Summer 2023
Using Microsoft Accessibility Checker
Did you know that Microsoft PowerPoint offers an Accessibility Checker and a variety of other tools that can support you and your students?
We often use Microsoft PowerPoint to create presentations that we share with students, colleagues, and other stakeholders. To ensure that our messages are received in the way that we intend, we want to create accessible versions of PowerPoints.
Use the Accessibility Checker as you create your PowerPoint presentations to provide real-time feedback. Microsoft offers support to help you improve accessibility:
Not only is there support in PowerPoint presentations, but also in Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook.
Use Microsoft for dictation, screen reader support, translation, closed captioning, and other tools.
If you have a big presentation coming up, use Presenter Coach to help you practice your delivery, create professional designs (search for “accessible” templates in the search bar), and a feature that helps to understand large numbers by adding a contextual comparison may be useful for your content. Say hello to Presenter Coach, PowerPoint’s new AI-powered tool to help you nail your next presentation.
Provide students with these resources to support them in class presentations.
How Reliable are AI Detection Tools?
As AI-Generators gain momentum through increased press attention, we also look to how we, as educators, need to respond to tools such as ChatGPT in our classrooms. Tools such as ChatGPT provide support for creating text, rubrics, scenarios, etc. and can be used in a variety of positive ways. It is misuse that concerns us. 
There are tools that can be used to detect AI-Generated content, but these are not foolproof. This TechNotes blog post, How Reliable Are AI Detectors? • TechNotes Blog (tcea.org), describes how AI Detectors work and how the author conducted a test of some known free AI Detectors. The results show that there are false negatives and false positives.
The takeaway from the post is to “know your students” and compare assignment submissions to their body of work and the skills they demonstrate on assignments as a whole.
A suggestion is that faculty teach students to use AI tools ethically for rough drafts, brainstorming, and research ideas. Conversations regarding academic honesty and integrity are key.
Summer Months – On-Demand Training
Lunch & Learn - Coffee Talk
If you missed Lunch and Learn or Coffee Talk sessions this past semester, never fear. You can access recordings and resources from the CCIT Events webpage! Get tips to help implement strategies for facilitating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in your practices. Learn more about D2L through Template Pages, Badges, and Homepages.
Fridays by Appointment
(June 9 & 16)
Do you ever go to a Coffee Talk or Lunch and Learn session and want to implement the strategies, but you just don’t know where to start? If so, we are here for you! We’ve created a Teaching with Technology makerspace to help you put your ideas into action! CCIT will work with you and your colleagues to create a mini project that you can use with your students.
To get started fill out our Make It Take It Appointment Form, let us know what you want to make, where and when you want to meet, and who you’ll be bringing with you!
Prioritizing Self-Care for Faculty
Harvard Graduate School of Education provided an EdCast about Prioritizing Self-Care in practice.
You can listen to the episode or read the transcript to find out about:
- engaging to become mindful of what makes you feel good: exercise, nature, yoga, relationships, or gratitude.
- planning strategies to nurture yourself.
- practicing self-compassion and grace.
Using D2L Data
With the semester coming to a close, it is a good idea to examine data from our courses to inform instructional decisions and possible revisions to course content or teaching practices.
CCIT has created a D2L Data Reference Guide to support you.
Learn more about:
- D2L Data Reporting
- Student Reports for progress and grades
- Course Reports for activities and tools
- Cross Course Reports for engagement
- Custom Reports for intelligent agents and surveys