studies
I teach French and teaching methods for foreign language teaching. The main dilemma is that the current methods encourage us to use visuals to present the meaning of new vocab and to avoid the use of English and translations. In addition, when teaching grammar, we highlight endings or whatever grammar point we're teaching so that we can make it salient and help students figure out grammatical rules on their own. For example, we use pink for feminine endings and blue for masculine endings (I know, stereotypical but it's helpful for what we do). Therefore, using alt text may go against the method we use. And I'm not sure how to reconcile this.
For some elements, it's easy to use bold or underline or italics to replace color. But at the same time, sometimes, it feels like something underlined is not as salient as something in bold. I personally like to use bold and color.
We do not get a lot of students who request accessible material in French, and I'm not sure if it's because RCPD waives language requirements for them or because of other reasons. Regardless, I'm working (with a team) on developing new class material, especially the hybrid/online component and I'd love some guidelines.
Alternative (alt) text describes visual images or objects within the context that they appear. It helps individuals that rely on assistive technology, such as screen readers to understand the provided content. A good description of an image or table can also help all students understand the purpose of the content and begin to practice viewing images and tables as experts.
It may sounds like a simple process of describing an image, but depending on your content (graphic, animation, or table) or the purpose of your content, generating alt text can be challenging.
In addition to providing alt-text resources below, we have compiled some alt text related experiences from faculty. We asked what challenges they have faced surrounding alt text in their academic content, what they have done to tackle these challenges, and what resources they would like to see to help with alt text concerns. Please share your own challenges or solutions in the comments!
Who are We?
We are the Accessible Course Design Learning Community. We are a group of faculty and staff that meets once a month and takes a practice-based approach to exploring accessibility and Universal Design for Learning.
Alt-text Resources
The DigitalX Team at MSU has created tutorial about adding alt text to images, charts, and graphs
Microsoft Word
Microsoft PowerPoint
Tips for creating meaningful alternative text from WebAIM
The Diagram Center is striving to ensure that accessible educational material is created, published and available for all types of disabilities and learning styles
Faculty Experiences with Alt Text
Questions
What dilemmas or difficulties with alt text have you experienced? Are there any important types of images in your field that are particularly tricky to describe? Why?
How have you solved your difficulties/dilemmas (for now)?
Do you feel more is needed? Are there any technologies (real or imagined) that could help?
Casey Henley, Neuroscience & Physiology
My undergraduate course content centers on students analyzing data from primary literature research articles. Alt text has proven to be quite challenging. The simple solution would be to describe the results of the graph, and tell the students the main takeaway message from the graph. However, the skill I am teaching in the course is for students to interpret the data and generate a conclusion on their own.
My current solution is to provide numerical data points. Sometimes this requires a rather detailed table if there are multiple time points and/or multiple experimental groups.
I do not feel my alt text solution gives an equivalent educational experience to students. As an individual without sight impairment, visualizing data in a graph is a completely different, more efficient experience for interpreting data compared to reading a clump of numbers in a table. I believe a technology that could create braille-like representations of the graphs would help the situation. A raised version of the graph could allow individuals to compare bars or lines. However, even this solution might not work for more complex graphs.
Emilia Marcyk, Libraries Teaching & Learning
When I create tutorials with screenshots that show important features of websites or interfaces that students will need to notice in order to complete an assignment, I find it difficult to decide how much alt text to provide. Should I just describe the important features (such as search boxes or menu buttons that the student needs to interact with) or describe everything in the screenshot?
Currently, I provide a link to the active page with the screenshot, and only describe the important features that I am calling out in the screenshot in the alternate text. If the student needs greater context, they can go to the live page.
I would be nice to have the ability to embed directions into the live version of pages, rather than rely on screenshots to emphasize important aspects. There are tools that do this, but I don't have access to them currently.
Heidi Chen, Online Master of Science in Food Safety program
For complicated data graphs, the instructors only talk about what the graph demonstrates or takeaways as Casey mentioned above. For posters we try to describe the content on them but it can get really long
No good solution for screenshots. We try to persuade our instructors to reduce using screenshots.
Scott Mulrooney, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
In my Introductory Microbiology MMG 301 (enrollment ~500), we use PowerPoint slides containing over 700 images. Almost all of these do not have alternative text, so I added the text to each image. It took several days of being "in the zone" but I got the job done.
As I said, a brute force approach was used to simple get the job done.
Textbook publishers are addressing this issue. I have spoken to several publisher reps and they all say that future editions of their textbooks will address accessibility. The problem I faced was that the edition we are currently using does not have alternative text for its images. In addition, I use images from other creative commons sources that does not have alternative text. I suppose that undergraduates who are very familiar with the subject could enter much of the alternative text. In recording material for online presentations, I do a lot of drawing and creation of diagrams. I am now careful to describe what I am creating as I speak in the recording.
Antoinette Tessmer, Department of Finance
My challenge is in using alt text (or more likely another tool) to describe the content of an Excel sheet. (My course is 100% Excel-based)
I have not found a solution...
I am curious to learn about existing technology that could help.
Anne Violin-Wigent, Romance and Classical Studies
I teach French and teaching methods for foreign language teaching. The main dilemma is that the current methods encourage us to use visuals to present the meaning of new vocab and to avoid the use of English and translations. In addition, when teaching grammar, we highlight endings or whatever grammar point we're teaching so that we can make it salient and help students figure out grammatical rules on their own. For example, we use pink for feminine endings and blue for masculine endings (I know, stereotypical but it's helpful for what we do). Therefore, using alt text may go against the method we use. And I'm not sure how to reconcile this.
For some elements, it's easy to use bold or underline or italics to replace color. But at the same time, sometimes, it feels like something underlined is not as salient as something in bold. I personally like to use bold and color.
We do not get a lot of students who request accessible material in French, and I'm not sure if it's because RCPD waives language requirements for them or because of other reasons. Regardless, I'm working (with a team) on developing new class material, especially the hybrid/online component and I'd love some guidelines.
Authored by: A11y / UDL Learning Community
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Final CTLI Director Candidates Announced
Attention Faculty, Staff and Students:
The Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation is pleased to announce the finalists for the Teaching Center Director position. Candidates will visit campus next week.
Each finalist will host a public presentation/open forum where they will share their views on a critical educational topic of their choice; their vision for the teaching center at MSU, and their response to a case-study scenario prepared by the search committee. You are welcome to attend in-person (details to come) or via Zoom webinar. Time will be provided for audience interaction with the candidates in each of the three segments.
Jeremy Van Hof Public Presentation/Open Forum
Date: Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Time: 1:00p – 2:30p
Location: 443 Hannah Administration Bldg. or Zoom
Zoom Registration Link for Jeremy Van Hof’s Presentation
Crystal Dawn Howell Public Presentation/Open Forum
Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Time: 1:00p – 2:30p
Location: 443 Hannah Administration Bldg. or Zoom
Zoom Registration Link for Crystal Dawn Howell’s Presentation
Kate Birdsall Public Presentation/Open Forum
Date: Thursday, July 27, 2023
Time: 1:00p – 2:30p
Location: 443 Hannah Administration Bldg. or Zoom
Zoom Registration Link for Kate Birdsall’s Presentation Public presentations will be recorded and posted to the search webpage afterward and include a candidate feedback survey link.Photo adapted by Jan Huber on Unsplash
The Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation is pleased to announce the finalists for the Teaching Center Director position. Candidates will visit campus next week.
Each finalist will host a public presentation/open forum where they will share their views on a critical educational topic of their choice; their vision for the teaching center at MSU, and their response to a case-study scenario prepared by the search committee. You are welcome to attend in-person (details to come) or via Zoom webinar. Time will be provided for audience interaction with the candidates in each of the three segments.
Jeremy Van Hof Public Presentation/Open Forum
Date: Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Time: 1:00p – 2:30p
Location: 443 Hannah Administration Bldg. or Zoom
Zoom Registration Link for Jeremy Van Hof’s Presentation
Crystal Dawn Howell Public Presentation/Open Forum
Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Time: 1:00p – 2:30p
Location: 443 Hannah Administration Bldg. or Zoom
Zoom Registration Link for Crystal Dawn Howell’s Presentation
Kate Birdsall Public Presentation/Open Forum
Date: Thursday, July 27, 2023
Time: 1:00p – 2:30p
Location: 443 Hannah Administration Bldg. or Zoom
Zoom Registration Link for Kate Birdsall’s Presentation Public presentations will be recorded and posted to the search webpage afterward and include a candidate feedback survey link.Photo adapted by Jan Huber on Unsplash
Posted by: Makena Neal
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Is Microsoft Copilot Worth Your Time? A Review for MSU Users
A few weeks ago, Microsoft renamed its AI powered search engine, Bing Copilot to just Copilot, which can now be accessed by all MSU accounts on the Microsoft 365 browser.
“To improve the user experience and streamline our tools that empower creativity, Bing Image Creator is now Designer and Bing Chat is now Copilot. Create wow-worthy images with your words and AI with Designer, and try Copilot, your AI-powered search assistant for the web.”
Besides making fun of the constant nomenclature issues that generative AI applications seem to face, I want to walk through how our access to Copilot works, what it can be used for, and how it holds up to other AI tools.
MSU Access to Copilot
Instructors, staff, and students can access Copilot by signing on to Microsoft 365 on the browser. Once logged in using your single sign on credentials, you can select “more apps” to find the Copilot app, or visit https://copilot.cloud.microsoft/
As of today, we do not have access to Copilot features in other Microsoft applications, like Word or Excel.
We are limited to the use of (Bing) Copilot, which, as I’ll explain shortly, is not as advanced as other AI tools.
In terms of security and data privacy, Copilot is covered under the same enterprise data protection as the rest of our Microsoft subscription. And while the university advises against putting sensitive data into AI tools, Copilot falls under Microsoft’s FERPA compliance, so it can handle student data.
Copilot is not “training” on any of your data, because it’s not an LLM, however Microsoft can use anonymized data for product design and improvements, so it’s a grey area when AI tools say they are not using your data for training. Copilot even asked me if I wanted to give it feedback:
Using Copilot
Copilot functions much like other generative AI chats: You can prompt it for information, ask it to solve problems, and get feedback on your work. At the end of each response, the app includes footnotes with links to websites where it sourced the information from, and suggested follow up prompts. There is a 30-message limit per conversation, which is probably to optimize the context window. Copilot also provides access to Designer, an image generator. I was most impressed with the image generator, which provides two options for generated images to use from your prompt.
Copilot Vs Other AI Tools
I find Copilot to be less robust than a Large Language Model like ChatGPT or Claude. One of the main issues is that Copilot is actually Microsoft’s integration of its search engine, Bing, with an API connection to an LLM.*
When you use Copilot, you are receiving responses that combine real-time search results from Bing with text generation from an LLM. This layering of search and AI-generated content provides a mix of up-to-date web data and language model outputs. There are also layers of guardrails that actively work to prevent what Microsoft might deem as misuse. And those guardrails don’t always work the way we expect.
Moreover, Bing itself has only 5% of US Search traffic, making its results worse than other engines, like Google. And the converse is true: when you ask ChatGPT 4.o to search the web, it uses an API of Bing to do so. I've noticed that ChatGPT is especially bad at providing relevant search results, because Bing is bad at providing relevant search results. So, when you use Copilot, you’re getting a watered-down version of an old LLM, plus the mediocre search results of Bing, and a layer of undisclosed guardrails that majorly limit usage.
So, how does Copilot fair against other AI tools?
Badly. On the one hand, if you are looking to introduce students to AI tools, they already have access to Copilot, so it is less of a barrier. But on the other hand, an LLM tool like ChatGPT or Claude can provide a broader range of capabilities, including complex problem-solving, deeper contextual understanding, and the ability to engage in more nuanced conversations.
If you’ve been using Copilot, or have other insights to share, as always, I’d love to hear from you.
Freyesaur out.
* While it’s generally understood that OpenAI’s GPT-4 architecture powers the system, the exact LLM and the parameters governing its use are not always transparent. In the past, Microsoft advertised that Copilot in “Creative Mode” used ChatGPT 4.0. However, the new Copilot does not have the “Creative Mode” option, and I couldn’t find any documentation that it still indeed uses ChatGPT 4.0.
“To improve the user experience and streamline our tools that empower creativity, Bing Image Creator is now Designer and Bing Chat is now Copilot. Create wow-worthy images with your words and AI with Designer, and try Copilot, your AI-powered search assistant for the web.”
Besides making fun of the constant nomenclature issues that generative AI applications seem to face, I want to walk through how our access to Copilot works, what it can be used for, and how it holds up to other AI tools.
MSU Access to Copilot
Instructors, staff, and students can access Copilot by signing on to Microsoft 365 on the browser. Once logged in using your single sign on credentials, you can select “more apps” to find the Copilot app, or visit https://copilot.cloud.microsoft/
As of today, we do not have access to Copilot features in other Microsoft applications, like Word or Excel.
We are limited to the use of (Bing) Copilot, which, as I’ll explain shortly, is not as advanced as other AI tools.
In terms of security and data privacy, Copilot is covered under the same enterprise data protection as the rest of our Microsoft subscription. And while the university advises against putting sensitive data into AI tools, Copilot falls under Microsoft’s FERPA compliance, so it can handle student data.
Copilot is not “training” on any of your data, because it’s not an LLM, however Microsoft can use anonymized data for product design and improvements, so it’s a grey area when AI tools say they are not using your data for training. Copilot even asked me if I wanted to give it feedback:
Using Copilot
Copilot functions much like other generative AI chats: You can prompt it for information, ask it to solve problems, and get feedback on your work. At the end of each response, the app includes footnotes with links to websites where it sourced the information from, and suggested follow up prompts. There is a 30-message limit per conversation, which is probably to optimize the context window. Copilot also provides access to Designer, an image generator. I was most impressed with the image generator, which provides two options for generated images to use from your prompt.
Copilot Vs Other AI Tools
I find Copilot to be less robust than a Large Language Model like ChatGPT or Claude. One of the main issues is that Copilot is actually Microsoft’s integration of its search engine, Bing, with an API connection to an LLM.*
When you use Copilot, you are receiving responses that combine real-time search results from Bing with text generation from an LLM. This layering of search and AI-generated content provides a mix of up-to-date web data and language model outputs. There are also layers of guardrails that actively work to prevent what Microsoft might deem as misuse. And those guardrails don’t always work the way we expect.
Moreover, Bing itself has only 5% of US Search traffic, making its results worse than other engines, like Google. And the converse is true: when you ask ChatGPT 4.o to search the web, it uses an API of Bing to do so. I've noticed that ChatGPT is especially bad at providing relevant search results, because Bing is bad at providing relevant search results. So, when you use Copilot, you’re getting a watered-down version of an old LLM, plus the mediocre search results of Bing, and a layer of undisclosed guardrails that majorly limit usage.
So, how does Copilot fair against other AI tools?
Badly. On the one hand, if you are looking to introduce students to AI tools, they already have access to Copilot, so it is less of a barrier. But on the other hand, an LLM tool like ChatGPT or Claude can provide a broader range of capabilities, including complex problem-solving, deeper contextual understanding, and the ability to engage in more nuanced conversations.
If you’ve been using Copilot, or have other insights to share, as always, I’d love to hear from you.
Freyesaur out.
* While it’s generally understood that OpenAI’s GPT-4 architecture powers the system, the exact LLM and the parameters governing its use are not always transparent. In the past, Microsoft advertised that Copilot in “Creative Mode” used ChatGPT 4.0. However, the new Copilot does not have the “Creative Mode” option, and I couldn’t find any documentation that it still indeed uses ChatGPT 4.0.
Authored by: Freyesaur
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Call For Proposals! 2021 Spring Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Student Success
The focus of this year's conference is on Lessons Learned and New Experiences from 2020. The work over the last year counts!
The committee seeks submissions that highlight how teaching, learning, and student success work pivoted to the online environment and supported students in and out of the classroom. We are especially interested in the lessons learned and the new experiences gained from the many challenges presented during the year of 2020.
The committee invites proposals from all groups or individuals within the MSU community engaged in teaching, learning, and student success.
PROPOSAL DEADLINE: Monday, February 22, 2021
Proposals for the Spring Conference on Teaching, Learning and Student Success are due Monday, February 22, 2021 at 5 p.m. Everyone will be notified regarding acceptance of proposals by March 15, 2021.
Suggested topics include:
Accessibility
Advising
Assessment
Collaborations
Data analytics
Inclusion
Initiatives and programs that impact student success
Learning experiences outside the classroom
Online education
Pedagogy
Online student support
Student experiences/voices
Student success at the macro level
Student support for environmental, cultural, and political strife
Trauma-aware teaching
Submit a proposal today!
The 2021 Spring Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Student Success is hosted by the Academic Advancement Network, the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, and the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology. You can learn more about this year’s event here.
The committee seeks submissions that highlight how teaching, learning, and student success work pivoted to the online environment and supported students in and out of the classroom. We are especially interested in the lessons learned and the new experiences gained from the many challenges presented during the year of 2020.
The committee invites proposals from all groups or individuals within the MSU community engaged in teaching, learning, and student success.
PROPOSAL DEADLINE: Monday, February 22, 2021
Proposals for the Spring Conference on Teaching, Learning and Student Success are due Monday, February 22, 2021 at 5 p.m. Everyone will be notified regarding acceptance of proposals by March 15, 2021.
Suggested topics include:
Accessibility
Advising
Assessment
Collaborations
Data analytics
Inclusion
Initiatives and programs that impact student success
Learning experiences outside the classroom
Online education
Pedagogy
Online student support
Student experiences/voices
Student success at the macro level
Student support for environmental, cultural, and political strife
Trauma-aware teaching
Submit a proposal today!
The 2021 Spring Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Student Success is hosted by the Academic Advancement Network, the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, and the Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology. You can learn more about this year’s event here.
Posted by: Kelly Mazurkiewicz
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Video lecture panel was great, but should have emphasized the importance of checking color contrast, you don't know if you might have a color blind student. Tools like contrastchecker.com let you see if your content is still readable without color.
Posted by: Carla Hearn-Willard
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
The WOCI and the English Department will be co-hosting a workshop on trauma-informed classroom techniques for graduate students on Tuesday, February 28th at 1pm via Zoom. This is a follow up to the discussion that was held on February 17th (Feminist strategies for teaching during a crisis). All are welcome. Dr. LeConté Dill, who will be facilitating the workshop, will be paying particular attention to how womxn of color navigate teaching in the days and weeks following a traumatic event. This workshop aims to provide a space for graduate student instructors to learn how to show up for their students with a politics of care and a particular sensitivity to what students have just been through here at MSU. A flyer is attached for your review. Please share broadly.
Register for the workshop here or using the following link:
https://msu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMod-yhrzgrGtH-58qoyfRfyVv4Og-
Please email Dr. Delia Fernandez-Jones (dmf@msu.edu) and Dr. Kristin Mahoney (mahone95@msu.ed) with any questions.
Register for the workshop here or using the following link:
https://msu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMod-yhrzgrGtH-58qoyfRfyVv4Og-
Please email Dr. Delia Fernandez-Jones (dmf@msu.edu) and Dr. Kristin Mahoney (mahone95@msu.ed) with any questions.
Posted by: Rashad Muhammad
Navigating Context
Posted on: Help and Support Group
iteachmsu Commons Release Notes V1.6.1
We worked on accessibility updates related to the following WCAG standards:
1.4.11 Non-Text Contrast (AA)
1.4.12 Text Spacing (AA)
1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (AA)
2.5.1 Pointer Gestures (A)
2.5.3 Label in Name (A)
2.5.5 Target Size (AAA)
Post tag searching
○ User can view tags in search results.
● Accessibility updates
○ Issues fixed related to the 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus
(AA)
■ Applied in Group details page, connections, changes
on Browse and Home pages, playlist creating pages,
primer creating pages, saved and Assignment pages
■ Issues fixed related to Links in user preferences
changed to dark colors on Home login page.
■ Focus and clickable actions and color changes when
hovered over.
■ Icon color changes with text when links hovered
○ 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures (A)
■ Applied to group creation page, Playlist creation
pages, primer creation and profile editing pages
■ Hoverable actions on cards and buttons to focus on a
specific item
We worked on accessibility updates related to the following WCAG standards:
1.4.11 Non-Text Contrast (AA)
1.4.12 Text Spacing (AA)
1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (AA)
2.5.1 Pointer Gestures (A)
2.5.3 Label in Name (A)
2.5.5 Target Size (AAA)
Post tag searching
○ User can view tags in search results.
● Accessibility updates
○ Issues fixed related to the 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus
(AA)
■ Applied in Group details page, connections, changes
on Browse and Home pages, playlist creating pages,
primer creating pages, saved and Assignment pages
■ Issues fixed related to Links in user preferences
changed to dark colors on Home login page.
■ Focus and clickable actions and color changes when
hovered over.
■ Icon color changes with text when links hovered
○ 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures (A)
■ Applied to group creation page, Playlist creation
pages, primer creation and profile editing pages
■ Hoverable actions on cards and buttons to focus on a
specific item
Posted by: Rashad Muhammad
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: Reading Group for S...
Hello again everyone! Here are some talking points to think about in the run up our 10am meeting tomorrow (Friday, November 05, 2021).
Recurring Zoom Link: 951 4830 7886
Passcode 432210
Student Engagement in Higher Education, ch. 2-3
Chapter 2: “Engaging Students of Color”Samuel D. Museus, Kimberly A. Griffin, Stephen John Quaye [MGQ - “Magic”]
1) How would you describe the campus racial climate and/or culture of the schools where you got your degrees and/or have previously taught? Do any institutions in your background for having been successful in instilling a positive racial culture? Do any notable failures or struggles stand out in your memory? It may be helpful to recall: climate is shaped by five internal dimensions: (1) an institution’s history and legacy of inclusion or exclusion, (2) compositional diversity, (3) psychological climate, (4) behavioral climate, and (5) organizational/structural diversity (Milem, Chang, & Antonio, 2005). [p. 19]
2) Museus, Griffin, and Quaye note that “two concepts provide a useful backdrop for the current discussion: campus racial climate and campus racial culture” (18). What knowledge or familiarity do you have of/with the racial climate or culture at MSU? How would you describe the local manifestation of the framing concepts Museus, Griffin, and Quaye provide?
3) What concrete steps could you take to alleviate cultural incongruence (21) and cultural dissonance (ibid) while boosting cultural engagement (22) for Students of Color in your courses?
4) The “proactive philosophies” indicator of the CECE model describes “Educators who use proactive philosophies [to] go above and beyond to actively reach out, encourage, and sometimes pressure students to take advantage of available information, opportunities, and support” (23). What does being such a faculty member/administrator look like? How does one responsibly and equitably pressure students to pursue opportunities?
5) Practical question: In several places, MGQ advocate for community-based opportunities, but also caution against the tendency towards siloing. Practically, what does/should it look like to provide opportunities for this type of contact among students that is supportive and culturally responsive, without siloing them, or making students of color serve as “ambassadors of their community”?
Chapter 3: “Engaging Multiracial Students”
C. Casey Ozaki, Marc P. Johnston-Guerrero, Kristen A. Renn [OJGR - “Jogger”]
1) It seems like today’s college students often have to enter the classroom already knowing who they are and who they will be. We can likely point to any number of institutional practices/requirements that reinforce that pressure. How can we create spaces for hybridity, ambiguity, uncertainty in our students’ perceptions of self?
2) OJGR note that “median age of the mixed race individuals is 19, compared to single-race individuals with a median age of 38” (39), which means that our students represent the age cohort closest to the “center,” so to speak, of multiracial identity discourse. What pressures might this present to college-aged students? What opportunities?
3) Studies show that “biracial students at HBCUs and non-HBCUs had poorer quality of interactions with faculty, staff, and students than Black and White students at both institutions” (40). What incentive/impetus/motivation does/should a finding like this make for us as educators? How could we productively address situations in which multi-racial students might approach us with complaints about feeling isolated and alienated from classmates in our courses?
4) The most provocative element of OJGR’s chapter comes in their final suggestion, which is to “Create a Campus Culture of Boundary Crossing.” What does this mean for you, and what would it look like at Michigan State?
Recurring Zoom Link: 951 4830 7886
Passcode 432210
Student Engagement in Higher Education, ch. 2-3
Chapter 2: “Engaging Students of Color”Samuel D. Museus, Kimberly A. Griffin, Stephen John Quaye [MGQ - “Magic”]
1) How would you describe the campus racial climate and/or culture of the schools where you got your degrees and/or have previously taught? Do any institutions in your background for having been successful in instilling a positive racial culture? Do any notable failures or struggles stand out in your memory? It may be helpful to recall: climate is shaped by five internal dimensions: (1) an institution’s history and legacy of inclusion or exclusion, (2) compositional diversity, (3) psychological climate, (4) behavioral climate, and (5) organizational/structural diversity (Milem, Chang, & Antonio, 2005). [p. 19]
2) Museus, Griffin, and Quaye note that “two concepts provide a useful backdrop for the current discussion: campus racial climate and campus racial culture” (18). What knowledge or familiarity do you have of/with the racial climate or culture at MSU? How would you describe the local manifestation of the framing concepts Museus, Griffin, and Quaye provide?
3) What concrete steps could you take to alleviate cultural incongruence (21) and cultural dissonance (ibid) while boosting cultural engagement (22) for Students of Color in your courses?
4) The “proactive philosophies” indicator of the CECE model describes “Educators who use proactive philosophies [to] go above and beyond to actively reach out, encourage, and sometimes pressure students to take advantage of available information, opportunities, and support” (23). What does being such a faculty member/administrator look like? How does one responsibly and equitably pressure students to pursue opportunities?
5) Practical question: In several places, MGQ advocate for community-based opportunities, but also caution against the tendency towards siloing. Practically, what does/should it look like to provide opportunities for this type of contact among students that is supportive and culturally responsive, without siloing them, or making students of color serve as “ambassadors of their community”?
Chapter 3: “Engaging Multiracial Students”
C. Casey Ozaki, Marc P. Johnston-Guerrero, Kristen A. Renn [OJGR - “Jogger”]
1) It seems like today’s college students often have to enter the classroom already knowing who they are and who they will be. We can likely point to any number of institutional practices/requirements that reinforce that pressure. How can we create spaces for hybridity, ambiguity, uncertainty in our students’ perceptions of self?
2) OJGR note that “median age of the mixed race individuals is 19, compared to single-race individuals with a median age of 38” (39), which means that our students represent the age cohort closest to the “center,” so to speak, of multiracial identity discourse. What pressures might this present to college-aged students? What opportunities?
3) Studies show that “biracial students at HBCUs and non-HBCUs had poorer quality of interactions with faculty, staff, and students than Black and White students at both institutions” (40). What incentive/impetus/motivation does/should a finding like this make for us as educators? How could we productively address situations in which multi-racial students might approach us with complaints about feeling isolated and alienated from classmates in our courses?
4) The most provocative element of OJGR’s chapter comes in their final suggestion, which is to “Create a Campus Culture of Boundary Crossing.” What does this mean for you, and what would it look like at Michigan State?
Posted by: Stokes Schwartz
Disciplinary Content
Posted on: Reading Group for S...
Stokes and I are finalizing our agenda for our meeting this Friday, and in order to prevent this from being a 3-hour meeting, we're winnowing down my attempts to ask the wordiest questions possible. I couldn't bear to cut the question below entirely though, so I'm posting it here to see if it sparks any asynchronous discussion!
- GJS
Towards the end of Ch. 2, Museus, Griffin, and Quaye note that “calls for the elimination of cultural centers and organizations in order to create more opportunities for engagement across difference and fewer options for self-segregation do not acknowledge the important positive role that these organizations play in the lives of Students of Color. In fact, given the positive outcomes stemming from student participation and leadership in culturally-based organizations, institutions must begin or continue to support their goals and efforts” (28).
MSU has recently been in the news for plans to construct a freestanding multicultural center to expand the footprint of spaces currently provided in the MSU Union. (We may also recall that MSU made national headlines for closing its 90-year-old women’s lounge in 2016, under various external pressures.) [Links to both stories below]
How do you see events like these contributing to the climate/culture on MSU's campus?
What would it look like to advocate for or act on these topics responsibly from our positions?
https://www.fox47news.com/neighborhoods/msu-campus/michigan-state-university-looks-at-building-freestanding-multicultural-center
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/08/08/michigan-state-sets-debate-eliminating-womens-lounge-student-union
- GJS
Towards the end of Ch. 2, Museus, Griffin, and Quaye note that “calls for the elimination of cultural centers and organizations in order to create more opportunities for engagement across difference and fewer options for self-segregation do not acknowledge the important positive role that these organizations play in the lives of Students of Color. In fact, given the positive outcomes stemming from student participation and leadership in culturally-based organizations, institutions must begin or continue to support their goals and efforts” (28).
MSU has recently been in the news for plans to construct a freestanding multicultural center to expand the footprint of spaces currently provided in the MSU Union. (We may also recall that MSU made national headlines for closing its 90-year-old women’s lounge in 2016, under various external pressures.) [Links to both stories below]
How do you see events like these contributing to the climate/culture on MSU's campus?
What would it look like to advocate for or act on these topics responsibly from our positions?
https://www.fox47news.com/neighborhoods/msu-campus/michigan-state-university-looks-at-building-freestanding-multicultural-center
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/08/08/michigan-state-sets-debate-eliminating-womens-lounge-student-union
Posted by: Garth J Sabo
Navigating Context
Host: MSU Libraries
Learn QGIS: Making a color shaded map in QGIS (Online)
Learn the basics of QGIS, the free open-source geospatial software—this workshop will demonstrate how to make a choropleth (color shaded) map and place graduated symbols representing data on it, load shape-files and .csv table files into QGIS, join data to spatial information and edit features. No experience with QGIS or Geographic Information Systems is required.
Navigating Context