Countdown to Fall: Fall Starts Next Week!

Fall quarter starts next week! The OTL is here to support you, and we have many resources, tips, and webinars that will help you get your courses ready for fall.

OTL Celebrates Scholar Strike

Today and tomorrow, Sept 8 & 9 are dubbed Scholar Strike, a social justice movement promoting a pause from faculty work to raise awareness about racism and racial injustice. As educators, we can engage in self-reflection, interrogate our disciplines, consider representation of minoritized scholars in our course readings and materials, and improve our skills related to inclusive pedagogy. DU is committed to this work and we are grateful for the efforts of Dr. Valentina Iturbe-LaGrave and Dr. Myntha Anthym in the development of the Faculty Institute on Inclusive Teaching (FIIT). If you haven't done so already, celebrate Scholar Strike by engaging in FIIT (available in your Canvas dashboard) or digging into our Inclusive Teaching Practices site. This time for reflection, amidst an unprecedented global health crisis and much national turmoil, invites us all to think about the past, sit with the present and dream about the future. 

Learn more about the Scholar Strike in the article 3 Reasons Faculty Should Scholar Strike and 3 Engagement Approaches, where our own Dr. Iturbe-LaGrave was cited.
New Blog Post: The Pivot-Ready Professor
 
As we start this fall term, we have many unique issues to consider while contending with the unknown. We cannot plan for every possibility, but flexibility and advance planning can help us make effective decisions as we prepare our courses.

The new blog post from the OTL, The Pivot-Ready Professor, highlights how to be pivot-ready, including preparing your course materials so that they are available to your students, and what to do if a quick (or potentially longer-term) change is necessary. Visit this blog post for practical guidance that you can enact immediately!
Events This Week:


OTL Office Hours
Wednesday, September 9, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 10, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Friday, September 11, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Join the OTL for virtual office hours! We are here to answer your questions and provide support as you prepare for the fall quarter. Register for the sessions you are interested in attending by using the links above.


Creating Videos using Kaltura Capture in Canvas
Thursday, September 10, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

This workshop will cover how to create, edit, and post videos into your Canvas course using our Kaltura video platform. Topic includes:

  • Designing instructional videos
  • How to create videos using Kaltura Capture
  • How to edit videos
  • How create an interactive video quiz
  • How to post videos in your Canvas course

To learn more now, please visit our Kaltura online videos.


UDL Coffeehouse Session
Friday, September 11, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
 
As we prepare for the upcoming fall term, join colleagues from across campus to discuss Universal Design for Learning (UDL). These coffeehouse sessions will provide time and space to learn UDL principles and strategies together. You can register for this week's session using the link above. We have weekly sessions this month, so visit the OTL Events Calendar to find more!


Making Good Writing Assignments
Thursday, September 10, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Friday, September 11, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Good assignments not only contribute to student learning but also save professors time and energy, especially in teaching, responding, and grading. You'll learn principles for making effective writing assignments, illustrated by examples of good ones--and of ones that foster hair-tearing: students and your own. Led by Doug Hesse, DU Writing Program


Providing Feedback: Effectively, Efficiently
Friday, September 11, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Probably nothing dismays professors more than the prospect of spending endless hours responding to or grading student writing--all the while worrying if they're doing any good. This workshop will teach practical strategies for responding efficiently and effectively to student writing. More isn't necessarily better! Led by Doug Hesse, DU Writing Program


Please visit our OTL Events Calendar for all of our upcoming events!
One-on-One Meetings with OTL Experts

Schedule time with an OTL expert for assistance with Canvas, Zoom, inclusive teaching, and other technical or pedagogical questions. We have multiple ways you can book time with us:

This system allows you to book a half hour time slot with an OTL expert.

Fill out this survey to request time for more in-depth assistance.
Teaching Resources

This tool kit provides practical steps for readying your courses, no matter the modality. From Canvas basics to hyflex considerations, and complete with worksheets to guide you, this toolkit is a great starting point for course planning.

Getting overwhelmed by all of the different terms you hear related to online teaching and learning? Visit OTL’s glossary for definitions of key terms.

Visit this OTL web page for helpful links to resources such as Canvas guides and Knowledge Base articles organized by task, as well as a video walking you through setting up your Canvas course. These resources can be helpful no matter how you offer your courses this term.

This Knowledge Base article provides helpful tips and tricks you can use as you create pre-recorded videos, lectures, and demonstrations to enhance the asynchronous components of your course. You can also learn more about the various tools you can use to create your videos, such as Zoom and Kaltura.

Visit our Sample Syllabus Statements webpage for optional statements to help you communicate with students your policies around wearing masks in class, social distancing, attendance and participation, and more. Be sure to reach out to your Dean, Chair, or Director with any questions or for clarification around the use of these statements in your syllabus.