Inspire Blog

5 Aspects of a Great Welcome Message

Wooden sign with the word welcome on it.

As Winter Break has begun it’s rapid decent into the start of a new term, it’s time to take a look at how we will welcome our students back to school in the new year. Winter term brings new beginnings for students as their papers now contain the date 2024. Maybe they’ve made resolutions to do homework on time, or read every last page you request, or just be more present, whatever it is, that first message or impression from you in the new term sets the tone for the class. I’m sure that everyone wants to start a class off on a positive note, so let’s look at 5 ways you can create an informational, welcoming, and inclusive message … 5 Aspects of a Great Welcome Message
by · January 2, 2024

The CAQDAS Quandary Part 2: How a low-cost solution could help with your qualitative analysis

By Greta Underhill In my last post, I outlined my search for a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) program that would fit our Research Unit’s needs. We needed a program that would enable our team to collaborate across operating systems, easily adding in new team members as needed, while providing a user-friendly experience without a high learning curve. We also needed something that would adhere to our institution’s IRB requirements for data security and preferred a program that didn’t require a subscription. However, the programs I examined were either subscription-based, too cumbersome, or did not meet our institution’s IRB requirements for data security. It seemed that there just wasn’t a program out there to suit our team’s needs. However, … The CAQDAS Quandary Part 2: How a low-cost solution could help with your qualitative analysis
by · December 26, 2023

The CAQDAS Quandary Part 1: Exploring qualitative software for collaboration

by Greta Underhill Are you interested in qualitative research? Are you currently working on a qualitative project? Some researchers find it helpful to use a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) program to help them organize their data through the analysis process. Although some programs can perform basic categorization for researchers, most software programs simply help researchers to stay organized while they conduct the deep analysis needed to produce scientific work. You may find a good CAQDAS program especially helpful when multiple researchers work with the same data set at different times and in different ways. Choosing the right CAQDAS for your project or team can take some time and research but is well worth the investment. You may need … The CAQDAS Quandary Part 1: Exploring qualitative software for collaboration
by · November 16, 2023

Media Literacy in the Age of AI, Part II: A Review of Verified

For the first part of this post, please see Media Literacy in the Age of AI, Part I: “You Will Need to Check It All.” Just how, exactly, we’re supposed to follow Ethan Mollick’s caution to “check it all” happens to be the subject of a lively, forthcoming collaboration from two education researchers who have been following the intersection of new media and misinformation for decades. In Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online (University of Chicago Press, November 2023), Mike Caulfield and Sam Wineburg provide a kind of user’s manual to the modern internet. The authors’ central concern is that students—and, by extension, their teachers—have been going about the … Media Literacy in the Age of AI, Part II: A Review of Verified
by · September 12, 2023

Media Literacy in the Age of AI, Part I: “You Will Need to Check It All”

Have you found yourself worried or overwhelmed in thinking about the implications of artificial intelligence for your discipline? Whether, for example, your department’s approaches to teaching basic skills such as library research and source evaluation still hold up? You’re not alone. As we enter another school year, many educators continue to think deeply about questions of truth and misinformation, creativity, and how large language model (LLM) tools such as chatbots are reshaping higher education. Along with our students, faculty (oh, and instructional designers) must consider new paradigms for our collective media literacy. Here’s a quick backstory for this two-part post. In late spring, shortly after the “stable release” of ChatGPT to iOS, I started chatting with bot model GPT-3.5, which … Media Literacy in the Age of AI, Part I: “You Will Need to Check It All”
by · September 5, 2023