COLTT 2020 Keynote Speaker: Amy Collier, Associate Provost for Digital Learning at Middlebury College


From Curb Cuts to Discotechs: How Inclusive Design and Design Justice Can Shape our Classes and Communities
 

Inclusive design and design justice aim to address inequities in the designs of systems, spaces, tools, social structures. In education, inclusive design and design justice call us to recognize how our classes can contribute to marginalization and disenfranchisement of students, and what lenses and practices we can use to embrace inclusion as an ethos. Using examples from inclusive design and design justice work inside and outside of educational settings, Dr. Amy Collier will provoke conversations and provide activities to explore small and big moves faculty can make to improve inclusion in their courses and, by extension, in their communities.

About Amy

As the Associate Provost for Digital Learning at Middlebury College, Amy Collier provides strategic vision and leadership to position Middlebury as a leading innovator in creating and sustaining a global learning community through the effective use of digital pedagogies and technologies. Amy identifies and pursues opportunities for Middlebury to create online and hybrid/blended courses and programs that meet the highest standards of academic integrity and pedagogical innovation. Prior to this, Amy Collier was the senior director for inspiration and outreach in the Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching & Learning (VPOL) at Stanford University. Through her graduate studies in social sciences and more than 10 years working in faculty development, Amy has been an advocate for learners and teachers across a variety of educational institutions, from community-based service organizations to large public broad-access universities. Amy frequently presents at universities and conferences, sharing her passion for topics like open learning, online learning, and faculty development.

 

 

 

 

 

COLTT 2020 Schedule


 

 

WEDNESDAY, August 5, 2020

 

Mindfulness Morning Session | 8:15 - 8:45 AM

Join us for our Morning Mindfulness session where we will consider the impacts of intention, connection, and contemplation within tech spaces and engage together in a meditative practice.

Session 1 (50 min) | 9:00 - 9:50 AM

Productive Consumption and the Bias Against Learners as Sheeple | Noah Geisel

Co-Presenter(s): Corey Applebaum, Jason Lim, Drew Schreurs
Affiliation: University of Colorado Denver
Description: We want students to do. We want them to make. We want for learners to seize agency in their own learning. In connected classrooms offering limitless access to information for students to consume, we dream of contextualized and meaningful learning and empowered students harnessing tech in ways that allow them to occupy the role of producers. But beyond the hype, platitudes and buzz words, what does this actually look like in real life 2020 classes? And how do we reimagine seemingly consumer-based activities as learning tasks that are inherently production-centered? Join bleeding-edge weirdos in discussion of practical examples and exploration of what's possible both now and in the future.

Synch or Swim: Synchronous vs Asynchronous Online Discussions | Jeff Renfrow

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: Colorado Christian University
Description: Do you feel lost at sea with the traditional, text-based, asynchronous, whole-group discussion model? This session will present a free, research-proven, video-based, small-group, synchronous discussion model that is shown to increase social presence, learning, and even overall discussion satisfaction when compared to traditional text-based asynchronous discussion models. We'll also explore the strengths and weaknesses of both discussion models so that you can become a smarter user of this often misused, if not misunderstood online learning tool. Set sail with us on a research-guided course for synchronous and asynchronous online discussion treasure.

Online in Half the Time: Strategies for Designing a Successful 8-week Course | Alexis Terrell

Co-Presenter(s): Sarah North
Affiliation: University of Colorado Denver
Description: Accelerated online courses (8-week courses, for example) are being offered at an increasing rate due to students’ desire to complete courses more quickly and utilize the flexibility and convenience that online learning affords. With this condensed format, it is natural for faculty to focus on how to get all of their content across in a limited amount of time. Rather than focus on the limitations of this structure, let’s consider the strategies necessary for student success and satisfaction in this ever-growing format.

You Matter. You Belong: A Conversation with Diversity and Inclusion Experts | Kate Miller

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: University of Colorado Denver
 Description: Systemic racism and the events that have unfolded across America over the past few months serve as an urgent reminder of the continued change needed in our society and its institutions. As members of the ed-tech community, it is crucial that we are attuned to the racial injustices in a larger sense and are aware that this issue is present in every aspect of our work in higher education. Join us in a conversation about creating a culture of diversity and inclusion and taking actionable steps toward equality for all. We’ll be joined by a panel of speakers who will:

  1. Share their strategies and successes building and working with diverse teams.
  2. Overview on how we value all forms of diversity and inclusion in the current US climate.
  3. Discuss actionable steps needed to create a more inclusive culture.
  4. Highlight the positive impact a diversity strategy can have on culture, and student, staff, and faculty success.

 

Our panelists will include:

  • Theodosia Cook, chief diversity officer for the CU System
  • Dr. Praveen Shandhag, CEO and founder of NameCoach
  • Dr. Ryan Ross, associate vice chancellor for student affairs equity and inclusion for the Colorado Community College System
  • Dr. Amy Kahn, dean of academic affairs, CCCOnline
  • Louis Francisco Morales-Shnaider, CU Anschutz student and president for the student government senate; president for the Latino Medical School Association (Chapter); national coordinator for the Latino Medical School Association (national); undergraduate pre-health program assistant for the Office of Inclusion and Outreach
     

 

Have questions during this session? Please use this link to ask anonymous questions!

Canvas Accessibility for Course Designers & Instructors | Anna Reid

Co-Presenter(s): Laura Hamrick
Affiliation: University of Colorado Boulder
Description: The semester is about to begin - have you reviewed your Canvas course for accessibility? In this session you will learn digital accessibility skills that you can apply right away to ensure that your Canvas course is accessible and easy to use for your students. Watch live demonstrations and leave with concrete skills and resources. This session is for faculty and instructional designers who want to do the right thing, but may not be able to consistently implement accessibility best practices due to a lack of clear guidance or competing demands on their time and energy. The discussion will focus on Canvas, but the ideas and approaches introduced in the session apply broadly to other Learning Management Systems.

Session 2 (20 min) | 10:00 - 10:20 AM

Mindful Habits: Contemplative Practices in Online Classes | Dawn Colley

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: University of Colorado Boulder
Description: During this session, we will talk about how to use mindfulness to create contemplative practices in online spaces. Our purpose will be to consider the potential to the cultivation of intentional space where students can slow down and participate in a more holistic way--combining both intellectual and somatic responses as useful "openings" into the engagement with and creation of knowledge. We will talk about different strategies to achieve such moments, and participants can expect to walk away from this session with ideas about how to incorporate contemplative elements into their online classes.

Timelines, Technology, & Templates: How to Motivate Online Team Development | Michelle Colarelli

Co-Presenter(s): Wendy Madigosky
Affiliation: University of Colorado Anschutz
Description: Do you struggle to motivate asynchronous online team development for group projects? Join us for tips on how to manage, motivate, and engage online team development using everyday technology, motivational theories, and team development concepts. This presentation will help you identify online tools that create accountability and empower teams to manage their own timelines and expectations for team communication and submissions. Discover how to improve team development with templates, assessments, and discussion boards that engage all team members in reflecting on four team development components.

Digital Signage - From Paper to Digital: 21st Century Engagement | Bryan Gilbrech

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: U.S. Air Force Academy
Description: How does an academic institution attract talent and foster an environment of growth for both faculty and students? With digital signage, accessible via multiple devices, an organization can rapidly reach a larger audience. This informational briefing will discuss how a digital signage project can be implemented while considering the impacts of people, processes, culture, content and technology. A demonstration of how a faculty directory, upcoming events and embedded video will be provided. I will outline the steps taken to bring a concept to reality and highlight challenges that needed to be addressed during the process.

Zoom into Office Hours | Alpna Bhatia

Co-Presenter(s): Sara Avila
Affiliation: University of Colorado Boulder
Description: Personalizing Zoom invites allows students to get over their hesitation in using Zoom for Office Hours. Zoom, with its screen sharing, recording, and group session can increase sense of teacher-student connectivity, and increase inclusion. This session will briefly present my best practices and allow us to share what we can do build a strong online teacher-student relationship.

Open Pedagogy: Moving from OER for Students to OER With Students | Melissa Randall

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: Community College of Denver
Description: This presentation focuses on the nuts and bolts of several open pedagogy approaches, including creating primary texts and supplemental teaching materials such as PowerPoint presentations, explanatory videos, and test banks.

Session 3 (20 min) | 10:30 - 10:50 AM

Using Interactive Dashboards to Enhance Student Learning | Michele Doucette

Co-Presenter(s): Helen Macfarlane
Affiliation: University of Colorado Anschutz
Description: The University of Colorado Undergraduate Medical Education MD Program (CU-UME) is in the process of a major curriculum reform. A central tenet of the reform is moving from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered instruction model. To support this model of learning, CU-UME has developed a new online tool (Student Dashfolio) to allow medical students to view their course grades and overall performance as they relate to program outcomes. The interactive tool was built using Tableau software and provides students a secure environment to view performance metrics. This session will give a live demonstration of the Student Dashfolio and present student and faculty feedback about the Dashfolio.

To-Do, Doing, and Done! Digital Kanban Boards In Higher Education | Kristin Kipp

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design
Description: Kanban is a project management philosophy originally created at Toyota to manage workflows. The basic Kanban structure is a set of lists for To-Do, Doing, and Done, but the philosophy has grown into a powerful set of digital tools arranged around the Kanban board structure. In this hands-on session, we'll explore Trello and Kanbanchi, leading digital Kanban tools that are available for free. We'll consider how a Kanban board can be used to organize personal workflow, plan for research and writing, manage course development, and collaborate with students. Plan to walk away with a greater understanding of Kanban and a desire to try it out in your daily work.

How to Transition to OER: Lessons from a Small Rural College | Nicholas Swails

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: Colorado Northwestern Community College
Description: This presentation will demonstrate various elements of how CNCC (a small rural college) made the transition to OER. It will include demonstrations of the D2L course for faculty and staff, forms used to evaluate OER resources, and the surveys used to track faculty and staff experiences in the training process. Therefore the objectives of this presentation will be to share our experiences, knowledge, and resources we developed.

Leveraging Technology for Inclusive Teaching and Learning in the Global Classroom | Nina Miller

Co-Presenter(s): Emily Van Houweling
Affiliation: Regis University
Description: Regis University Development Practice faculty will guide participants in experiencing the ways Zoom videoconference technology may be used to creatively promote effective teaching and learning in diverse classrooms. Sharing their evolving, Global Classroom pedagogy, the Regis team will bring participants into the myriad ways they are leveraging distance technology for live, genuine, human connection within an international classroom – cross-cultural, intergenerational, and cross-sectoral, from artists to educators to engineers. Specific focus areas include de-colonizing power relations around learning and teaching, collaboration for creative outcomes, and finding the meaningful middle ground.

PowerBI: Data Analysis of Student Performance | Jodie Hemerda

Co-Presenter(s): Jana Cole, Michael Schulz
Affiliation: Zovio
Description: How fortunate to live in a data era, where we can make evidence-based decisions. Unfortunately, without a framework for analysis and decision-making, this can lead us to either dismiss some data as outlier or over analyze the outliers. In a data-rich educational setting, our instructional design team leveraged course grade data from PowerBI to propose design-specific revisions. Targeting the revision to address the curriculum aligned to the low performing learning outcomes provided a way for course designers to inform course revisions above and beyond learning outcome assessment data and faculty feedback. Join us as we share the findings of adding this additional data point.

KEYNOTE SESSION | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

From Curb Cuts to Discotechs: How Inclusive Design and Design Justice Can Shape our Classes and Communities | Amy Collier

Abstract: Inclusive design and design justice aim to address inequities in the designs of systems, spaces, tools, social structures. In education, inclusive design and design justice call us to recognize how our classes can contribute to marginalization and disenfranchisement of students, and what lenses and practices we can use to embrace inclusion as an ethos. Using examples from inclusive design and design justice work inside and outside of educational settings, Dr. Amy Collier will provoke conversations and provide activities to explore small and big moves faculty can make to improve inclusion in their courses and, by extension, in their communities.

Lunch (50 min) | 12:00 - 12:50 PM

Talk With Your Mouth Full!

  • Keynote debrief with Dr. Amy Collier
  • OER with OER State Council and OpenCU members

Session 4 (50 min) | 1:00 - 1:50 PM

Privacy and Anti-Bias Assessment in Online Learning Communities | Joanne Addison

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: University of Colorado Denver
Description: The sudden move to online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic required many of us to employ remote proctoring tools without having the opportunity to fully understand the degree to which these tools may compromise student privacy and/or further biased educational practices. The goal of this session is to discuss these issues with experts and begin to weigh the pros and cons of these tools with other forms of assessment at a moment in time when ignoring issues of privacy and bias is not an option. Importantly, we will also strategize ways to ensure our institutions are providing faculty with tools that explicitly address issues student privacy anti-bias.

No BS, ok? Performance-based Admission and Mastery Learning in an Online MS | Christopher Haynes

Co-Presenter(s): Abby Rose, Erica Reid
Affiliation: University of Colorado Boulder
Description: No BS required. If you can do the work - and prove it - you’re in. That’s the motto of CU Boulder’s MSEE on Coursera program, an innovative online electrical engineering graduate degree that empowers students to earn their admission to the program on their own terms. No application, no validation of prior credentials. In this session, representatives from the Provost’s Office for Academic Innovation and the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering will share the MSEE’s pure performance-based admissions experience and showcase learning behaviors and teaching practices that lead to student success.

Discussing Microaggressions: Chilly Climates and Trolling in Online Discussions | Kae Novak

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: University of Colorado Denver
Description: Many higher education institutions do not specifically address the constructs of microaggressions, online disinhibition, online incivility, and implicit bias online in their policies nor have they taken proactive steps to prevent a non-inclusive environment online. This session will address the problem of practice, which is how can we train online faculty to recognize these issues and take proactive steps in preventing a non-inclusive or chilly learning environment. Through a series of role-playing activities, we will cover the affordances of online learning to create a more inclusive environment.

Producing Incognito Course Materials with Adobe Character Animator | Joseph Labrecque

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: University of Colorado Boulder
Description: When teaching online courses, instructors will often record a welcome video to greet students or as an introduction to specific modules, tasks, or concepts. However… many people don't quite like to have their face on camera… or don't have the video equipment and lighting to do it properly. Adobe Character Animator (part of Creative Cloud) can help with this and can do so in a creative and engaging way! We'll get an overview of Character Animator and build a customized puppet for use in the program. With the puppet created, we'll then see how simple it is to do real-time performance capture and output the recording to Canvas or any LMS of your choosing.

Universal Design for Assessment – Tie-ing It Altogether | Kevin Stiffler

Co-Presenter(s): Marisha Manfre
Affiliation: Red Rocks Community College
Description: Do you know how to tie a Van Wijk Knot Tie? We can teach you, but how do we know that you know? We have been implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) practices in place, but how do we apply the UDL principles for assessments? Join us to discuss boosting learner achievement and accessibility through applying UDL to assessments to accurately measure your course learning objectives, help learners transfer usable knowledge/skills authentically, and provide choice for how learners can express their knowledge and/or skills. You’ll learn how to tie UDL practices into assessments for your course.

Session 5 (50 min) | 2:00 - 2:50 PM

Learning Live & Large: Engaging Large Class Sizes in the Virtual Classroom | Tim Noteboom

Co-Presenter(s): Jeff Moore
Affiliation: South College
Description: Live, synchronous class sessions are challenging with any size class, but class sessions of 100 students or more are particularly difficult. This session will provide case studies from a doctoral healthcare program that uses engaging classroom tools such as shared whiteboards, polling, various sized breakout rooms, student call-outs, and live/recorded video segments. This session will provide examples of each of these tools, along with the primary lessons learned from the first 5 years of this program. The presenters will provide perspectives from students, faculty, and administrators.

Igniting Learning in a Popular Online Course with Learning Science Technology | Jodie Hemerda

Co-Presenter(s): Stacy Steiner, Alston Mabry
Affiliation: Zovio
Description: No matter how engaging your course material, students often skim the text and scholarly resources in preference of Google to the library, fail to master the course content, and misapply complex concepts in their coursework. Hear from the instructors, designers, and engineers on the curricular integration of Amplifire, a learning science tool, to innovate the way students achieve content mastery. Bring the issues you encounter with misinformation and misconceptions affecting student academic performance as well as those you encounter learning tool integrations. See the results of how thousands of students used Amplifire and its effect on their grades and learning outcome performance.

Inspiring Online Faculty to Increase Engagement through Multi-Media Presence | Nancy Trojanowski

Co-Presenter(s): Leah Willis, Jennifer Daines
Affiliation: Colorado Technical University
Description: Are you struggling to get faculty on board with your current efforts to increase student engagement in an online environment? This presentation will inspire those leading instructors to achieve teaching presence using multi-media methods. The instructional framework set in place to guide faculty expectations identified teaching presence and engagement as the most robust factors for student success. The Leads identified a need for science instructors to be both present and engaged in their courses, given the large population of non-science majors in their courses. Multi-media tools were introduced to faculty using various techniques to systematically get faculty to implement these tools.

Meet the EdTechJoker: HAX'ing OER to Make Any System a Learning Space | Bryan Ollendyke

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: Penn State
Description: I am the EdTechJoker and I'd like you to take my red pill and explore a world where ANY platform is a learning platform. A world where the production of accessible and sustainable OER is possible by anyone on any platform. A world where educator, learner and instructional designer creativity flow like water. In this session we'll explore that world through the open source editor called HAX being developed by Penn State, the US National Archives and others! We'll look at multiple Penn State courses taught using HAX, see student produced OERs using HAXcms, learn about my digital activism approach to pedagogy and get a chance to play with the HAX editor and see the future of web production.

Maximize Universal Learning: YOU Have the Power! | Jessica Hitt-Laustsen

Co-Presenter(s): Kira Litvin, Michael Lampe
Affiliation: University of Colorado Anschutz
Description: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) utilizes cognitive neuroscience to create inclusive learning environments suitable for all students to have an equal opportunity to learn. This concept is different than the idea of accessibility, as it does not center on disabilities, but optimizing learning for all individuals based on scientific approaches to how humans learn. We will introduce and demonstrate various instructional methods and tools, with and without technology, to identify strategies that meet the three UDL Principles: engagement, representation, and action and expression. By applying UDL strategies, a highly diverse population of learners can be taught at the same time.

Session 6 (20 min) | 3:00 - 3:20 PM

Where in the World is Your OER Content?: Using Analytics for your Portfolio | Michael Lampe

Co-Presenter(s): Ben Harnke, Ellie Svoboda, Anne Lukens
Affiliation: University of Colorado Anschutz
Description: Once you created OER content, it sometimes can be like a game of ‘Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?’ You may not know exactly where the content goes unless you have clues and tools to help you find where it all goes. In this session, we will explore the questions of how to track OER that may help faculty promotion and tenure and solve some of the challenges that surround the OER community. This session will showcase technology tools with analytics tools that will help faculty members create a narrative about their OER content impact. Such tools include utilizing well-known library database tools, social media platform analytics, and other OER repositories to discover such impact.

The Ghost of Distance Education Future: Regular & Substantive Interaction | Erika Swain

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: University of Colorado Boulder
Description: Draft Consensus Language from the Department of Education's April 2019 Negotiated Rulemaking process included language pertaining to distance education including a clearer definition of what is considered "regular and substantive" interaction and the expectation that this is monitored by institutions. Providing for and monitoring student's academic engagement in distance courses and providing the technology to support these initiatives on campus will likely engage more than faculty, but also those of us working in compliance and information technology. What do we need to know, and how could this affect our distance education courses?

Doctor! Doctor! Meeting the Needs of Social Good Through Healthcare MOOCs | Dan Nicklas

Co-Presenter(s): Lisha Bustos
Affiliation: University of Colorado Anschutz
Description: How do we teach healthcare online to better serve the social good? Children's Hospital and CU School of Medicine decided to embrace this challenge and tasked their faculty to engage educational solutions that scale their expertise to better meet the needs of learners from around the world. Come join us as we discuss the challenges and incredible rewards of not just taking healthcare online, but taking it online to the masses.

Video and Quizzes with Office 365: Stream, Forms, and Teams | Jeffrey Rhodes

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: U.S. Air Force Academy
Description: Learning videos are an effective tool for "flipped" classrooms, tutoring, when the student or instructor are absent, and many other scenarios. This session will first demonstrate how you can upload videos into Microsoft Stream. While we let Stream automatically create a searchable transcript of our video, we will use Microsoft Forms to quickly build a quiz on the content. We will then embed that quiz within the video so that the student is prompted to take the video before continuing the watch the video. Finally, we will see how to link to the video from Microsoft Teams, such as one that might be created for a course.

Changing Institutional Culture and Online Instruction, One Coffee Cake at a Time | Ann Obermann

Co-Presenter(s): Rebecca Cottrell, Adjoa Robinson, Meredith Jeffers
Affiliation: Metropolitan State University of Denver
Description: This session will discuss the process and result of a University wide faculty learning community (FLC) formed to learn about and improve instructor presence within our online courses. Presenters will report what the FLC wrestled with and how we affected change not only in our individual courses but at the larger university level. Our takeaways will help inform other communities on how to create FLCs that can shift culture around online teaching and design.

 

Café Pédagogique | 3:30 - 4:30 PM

 

 

THURSDAY, August 6, 2020

 

Mindfulness Morning Session | 8:15 - 8:45 AM

Join us for our Morning Mindfulness session where we will consider the impacts of intention, connection, and contemplation within tech spaces and engage together in a meditative practice.

 

Welcome Message from CU President Mark Kennedy and Conference Orientation | 8:50 - 8:55 AM

 

Session 1 (50 min) | 9:00 - 9:50 AM

Open Mic Time! Let’s Talk About Failure: Innovation & Risk-Taking in Higher Ed | Blair Young

Co-Presenter(s): Jacie Moriyama
Affiliation: University of Colorado Boulder
Description: In this session, we’ll dive headfirst into an open-ended dialogue about the many meanings of failure for stakeholders in higher ed innovation initiatives. Led in the spirit of a knowledge sharing salon, we’ll explore topics ranging from risk-taking, institutional safety-nets, and failing without failing students, to name a few. Come prepared to share your own stories of failure and the course corrections (or not) arising from your experience. Diverse voices and divergent stories are welcome and encouraged at this session which will provide a safe, protected space in which to share.

How to Engage with Your Online Students – Building Instructor Presence | Rebecca Cottrell

Co-Presenter(s): John Ethier, Meredith Jeffers, Adjoa Robinson
Affiliation: Metropolitan State University of Denver
Description: The fastest way for students to lose interest and trust in an online course is for them to feel lost or confused without clear expectations for how to receive guidance. Your presence is essential even though you aren’t in the room with them. This workshop asks you to self-assess your online course in a guided process and discuss several different aspects of your courses. We will then work in small groups to develop your own course structures and strategies to help ensure students understand your plan for their learning; how they should expect to engage with you and their classmates; and how to access materials when they need them.

C-Lab: A Local Bio-Dome for Tomorrow's Global Learning Economy | Taylor Kendal

Co-Presenter: Spencer Ellis
Affiliation: C-Lab / CDHE
Description: What if educators, students, employers, and technology platforms could fluidly translate value and information without sacrificing privacy or proprietary value? in 2020, the Colorado Department of Higher Education, in partnership with Learning Economy, is collaboratively pioneering this future reality. Come see why education in CO is poised to become the new gold standard. Learn more at: http://learningeconomy.io/clab

Infographics in Support of Diverse Online Learners | Jillian Yarbrough

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: West Texas A&M University
Decription: Many students have an improved ability to learn and remember when offered multi-modal content that includes text and visuals. Infographics, illustrations that use graphic elements and text to present information, can be incorporated into online classrooms to enhance student learning. The following presentation will share theories about visual learning and offer a brief description of an infographics-based online learning experience. In addition, through collaboration, participants will create computer-based infographic tools to support visual learners in their online classrooms and experience best practices for infographic design.

Session 2 (50 min) | 10:00 - 10:50 AM

Crack the Code: Creating Escape Room Experiences to Improve Learning | Laura Borgelt

Co-Presenter(s): Sara Wettergreen, Ashley Huntsberry
Affiliation: University of Colorado Anschutz
Description: Do you want to learn about a new and innovative way to engage your learners? While escape rooms are widely enjoyed as a form of recreation, they have emerged as an effective strategy in learning to foster teamwork, leadership, creative and diverse thinking, and communication in a way that is fun and engaging for students. In this 90-minute workshop, participants will play in a digital escape room environment, compare and contrast puzzle designs for different levels of learners, and discuss student perceptions of learning in an escape room. If you are looking for a little adventure, attend this session to “crack the code” for creating an interactive and fun learning environment.

Metagaming: Exploring a Unique Learning Space | Chris Luchs

Co-Presenter(s): Kae Novak
Affiliation: Colorado Community College System
Decscription: In gaming culture, knowledge is gained from a diverse and specialized ecosystem of resources known collectively as the metagame. The metagame provides divergent perspectives on game play, strategy, tactics, and technologies to resolve the obstacle the player is trying to overcome. Participants as players themselves will collaboratively quest through a transmedia navigation of the metagame, common gamer approaches to engagement and knowledge acquisition, and brainstorm on potential applications to their classroom and course design.

How Can Micro-credentials and Blockchain Technology Boost Education? | Robert Bryant

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: The United States Air Force Academy
Description: The end-of-term grade scarcely reflects the level of understanding and skill demonstrated by students. A student leaves the course with a single alphanumeric value on a transcript that is both opaque and disassociated from content expertise, resulting in negligible value by employers and depreciation by the student. Innovative universities are addressing this problem by building microcredentialing platforms using blockchain technology. By the end of this session, participants will be able to understand and explain microcredentials using blockchain, determine the best course of action, and apply concrete steps to build a platform for their college.

Bringing Criminal Justice Lab Work to Online Environments through Digital Means | Lizabeth Jordan

Co-Presenter(s): Russell Ford
Affiliation: Colorado Technical University
Description: Explore how the use of technology in the classroom provides online learners with the ability to observe and understand current techniques used in the criminal justice field. We will provide you with a view that online students experience with pre-recorded videos or live chat forums to have the opportunity to watch physical demonstrations with detailed descriptions of techniques currently used in crime labs and police departments today. These online demonstrations can be the processing of crime scenes, interview and interrogation techniques, or more. The online forum can move further by expanding to other criminal justice arenas.

Session 3 (50 min) | 11:00 - 11:50 AM

Embracing Inclusion in the STEM Classroom: Theory and Practice | Rebecca Reese

Co-Presenter(s): D'Jeane Peters
Affiliation: Colorado School of Mines
Description: Engaging learners in a meaningful way goes beyond using the flashiest new technology - it’s about incorporating the experiences and identities of your learner in a meaningful and inclusive way. First, participants will engage with theoretical models relevant to the classroom setting that supports the inclusion of learner experience and identity. Then, participants will read and discuss practical case studies from STEM higher education institutions. Finally, participants will develop at least one strategy for how they can make their own classrooms more inclusive, learner-centered spaces.

The Prison to School Pipeline of EdTech | Shea Swauger

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: University of Colorado Denver
Description: The School to Prison Pipeline describes racist educational practices that over-criminalize students of color and channel them into the criminal justice system. This workshop deals with the Prison to School Pipeline of EdTech, which is the flow of technology from the criminal justice system into education. Facial recognition, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, metal detectors, bullet proof glass and backpacks, physical restraints, bleeding kits, isolation rooms, active shooter drills – these are now common technologies in K-16 classrooms. We'll explore why the Prison to School Pipeline is happening, what it means for pedagogy, EdTech, and DEI, and what we can do about it.

#WordsMatter | Trish Elley

Co-Presenter(s): Lynette Cornelius, Mike Alexander
Affiliation: Colorado Technical University
Description: This session will focus on faculty challenges when communicating with students online and using digital tools. As we become more diverse in the classroom and in the online environment, professors need to be more cognizant of what they say and how they address concerns, topics, and general discussion in various platforms. Some of the areas that will be discussed are, but not limited to: cultural diversity, age differences, gender, disabilities, digital learning aptitude, and how to best support our faculty as they engage with students on a digital platform. Lastly, the audience will discuss their challenges, barriers, and best practices when communicating with students online.

Fresh Ideas for Online Learning | Len Scrogan

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: University of Colorado Denver
Description: We will demonstrate at least three very fresh and highly effective instructional strategies for online/blended classes and then ask small groups to discuss and contribute your own PlusOne idea to the mix. My three contributions will include online "cold calling," diagnostic "digital canaries," and delivering the 'unexpected.' It's time to add practical and highly effective new ideas to your online teaching practice, regardless of content. It's time to be delighted or challenged! Can't get any fresher than that. Yum.

The Digitally Agile Student and Faculty: Creative and Critical Literacies | Todd Taylor

Co-Presenter(s): Vincent Fu, Valentina Arismendi
Affiliation: Adobe
Description: With increased focus on independent and remote learning, all aspects of learning need to be exemplary. Maximizing student engagement is a primary concern. When you empower students to be creators, as opposed to consumers, they take ownership of their learning. When you empower faculty and instructional designers to create compelling, fresh, project-based content they set a higher standard compared to peers who are struggling to adapt and adjust. Join the discussion, hearing from three distinct points of view, and come away with strategies for increasing your own digital agility.

Lunch (50 min) | 12:00 - 12:50 PM

Talk With Your Mouth Full!

  • Adaptive Courseware: Every Learner Everywhere
  • Corey Edwards at Western Governors University
  • Digital Badging with Noah Geisel & Kristi Wold-McCormick

 

Session 4 (50 min) | 1:00 - 1:50 PM

User Design and Education Fieldwork: Merging the Two to Create Learner Centere | Paula Battistelli

Co-Presenter(s): Emily Gleason, Emilie Young
Affiliation: University of Colorado Boulder
Description: The session explores the benefits of partnerships between university departments (in this case, the Office of Internet Technology and the School of Education) in order to create robust, dynamic programs that speak to the specific needs of the intended learners. Implications for learning experience design (also referred to as instructional design) will be discussed. The session will conclude with a brief workshop on focus groups and user persona creation.

The World’s Best Online Teaching Evaluation Rubric | Erik Richter

Co-Presenter(s): Stephen McElroy
Affiliation: Colorado Community College System
Description: In spring 2019, CCCOnline staff established an instructor evaluation protocol in D2L that is used to review the teaching performance of over 450 online instructors each academic year. The review process is centered on a comprehensive 17-criteria teaching excellence rubric that is aligned with established online teaching competencies and Quality Matters principles. We utilize these instructor performance metrics as a guide to provide targeted interventions via one-on-one mentoring and discipline-specific professional development training. Based on one year of data, initial outreach efforts were focused on instructor presence and grading timeliness.

Lowering Costs and Raising Expectations | Becky Moening

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: Wiley
Description: Higher education today looks very different than it did just a few months ago. With co-requisite courses replacing pre-requisites and COVID-19 moving many courses into the virtual world, instructors need innovative ways to reach all students. Students enter your course with different levels of preparedness. How are you addressing those individual needs? Alta’s adaptive learning engine provides students an individualized learning path. This path includes assessments, integrated instruction, and just-in-time remediation. Alta meets students at their level and, if needed, provides just-in-time remediation to help fill their knowledge gaps and bring them up to the level appropriate for the course. Detailed answer explanations, paired with this individualized learning path, are geared to help students make progress when they cannot easily connect with their instructor for help. Learn how students can benefit from this adaptive learning experience at an affordable price!

Session 5 (20 min) | 2:00 - 2:20 PM

Fakebook: Moving from Remember to Create & That's Not Fake | Kim Hosler

Co-Presenter(s): Calli Holaway
Affiliation: United States Air Force Academy
Description: When it comes to learning terms, rote memorization of definitions (lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy) is one approach. What about adding creativity & originality to the act of learning key terms? This hack demonstrates using Fakebook to support creativity & synthesis as learners personify various statistical terms & concepts in discussion posts.This novel strategy looks to foster deeper thinking & application of what the term means. At the end of this session, you should be able to launch Fakebook and begin planning creative ways to engage learners with key terms in lieu of rote memorization.

Mapping Madness! Chart Your Course with a Collaborative & Dynamic Teaching Tool | Aimee Bernard

Co-Presenter(s): Lauren Lobdell
Affiliation: Tutor.com
Description: The visualization of knowledge is critical to modern learning. The concept map is a dynamic teaching tool wielded to actively edit and rearrange concepts both during the initial construction and throughout a class period. The flexible nature of concept maps allows for the constructive resolution of disagreements and the addition of alternative thoughts and ideas. Students work collaboratively to arrange concepts and think critically about the relationships between them. Visualization of how students organize knowledge facilitates assessment of student growth and the diversity of understanding within a class. The evolution of concept mapping serves as qualitative assessment of student growth.

Learning Through the Tears: Bringing Fun into an Oncology Classroom | Ashley Glode

Co-Presenter(s): Lisha Bustos
Affiliation: University of Colorado Anschutz
Description: In your class do you create a welcoming learning environment, encourage students to actively participate, think critically, and come to class because they want to? Does your classroom provide students with opportunities to fail in low risk situations so they can learn from those mistakes and thrive in clinical practice? Now imagine doing this in an oncology course! This presentation will provide examples on how we incorporated these elements and what we learned along the way.

How to Make Video Inclusive and Accessible – Quickly and Cost-Effectively | Art Morgan

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: CaptionSync
Description: The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically accelerated the move to online learning. At the same time, racial justice and design justice movements are prompting every educational organization to re-examine their practices to ensure that their online learning experiences are as inclusive as possible.

Video meetings and recorded video plays an increasingly important role in online learning, but making video accessible and inclusive is not always straightforward. Art Morgan will describe how the CaptionSync team at Automatic Sync Technologies has worked with higher education organizations across Colorado to make their online video accessible and inclusive, quickly and cost-effectively.

Remote this Fall? Expert Tips for Reliable & Effective Remote Learning using Adaptive Learning & Analytics | Nic Rebne

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: Cogbooks
Description: CogBooks’ session will address the following challenges:

  • Those associated with delivering positive learning and course outcomes across a diverse student body who have highly varied education backgrounds or academic preparedness for college level courseware, especially in subjects such as biology, physics, or psychology.
  • Those associated with the uncertainties presented by the current pandemic and whether or not classes will continue on-campus or online and for how long.
  • Those associated with helping instructors maintain the same level of engagement and connection with learners whether in an on-campus setting or while teaching remotely, or experiencing a mixture of both.

CogBooks’ adaptive learning technology responds to these challenges by helping anyone benefit from the potential of personalized learning that integrates easily and securely with any campus learning management systems. CogBooks creates flexible, affordable products that dramatically improve course outcomes by providing 1:1 support for everyone whether courses are taught in a classroom or online. CogBooks Courseware contains all of the necessary instructional materials, homework, video, interactive exercises, and formative assessments required in the courses we’ve released within Biology, History, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology and more. Our intuitive user experience expertly weaves all material together into an engaging and mobile learning environment for students that requires no on-boarding and is affordably priced at $39.95 in most courses. During this brief 20-minute session, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a brief demonstration of the CogBooks Courseware student user experience, view the instructor dashboard and engage in discussion with CogBooks’ COO, Nic Rebne. Follow-up 1:1 personalized demonstrations may be scheduled.

Session 6 (20 min) | 2:30 - 2:50 PM

Unboxing & Unpacking Pedagogy: (Re)humanizing Online Learning by Mail | Dennis DeBay

Co-Presenter(s): Andrea Laser
Affiliation: University of Colorado Denver
Description: Join us for a 20-minute session where we unbox and unpack a fun and innovative way to engage students and build community in online spaces. In this session, you will hear about how sending packages in the mail has the potential to build connections across geographical distance. We will share our experiences to date as well as a discussion on implementation.

Brilliant & Failing? Success Solutions for Academic Ability vs. Student Overwhelm | Katherine Vander Vennet

Co-Presenter(s): Lauren Lobdell
Affiliation: Tutor.com
Description: By playing a version of Family Feud, Tutor.com will explore your ideas about how online tutoring can be an incredibly effective tool for your student success eco-system. We will share our clients' experiences to demonstrate different kinds of programs and how students, faculty, staff and administration benefited. Bring your ideas and we'll share ours in this quick, fast-moving conversation! Prizes awarded!

Writing in Online Courses: How to Increase Student's Participation Using An App | Gloria Monzon

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: University of Northern Colorado
Description: This session will offer examples on how to incorporate Padlet for writing assignments. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about specific guidelines and activities. These assignments can be a fun and engaging formative and summative assessments tool. Additionally, these activities are successful in online and hybrid environments, as well as the traditional face-to-face classroom. Attending this presentation will be a great opportunity to share ideas, and ask questions on how to integrate apps in your teaching experience.

Active Learning with iClicker: Anytime, Anywhere | Lindsay Johnson

Co-Presenter(s): Lindsey Thomas
Affiliation: Macmillan Learning
Description: Creating environments where students feel safe, included and engaged can be challenging, particularly amid so much uncertainty. At iClicker, we explicitly focus on simple ways to foster connections between students, their peers, their instructors and the course content, wherever learning happens. So whether you're teaching socially-distanced in-person classes, geographically-distanced online classes, completely asynchronously or a mix of all of the above, we've got you covered. Join Lindsay Johnson, Executive Product Marketing Manager for iClicker, and Lindsey Thomas, Training Manager for iClicker, as they demonstrate how iClicker works seamlessly in online courses (via any video conferencing software) and in-person classes alike, and how our different polling options engage students in both synchronous and asynchronous courses -- all with an instructor's existing course material.

Session 7 (20 min) | 3:00 - 3:20 PM

Guiding Faculty in Online Course Design with a SME Success Course | Kerry Floyd

Co-Presenter(s): Angie Fox, Trey Chambers
Affiliation: University of Denver
Description: Finding effective, interesting, and efficient ways to support faculty in designing online courses while developing lasting skills for online course design and teaching is a challenge. This demo, simulation, and conversation will introduce you to our online SME Success Course, which complements one-on-one course development collaboration with an instructional designer.

Techniques and Insights on Teaching Python Programming for Chemists | Andrew Bonham

Co-Presenter(s): N/A
Affiliation: Metropolitan State University of Denver
Description: In the era of Big Data, our ability to generate large datasets outstrips our ability to analyze them, so we must develop ways to do programmatic analysis. To help undergraduates gain these skills I organized “Python for Chemists” programming workshops. Students learned the basics of Python and how to use the ‘data science pipeline’, including Anaconda Python, Pandas, and Matplotlib/Plotly. They imported real chemical data and used it to perform statistics and visualize their data. In this talk, I will share my workshop materials, strategies for incorporating this material into existing lecture or lab curricula, and discuss successful approaches.

Using Polling Applications to Improve Your Instruction | Calli Holaway

Co-Presenter(s): Kim Hosler
Affiliation: U.S. Air Force Academy
Description: Collecting data during a class session in order to make adjustments to instruction is a vital component of quality teaching. As polling applications have become more prevalent in higher education, more instructors are using these applications to collect point-in-time data on student understanding. However, data collected through these applications have additional uses. This session will explore how to utilize PollEverywhere as a tool to improve a lesson, course, or module. Participants will engage in evaluating and interpreting actual student data, and will discuss how these data might be used to make decisions about course content, lesson planning, and sequencing.

Supporting Students’ Meaningful Reading Practices | Michelle Neely

Co-Presenter(s): Michelle Brown
Affiliation: University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Description: In this session, we will briefly review research and trends about undergraduates’ course reading, articulate assumptions and expectations around student reading, and identify student behavior or beliefs incongruent with these expectations. We will then share course activities and interventions to support the type of student reading engagement that we value, with emphasis on digital annotation strategies to help students engage with their on-screen reading assignments.

Inclusivity and Access with Adobe Acrobat | Donna Caldwell

Co-Presenter(s): Todd Taylor
Affiliation: Adobe
Description: The quest for offering content accessible to all learners has never been more in demand. Watch and understand how Adobe Acrobat Pro DC assists in that quest. Attendees will see the entire workflow of opening a document, checking it for conformance, and remediating problems. These capabilities are native in Acrobat and are usable by all creators of content.

 

Grand Prize Drawing and Farewell Message | 3:30 - 3:45 PM

 

COLTT 2020 Sponsors