Countdown to Fall: 4 Weeks to get your courses Canvas-ready

Fall term is four weeks away, and the OTL is here to support you! The University has committed to going paperless and each course is required to have a robust Canvas presence so that we will be prepared if we need to pivot online. So, as you are planning your courses, start with Canvas! The OTL has many resources to help get your courses Canvas-ready.

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.

Schedule time with an OTL expert for assistance with Canvas, Zoom, inclusive teaching, and other technical or pedagogical questions.
Coming Soon: New Instructional Designers

The OTL has five new Instructional Designers (IDs) starting the first week of September to enhance the support that the OTL already provides. They will be able to work with faculty to design courses, provide guidance on best practices, and help integrate course content with Canvas, Zoom, Kaltura, and other technology tools. Stay tuned for more opportunities to set up a meeting with our new IDs!
Video Resources

Pre-recorded videos, lectures, and demonstrations are a great way to enhance the asynchronous components of your course. Video creation tools will also become vital if we need to transition to fully online learning. The OTL Knowledge Base article Creating Instructional Videos provides helpful tips and tricks you can use as you create your course videos. You can also learn more about the various tools you can use to create your videos, such as Zoom and Kaltura.
COVID-Related Sample Syllabus Statements
 
The Office of Teaching and Learning has new sample syllabus statements to help you communicate with students your policies around wearing masks in class, social distancing, attendance and participation, and more. These are optional statements to help you get started, and you can feel free to adjust them as needed. 
 
Visit our Sample Syllabus Statements webpage for these statements. 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.
Foundations in Teaching and Learning GTA Course

Are you working with Graduate Teaching Assistants this fall? The OTL has prepared an asynchronous, self-paced, online course for GTAs. This course is designed to introduce them to DU resources as well as provide an overview of the latest best practices in higher education pedagogy and educational technology. Please visit our Foundations in Teaching and Learning GTA Course flyer for more information about how to enroll your graduate students.
Canvas Pro Tips

Check out the resources and tips below to enhance your Canvas knowledge:


Canvas provides step-by-step tutorial videos for both students and faculty. Explore these overviews to find new ways to use Canvas!


A Canvas template is a Canvas course shell that is pre-formatted and pre-populated with items such as modules, assignments, and pages. This saves you time since you don't have to build the structure - you can just add your content.

The University of Denver has Canvas templates that you can import into your Canvas course. Also make sure to check with your department to see if there is a departmental-specific Canvas template that you can use! Visit our Canvas Template handout for more information about adding a Canvas template to your course.
Upcoming Events with the OTL

UDL Coffeehouse Sessions
Wednesday, August 26, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, September 3, 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. Register for one or both sessions using the links above.

Planning Your Quarter: Teaching, Grading, and Writing
Thursday, September 3, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Do you want to start the fall quarter with your personal and professional lives coordinated in the best way possible? We offer this planning webinar so that you can take time out of your schedule to identify your personal and professional goals, create a strategic plan to accomplish them, and identify the types of community, support, and accountability you need to make this your most productive and balanced quarter ever! (NCFDD, 2020)


White Fragility Faculty Learning Community

This Faculty Learning Community is centered around Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility book. DiAngelo brings "language to the emotional structures that make true discussions about racial attitudes difficult [and] in doing so, [she] moves our national discussion forward with new rules of engagement."

We will explore how the phenomenon of white fragility impacts how we show up in the classroom, and how we make space for all our students to grow and thrive. Our goal is to unpack "how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively" to increase our intrapersonal and interpersonal awareness and enact Inclusive Excellence.

Co-facilitated by OTL Directors Dr. Valentina Iturbe-LaGrave and Dr. Karen Swanson. This is a collaborative Faculty Learning Community structured around book chapters. Participants will take turns leading the discussion, and will receive a copy of DiAngelo's book once registration is closed.

We will meet every other week on Tuesdays from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m., beginning September 15.