Canvas LMS – Page 11

Preparing for Fall 2020: Ensuring All Faculty Have the Resources for Instructional & Technology Needs to Support Multiple Teaching Modes

Thank you for all of your work over the past few months, your instructional creativity, flexibility, and service toward meeting the needs of all students during these extraordinary times continues to differentiate the SMU experience.

We know that many of you have questions about teaching in Summer 2 and in the Fall. We apologize for the length of this message, but we want to provide you as much detail as possible. While we do not have answers to all of your questions, our hope is this message provides additional clarity about the upcoming terms. Please read the entire message and reach out with any additional questions that you may have regarding instructional preparation.

As you know, the planning for a phased re-opening of SMU’s classrooms for face-to-face, in-person instruction is well underway. Every Summer 2 and Fall 2020 course will need to support SMU’s long-standing expectation for high-quality instruction with students who may be in person or remote (you might have heard this called “HyFlex” instruction; Please see EDUCAUSE’s 7 Things You Should Know About the HyFlex Course Model for a good definition of this mode). In practical terms, HyFlex classes require the continuance of remote instruction while at the same time delivering in-person instruction—connecting the two using technology systems like Zoom and Canvas. In order to ensure that fully online courses continue to meet the same learning goals as in-person instruction, online courses will require high standards of course materials and pedagogy.

Whether in person or online, we want to make sure that all SMU faculty have the resources— instructional and technology— to successfully teach in the new instructional world that we will enter in the weeks and months ahead.

To that end, the Office of Information Technology (OIT), the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), and the SMU Libraries are doing the following things: Continue reading Preparing for Fall 2020: Ensuring All Faculty Have the Resources for Instructional & Technology Needs to Support Multiple Teaching Modes

Duo is Coming to Canvas on July 1, 2020

Canvas LMS + Duo Security Coming soon, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) will enable Duo multi-factor authentication for students, faculty, and staff for accessing the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS). This new requirement was recently approved by your Academic Technology Council to better protect personally identifiable information and other sensitive info like student grades. Continue reading Duo is Coming to Canvas on July 1, 2020

Organizing Your Online Canvas Course with Christina Churchill

As part of the Remote Learning: From Survival to Exceptional series, Christina Churchill, Academic Technology Directory for the Cox School of Business, shared her insights on Organizing Your Online Course. This workshop introduced SMU’s expectations for minimal requirements in Canvas as well as learning theories and best practices for presenting online course content.

“The goal of designing a course is Continue reading Organizing Your Online Canvas Course with Christina Churchill

Keep Teaching: Week In Review
(April 6, 2020)

Finding the New Normal

There has been little time throughout the events of the last month for much thoughtful reflection as to the nature of what we’re doing and what we’ll be doing next. While initial online readiness meant deploying and activating essential online basics to get up and running, week two found us rapidly working to normalize online classrooms as well as working to stabilize student experiences.

As our unprecedented teaching odyssey continues, right alongside a continual, often dizzying narrative of information and misinformation about what’s going on in the world versus what’s going on with Zoom continues, please remember that we’re here to help you navigate and simplify the complex work of online teaching. If you’re struggling to embrace new online teaching technologies, to make course modifications, or to develop new testing and quizzing options, we can help. Continue reading Keep Teaching: Week In Review
(April 6, 2020)

Keep Teaching: Week In Review
(March 27, 2020)

While no one expected this week to be perfect, we did not anticipate that this unprecedented new era would get off to such a smooth and incredible start. Though not without some predictable rapid growing pains, we’re witnessing absolutely heroic instructional work—this has been a great first week.

Nicely done, SMU faculty!

Continue reading Keep Teaching: Week In Review
(March 27, 2020)