Welcome Ellen Hogan, OTL Accessibility Technologist!

The OTL is excited to welcome Ellen Hogan to our team as our new Accessibility Technologist for Learning and Instruction!

Ellen earned a BA in Special Education with a focus in Learning and Behavior and a minor in Psychology from Illinois State University. She is currently enrolled as a candidate for the Masters of Higher Education in the Morgridge School of Education here at the University of Denver. She spent the beginning of her career as a Special Education teacher for students between 6th-12th grade. In her previous role in DU's Disability Services Program (DSP), she supported students throughout the accommodation process. These roles gave her hands-on experience in implementing student accommodations, utilizing assistive technologies and facilitating production and remediation of Alternate Format Text (AFT).

As the Accessibility Technologist for Learning and Instruction, Ellen collaborates with faculty across DU focusing on accessible course design and implementation of student accommodations. She supports faculty in accessibility and the remediation of course content and materials. This support includes participating in one-on-one consultations, facilitating workshops, and developing resources to foster and support accessibility and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL).  

Are you starting to plan your finals and need assistance with student accommodations? Reach out to Ellen today!
Engaging Onward: Faculty Community of Practice
 
How do we, individually as instructors and collectively as colleagues, spring forward from these tumultuous times in ways that build abundance and justice for ourselves, our students, and communities through our courses? This year-long community of practice - organized by the Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship and Learning (CCESL) and the Office of Teaching and Learning - will create a small cohort of cross-campus faculty, who are experienced community-engaged teachers (e.g. have taught at least one community-engaged course), to do some communal reflection, collective problem-solving, and knowledge-sharing as we navigate where our community-engaged teaching has been and where we would like it to go. Applications are due by October 22, and participating faculty members will receive a stipend. 

Learn More About the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and Help With Our Search! 
 
Are you interested in how you can combine teaching and scholarship? Or are you someone who already does SoTL and are interested in how we can move it forward at DU? We are excited to announce that we are getting close in our search for our new Director of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning & Faculty Learning Communities, and we’d love to get your input in these final stages! As part of the interview process, each of our four finalists will be conduct a 30 minute “mini-workshop” designed to support faculty members in doing SoTL work (followed by a 30 minute Q&A), and we’d love to have you attend any or all of these (so that we can get your input … plus you’ll hopefully pick up something useful along the way!). These presentations/mini-workshops – all which will take place in Zoom – are Tues. 10/26 at 11:00, Weds. 10/27 at 11:00, Thurs. 10/28 at 9:00, and Friday 10/29 at 11:00. If you would like to attend any of these or simply want more details, please fill out this very short form. 

Interested in reading about DU SoTL projects? Check out Building a Climate for Advocacy Training in Professional Psychology, written by Dr. Apryl A. Alexander, Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology, and Graduate School of Professional Psychology Doctoral student Hailey Allo!
Teaching Online Short Course Starts This Month!

Join us for an upcoming session of the Teaching Online Short Course! The Teaching Online Short Course contains readings, assignments, and multimedia to help participants learn how to design and facilitate online courses effectively. The course takes place asynchronously on Canvas so that participants can experience the structure of an online course as a student. As you prepare your upcoming courses, the resources and tools in this course will help with the creation of that online presence.

You should plan to dedicate about 5 - 7 hours per module (one module per week) to this online course. You can go through the modules at your own pace throughout each week. Participants who turn in the final assignment will receive a course review facilitated by an Instructional Designer. Upon completion of the course review, participants will receive a stipend. The course will run from Monday, October 25 to Monday, November 15.

DU Portfolio Being Decommissioned

In partnership with the University community, Information Technology and the Office of Teaching and Learning are beginning the process to replace the DU Portfolio portal with existing and new solutions. The process of process of assessing and adopting new platforms will take time, and we do not intend to fully decommission DU Portfolio until approximately summer 2023.

If you are interesting in providing your feedback, please complete the DU Portfolio user survey. This survey will ask about how you use DU Portfolio and will also provide an opportunity to be contacted for focus groups. The survey closes on Friday, October 15, so please provide your feedback today.
Re-Engaging Internationalization: Grant Opportunities for Faculty

All DU faculty are invited to reconnect with colleagues, learn more about DU's global engagement initiatives, and see how Internationalization Grants can support faculty with international/intercultural curricular and research activities. Hosted by the Office of Internationalization with updates from the Senior Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Education, the Vice Provost for Internationalization, and past faculty recipients.

Friday, October 22, 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Community Commons 1700 or Zoom
Accessibility Tip

Did you know that as a member of the DU community you can access Kurzweil 3000 for free? Kurzweil is an assistive technology that provides a reading, writing and study platform. It can read aloud web-based, digital, or scanned print material, convert these materials into mp3 audible files, and, through its web app, can be read on an iPad. It also allows you to take notes while you read using graphic organizers and has tools that help structure your writing. Learn more about installing and using Kurzweil 3000, and make sure to share this amazing resource with your students!
Adobe EduMAX 2021: Together for Student Success around the Globe

The annual Adobe MAX Creativity Conference will feature a free three-day Adobe EduMAX event exploring the theme Together for Student Success around the Globe. The virtual experience features a a hands-on faculty development workshop for transforming teaching and learning. EduMAX takes place from October 19 - 21 and will cover such topics as:


  • How digital literacy increases engagement to bring faculty and students together
  • How faculty can integrate digital literacy across the curriculum for all students.
  • How schools and students can use creativity and digital technologies to push for social justice, equity in education, and empowerment for diverse voices.


Visit the Adobe EduMAX 2021 website to learn more and to register. Then learn how to access Adobe Creative Cloud at the University of Denver.
Upcoming Events

Canvas Coaching

Monday, October 18, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
OTL Conference Room (Anderson Academic Commons 345)


Heart of Higher Education

Wednesday, October 20, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Online

Thursday, November 18, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Online


University College Hosted Events

University College is hosting several workshops throughout the term as part of their Teaching Excellence Program. These are open to all faculty who would like to attend and feature presenters from across campus.


Wednesday, October 20, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Online
Facilitated by Sophia Kristjansson, University College Faculty, and Allison O'Grady, University College Director of Teaching and Learning

Constructive Grading Practices to Support Student Learning
Thursday, October 21, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Online
Facilitated by Jared Fox and Mandi Singleton, Teaching and Learning Specialists

Tuesday, November 2, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Online
Facilitated by Sarah Mooney, Dr. Jes Stroope, and Scott van Loo, Learning Effectiveness Program

Respondus is hosting several training webinars throughout the month, and you can also learn more about Perusall through their Perusall webinar series!

Visit our OTL events calendar to discover other events coming up!
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.

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.

This web page provides access to the robust virtual services and resources that the Libraries provide along with a host of online services and resources.