March 2023
Correcting Accessibility Issues
Have you ever tried to learn something new and just couldn’t engage with the subject or had a hard time understanding the topic? Our brains are like fingerprints, they are unique in how they function so that we can learn. When we consider these unique learning needs and create course experiences and materials that are perceptible, varied, and flexible, we are providing opportunities for all students to access and engage with the course.
We have resources that include videos, step-by-step instructions, and reference guides to help you improve the accessibility of your course in our Course Maintenance Hub.
Artificial Intelligence and Writing (Part 2)
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Last month ChatGPT was a part of this newsletter. ChatGPT is a program powered by artificial intelligence that can create pieces of writing that include a classic essay in addition to coding, music lyric generation, and mathematical problem-solving. You can try out ChatGPT – ChatGPT | OpenAI to see what it is all about. |
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Turnitin, the College’s plagiarism detection tool, has responded to student use of ChatGPT by developing resources that detect writing created by artificial intelligence with increasing accuracy – Turnitin Integrating AI Writing Detector into Its Products — Campus Technology. Turnitin also provides an AI writing resource page to help instructors who are making instructional and assessment decisions. |
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While tools are being developed to detect the use of artificial intelligence, there are also instructors who are embracing possible benefits of using the tool. If you would like to investigate strategies for leveraging ChatGPT, this article from Teaching Online gives you 5 ideas. |
Fostering Collaboration
Fostering collaboration and encouraging students to learn from one another builds student confidence and empowers students to take ownership of their learning. Dalton Watts, Instructional Coordinator of the Mathematics Department, has been working with his colleagues to develop a strategy to help students wrestle with and learn from difficult math problems using “mini quizzes” that students solve in small groups. Check out this Thinglink to learn more about the strategy and how it has impacted his students.
Click here to view the accessible version of this interactive content
Coming in March, you will be able to share your Badge and Certificate achievements you earn in D2L directly to LinkedIn. This is a great way to share your learning and accomplishments with others.
Also, starting in March, if you use the New Content Experience, you may notice a change to the way pages are displayed while editing. This new edit experience has been available to try since last May and will be the only edit experience starting in March.
You can find out about these updates and others by checking the March 2023 D2L Updates page.
Join CCIT for this Month's Trainings
Zoom Link for all sessions:
https://dtcc.zoom.us/j/93627251230
Every other Wednesday at 11:00 am
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March 15: Focus on E – Equal Access in the CARE Framework |
| We want to provide equal access to all the content in our courses. In this Lunch and Learn Laura and Karianne will discuss the element of Equal Access in the CARE Framework, and we’ll weave in tips for creating accessible courses to demonstrate caring for students from the Caring for Students Playbook | |
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March 29: Assess Your Students with Care |
| Continuing to care for students, we want to review our assessments? Are they authentic, do we provide valuable feedback, do we use rubrics? These are all questions to consider in this Lunch and Learn where Karianne and Laura lead a discussion grounded in the Caring for Students Playbook. |
Every other Friday at 9:00 am
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March 24: Eliminate Some Clutter with D2L Badges! |
| Do you have too many quizzes and D2L assignments? Let’s swap one with an activity and let students earn a badge instead of another grade. |
On-Demand One-on-One Sessions
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! Hilary and April will work with you and your friends 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!
The Role of Agency in Learning
As part of our efforts to facilitate diversity, equity, and inclusion, we need to ensure that students feel empowered to succeed. They need to view themselves of capable, not only in our course but in their chosen profession. This is called agency. Collaborative learning is a great way to build student agency. Through group projects and activities, students learn that everyone brings their own experiences, unique perspectives, and individual strengths to the table in order to solve a problem or work toward a common goal. If you want to learn more about collaborative tools from Google, like Docs, Jamboard, and maps to facilitate student collaboration and effectively get students to work together, watch a recent Lunch and Learn!