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Panopto or Narrated PowerPoint
While discussing the use of Panopto for instructional videos, I often receive the question about why one would use Panopto instead of a narrated PowerPoint file or video. I want to preface my response by saying that if an instructor is already comfortable with using “Record Slide Show” in PowerPoint and distributing the files or videos, then I would encourage them to continue to use it. But if someone is new to recording slideshows, then I would suggest that Panopto is definitely worth considering. One of the benefits of using Panopto is that it creates streaming video files. This means they can easily be viewed on any web-enabled device In…
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New Quizzes – Adding Accommodations
by Roberta Campbell-Chudoba If you need to provide students with quiz accommodations, it is important to know that adding accommodations in New Quizzes looks quite different than Classic Quizzes. Options for accommodations in New Quizzes include: Time adjustments for all quizzes in the course (Accommodations and Edit Pencil) Add extra time for a student Remove time limits Multiply time limits using a ‘Time limit multiplier’ Attempts and additional time for a single quiz and student (Moderate Button) Manually unlock quiz attempts Add extra attempts for a quiz Add additional time for timed quiz attempts Remove time limits Where do I set accommodations? Once a quiz has been published, return…
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USask Assessment Principles
In the 2022-23, USask adopted an updated set of principles about how we try to assess students. Here are some tips about using each of the principles in your course. Each principle is defined and related posts are listed. Is aligned with learning outcomes and instructional strategies (assessment of learning). Alignment refers to the process of planning your learning outcomes to describe what your students will be able to do, know or value, and then planning how you will assess and teach based on those outcomes. When align to outcomes, you only gather evidence of academic achievement that is critical to those outcomes. Watch this video what “aligned” means Understand…
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Assessing Outcomes versus Grading Assignments
by Racquel Biem In this blog post, we will examine why assessing outcomes can target learning improvements better than grading assignments. Previous Educatus blog posts have talked about outcomes-based assessment, clarifying that outcomes-based assessment starts with articulating what students will be able to do (the learning outcomes), followed by designing learning activities and assessments linked to the outcomes. However, even with clear outcomes and learning activities, instructors often fall into the habit of grading assignments rather than assessing outcomes. Consider the following scenario. Learner 1 and Learner 2 both have 75% in your class. How do you, the instructor, or the employer know whether they gained 100% competency on 75%…
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Improving Accessibility with Canvas’ Rich Content Editor
By Roberta Campbell-Chudoba Small formatting changes on Canvas Pages, Assignments, Quizzes and the Syllabus page can make your course more accessible. Using the suggestions below will improve clarity, readability, and navigation for all your students. In the Rich Content Editor (RCE) menu bar, illustrated below: The drop-down menu on the Paragraph option [1] has three levels of heading choices. Using headings, rather than just enlarging the text, helps a screen reader to interpret new sections and provides consistent spacing between materials. Keep headings under 120 characters. Avoid skipping heading levels. Canvas uses Microsoft Immersive Reader for text-to-speech functionality. After inserting an image [2] click on the Accessibility Checker icon located immediately…
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Choosing a mix of F2F and remote online? Tips for smoother hybrid approaches
The University has announced a return to campus stating Feb. 7th. With the exception of some specific programs designed to provide hybrid options, instructors are not expected to teach students face to face (F2F) and online at the same time in their F2F course(s). However, you may be trying to provide some extra options for your students in these complicated times, and if you are, here are some tips you may wish to use to help your students avoid pitfalls: Help students hold the details: Review where to find everything in your Canvas course, and remember that half of USask students access Canvas through the app. (see how to video…
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Turn Pre-Class Readings into Social Learning
When we design courses, we carefully choose readings or videos for students to review before coming to class. We then plan for the fantastic discussions and activities that will occur in class. All too often, when we arrive in class, we quickly realize that most of the students have not engaged with the pre-class materials in any meaningful way. This forces us to shift our plans and leaves us discouraged. Perusall is a tool in the USask Learning Technology Ecosystem that is specifically designed to get students meaningfully engaging with the pre-class materials. It is what is known as a social annotation tool. It transforms pre-class readings and videos into…
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Using Zoom Meetings in Canvas
Zoom is a web conferencing tool available in Canvas. To be enabled, it has to be added to the course navigation menu. Zoom can be used to schedule lectures, group meetings or appointments. Students can join any virtual meeting directly through Canvas and can review any recorded sessions through the Zoom Meetings link. The videos below explain how to use Zoom to schedule meetings and office hours in Canvas. Using Zoom to schedule meetings in Canvas (7.31) Using Zoom to schedule office hours in Canvas (4.05) How students can join a Zoom session in Canvas Once in Canvas students can simply click the Join button, either from the Zoom Meetings…
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Generating an attendance report in Zoom
Term has started and whilst the instructors who are back in the classroom can clearly see who is present in their classes, for those who are teaching virtually it is not so easy to determine. Luckily for the instructors who are hosting their virtual classes in Zoom, an attendance report can be generated. This report will show you who was present in your virtual session and for how long. Follow these simple steps to generate an attendance report in Zoom. Sign into the Zoom portal through PAWS. Click Reports on the left-hand side navigation, then click Usage. Enter the appropriate dates of the classes in question and click Search.…
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Keep recording when you present content
The move to remote instruction with COVID-19 forced a pivot that was frustrating for educators and students alike. USask collected data about the student learning experience in focus groups and surveys throughout the pandemic. Students consistently told us they missed community and direct connection with their professors. However, they also told us how much they value recordings of the times when the professor is presenting information in class – a practice they would like to see USask educators continue as we return to traditional classroom formats. What research says A recent meta analysis of video in higher education using only randomized controlled trials found that while recorded video is not…
