OTL Support for Finals and the Upcoming Term

Preparing for Finals and Looking Ahead to the Spring Quarter

Finals Support

As you prepare for finals, don't forget that if you have students with accommodations, you will need to provide DSP with the parameters of your final exams via the Faculty Accommodate Portal. Learn more on DSP’s Faculty Responsibilities for Testing webpage and contact the DSP if you have questions.

Visit our blog post Addressing Bias in Assessment to learn strategies for reducing implicit bias in your grading. Also visit our blog post How to End the Term on a High Note to learn more about streamlining your grading. You can reach out to us with questions or schedule a consultation by contacting OTL staff directly or booking 1:1 time with the OTL Instructional Designers.

Spring Quarter Preparation

UDOIT Tool for Canvas Accessibility

As you prepare for the upcoming term, consider using UDOIT (Universal Design Online content Inspection Tool) to check the digital accessibility of your Canvas courses! Centering digital accessibility allows for all students to have a better experience interacting and engaging with your course. UDOIT prompts faculty to consider elements such as alternative text, style structure, and video captioning. Learn more in the OTL Blog from Instructional Designers Kellie Ferguson and Jeff Schwartz, This is How We Do It: Using UDOIT Cloud to Make Your Canvas Courses More Accessible.

Don't forget to publish!

Once your upcoming course is ready, don't forget to publish your Canvas course to provide access to your students. You have the capability to publish your course at any time between now and the start of your classes.

Pronoun Changes in Canvas and Banner

Please note that the list of pronouns in the Banner user profile has been recently expanded to 15 unique choices. Visit MyDU to make edits to your Banner profile, and please encourage your students to do the same. At the start of the Spring Quarter, the pronoun choices in the Banner user profile will feed directly into the Canvas user profile. You will not be able to change your pronouns directly within Canvas after March 27 - any changes will have to be made in MyDU. If you would like to give feedback on the pronoun choices available in your Banner profile, please fill out this form.

Also make sure to visit the OTL's Sample Syllabus Statements for language you can put in your syllabus regarding name and pronoun etiquette.

New Blog Post - ChatGPT and Being a Student: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

We have all been hearing a lot about ChatGPT and artificial intelligence writing tools lately, and many of us are uncertain about how it works and what kind of impact it could have on our classes. The OTL has invited faculty with wide disciplinary expertise to contribute their perspectives on ChatGPT and AI writing tools for our OTL Blog. Our first faculty blog post comes from Dr. Kerstin Haring, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science, and she explores how these AI tools work, as well as their uses and their limitations. Read more in her post ChatGPT and Being a Student: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

You can learn more about ChatGPT in our other blog post ChatGPT, Friend or Foe in the Classroom? Then see two local news stories featuring OTL director Dr. Leslie Cramblet Alvarez that cover university responses:

Should schools worry about AI chatbots?

Colorado schools brace for artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT: "This is going to be huge"

Making the Case: Faculty Self-Reflection, Portfolios, and Statements for Teaching Evaluation

In this interactive workshop, we welcome back Dr. Noah Finkelstein and panel guests from around the country to explore the role of self-reflection and writing a teaching statement for teaching evaluation. Those teaching provide an essential voice to the evaluation of their teaching practices. We present the opportunities (and limitations) of different mechanisms for effectively including and interpreting faculty self-voice in teaching evaluation: teaching portfolios, reflection, and statements . Participants will collectively examine tools and practices for the use of faculty’s own voice in evaluation, and engage with academics from several different disciplines to discuss how they have enacted these new approaches in their units.

This event is a required part of the Departmental Action Team (DAT) program and is open to the entire campus and all departments considering examining their current approaches to evaluating teaching.

Lunch is provided.

Making the Case: Faculty Self-Reflection, Portfolios, and Statements for Teaching Evaluation

Monday, March 13, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.

Maglione Hall (Sie Complex, Room 5025)

Student Experience with Online Learning

We are seeking 3-5 students who have recent experiences with online learning at DU. This project will be highlighting the DU student experience with online learning in the post-pandemic online classroom. We will be asking these students to share their experiences through a video-based interview. These videos will become public for DU faculty to better understand the student experience with online learning. All students involved in the project will receive a gift card for their labor. Know a DU student that would be a good fit? Email Lexi.Schlosser@du.edu.

Teaching Online - Advanced Practice Starts April 3

Are you interested in exploring Canvas integrations, active learning techniques, and High-Impact Practices? Then join us for the upcoming session of the Teaching Online - Advanced Practice Short Course!

Teaching Online - Advanced Practice starts on April 3 and will help you get a head start on your upcoming courses! You will investigate topics related to multimedia, measuring individual and group learning outcomes, technology that promotes social and cognitive engagement, and more. You can take your time and work on the course at your own pace throughout the month of April and faculty who complete the requirements will receive a stipend!

Upcoming Events

The Office of Teaching and Learning and the Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs office are hosting several events throughout this term. Visit the OTL Events Calendar to discover other upcoming events!

Equity Workshop #6: Creating DEI Content for Your Classroom

Monday, March 6, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

OTL Conference Room (AAC 345)

Making the Case: Faculty Self-Reflection, Portfolios, and Statements for Teaching Evaluation

Monday, March 13, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.

Maglione Hall (Sie Complex, Room 5025)

Heart of Higher Education

Thursday, March 16, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Hyflex - Join us online via Zoom or in the OTL Conference Room (AAC 345)

You Aren't Alone: Burnout Resilience in Challenging Times Part 1

Thursday, March 16, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Online

You Aren't Alone: Burnout Resilience in Challenging Times Part 2

Thursday, April 6, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Online