We found 272 results that contain "open textbooks"
Posted on: Catalyst Innovation...

CIP: Opening New Windows
Project Title: Opening New WindowsProject Leads: Jon Frey, Daniel Trego
College/ Unit:
Arts and Letters
Elevator Pitch:Transparent projection offers the opportunity for students and educators to turn nearly any large glass surface into a space for dynamic communication and learning. In the classroom, this technology allows for the creation of convincing holographic displays of objects and monuments that are typically seen in three dimensions. In other settings, displays of student generated research and design content and faculty research are possible as well. This allows for better dissemination of creative and scholarly content in a novel and eye-catching way.Team Bios: The team currently consists of Jon Frey and Daniel Trego. Jon is a classical archaeologist who teaches in the Department of Art, Art History and Design. He is also director of the MSU Excavations at Isthmia. Daniel Trego is an Educational Media Design Specialist in the College of Arts and Letters and a director of the MSU iOS Design Lab. What are some of the successes?We have not yet been able to implement this technology. The funding arrived later in the term than anticipated, so we remain in the fabrication stage with implementation in the classroom scheduled for Fall 22 / Spring 23.What are some of the challenges that you have experienced on this project?Mostly timing.
Image Attribution:
"MOMA's hot video" by sahadeva is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
College/ Unit:
Arts and Letters
Elevator Pitch:Transparent projection offers the opportunity for students and educators to turn nearly any large glass surface into a space for dynamic communication and learning. In the classroom, this technology allows for the creation of convincing holographic displays of objects and monuments that are typically seen in three dimensions. In other settings, displays of student generated research and design content and faculty research are possible as well. This allows for better dissemination of creative and scholarly content in a novel and eye-catching way.Team Bios: The team currently consists of Jon Frey and Daniel Trego. Jon is a classical archaeologist who teaches in the Department of Art, Art History and Design. He is also director of the MSU Excavations at Isthmia. Daniel Trego is an Educational Media Design Specialist in the College of Arts and Letters and a director of the MSU iOS Design Lab. What are some of the successes?We have not yet been able to implement this technology. The funding arrived later in the term than anticipated, so we remain in the fabrication stage with implementation in the classroom scheduled for Fall 22 / Spring 23.What are some of the challenges that you have experienced on this project?Mostly timing.
Image Attribution:
"MOMA's hot video" by sahadeva is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Authored by: Jon Frey, Daniel Trego
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Open Educational Resources
Open Educational Resources
The acronym OER refers to open educational resources. These are teaching, learning and research materials that are found within the public domain or are released with an intellectual property licence (i.e. Creative Commons) that allows for free use, adaptation, and distribution.
OERs are typically:
Free to access.
Free to reuse.
Free to modify or adapt to your needs.
Intended to support active teaching and learning.
There are several ways to explore and use OERs for your course. First, you may want to consult the MSU Library for information on the OER program ( https://lib.msu.edu/oer ). Second, you may wish to explore commonly used OER repositories to see what useful materials may be available for your course. One such resource is MERLOT (https://www.merlot.org). Others you may want to explore:
Mason OER Metafinder (MOM) - https://oer.deepwebaccess.com/oer/desktop/en/search.html
OASIS - https://oasis.geneseo.edu/index.php
OER Commons - https://oercommons.org/
Lumen Learning - https://courses.lumenlearning.com/catalog/lumen
Openstax - https://openstax.org/
Teaching Commons - https://teachingcommons.us/
Remember it is a good idea to look for the licensing information for any resources that you use. If you are unclear of this, check with the MSU OER program for guidance.
The acronym OER refers to open educational resources. These are teaching, learning and research materials that are found within the public domain or are released with an intellectual property licence (i.e. Creative Commons) that allows for free use, adaptation, and distribution.
OERs are typically:
Free to access.
Free to reuse.
Free to modify or adapt to your needs.
Intended to support active teaching and learning.
There are several ways to explore and use OERs for your course. First, you may want to consult the MSU Library for information on the OER program ( https://lib.msu.edu/oer ). Second, you may wish to explore commonly used OER repositories to see what useful materials may be available for your course. One such resource is MERLOT (https://www.merlot.org). Others you may want to explore:
Mason OER Metafinder (MOM) - https://oer.deepwebaccess.com/oer/desktop/en/search.html
OASIS - https://oasis.geneseo.edu/index.php
OER Commons - https://oercommons.org/
Lumen Learning - https://courses.lumenlearning.com/catalog/lumen
Openstax - https://openstax.org/
Teaching Commons - https://teachingcommons.us/
Remember it is a good idea to look for the licensing information for any resources that you use. If you are unclear of this, check with the MSU OER program for guidance.
Authored by: Jay Loftus
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu

Basic Needs Educator Training - Registration Now Open!
Registration is now open for the Basic Needs Educator Training, which will be held in-person on Tuesday, April 2nd from 9:30AM-11:30AM. This training aims to equip MSU advisors and instructors with knowledge and skills to identify and support students who are having difficulty in meeting one or more basic needs. The training will cover how to navigate these sensitive situations with compassion, respect boundaries, and connect students with campus and community resources.
Participants will also have an opportunity to put together finals week thriving kits to take back to their spaces and share with students. A wishlist has been created if you are interested in donating items for the finals week thriving kits. All items not used for the thriving kits will be donated to divisions on campus that stock free self-care items and toiletries for students, including the Student Parent Resource Center. Items are linked to Amazon but do not have to be purchased from this site.
Upon successful completion of the Basic Needs Educator Training, attendees will receive a digital certificate of completion.
Recommended Prerequisite: Attend or watch all recordings from the four Basic Needs Series presentations. All session recordings can be found on iteachmsu: https://iteach.msu.edu/pathways/437/playlist Register here for the Basic Needs Educator Training: https://bookings.lib.msu.edu/calendar/CTLI/BasicEducatorTraining Space is limited, please sign-up soon if interested!
Participants will also have an opportunity to put together finals week thriving kits to take back to their spaces and share with students. A wishlist has been created if you are interested in donating items for the finals week thriving kits. All items not used for the thriving kits will be donated to divisions on campus that stock free self-care items and toiletries for students, including the Student Parent Resource Center. Items are linked to Amazon but do not have to be purchased from this site.
Upon successful completion of the Basic Needs Educator Training, attendees will receive a digital certificate of completion.
Recommended Prerequisite: Attend or watch all recordings from the four Basic Needs Series presentations. All session recordings can be found on iteachmsu: https://iteach.msu.edu/pathways/437/playlist Register here for the Basic Needs Educator Training: https://bookings.lib.msu.edu/calendar/CTLI/BasicEducatorTraining Space is limited, please sign-up soon if interested!
Posted by: Katie Peterson
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu

Announcing: The Open Pedagogy and Open Educational Practices Learning Community
The Open Pedagogy and Open Educational Practices Learning Community is excited to announce an open call for participation in our community for the 2021-22 academic year. This community will explore how open pedagogy and open educational practices are enabled through the use of open educational resources (OER). Participants will read works and share practices that promote open pedagogy and discuss specific approaches for improving teaching, learning, and student engagement both in-person and online environments.
This learning community is intended for instructors from any discipline who teach undergraduate and graduate courses and are actively interested in open educational resources and open pedagogy. All instructors (fixed-term, tenure stream, specialists, graduate instructors, adjuncts) who wish to integrate open educational practices into their courses are welcome to apply.
The community will be a combination of monthly virtual meetings and asynchronous social annotation. All virtual meetings will take place via Zoom. Preliminary dates for the Fall semester are outlined below:
October 15, 10:00-11:30am
November 19, 10:00-11:30am
December 17, 10:00-11:30am
Please complete this application form to indicate your interest in participating. For this year, our learning community has 14 openings remaining. This call will close on Friday, September 24.
Thanks,
Regina
Regina Gong
Open Educational Resources (OER) & Student Success Librarian
Michigan State University Libraries
366 W. Circle Drive, W225 (DB9)
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: 517-884-6396
gongregi@msu.edu
she / her / hers
* Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg–Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. – Land Acknowledgement development by AIIS.
This learning community is intended for instructors from any discipline who teach undergraduate and graduate courses and are actively interested in open educational resources and open pedagogy. All instructors (fixed-term, tenure stream, specialists, graduate instructors, adjuncts) who wish to integrate open educational practices into their courses are welcome to apply.
The community will be a combination of monthly virtual meetings and asynchronous social annotation. All virtual meetings will take place via Zoom. Preliminary dates for the Fall semester are outlined below:
October 15, 10:00-11:30am
November 19, 10:00-11:30am
December 17, 10:00-11:30am
Please complete this application form to indicate your interest in participating. For this year, our learning community has 14 openings remaining. This call will close on Friday, September 24.
Thanks,
Regina
Regina Gong
Open Educational Resources (OER) & Student Success Librarian
Michigan State University Libraries
366 W. Circle Drive, W225 (DB9)
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: 517-884-6396
gongregi@msu.edu
she / her / hers
* Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg–Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. – Land Acknowledgement development by AIIS.
Authored by: Regina Gong
Disciplinary Content
Posted on: #iteachmsu

Strategies for Teaching Across Fields: Applications Open Until April 3
Greetings from the Writing Center @ MSU!
We’re excited to announce applications for Strategies for Teaching Across Fields (STAF), running May 15-18 2023 in 300 Bessey Hall. STAF is a four-day learning community focused on incorporating effective and equitable writing pedagogy across the disciplines open to any MSU educator.
As a learning community, STAF will provide tangible, effective support for instructors who teach with writing and will provide you with the theories and practices for implementing meaningful writing pedagogy in your classes. In particular, STAF cohort members will work on a mentored teaching with writing project– a specific course or assignment that will be workshopped and revised for a future semester.
Facilitators from various MSU colleges will share research and practice for engaging in effective writing pedagogy across the disciplines. Topics will include designing effective assignments, providing actionable feedback, backward design of larger projects, and accessible and equitable approaches to teaching with writing.
This opportunity is open to any MSU educator– graduate student, faculty, and staff interested in effective and equitable ways to teach with writing across the disciplines at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Please share widely!
Applications to this year’s cohort are open until April 3rd. Interested MSU educators should complete this brief application, designed for us to get to know your teaching interests and goals. We'll use these responses to inform the design of our learning community. Selected participants will be contacted by mid-April. Application URL: https://forms.gle/W9TwsvmMZwK6CCnK8
Questions? Feel free to email Nick Sanders (sande463@msu.edu) with any questions, concerns, or ideas. Learn more about STAF here.
Nick Sanders
We’re excited to announce applications for Strategies for Teaching Across Fields (STAF), running May 15-18 2023 in 300 Bessey Hall. STAF is a four-day learning community focused on incorporating effective and equitable writing pedagogy across the disciplines open to any MSU educator.
As a learning community, STAF will provide tangible, effective support for instructors who teach with writing and will provide you with the theories and practices for implementing meaningful writing pedagogy in your classes. In particular, STAF cohort members will work on a mentored teaching with writing project– a specific course or assignment that will be workshopped and revised for a future semester.
Facilitators from various MSU colleges will share research and practice for engaging in effective writing pedagogy across the disciplines. Topics will include designing effective assignments, providing actionable feedback, backward design of larger projects, and accessible and equitable approaches to teaching with writing.
This opportunity is open to any MSU educator– graduate student, faculty, and staff interested in effective and equitable ways to teach with writing across the disciplines at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Please share widely!
Applications to this year’s cohort are open until April 3rd. Interested MSU educators should complete this brief application, designed for us to get to know your teaching interests and goals. We'll use these responses to inform the design of our learning community. Selected participants will be contacted by mid-April. Application URL: https://forms.gle/W9TwsvmMZwK6CCnK8
Questions? Feel free to email Nick Sanders (sande463@msu.edu) with any questions, concerns, or ideas. Learn more about STAF here.
Nick Sanders
Authored by: Nick Sanders
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu

MSU Libraries OER Program Award Call for Applications Now Open
The MSU Libraries’ Open Educational Resources (OER) Award Program call for applications for the academic year 2022-2023 is now open.
Now in its 4th year, the OER Award Program provides financial incentives and support to instructors interested in adopting, adapting, or creating OER as an alternative to traditional learning materials 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.
Application forms are available in the OER LibGuide. The deadline for submission is January 16, 2023. The OER Advisory Committee will meet to review applications, and we will notify successful awardees on February 10, 2023.
Regina Gong, OER & Student Success Librarian, offers a one-on-one project consultation if you have questions about the OER Award program and the application categories. You can send an email to Regina at gongregi@msu.edu to schedule a project consultation.
Now in its 4th year, the OER Award Program provides financial incentives and support to instructors interested in adopting, adapting, or creating OER as an alternative to traditional learning materials 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.
Application forms are available in the OER LibGuide. The deadline for submission is January 16, 2023. The OER Advisory Committee will meet to review applications, and we will notify successful awardees on February 10, 2023.
Regina Gong, OER & Student Success Librarian, offers a one-on-one project consultation if you have questions about the OER Award program and the application categories. You can send an email to Regina at gongregi@msu.edu to schedule a project consultation.
Authored by: Regina Gong
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu

Open Pedagogy Learning Community: Call for Participation
Loading…
Authored by: Regina Gong and Dave Goodrich
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: PREP Matrix
What Doors Does a Ph.D in History Open?
This article from the Chronicle of Higher Education discusses the author's work tracking the post-graduate career paths of history Ph.Ds, with an emphasis on the variety of successful non-academic paths available. While the article specific discusses the field of history, its focus on what transferable skills from graduate training might look like in alternate careers is useful for all fields.
Posted by: Admin
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Hello Colleagues,
I’m writing to inform you that the MSU Libraries' Open Educational Resources Award Program call for applications for the academic year 2023-2024 opens today.
Now in its 5th year, the OER Award Program provides financial incentives and support to instructors interested in adopting, adapting, or creating OER as an alternative to traditional learning materials to advance our goals of affordability, access, equity, and student success.
Please visit https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/oer/award or consult the attached Call for Proposals to learn more about the application categories, eligibility, participation requirements, timelines, and criteria for evaluation. Application forms are available at https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/oer/award, and the deadline for submission is February 12, 2024.
The OER Advisory Committee will meet to review applications, and successful awardees will be notified on March 1, 2024.
Please feel free to share this information with interested colleagues.
Sincerely,
Linda
I’m writing to inform you that the MSU Libraries' Open Educational Resources Award Program call for applications for the academic year 2023-2024 opens today.
Now in its 5th year, the OER Award Program provides financial incentives and support to instructors interested in adopting, adapting, or creating OER as an alternative to traditional learning materials to advance our goals of affordability, access, equity, and student success.
Please visit https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/oer/award or consult the attached Call for Proposals to learn more about the application categories, eligibility, participation requirements, timelines, and criteria for evaluation. Application forms are available at https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/oer/award, and the deadline for submission is February 12, 2024.
The OER Advisory Committee will meet to review applications, and successful awardees will be notified on March 1, 2024.
Please feel free to share this information with interested colleagues.
Sincerely,
Linda
Posted by: Linda Miles
Pedagogical Design
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Registration is now open for the Basic Needs Educator Training, which will be held in-person on Tuesday, April 2nd from 9:30AM-11:30AM. This training aims to equip MSU advisors and instructors with knowledge and skills to identify and support students who are having difficulty in meeting one or more basic needs. The training will cover how to navigate these sensitive situations with compassion, respect boundaries, and connect students with campus and community resources.
Participants will also have an opportunity to put together finals week thriving kits to take back to their spaces and share with students. A wishlist has been created if you are interested in donating items for the finals week thriving kits. All items not used for the thriving kits will be donated to divisions on campus that stock free self-care items and toiletries for students, including the Student Parent Resource Center. Items are linked to Amazon but do not have to be purchased from this site.
Upon successful completion of the Basic Needs Educator Training, attendees will receive a digital certificate of completion.
Recommended Prerequisite: Attend or watch all recordings from the four Basic Needs Series presentations. All session recordings can be found on iteachmsu: https://iteach.msu.edu/pathways/437/playlist
Register here for the Basic Needs Educator Training: https://bookings.lib.msu.edu/calendar/CTLI/BasicEducatorTraining
Space is limited, please sign-up soon if interested!
Participants will also have an opportunity to put together finals week thriving kits to take back to their spaces and share with students. A wishlist has been created if you are interested in donating items for the finals week thriving kits. All items not used for the thriving kits will be donated to divisions on campus that stock free self-care items and toiletries for students, including the Student Parent Resource Center. Items are linked to Amazon but do not have to be purchased from this site.
Upon successful completion of the Basic Needs Educator Training, attendees will receive a digital certificate of completion.
Recommended Prerequisite: Attend or watch all recordings from the four Basic Needs Series presentations. All session recordings can be found on iteachmsu: https://iteach.msu.edu/pathways/437/playlist
Register here for the Basic Needs Educator Training: https://bookings.lib.msu.edu/calendar/CTLI/BasicEducatorTraining
Space is limited, please sign-up soon if interested!
Posted by: Katie Peterson
Navigating Context
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Applications are now open for the AT&T Excellence in Teaching with Technology Awards, which recognize effective uses of instructional technology to support student success in credit-bearing courses at MSU. Faculty, instructors, and teaching assistants can submit applications starting Sept. 1 through Oct. 28.
More info: https://attawards.msu.edu/
More info: https://attawards.msu.edu/
Posted by: Alicia Jenner
Posted on: GenAI & Education
AI Commons Bulletin 2/19/2025
🧠 AI Tools Soon to Decide How Much They Need to “Think”
Expect the answers from AI tools to generally improve over the next few months, as more of them incorporate “reasoning” into their process. These are models that can discern when a prompt is more complex and would require a multi-step reasoning process. OpenAI is starting this with ChatGPT soon.
Learn More: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtwK3hBAjDY
📗 Five Generations of Intelligent Textbooks
Sosnovsky & Brusilovsky compile the literature on intelligent textbooks and organize five generations:
Engineered: AI-powered adaptive reading.
Integrated: Linked with external smart content.
Extracted: AI analyzes and structures knowledge.
Datamined: Tracks student engagement for insights.
Generated: AI creates content, questions, & chatbots
Learn More: Sosnovsky, S., Brusilovsky, P. & Lan, A. Intelligent Textbooks. Int J Artif Intell Educ (2025).
🚫 Guidance for Uses of AI Banned by EU’s AI Act
The EU regulates AI much more than the US does. When it adopted the AI Act, it banned “unacceptable risk” uses, but didn’t provide much explanation. A new report lays out examples, including manipulative, deceptive, and exploitative practices.
Learn More: https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/redirection/document/112367
⏳ Waiting 5-10 Minutes for an AI to Answer?! What?!
Deep Research is a newer function of Google’s AI, Gemini. You can ask it an extended question and it will break it down into parts, research each part (including multiple web searches), and write up a report you can download. It’s available both on the web and on Android. Additional $ required.
Learn More: https://youtu.be/IBKRyI5m_Rk
Bulletin items compiled by MJ Jackson and Sarah Freye with production assistance from Lisa Batchelder. Get the AI-Commons Bulletin on our Microsoft Teams channel, at aicommons.commons.msu.edu, or by email (send an email to aicommons@msu.edu with the word “subscribe”).
🧠 AI Tools Soon to Decide How Much They Need to “Think”
Expect the answers from AI tools to generally improve over the next few months, as more of them incorporate “reasoning” into their process. These are models that can discern when a prompt is more complex and would require a multi-step reasoning process. OpenAI is starting this with ChatGPT soon.
Learn More: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtwK3hBAjDY
📗 Five Generations of Intelligent Textbooks
Sosnovsky & Brusilovsky compile the literature on intelligent textbooks and organize five generations:
Engineered: AI-powered adaptive reading.
Integrated: Linked with external smart content.
Extracted: AI analyzes and structures knowledge.
Datamined: Tracks student engagement for insights.
Generated: AI creates content, questions, & chatbots
Learn More: Sosnovsky, S., Brusilovsky, P. & Lan, A. Intelligent Textbooks. Int J Artif Intell Educ (2025).
🚫 Guidance for Uses of AI Banned by EU’s AI Act
The EU regulates AI much more than the US does. When it adopted the AI Act, it banned “unacceptable risk” uses, but didn’t provide much explanation. A new report lays out examples, including manipulative, deceptive, and exploitative practices.
Learn More: https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/redirection/document/112367
⏳ Waiting 5-10 Minutes for an AI to Answer?! What?!
Deep Research is a newer function of Google’s AI, Gemini. You can ask it an extended question and it will break it down into parts, research each part (including multiple web searches), and write up a report you can download. It’s available both on the web and on Android. Additional $ required.
Learn More: https://youtu.be/IBKRyI5m_Rk
Bulletin items compiled by MJ Jackson and Sarah Freye with production assistance from Lisa Batchelder. Get the AI-Commons Bulletin on our Microsoft Teams channel, at aicommons.commons.msu.edu, or by email (send an email to aicommons@msu.edu with the word “subscribe”).
Posted by: Sarah Freye
Posted on: #iteachmsu
More on ChatGPT in the classroom from Matt Miller of Ditch That Textbook fame:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNJ5yAuspq8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNJ5yAuspq8
Posted by: Stokes Schwartz
Posted on: #iteachmsu
And some practical suggestions, again from Matt MIller of Ditch That Textbook, on how we can integrate ChatGPT into classroom practices and activities:
https://ditchthattextbook.com/ai/#t-1671292150924
I plan to try some of these in class on Monday.
https://ditchthattextbook.com/ai/#t-1671292150924
I plan to try some of these in class on Monday.
Posted by: Stokes Schwartz
Posted on: GenAI & Education
AI Commons Bulletin 12/18/2024
Human-curated news about generative AI for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
🍔 Try This: Use AI to generate scenario examples
If you often use examples and scenarios in your lectures, AI can refresh them or generate new ones quickly.
BUT: Characters in gen AI scenarios can display a bias toward western culture. To mitigate, add this to your prompt “Ensure that the name used is gender inclusive and representative of a diverse cultural/ethnic background” (Mirowsky, 2024)
Learn More: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c00844/suppl_file/ed4c00844_si_001.pdf
🧲 Google Releases New “Learn About” AI Tool
The tool “helps you explore academic topics & concepts.” The layout resembles a textbook, includes additional audio and video sources, and further topics are even organized by terms that Bloom’s uses under comprehension: Understand, Explain, Describe.
BUT: Learning is not saved. Once you close the page, the session is gone.
Learn More: https://learning.google.com/experiments/learn-about
📗 Syllabus Statements
Students want to know what is or is not allowed in using AI for a course:
1. No AI
2. AI Planning
3. AI Collaboration
4. Full AI
5. AI Exploration
Learn More: Perkins, M., Roe, J., & Furze, L. (2024). The AI Assessment Scale Revisited: A Framework for Educational Assessment (No. arXiv:2412.09029). arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2412.09029
Get the AI-Commons Bulletin on our Microsoft Teams channel, at aicommons.commons.msu.edu, or by email (send an email to aicommons@msu.edu with the word “subscribe”).
Human-curated news about generative AI for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
🍔 Try This: Use AI to generate scenario examples
If you often use examples and scenarios in your lectures, AI can refresh them or generate new ones quickly.
BUT: Characters in gen AI scenarios can display a bias toward western culture. To mitigate, add this to your prompt “Ensure that the name used is gender inclusive and representative of a diverse cultural/ethnic background” (Mirowsky, 2024)
Learn More: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c00844/suppl_file/ed4c00844_si_001.pdf
🧲 Google Releases New “Learn About” AI Tool
The tool “helps you explore academic topics & concepts.” The layout resembles a textbook, includes additional audio and video sources, and further topics are even organized by terms that Bloom’s uses under comprehension: Understand, Explain, Describe.
BUT: Learning is not saved. Once you close the page, the session is gone.
Learn More: https://learning.google.com/experiments/learn-about
📗 Syllabus Statements
Students want to know what is or is not allowed in using AI for a course:
1. No AI
2. AI Planning
3. AI Collaboration
4. Full AI
5. AI Exploration
Learn More: Perkins, M., Roe, J., & Furze, L. (2024). The AI Assessment Scale Revisited: A Framework for Educational Assessment (No. arXiv:2412.09029). arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2412.09029
Get the AI-Commons Bulletin on our Microsoft Teams channel, at aicommons.commons.msu.edu, or by email (send an email to aicommons@msu.edu with the word “subscribe”).
Posted by: Sarah Freye
Host: MSU Libraries
MSU Libraries and The Poetry Room present Olivia Gatwood
Join the MSU Libraries and Lansing’s The Poetry Room for an afternoon of poetry, connection and conversation celebrating student, alumni and community voices. The event opens with performances from the MSU Poetry Club alongside recent alumni, spotlighting emerging talent and the power of being heard. The showcase will be followed by acclaimed poet, author and viral sensation Olivia Gatwood, whose work blends humor, intimacy and sharp social insight. Gatwood will share poems as well as excerpts from her 2024 novel “Whoever You Are, Honey,” offering an unfiltered look into her craft and creative journey. The afternoon will conclude with a Q&A — a mix of moderated conversation and audience participation — creating a rare opportunity to connect with one of today’s most dynamic literary voices.
Olivia Gatwood is the author of two poetry collections, “New American Best Friend” and “Life of the Party,” and co-writer of Adele’s music video “I Drink Wine.” She has received international recognition for her poetry, writing workshops and work as a Title IX-compliant educator in sexual assault prevention and recovery. Her performances have been featured on HBO, MTV, VH1, the BBC and more, with poems appearing in “The Poetry Foundation,” “Lambda Literary” and “The Missouri Review.” Originally from Albuquerque, she now lives in Los Angeles.
Event is free and open to all.
Navigating Context
Host: MSU Libraries
3D Terrain Elevation Models for 3D Printing (Online)
Learn how to produce a 3D model of terrain elevation for printing on a 3D printer. We will learn about 3D models for 3D printing, digital elevation models (DEMs), where to find DEM data to create our printable export, and then use a plug in DEMto3D in the open source software QGIS to create a model. If time allows, basic tools for 3D model editing in Meshmixer or slicing software will be demonstrated.
Navigating Context
Host: MSU Libraries
A Decade of Making: Celebrating 10 Years of the Hollander Makerspace
Join us in celebrating 10 years of creativity, collaboration, and innovation at the Hollander Makerspace Open House! Explore the evolution of the space through hands-on demos, tool showcases, and conversations with past and present makers over coffee and cookies. Whether you're a curious newcomer or longtime supporter, this milestone event offers a chance to connect, create, and envision the future of making at MSU.
Navigating Context
Host: MSU Libraries
Film Screening: I’m Still Here (Ainda estou aqui)
Ainda Estou Aqui (I’m Still Here), winner of the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards (2025), tells the powerful true story of Rubens Paiva’s arrest and disappearance in 1970s Rio de Janeiro and his wife Eunice’s relentless fight for the truth amid Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964–1985).
Based on the novel by Marcelo Rubens Paiva—son of Rubens and Eunice—the film portrays the Paiva family’s struggle to uncover Rubens’ fate in a nation gripped by political repression. The trauma of her husband's disappearance drives Eunice to study law, ultimately becoming a leading advocate for Indigenous rights in Brazil.
We invite the MSU community and the general public to a free screening and discussion on political oppression, censorship, fear, trauma, democratic challenges, and social upheaval. Faculty members will facilitate the conversation, encouraging critical engagement with the film’s historical and contemporary relevance.
This event is free and open to the public.
Agenda
5:30 PM: Screening to be presented by Janette Nuñez (MSU Libraries) and Saulo Gouveia (Romance and Classical Studies)
7:45 PM (immediately after the screening): Discussion panel featuring:
a. Peter Beattie, History
b. Saulo Gouveia, Romance and Classical Studies
c. María Isabel Espinoza, Sociology
d. Rocío Quispe Agnoli, Romance and Classical Studies
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
Host: MSU Libraries
Zotero Workshop (Online)
An introduction to the free open source citation management program Zotero. In this workshop, participants will learn how to:
Download references from MSU's article databases and websites
Format citations and bibliographies in a Word document
Create groups and share references with other users
Registration for this event is required.
You will receive a link to join a Zoom meeting before the workshop. Please install the Zotero software and Zotero browser connector on your computer before the session begins. More information is available from https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/zotero/setup.
Questions or need more information? Contact the MSU Libraries Zotero training team at lib.dl.zotero@msu.edu.
To schedule a separate session for your class or research group, please contact the Zotero team at lib.dl.zotero@msu.edu.
Navigating Context
Host: MSU Libraries
Digital Scholarship Lab Project Incubator 2025-2026 Informational Session
The Digital Scholarship Lab is excited to open the Call for Proposals for the 2025-2026 Incubator Program. Proposals will be accepted through Tuesday, September 9th, 2025.
Please see the Call for Proposals here.
We will host an info session on Tuesday September 2nd at 3pm in the DSL Room J or you can join us virtually via this Zoom:
https://msu.zoom.us/j/97758020577
Meeting ID: 977 5802 0577 (MSU NetID required)
Navigating Context
EXPIRED
Host: MSU Libraries
Annual Digital Humanities THATCamp 2025
Greetings from the MSU Digital Humanities Community!
Please share the following invitation with your faculty colleagues, students, and staff.
We would like to invite you and your colleagues to join us for the annual Digital Humanities THATCamp, taking place on Thursday, August 21st from 8:30AM - 3:00PM in the Digital Scholarship Lab of the MSU Main Library (Second Floor, West).
*Light breakfast, lunch will be served. Please join us for an Ice Cream Social from 3:15PM-4:30PM. Location outdoors, TBD.
Please register here.
What is THATCamp?
THATCamp stands for “The Humanities and Technology Camp.” It is an unconference: an open, less formal meeting where humanists and technologists of all skill levels learn and build together in sessions proposed on the spot (From: http://thatcamp.org/about).
Who is THATCamp for?
This day-long, in person, fun, unconference is a fantastic opportunity for people on campus, whether formally a part of the DH@MSU community or not, to gather, learn from each other, and make connections to carry forward into the academic year. We welcome:
Members of the DH@MSU community, old and new
Students in the Digital Humanities undergraduate minor or graduate certificate, and students interested in the minor/certificate
Humanists who are engaged in digital and computer-assisted research, teaching, and creation
Anyone doing or interested in exploring work in the digital, especially (but not exclusively) in the areas of arts, humanities, and social sciences
Why THATCamp MSU?
DH@MSU is continuing our annual THATCamp each August targeted at MSU faculty, staff, and students for a few reasons:
To bring people back together after the summer
To introduce new folks to the DH@MSU community
Share knowledge, expertise, and skills among the community
Build connections between community members for future collaborations, troubleshooting, and ice cream social time.
THATCamp is FREE! Please register here.
Please direct any questions to Max Evjen (evjendav@msu.edu).
Navigating Context
EXPIRED