October 2023 Educational Technology Development Opportunities
Educational Technology Workshops for Instructors, October 2023
Join us for several virtual workshops that take a deep dive into educational technology tools like D2L and Camtasia, including how to leverage accessibility considerations and other technology-informed teaching strategies in your courses.
Read more about the October training offerings below and register at spartanslearn.msu.edu.
- Register by selecting Live Course Listing
- Follow the instructions to sign in (if prompted)
- In the Training Registration area, click Register for a Course
- Select “Virtual” in the Type of Class drop-down
- Select the course title in the Choose a Class drop-down
All workshops will be conducted via Zoom. Additional technology training opportunities and on-demand course recordings about collaborative tools such as Microsoft 365 applications can also be found at spartanslearn.msu.edu.
Engaging Students in Online Discussions & Peer Feedback Activities
10/4/2023 11 am to 12 pm
Presented by Susan Halick, Dr. Cui Cheng, and Dr. Lindsay Tigue, Instructional Technology & Development
Are you concerned about keeping your students interested in discussions and feedback in an online environment? This session will briefly demo D2L Discussion types and then introduce three external learning tools available at MSU, including Packback, Piazza, and Eli Review.
D2L Gradebook Setup
10/4/2023 1 pm to 2 pm
Presented by Dr. Jennifer Wagner, Mark Hodgins, and Lisa Batchelder, Instructional Technology & Development
Access to accurate and up-to-date grades is very important to students. The D2L online gradebook gives private views to students and a spreadsheet view to instructors. This training will lead you through how to set up a points-based or percentage-based (weighted) gradebook. We will also cover how to connect existing activities, such as assignments and online quizzes. See the Grading in D2L workshop as a follow-up.
Creating Accessible Digital Media
10/5/2023 11 am to 12 pm
Presented by KJ Downer-Shojgreen, Kevin Henley, and Rhonda Kessling, Instructional Technology & Development
Do you want to learn more about how to create accessible digital media for your courses? Join this workshop to learn strategies and key considerations for making your video, audio, and graphic content inclusive and accessible.
D2L Quizzes
10/5/2023 1 pm to 2 pm
Presented by Dr. Cui Cheng, Dr. Jennifer Wagner, and Lisa Batchelder, Instructional Technology & Development
Would you like to provide ample practice opportunities for students to test themselves online with auto-graded questions and multiple attempts? You can do this using the Quizzes tool in D2L. In this session, MSU IT will demonstrate how to build a D2L Quiz with question types such as True/False, Multiple Choice, Multiple-Select, Matching, and more. Written Response (essay) questions can also be added and manually graded in an efficient way. Other demonstrated topics include the Question Library, question pool items, and quiz options, such as shuffling questions and answer choices.
Creating Engaging Videos with Camtasia
10/10/23 11 am to 12 pm
Presented by Rhonda Kessling and Kevin Henley, Instructional Technology and Development
This workshop will focus on the use of Camtasia for creating and editing instructional videos, with tips for recording practices that minimize re-recording and make editing easier. The topics covered will include recording a presentation, editing a video, importing media, and adding effects or annotations.
Reviewing Your Online or Hybrid Course
10/10/23 1 pm to 2 pm
Presented by Rhonda Kessling, Susan Halick, and Dr. Cui Cheng, Instructional Technology & Development
There are many options for getting feedback on your online or hybrid course: formative feedback from an online learning specialist, peer review programs or formal reviews from Quality Matters. Join this session to learn about your options and how you can engage with them.
Incorporating UDL Into Your Course Design
10/11/23 1 pm to 2 pm
Presented by Dr. Cui Cheng, Dr. Lindsay Tigue, and Lisa Batchelder, Instructional Technology & Development
Are you looking for ways to make your course more accessible and inclusive for all students? From a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) perspective, this session will discuss general principles and practical strategies for creating inclusive course materials, enriching student engagement, implementing varied assessments, and fostering a sense of belonging for all students. Join us in this session for discussions and actionable insights to create an inclusive environment for every student.
Grading in D2L
10/12/23 11 am to 12 pm
Presented by Mark Hodgins, Lisa Batchelder, and Susan Halick, Instructional Technology & Development
Are you new to entering grades in D2L? Have you already been grading and would like to pick up a few new tips? This training is for anyone who will be grading activities or entering scores into a D2L gradebook. Participants should have an existing gradebook or previous knowledge of how to set up a gradebook. See the session on D2L Gradebook Setup prior to this session, if needed.
D2L Content Templates for Consistent Course Design
10/17/23 1 pm to 2 pm
Presented by Susan Halick, Kevin Henley, and Dr. Cui Cheng, Instructional Technology & Development
Content Templates provide a consistent design to your D2L course pages without requiring knowledge of HTML code. The Spartanized templates offered by MSU IT are fully responsive and accessible, with built-in interactivity and knowledge checks to engage students. The templates are now available automatically in every course via Public Files, or a zip file can be uploaded manually to Manage Files for your own customization. In this workshop, participants will follow along with us to apply the templates to a development course and create visually appealing and engaging content pages.
D2L Intelligent Agents: Streamlining Personalized Communication at Scale
10/18/23 11 am to 12 pm
Presented by Susan Halick, Mark Hodgins, and Dr. Lindsay Tigue, Instructional Technology & Development
Join us for a workshop on leveraging the power of D2L Intelligent Agents to automate personalized messages to students based on their actions. For example, agents can be used to send targeted emails to students who have not engaged with the course in a specified timeframe or to offer congratulations for achieving exceptional scores. Intelligent Agents can also be used to produce reports on student activity, such as listing those who have completed a checklist or earned an award. Get ready to streamline your communication efforts and enhance student engagement with Intelligent Agents!
iClicker Cloud Training
10/3/23 1 pm to 2 pm
Presented by Macmillan Learning
Join Macmillan Learning for a workshop on using iClicker Cloud (formerly Reef Instructor). With iClicker Cloud, instructors are able to track attendance using GPS technology, ask target (heat map) questions, administer quizzes, and analyze student performance using a web browser. Students participate using mobile devices, laptops, and iClicker remotes.
Please note, there is a separate registration process for this workshop. Register via Macmillan Learning.
March & April 2023 Educational Technology Development Opportunities
This spring, MSU IT Educational Technology is focused on supporting educators interested in moving to or creating a hybrid/online class structure. Our webinars will teach educators about accessibility features and practices in commonly used technologies, as well as design practices for asynchronous and hybrid synchronous classes.
Read more about the March and April virtual training offerings below. All MSU IT trainings, including educational technology, are now available at spartanslearn.msu.edu.
- Register by selecting “Live Course Listing”
- Follow the instructions to sign in
- Select “Register for a Class”
- In the drop-down bar, find the course title you are interested in
Additional technology training opportunities about collaborative tools such as Spartan 365 applications and Zoom can also be found at spartanslearn.msu.edu.
MediaSpace and Captioning Quick Start
March 15, 2023, 10 – 11 a.m.
Captioning is an essential part of digital accessibility to create an inclusive learning environment for everyone. Learn captioning tips and tutorials for various platforms to caption your content.
Accessibility Tips for Word and Outlook
March 17, 2023, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Learn tips and techniques for increasing accessibility and usability in Microsoft Word and Outlook. Instructors will help identify common accessibility errors and demonstrate how to correct them. Discover tips for making documents, websites, and digital correspondence accessible.
Designing an Asynchronous Online Course
March 21, 2023, 3 – 4 p.m.
Consistent course design matters for promoting student success. Learn about the characteristics of a well-designed asynchronous, online course. This session will give an overview of the basics and point to resources for further learning and support. Participants will also be given a course design model that is customizable to save time, especially for those who are just starting out.
Designing a HyFlex/Synchronous Hybrid Course
March 24,2023, 1 – 2 p.m.
This webinar will help identify advantages and challenges of HyFlex/Synchronous Hybrid course design, provide an overview and practical strategies, both technological and pedagogical, for designing and delivering HyFlex/Synchronous Hybrid courses.
D2L Basics for Instructors
March 31, 2023, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
This informational webinar will cover the basics of setting up your course in D2L Brightspace. Participants will be given an overview of the interface and how to set up tools for assessment and engagement. Specific tools include Grade Book, Assignments, Quizzes, Discussions, Announcements and more.
Using Content Templates for Consistent Course Design
April 6, 2023, 4 – 5 p.m.
Content templates provide a consistent design to your D2L course pages without requiring knowledge of HTML code. The Spartanized templates offered by MSU IT are fully responsive and accessible, with built-in interactivity and knowledge checks to engage students. Follow along with us to apply the templates to a development course and create visually appealing and engaging content pages.
Where can you learn more?
- If you are not able to attend one of these sessions, recordings will be posted to view on the Instructional Technology & Development MediaSpace channel
- Find other training resources at Educational Technology Training
