Wrapping Up Week 2

It's hard to believe that we're already at the end of the second week of our quarter (or more than a month into the semester for the law school)! As the term unfolds, we continue to discover new challenges, and the OTL is here to help.

As the new academic year gets started, we can all make more of our community members feel more welcome if we take just a few simple steps. Consider taking a moment each month to check an interfaith calendar or transform your everyday calendar into an interfaith calendar with these simple step-by-step instructions. Knowing about religious holidays helps you learn more about your students. Learn more about how to make religious inclusivity a part of your everyday.

This Monday, September 28 is the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and many faculty, staff, and students will be observing this holiday. Please join us in helping make DU a more religiously inclusive experience for our students by being considerate about accommodations and thoughtful about how you plan your class time on Monday. The document A Faculty-Wide Request: AY 2020-2021 Holidays provides best practices and resources for religious inclusivity.
Meet our new Instructional Designers in our new blog post:

We are so excited to welcome our new Instructional Designers to the OTL team! Instructional design doesn't stop at course design - they can help with topics such as grading, online learning, hyflex teaching strategies, technology issues, and so much more. Meet our new team and learn more about how our Instructional Designers can help you in our new blog post What Do Instructional Designers Actually Do?

We have multiple ways you can book time with our Instructional Designers:

This system allows you to book a half hour time slot.

Fill out this survey to request time for more in-depth assistance.
Introducing the Canvas Coaching Weekly Series

The Office of Teaching and Learning is excited to launch a weekly Canvas Coaching Series! These 30-minute events are designed to provide faculty with conversations and support around common Canvas questions. Each week will have a focused topic and will be facilitated according to topic. Sessions may include a demonstration, informal discussion, and/or Q&A time.
 
Join us for our first session next week:
 
How to Use SpeedGrader
Wednesday, September 30, 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Now that the Fall quarter has begun, join the OTL to learn about SpeedGrader. SpeedGrader is a software built into Canvas where instructors can view, grade, and provide feedback on student assignment submissions, all in one place! If you are not sure how to access, navigate and/or use SpeedGrader, this is the perfect event for you. We are here to answer your questions and help you feel more confident grading assignments online this quarter.
Mid-Week Virtual Happy Hour: Connect and Reflect

Wednesday, September 30, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Want to gather with colleagues to share your stories of what is going well and what has been challenging with your teaching in this new and unique context?  Looking for some support and inspiration as you move forward into this fall term?  Join the OTL’s Virginia Pitts for a virtual happy hour from 4:00-5:00 on Wednesday, September 30, where we will reflect together on how things are going so far and what we’re learning, plus connect with old friends and perhaps make some new ones!
 
We’ll be meeting here: https://udenver.zoom.us/j/97278711476. Feel free bring your favorite beverage or snack, and drop in and out as you're able. Kids and pets and life happening in the background are welcome. Looking forward to seeing you then!
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.

Please visit our OTL Events Calendar for all of our upcoming events!