These virtual workshops will focus on considering how to (re)design your course or section to increase student learning, create engaging audio and video materials, and use campus tools to record those materials.
Check for Accessibility with the Ally Instructor Report
The Ally tool in bCourses identifies if images and files in your course site are formatted for accessibility. It then provides guidance on how to edit materials that are currently not in accessible formats, a process called remediation. As you add links to documents or embed images on your weekly landing pages, you may notice the green, orange, and red meters next to the files identifying if the materials are fully, partially, or not accessible, respectively. The Ally tool indicates the problem when you...
In this interactive workshop, participants will engage with example strategies for implementing frequent, low-stakes assessments into their course designs and discuss how to effectively gauge student learning over time.
Check for Broken Links with the Course Link Validator
bCourses has a built-in tool that checks for broken links within your course site. This is especially helpful if you've imported content from a previous course that references material that may have changed or is no longer available. This easy-to-use automated tool helps streamline the quality assurance process.
The Course Link Validator searches through your course content and returns invalid or unresponsive external links that may be tricky to track down manually. This includes deleted links, or links...
Quality Assurance (QA) is the process of checking the technical components of your course site before students have access to it. This process includes confirming all links function correctly, materials are fully accessible, and materials you'd like students to access are published, or conversely, materials you'd like hidden until a certain date are not visible to students. There are two key tools available in bCourses that help streamline QA: Course Link Validator and Ally Instructor Report. Additionally, DLS has developed a bCourses...
The DLS Core Template will provide you with a structure to develop a pedagogically sound remote or online course. You can use the DLS Core Template in conjunction with the following resources, which highlight how to implement best practices in digital pedagogy. Though presented in the context of a remote course, these practices are useful for developing courses in any format.
Organize Materials in Your Course Site Using Modules
Creating a pattern of weekly tasks allows students to plan ahead and stay organized in your course. As you plan discussions, quizzes, and assignments, make sure they follow a pattern. Indicate on your syllabus or course page any departure from the established patterns. Consistency in course design is a component of the universal instructional design to meet the needs of all learners (Palmer et al., 2003). In addition to the bCourses Pages layout, provide organization through a modular learning pathway. bCourses Modules...
Include Knowledge Checks and Formative Assessments
When you’re teaching in person, you may gauge student understanding of topics based on students’ facial expressions during lectures, whether or not they raise their hands and ask questions during discussions, and other non-verbal reactions to course material. When teaching remotely, you may not have the opportunity to pause mid-lecture and ask quick questions to ensure that students are understanding the content as you go, so it is imperative that you incorporate knowledge checks and other formative assessments to monitor and...
Whether you provide reading material as PDFs in bCourses, link out to articles, or assign chapters from books or eReaders, make sure to consistently describe them on the weekly landing page. If some of your readings are optional, specify this on the landing page. Consider creating a separate section in the page layout for additional resources to challenge students. Use a naming convention for your files that includes the week, title, and your name for students to distinguish it from other courses after they have downloaded it to their...