Quick ideas to implement in your classes tomorrow to improve teaching and learning.
Did you know that Maine law requires that all technology developed, procured, or provided by publicly funded organizations must meet the accessibility requirements of Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 AA? There are also policies intended to protect student data privacy and security, even for free apps and services. But, do you really have time to read through all of the fine print on the website of a new technology platform to determine if it is acceptable?
The deadline for compliance with the new Title II regulations on digital accessibility is approaching. We don’t anticipate that everything will be perfect by then, but there is a lot of work to do and you may feel overwhelmed or not sure where to start. Here are our recommendations:
Most instructors quickly realize that they cannot just explain what they know and students will immediately understand it. Experts have so much context to their understanding that novices are missing. We then realize we have to break down a concept or topic into smaller parts to help the learner understand the bigger idea. Sometimes, though, we spend so much time on the smaller parts, we neglect to support students in assembling them into the whole that we understand. We emphasize specific pieces of information, skills, or approaches and assess them, then become disappointed when learners are not able to apply their learning in new contexts. Effective learning must use a combination of breaking down concepts and skills into smaller parts as well as strategically helping students to understand how they relate and differ across contexts.
Adult learners are generally very strategic about their learning and prefer to know in advance what their learning tasks are and how much time it will take them so they can plan their busy lives. But, how can you provide them with an accurate estimate for how long it will take them to complete learning tasks, like watching a YouTube video or reading a research article?
All images in your files need to have alternate text that describes the purpose and important information for those who cannot see the image. While we used to just consider this as an accessibility issue for people who use screen readers, there are additional uses for alt text: people with low internet bandwidth may turn off images to speed up page loads, descriptions of images will display if the image does not load because of broken links or technical issues, and these verbal descriptions will be included for those using the MP3 audio file created by Ally Alternate Formats. The fundamental purpose of Universal Design for Learning is to design for learner variability which then benefits more learners in ways that you may not have considered.
One of our UMPI Academic Commitments is “A clear and fair grading system”. Do your students know how their final grade is determined and can they keep track of their own progress? If you have set up your gradebook in Brightspace, there are some important settings to make your grading process transparent for your learners.
Teacher Confirmation Theory (Ellis, 2000) explains how instructor behaviors communicate to students that they are valued, respected, and capable of learning. These confirming behaviors reduce psychological distance, increase motivation, and improve affective and cognitive learning outcomes. The theory identifies four core dimensions: willingness to engage, recognition, acknowledgment, and endorsement.
Faculty feedback is an essential component of the learning process. Research suggests that the modality of the feedback is most effective when aligned to the task type and learner needs.
When students are provided with practice or application assignments after learning new content, they often use incorrect strategies because they do not fully understand the underlying concepts. You can prevent this ineffective struggle by providing students with worked examples when introducing a new skill or process.
It’s important to identify missing students as soon as possible in the beginning of the semester and to encourage those who have not yet engaged. A simple way to do this is to create a small assignment in Brightspace that all students should submit to by the end of the first or second week of class. After the due date, click on the name of the assignment in Brightspace, and then click Email Users Without Submissions. This will open a new email draft window with the students who have not submitted the assignment in the BCC field. Send a quick message to remind them about the assignment and to let you know if they are having issues with the course.