Visually-Oriented Discussions with Consistent Instructions
Discussions are an important part of fostering student-student interactions in an online course. After completing the OEI Online Course Review process, Shannon Van Zant, who teaches History at Columbia College, recognized the importance of designing her discussions with clear, consistent instructions. Having the same instructions available to students each week scaffolds their learning and supports them to become confident and independent learners. Shannon, also incorporates images into the prompts of her discussion topics. By integrating images into the textual content of her discussion, she more fully engages the way people learn.
In the 7-minute video below, Shannon shares her experiences with the OEI Online Course Review process and takes us on a tour of her online visual discussions.
Have you ever had the sinking suspicion that the feedback you have painstakingly provided for students is—gasp—not being read? Does the next essay you read make the same mistakes? Considering how many hours we dedicate to providing meaningful feedback, this can feel a little frustrating!
This semester I have been on a quest to ensure that my students are not only carefully reading my feedback, but applying it. Here are some strategies that I incorporate before, while, and after grading:
Before Grading
Illuminate Expectations
Along with each assignment, I provide a detailed rubric spelling out performance at each level so that students can see what is expected of them. I refer to this rubric repeatedly as we work on the assignment.
View a Sample Rubric! I invite you to view one of my rubrics, shared in the form of a public Canvas assignment. The rubric is located on the assignment page under the heading "Essay Evaluation and Feedback."
Actively Anticipate Student Work
I explain early and often that I will be spending lots of time with the incoming set of essays or projects and providing detailed feedback. I want my students to write knowing that they have an attentive and responsive audience. I find that if students know their work will be carefully reviewed, they are motivated to invest more time into it, which tends to lead to higher quality submissions.
While Grading
Make it stick!
I provide different types of feedback, both within a semester and even within an assignment: annotations, rubric comments, and audio/video feedback, for example. Why? Different methods appeal to different students, and I want my feedback to stick. I have also found that when one type of feedback reinforces another, the message has a better chance of breaking through. So, if I see several examples of “creative” source citation, I will use the annotation tools in Canvas to mark the examples, and then I’ll follow this up with a video comment that shows and explains the correct citation format.
Layer Praise with Suggestions
I balance kudos with suggestions for improvement so that students are encouraged to keep reading/viewing the feedback and then motivated to act on it.
After Grading
Video Guide for Finding Feedback
Before releasing the first graded assignment with feedback, I share a video explaining how to access and use my feedback. While the assignment is “muted” and they are waiting to see how they did, they are a captive and motivated audience! This video shows students how to find their feedback, what they can expect to see, and how to make the most of it:
3 Tips to Fuel Feedback
Here are three more ways to help students make the most of the feedback they have received:
Encourage students to respond to feedback by replying to you with their own annotations, comments, or video. This helps students move from passively reading to actively engaging with the feedback.
Offer extra credit to students who develop a work plan to address noted issues or seek tutoring to address a recommendation.
Instruct students to review your feedback when they prepare for their next assignment. For example, you might ask students to identify three goals for the next paper via a journal entry, reflective quiz, or survey. Or a required step in assignment submission might be using the comments area to explain how the new submission addresses feedback from the last one.
Students have a lot of information competing for their attention, and I have found that these strategies help my feedback rise above the noise . . . and hopefully start a conversation.
Accessibil-IT: Who Wants Free and Personalized Accessibility Support?
If you said, “I do!” Sean Keegan, Director of the California Community Colleges Accessibility Center, and his team can help. Implementing accessibility can be a bit difficult sometimes. Keegan elaborates in his TechEdge blog, “Changes in technology capabilities, including that of assistive technologies for students with disabilities, can create confusion and uncertainty as to what is considered accessible or the best practice for ensuring access.” Fortunately, the California Community Colleges (CCC) Accessibility Center launched the Accessibility Center Help Desk in October. Help is here!
What Type of Accessibility Questions May I Ask?
The Accessibility Center Help Desk can answer accessibility questions such as:
Why do I need to include headings in a Canvas page?
What is the difference between a tool tip element and alt text?
Is there a difference between captions and subtitles?
How can I check accessibility in my MS Word documents?
How Can I Get Started?
To get started, users need to sign in to post questions. To register, you may create a new account, or use an existing Google or Facebook account. When you join, you receive the benefit of joining a community of learners who are just as committed as you are! Learning in isolation is difficult, and takes a tremendous amount of dedication and time (something we all have limited of!) Learning in a community is much easier, especially when it is your first time taking a deep dive into implementing accessibility. You can learn and share strategies to address accessibility in different scenarios, and have meaningful discussions with others.
Help! I Need Somebody
Help is in the form of a community-based forum that allows you to ask questions publicly, or privately by checking the “Post this Conversation Privately” option. The conversations are monitored regularly, which is helpful when you need assistance. Once answers are posted, you will conveniently receive an email notification. No need to wait on the phone or follow-up via email, your answer will be automatically delivered into your mailbox. In addition to the convenience, you receive support straight from an accessibility specialist versus searching the web for the answer!
Learning More Via Browsing the Conversations for Answers
Is there a question you would also like to know the answer to, but it is still awaiting a reply from an Accessibility Expert? Use the Follow button, and this will notify you of any updates via email. Curious to learn more about strategies to implement accessibility? You can subscribe to the Help Desk to receive newly asked questions and updates.
Learning how to apply accessibility elements such how to effectively describe images with alt text is like driving a car for the first time. Initially, it may be overwhelming as there are new ways to format your document or Canvas content page. With practice, time, and gaining additional knowledge, accessibility becomes easier to apply. When I was initially learning more about accessibility, I spent a lot of time researching. I browsed articles and forums, watched many videos, and taught myself how to use several screen-readers. Luckily, learning more about accessibility is a lot easier as faculty now have this convenient resource to provide prompt and helpful answers.
One More Canvas Tool to Make Your Life Easier: Accessibility Checker!
Good News
Spring is around the corner and you are developing your course. Need something to speed up course design and improve the student usability experience in Canvas? Here’s a nifty tool to help create an inclusive environment for all students: the Canvas Accessibility Checker.
Located in the bottom, right-hand corner of Canvas’ rich content editor is a button with a picture of a stick figure. Its arms are spread wide with pride – finally, Canvas has integrated a built-in accessibility checker! Faculty, fret no more - the Accessibility Checker is here to help.
Inclusive environment for all students? Yes please.
Student usability is essential in online course design. How we build the course, from using colored text, to applying heading styles, to adding meaningful URL descriptions, affects student usability:
What tasks are students expected to complete using Canvas?
How easily can students complete those tasks?
What is the most effective way for all students to access information?
I like to say, “Save time and build with accessibility in mind.” Retrofitting a course for accessibility can feel like tearing a home down, adding a new foundation, and then building it up again. It takes time. Now imagine needing to retrofit a course in the middle of a semester – no thank you, right? Designing courses is not an easy task, but the Accessibility Checker can help streamline the process.
Accessibility Checker - verifying common accessibility errors such as:
Table headers: Tables should include at least one header.
Sequential headings: Heading levels should not be skipped (e.g. H2 to H4). The title of page is designated as the H1.
Heading paragraphs: Headings should not contain more than 120 characters.
Image alt text: Images should include an alt attribute describing the image content.
Image alt length: Alt attribute text should not contain more than 120 characters.
Large text contrast: Text larger than 18pt (or bold 14pt) should display a minimum contrast ratio of 3:1*.
Small text contrast: Text smaller than 18pt (or bold 14pt) should display a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1*.
*Text contrast calculations match those used by WebAim tool.
Try it in your course!
The Canvas Accessibility Checker has great potential to support accessibility efforts in course design. Here is an action screenshot of the Canvas Accessibility Checker:
The screenshot above shows the Accessibility Checker report tell us what we need to focus on and why it is important to remediate. In this instance, for example, the Accessibility Checker notifies us which picture needs alt text, and why we need to add alt text to a picture. Instead of manually checking each Canvas content page after page, we have a tool that gives us an extra pair of eyes.
Remember that automatic accessibility checkers need an extra pair of human eyes to make sure all accessibility elements have been addressed! Similar to using the Microsoft Accessibility Checker or the Accessibility Acrobat Checker, these checkers offer valuable guidance. For example, accessibility checkers will let you know if a document or site is formatted with accessibility elements, for example, if you have added headings. Though accessibility checkers cannot verify if the heading levels are in order or if the headings are effectively structured to help connect related ideas. This is where you come in!
In course design, we need all the support we can get - try the built-in Accessibility Checker today! Learn more about how to use the Canvas Accessibility Checker.
Chunking Content & Using Headers
Accessibility can be an overwhelming topic for online instructors. Kim Pippa-Tonnesen, who teaches English at Columbia College, learned a few key accessibility strategies through her experience in the OEI Online Course Review process. In the 7-minute video below, Kim reflects on the importance of designing pages in Canvas with short "chunks" of text and ample white space. When pages are designed with these principles in mind, students are less likely to feel overwhelmed and more likely to process the content. Kim also demonstrates what header text is and explains how it supports students with vision impairments who use screen readers.
How to Write Great Rubrics & Why You'll Love Them!
Let’s start with the $6-million-dollar question: with so many other teaching tasks calling for your attention, why take the time to write a great rubric? (Because, while anyone can dash off a mediocre, not-very-useful rubric, it does take time to write a good one.)
Here’s why. A well-constructed rubric is a powerful communication tool that will result in a clear, measurable preparation process for students and a time efficient, consistent grading process for you. That means less time grading, fewer questions or complaints, and improved student performance in meeting your assignment standards and learning objectives.
What’s not to love?!
Canvas’s rubric tool makes using rubrics simple, easy and (dare I say it?) fun. There are three parts to the Canvas rubric grid:
Criteria: These are the big-picture categories for grading. In a Discussion, for example, your criteria might be “Initial Post” and “Replies to Classmates.”
Ratings: These are the explicit descriptions of the levels of performance that might be achieved within the specific criteria category.
Points: This is your rating scale.
Criteria are best determined by considering which learning outcomes are being assessed. What, exactly, do you want to grade for this assignment? Use these guiding questions to help identify your criteria:
What skills will students need to have or develop to successfully complete the assignment?
What, exactly, is the assigned task?
What are the component parts of the assignment?
Ratings, or descriptors, detail the measurable evidence that the student has achieved your criteria—or not. “Knowing” and “understanding” aren’t easily measured. Instead, describe the evidence students can provide that shows they’ve accomplished what you’d hoped they would. Think of this as the feedback portion of your rubric. What are the highest expectations you have for student performance on this assignment? What is the worst execution of this assignment you can imagine?
Points are pretty self-explanatory. It’s a good idea to weight criteria appropriately. For example, is “few grammatical/spelling errors” really worth the same as “clarity and originality of thought”? Points should reflect the effort being asked of the student.
3 Tips for Effective Rubrics
Choose between three to seven criteria.
As much as possible, omit negative wording. Be encouraging; indicate what you’re seeking rather than what you don’t want.
Use clear and specific language. Words like some, several, perfect, and boring are all subjective evaluations.
Examples
Here are a few example rubrics from several institutions. Some are better than others, but you’ll get a sense of the structure, variety and languaging.
Rubrics are an assessment tool, a means to improve learning and a communication tool all wrapped up in one neat little package. When done well, they can be an asset to both you and your students!
Designing for Quality Discussions with Participation Guidelines
When designing your online course, it important to incorporate clear, consistent guidelines for participation activities. These guidelines might include:
Your criteria for effective student participation so they understand what is expected of them
How participation will be evaluated
Minimum word counts, number of posts and peer replies
Expectations for citation use
Quality guidelines including requirements for depth of analysis, critical thinking, and other encouragements to stimulate further thought in discussion
In the short video below, Tracy Schaelen walks you through an example of how to provide guidelines and criteria for online discussions.
Communicating Your Instructor Contact Information
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Online students want to know how and when they can contact you. This information should clearly displayed and placed in a location that students can get to quickly and easily. Your instructor contact information should include:
Multiple methods of contact which may include email, Canvas Inbox, phone, office hours, chat, Web conferencing, discussion forum, etc.
Your response time so that students know what to expect a reply
The specific days of the week that you will reply to inquiries and if these response times differ by contact method. For example, you may respond to email within 24 hours Monday-Friday, but only answer voicemails once per week.
In the brief video below, Teresa Borden shares her instructor communication information as it is displayed in her online course.
Why Am I Doing This? Making Assessments Meaningful
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It is important for assessments to align with learning objectives in order to reinforce content and lead to educational improvement. The given learning objectives helps the student anticipate what they will be expected to know for assessment.
In the brief video below, Aloha Sargent provides a tour of her online class showing how she uses a course overview page with a brief video to ensure students understand what they will be expected to know by the end of the unit and how they will demonstrate that they have learned.
10 Tips for Creating Effective Instructional Videos
Instructor presence is an important component of effective online teaching, and video can help make it happen. Instructional videos have become increasingly easy to create and can turn a good online class into an engaging learning experience. Video humanizes the online experience by letting students know their instructor as a real person, not an abstraction. Good quality webcams are available for less than $100, and there are numerous free and easy-to-use resources for creating and publishing video content so it can be streamed back into our courses.
Staring into a webcam and pressing the record button can be intimidating for some of us–after all, we’re teachers, not TV personalities–but it’s actually easier than you might think. Here are 10 tips that will soon have you broadcasting like a pro.
Forget the headset. If your computer doesn’t have a built-in camera and microphone, buy a webcam that does both. Webcam sound quality is almost as good as a headset’s, and it lets you be “you” without the Mickey Mouse ears.
Keep it short. Students have been raised on YouTube. Try to keep your videos brief. Few students will sit through videos where the instructor drones on and on. If you have a lot to say (and sometimes we do!), chunk up the message. Make a video mini-series with 5-10 minute chapters.
Prepare well and then wing it. Some people like to start out with a script, but this can feel artificial. Sometimes a brief outline taped next to your webcam is all you need to stay on track without sounding like you’re reading from your notes. However, if the video is only five minutes or so, you might just re-record until you get it right—not necessarily “perfect.”
Position the camera above your eyes, so you look slightly up at it. Avoid looking down at the camera. Your audience does not want to look up your nose. If you’re using a laptop, put a stack of books under it so you raise the camera. Position your head to appear at the top third of the screen so the recording includes your face and most of your torso.
Location, location, location. Your work or home office are usually safe choices as a background for the recording. Outdoors can be a nice change. Try putting your back to a neutral wall with the light source in front. Avoid sitting in front of a window, as the glare will make you appear as if you’re in a witness protection program. And this should be obvious but it needs to be said: don’t record with your bed, pajamas, laundry, or bathroom in the background.
Move it out. Don’t always shoot your videos from the same spot. Your audience will tire of seeing the same background. Start with your office, but also consider a quiet place on the campus quad or maybe your kitchen or backyard. Keep the backgrounds neutral but varied. Your audience will appreciate it.
Look right at the camera lens. Looking anywhere else looks weird. Your audience will think you have an avoidance problem.
Cover your screen. Once you get everything ready, consider taping a piece of paper over your computer screen so you’re not distracted by seeing yourself while you record. Remember, you do not need to be perfect! Try not to be overly critical of yourself.
Say “cheese.” Smiling helps everything. Whether you’re recording a webcast of your face or just your voice, smiling makes you look and sound better.
Avoid over doing it. The wacky music, goofy fade-ins, and spinning transitions that come with some video editing software can make home-videos look corny. Leave most of those tools for the professionals (who don’t really use them either).
Using Rubrics for Assessments
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A well-constructed assessment is designed to provide learners the opportunity to reach an outcome that is measurable and specific. Assessments will include a descriptive grading criteria that is communicated to learners. A rubric is an indispensable tool used to describe grading criteria and accurately measure learners’ progress towards accomplishment of a specific outcome. Canvas provides a robust, flexible rubric creation tool that can be linked to any assignment created in Canvas.
In the brief video below, Mike Smedshammer takes you on a brief tour of his online class to show you what a rubric looks like in Canvas and explain why he integrates them his assessments.
Developing Clear Instructions for Assessments
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In order to ensure that students are confident that they are completing assignments correctly, it is important that the instructions explain the assignment as clearly as possible. The more precise and clear the instructions, the better students are able to focus their attention on achieving the assessment’s outcome, improving learning and easing anxiety.
In the brief video below, Mike Smedshammer provides a brief tour of one of his online courses that demonstrates the use of clear and effective instructions for an assessment.
