This January, OIT will be offering several workshops to help you kick off the new year right. From getting started with Canvas to conquering quizzes or using AI, we have you covered. We know some things cannot wait until January. In December, we will also help you to wrap up your Canvas course for the term.
December Workshop
Final Grades & Wrapping Up Your Canvas Course
December 11, 2024, 10:00 a.m.
As the semester comes to an end, let’s do a check of your Canvas course before submitting grades to my.SMU. In this workshop, we will cover final grades in Canvas by reviewing assignment scoring, assignment groups, and the gradebook.
Faculty Technology Workshops — FTW! Back-to-School Bootcamp
Our Back-to-School Bootcamp starts January 8, and runs through January 15, 2025. This is an online event and registration is required.
Ready, Set, Pony Up! Getting Started with Canvas
January 8, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
Let’s make sure your course (and you!) are ready to start the spring semester in Canvas. In this workshop, you will learn how to:
- Import course content;
- Update imported announcements;
- Review the syllabus, assignment settings, and gradebook for alignment;
- Set up proctoring tools and adjust navigation links; and
- Check for broken links
It’s in the (Simple) Syllabus!
January 8, 2025, 11:00 a.m.
Simple Syllabus makes it easy to communicate to your students exactly what will be required of them throughout the course. In this workshop, you will learn how to:
- Use the Simple Syllabus template tool to add your course information
- Import previous semester’s content
- Create syllabus visibility
Canvas Assignments: Assess for Success
January 8, 2025, 1:30 p.m.
Canvas Assignments are a great way to assess student learning. In this workshop, you will learn how to:
- Create different assignment types;
- Set availability and due dates;
- Access Speedgrader for grading; and
- Add rubrics to assignments, quizzes, and discussions
Grading: The Good, The Late, and the Extra Credit
January 8, 2025, 3:00 p.m.
The Canvas Gradebook helps instructors easily view and enter grades for students.
In this workshop, you will learn how to:
- Manage your late policy grades
- Organize your gradebook
- Weight assignment groups
- Give extra credit
Conquering Quizzes in Canvas
January 9, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
Quizzes are a way of assessing student learning. In this workshop, you will learn how to:
- Understand Classic Quizzes versus New Quizzes
- Use Question Banks/Item Banks
Use the Calendar to Your (and your students!) Advantage
January 9, 2025, 11:00 a.m.
The Canvas Calendar is a great way to view everything for all your courses in one place. In this workshop, you will learn how to:
- View individual and course calendars
- Create appointment groups for office hours
- Add quick assignments and events
Practical Teaching & AI
January 9, 2025, 1:30 p.m.
Explore practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning. By understanding and integrating AI tools, you can enhance instructional methods, streamline administrative tasks, and provide personalized learning experiences for students. In this workshop, you will learn how to:
- Identify and utilize AI tools to enhance instructional strategies
- Develop and implement AI-based strategies to improve student engagement and learning outcomes
What’s New in Canvas?
January 9, 2025, 3:00 p.m.
Canvas has continued to improve, so come learn about new and updated features, including AI components!
AI Assisted Course Design
January 10, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
In this session hosted by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), participants will learn how to engage with Generative AI tools as partners in the course design process. When intentionally engaging with GenAI tools and backward design, the course design process becomes significantly more efficient.
Understanding & Leveraging How Students Use Generative AI
January 10, 2025, 11:00 a.m.
Students are increasingly integrating generative AI tools into their learning and creative processes. This workshop focuses on understanding how students are using AI, the implications for academic integrity and skill development, and how faculty can adapt their teaching to align with this new reality. By the end of this workshop, participants will:
- Understand how students are currently using generative AI tools in their academic work.
- Identify the benefits and risks associated with student use of generative AI.
- Recognize the potential impact of generative AI on critical thinking, creativity, and skill development.
- Develop strategies for engaging with students about AI use and adapting course assignments or policies accordingly.
Readings & Resources: Organize Course Materials, Track and Improve Student Engagement
January 10, 2025, 2:00 p.m.
SMU Libraries incorporated Readings & Resources as a tool in Canvas that organizes your course materials in one place and tracks and encourages student engagement. In this workshop, you will learn how to:
- Add any type of course materials or reserves to a single list in Canvas
- Use analytics and student engagement features to track and encourage students in reading course materials
Introduction to Copyleaks from Plagiarism Detection
January 13, 2025, 11:00 a.m.
Register Now
- Copyleaks uses state-of-the-art AI to provide more accurate and comprehensive plagiarism detection, ensuring that even sophisticated attempts at plagiarism are caught.
- Scans an extensive database that includes academic publications, student papers, and web content, plus added capabilities to scan and compare content from various sources, including code, which is beneficial for detecting plagiarism in computer science and engineering disciplines.
- Uses a familiar interface in Canvas.
- Provides in-depth plagiarism reports with visual representation of matched content, paraphrased text, and a clear breakdown of sources. Includes tools for generating detailed feedback for students.
- Supports multiple languages and can detect plagiarism across different languages, making it suitable for our increasingly diverse and international student body.
Generative AI for SMU Researchers
January 13, 2025, 1:30 p.m.
Join SMU Libraries and OIT Research Technology Services as we delve into the fundamentals of generative AI and its impact on research. In this workshop, you will learn how to:
- Recognize Generative AI basics
- Explore Generative AI applications to research
- Investigate guides for researching with Generative AI
- Discuss the ethical implications of generative AI applications involving labor, the environment, and privacy
Power of Effective Feedback Strategies Using PlayPosit
January 13, 2025, 3:00 p.m.
This training will highlight the fundamentals of PlayPosit with an emphasis on the feedback functionalities within the platform. In this workshop, you will:
- Learn what is PlayPosit
- Experience PlayPosit from your students’ perspective
- Build an interactive video together that you can use immediately with various forms of feedback for learners
- Participate in Q&A
- Obtain PlayPosit resources
Prompt Engineering Basics for Faculty & Staff
January 14, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
This workshop introduces faculty and staff to the fundamentals of prompt engineering for AI tools like ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs). Participants will learn how to craft effective prompts to enhance productivity, improve communication, and leverage AI for teaching, research, and administrative tasks. In this workshop, you will learn:
- 5: the free version
- Key principles for designing clear and effective prompts to achieve desired outcomes.
- How to adapt prompts for various professional use cases, including lesson planning, report drafting, and brainstorming.
- Strategies to troubleshoot and refine prompts for improved AI responses.
Advanced Prompt Engineering
January 14, 2025, 11:00 a.m.
Building on foundational skills, this workshop dives deeper into advanced prompt engineering techniques. Participants will explore methods to optimize prompts for complex tasks, integrate multi-step workflows, and use advanced features of LLMs to achieve sophisticated outcomes. In this workshop, you will learn:
- The evolution of NLP, LLM and GenAI
- Techniques for chaining prompts and designing multi-step workflows to manage complex projects.
- How to leverage advanced AI capabilities like contextual memory, structured output, and parameter tuning.
- Best practices for using prompt engineering to solve domain-specific challenges in teaching, research, and administration.
Increase Student Retention with Dropout Detective
January 14, 2025, 1:30 p.m.
Help increase student retention by using Dropout Detective to analyze performance data. In this workshop, you will learn how to:
- View performance data for your students by class
- Identify students that may be at risk for attrition
Enhance Student Engagement with Poll Everywhere
January 15, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
Poll Everywhere provides a safe platform for every student to ask questions, participate in group activities, and share thoughts and insights, right from their phone or computer. It can also be used to streamline attendance taking. In this workshop, you will:
- See a demonstration of the multiple ways you can utilize Poll Everywhere in your course
- Learn how to gain access to Poll Everywhere
- Discuss the ethical implications of generative AI applications involving labor, the environment, and privacy
The Art of Assessment: Using Portfolio for Common Curriculum
January 15, 2025, 11:00 a.m.
The goal of assessment is to improve student learning. Meet with the Institutional Planning and Effectiveness team to learn about using Canvas for Common Curriculum assessment. In this workshop, you will:
- Learn how to create or link Canvas assignments to Learning Outcomes
- Identify resources for yourself and students for submitting assignments
- Participate in Q&A
