PlayPosit https://app.teaching.iu.edu/tools/playposit is an interactive teaching tool/application used to make interactive videos, also known as bulbs. The application can be integrated into the Canvas using your own videos or by extracting videos from other sources, such as YouTube or TED Talks, and convert them into an interactive, topic- and student-focused mini-lessons by adding questions at appropriate time-points… Read more »
Creating Inclusive Materials
The following resource is an excerpt from Inclusive education and UDL: A comprehensive guide adapted to include some of the resources available at IU’s campus. Open Course Materials Expanding course materials to reflect diversity in source and opinion prepares students for their personal and professional lives by mirroring our global community. Course materials prove to be one… Read more »
SER Student Engagement Roster Reminder
It is the time of year that we discuss the importance of using the Student Engagement Roster (SERs) to provide students with timely feedback on how they are doing in your course. These reports also provide records of your observations and recommendations to academic advisors, who can look for patterns across all a student’s courses. This allows advisors… Read more »
What does it mean to understand your learners? | Book Club | Upcoming Conference
Understanding your learners In a recent post by Breana Bayraktar, she explains that better understanding the students we teach provides us with an advantage in that we can customize our teaching in ways that connect with their motivations and maximize their learning. While she notes, “It’s not always possible to adapt learning materials and activities to each… Read more »
Resources for AI Syllabus Policy Statements
IU does not currently have any specific policies around the use of generative AI, other than policies related to data security and privacy. According to Teaching@IU: Microsoft Copilot is IU’s preferred generative AI service for faculty and staff. It can handle data up to University-Internal level. When using public tools, usage of data is more restrictive, even when… Read more »
Liquid Syllabus
Updating Canvas for the Start of the Semester Part 1
Integrating Retrieval Practice into classroom instruction
Retrieval practice is one of the most effective methods of learning and remembering information for long-term use. During retrieval practice, students “retrieve” what they know about a topic or lesson out of their memory. Retrieval practice requires effort on the part of the student to recall specific information, which is beneficial to improving learning and… Read more »
Active Learning in CS
Active Learning is a term that is almost used generically when we discuss educational interventions. McConnell (1996) defined active learning in the computer science classroom as approaches that “…get students involved in activity in the classroom rather than passively listening to a lecture. Kramer and Nicoletti (2023) note in an article discussing the positive impacts… Read more »
Trying something new in your course
Here are a few ideas to consider when trying something new adapted from Tips for Teachers. Can I improve something I am already doing? Before looking to make wholesale changes to your teaching, based on your reflections, identify practices you already do and look for ways to improve them. This should take less time and effort and… Read more »