Fall Teaching & Learning Support

Whether you are seeking new ideas or simple solutions for supporting teaching and learning at Western, we are here for you. Consider exploring the following learning opportunities, and reach out if you would like to chat with us (see How to Get Help).

New this fall: Most of our sessions will be released directly as videos, starting with our first video presentation this fall, Recipes for Better Video Recording, by AJ Barse. We look forward to discussing these with you at our Tech Happy Hour sessions on certain Fridays...starting with this Friday!

Pre-fall message: In case you missed it, consider reviewing our new, comprehensive Beginning-of-Quarter Course Checklist and the hot-off-the-press, FAQs: Generative AI in Teaching, Learning, & Technology.

Learning Opportunities

Access links and recordings are all on one page: ATUS-CIIA Self-Enroll Canvas course

• Recipes for Better Video Recording (Wed., 10/4, Available Now!) - Learn the latest strategies for creating, editing, managing, and providing access to your videos in the Panopto video management system. This 19-minute introduction to the collection of videos may be all you need!
• Tech Happy Hour (Some) Fridays (Fridays, 3-3:50PM: 10/6, 10/27, 11/17, 12/1) - Drop in via Zoom (see link in ProDev course) with our team of instructional designers and technologists and ask us anything!  Each session will begin with strategies for teaching, learning, and supported technologies.
• Five Pitfalls to Avoid in Your Canvas Course (To be released Wed. 10/25) - Sometimes in Canvas courses, just one missing item, button, or checkmark can result in a barrage of student emails stating an assignment or quiz is not quite right. WWU Canvas Admin, Chris Powell, will lead you on this journey of quick fixes to prevent potential course content “oopsies.” Chris will share ideas for making your course–and the student experience–smooth and bump-free.
• Strategies for Detecting or Intentionally Incorporating AI in Student Work (To be released Wed. 11/29) - In this session, instructional designers AJ Barse and Justina Brown, will discuss innovative ideas for using AI for creative or critical thinking work as well as how Western's policies and strategies, along with guidance from the State, are evolving to address the moving target of AI (i.e., artificial intelligence-generative work). They will also review the Canvas plagiarism detection tool that currently can check for AI usage in submitted assignments.

More ways to learn:

• Disability Access Center is holding Workshops for Faculty & Staff focusing on accessible course design, teaching neurodivergent students, and implementing accommodations.
• Institute for Global Engagement is launching the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)initiative supporting strategies for virtual international exchanges within face-to-face courses.

Newsworthy

• Teaching & Learning Cooperative Stipend-Based Workshops: Watch for an email about these winter and spring workshops focused on instructional design, open educational resources, and inclusive instructional design project development.
• ABCD Cards are a simple method for getting student feedback during class. Several years ago, the CIIA created a mobile app to provide a paper-saving option, and these have now been updated to modern coding and accessibility standards. Find these on your app store or from ABCD Cards App @ WWU.
• Socrative, a useful polling tool, is available for WWU teachers. Reply to ask for the Socrative Pro upgrade.
• Academic Systems Key Feature Updates includes the Top 5 Things to Know this Fall and other details on these and other updates to Canvas, Zoom, Panopto, and Socrative.

DIY Learning Options

• Teaching & Learning Co-op - strategies, tools, and practices for innovative teaching and learning
• Monday Morning Mentor Weekly Videos (self-enroll MMM Canvas course) - Most sessions have transcripts available after the video expires (each video available for 1 week). 
  • 10/2: How Can I Introduce Creativity to My Classes to Build Connection with Students? 
  • 10/9: How Can I Intentionally Create a Course that Boosts Learning and Decreases Student Stress?
  • 10/16: How Can I Use AI as a Student Writing and Editing Coach?
  • More each week!
• Canvas Foundations (self-enroll Canvas course) - for anyone who is new to Canvas & WWU; 8 videos in about an hour! 
• Advancing Video Instructional Design with Panopto (self-enroll Canvas course) - tips and techniques for bringing class videos to the next level
• WWU Canvas Orientation for Faculty (self-enroll Canvas course) - everything teachers need to know to be successful users of Canvas
• Getting Started with Panopto (self-enroll Canvas course) - getting started with Western's video management platform which is integrated into Canvas
• STC Online Workshops (self-enroll Canvas course) - extensive collection of self-paced learning modules

Key Resources for Students

• Syllabi@WWU - WWU policies and campus resources written for students (Tip: link to this from your syllabi!)
• Study Spaces - places for students to study between classes, or for participating in a virtual class in between in-person classes
• WWU Canvas Orientation for Students (self-enroll Canvas course) - to help students be successful users of Canvas
• Stay Connected - ATUS & community resources options for computer access and accessing the Internet
• STC Online Workshops (self-enroll Canvas course) - extensive collection of self-paced learning modules