By Amelia Gentile-Mathew, Instructional Designer
NEW OTL Resources
OTL Media Hub
Our new video and podcast library makes many of our most popular media publicly available. Now you can explore impactful teaching resources all in one place. Keep an eye out for new and exciting additions to this growing library.
Inclusive Teaching Practice Website Updates
New Trauma-Informed and Healing-Centered Pedagogies Module! The goal of this module is to provide language, guidelines, frameworks, tools, and resources to support faculty and students as they navigate the complex layers of trauma and healing. Watch our newsletter for more updates, new modules, and other exciting programming!
OTL Educational Technology Review – Coming Soon!
This exciting new resource will help faculty pick the right tech tool for their teaching. Be on the lookout for additional communications about the launch of this project.
NEW in Canvas
New Quizzes
By now, you’ve likely heard about New Quizzes. Join us for a Canvas Coaching session to learn more, or reach out to otl@du.edu to coordinate individual or group support.
Learning Management System (LMS) Guidelines
You can now visit our new LMS Guidelines webpage to explore everything you could possibly desire to know about DU’s guidelines for using Canvas.
Permissions Changing
As of February 15, students can only be added/removed by the Office of the Registrar. Instructors will no longer be available to manually add/remove students. Students are now required to submit the add/drop form to registrar@du.edu.
UDOIT -Coming Soon!
We are preparing to adopt the UDOIT course-wide accessibility checker in Canvas. UDOIT will scan course content, provide a summary of accessibility issues, and offer suggestions for how to improve those issues. Once the integration into Canvas is complete, the OTL will be hosting training sessions for faculty. Keep an eye on our newsletter for the official announcement and to register for a training session!
NEW OTL Programming
UDL Series – DU Culture of Change
Join us as we embark on a journey through Universal Design for Learning. Facilitated by Paula von Kretschmann, this series will feature different subject matter experts discussing digital accessibility, neurodiversity, intersectionality, mindfulness, and more. The series will be available via the OTL Events Calendar.
Join us for our next UDL series event which will take place February 24th at 1:00pm on Trauma Informed Pedagogy with me, Amelia Gentile-Mathew. Sign up today!
Teaching with Canvas Short Course
Our Teaching with Canvas Short Course launched as a pilot last summer to great success! The short course, which requires a baseline knowledge of Canvas, teaches how to effectively design and facilitate courses using Canvas, and offers advanced skills and strategies for faculty interested in taking their teaching to the next level. We just wrapped up our Winter session and will offer our next session this summer.
How’s Your SoTL? Aspirations, Challenges, and Plans for the Next Steps
Join Kayoung Kim, OTL’s new Director of SoTL and FLC, as we gather to discuss our journeys in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning on Thursday, February 17, 12:00 p. m. – 12:45 p.m. Online, register here to participate!
NEW Professional Development Opportunities for Faculty
Departmental Action Teams (DAT) with OTL & the VPFA
The OTL is piloting a 10-month project to reassess teaching evaluation practices. This project supports the work of the Teaching Excellence Task Force and guides departments through a process called “Department Action Teams” (DATs). Participating departments/programs will determine ways to apply the Teaching Quality Framework and ensure three voices (self, student, peer) are reflected in teaching evaluation for annual and consequential review. These DATs will be facilitated by Dr. Virginia Pitts, Dr. Kayoung Kim, Dr. Jared Del Rosso, and Dr. Barbekka Hurtt. Participating teams will begin their work in March 2022 with the plan of presenting their proposals for change in September. To learn more, visit the Teaching Excellence web page.
NEW OTL Staff
Director of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) & Faculty Learning Communities (FLC)
Dr. Kayoung Kim can help faculty with:
- All phases of SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning), a systematic, data-driven, scholarly inquiry into student learning,
- Research projects, including the development of project ideas and research design, selection of materials, analysis and interpretation of data, and presentation and publication of findings.
- Kayoung also actively collaborates with faculty partners and OTL staff on planning, delivering, and facilitating Faculty Learning Communities.
Director of Inclusive Teaching Practices
Dr. Becca Ciancanelli can help faculty with:
- The OTL Inclusive Teaching website and the Faculty Institute for Inclusive Teaching
- Discipline-specific inclusive teaching practice design via one-on-one consultations, department trainings and Faculty Learning Communities
- Resources aligned with evidence-based practices in inclusive pedagogy following critical incidents in learning environments
Director of Academic Assessment
Help us find the next Director of Academic Assessment! This individual will provide leadership for building a robust culture of continuous improvement that supports processes for curricular renewal, academic innovation, and organizational transformation. They will be a leader for ensuring the institution satisfies accreditation guidelines, and a champion for cyclical practices of continuous improvement. Apply Here!
You can always schedule a 1:1 with an OTL Instructional Designer, or reach out to otl@du.edu to learn more! We hope to see you 2022.
