Inspire Blog Category: Resources, Tools & Trends

Improving Student Engagement and Connection in Online Learning: Part II, Methodologies and Practices

Introduction Since the first post in the series appeared a few months ago, we have received plenty of feedback from other instructors who are actively engaged in online education. Some of the stories shared by them reiterate the points we discussed, and others included tips and techniques that have worked particularly well for them. Almost all of them agreed that teaching well online remains a challenging task. “I love the notes on proactive student support … especially the notes on checking in with those who are behind. Sometimes all they need is a little empathy!” Vic Matta, Associate Professor, College of Business, Ohio University  “I regularly incorporate each of these in my relationships with my students, to include weekly zoom … Improving Student Engagement and Connection in Online Learning: Part II, Methodologies and Practices
by · May 16, 2022

An Introduction to Markdown

This past February, I was putting together a proposal for the 2022 Distance Teaching & Learning (DT&L) Conference, and I shared my draft with a couple of my colleagues for feedback. Typically, when requesting feedback, our team relies on Google Docs, which has a nice feature set for suggesting edits. However, I was not using Google Docs. I explained that they would be viewing my formatted document on HackMD, a collaborative web-based Markdown tool. One of the colleagues I had asked for feedback responded: What are the pros and cons compared to a google doc, may I ask? That question inspired this blog post. What is Markdown? Markdown is a plain text format with a simple syntax to add formatting … An Introduction to Markdown
by · April 18, 2022

Five Tips for Making Accessible PowerPoint Slides

By Susan Fein, Ecampus instructional designer If you use slide presentations to deliver information and then provide a digital version of the slides to support learners, this post is for you! Instructors teaching online or who use a companion LMS or website to accompany in-person classes often upload the slide file to aid students in notetaking. However, you may not be aware that digital files are not automatically accessible to those using assistive technologies, such as screen readers. Following a few simple and easy guidelines will improve accessibility of your materials for all students and demonstrate your thoughtful attention to inclusivity and equity. Who Benefits from Accessibility? Everyone, not only those with disabilities, benefit from accessible learning materials. The U.S. … Five Tips for Making Accessible PowerPoint Slides
by · April 11, 2022

Creating a Syllabus that Students Want to Read

Tricks to creating a syllabus students want to read

In December 2021, CNN published a news story that went viral, featuring a Tennessee professor who hid in his syllabus a combination that led to a locker with a crisp $50 bill for the taking. When he announced at the end of the term that not a single student had claimed the prize, few were actually surprised. Hiding an Easter egg of this sort in the text of your syllabus is certainly a fun idea and a nice bonus for the most diligent student(s) who might find it, but there are other ways to get students to read what could arguably be the most important document in your course.  A course syllabus has traditionally served many overlapping purposes. From an … Creating a Syllabus that Students Want to Read
by · April 5, 2022

Course Learning Outcomes – High-Beam or Low-Beam Lights?

The following is a guest blog post from Meilianty Gunawan. Meili completed an Instructional Design internship with OSU Ecampus during Fall 2021. Have you ever driven a car on a highway with no streetlights in the middle of the night? Your first instinct is to turn your car’s high-beam lights on to give you greater visibility on what lies far ahead of you. You are probably fine just by relying on the car’s low-beam lights, but you will not be able to get a clearer picture of the far end of the road as you would get from the high-beam. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework used by instructors to develop course learning outcomes. It lays out six cognitive domains (from … Course Learning Outcomes – High-Beam or Low-Beam Lights?
by · March 14, 2022