Inspire Blog

Pedagogy of Kindness in Online Teaching and Learning – Part 1

The saying “students may forget what we teach, but they’ll remember how we made them feel” is such an important idea that could help us start thinking about how to make online learning a space that fosters belonging, connection, respect for individual differences, and authentic participation. In support of instructional design practices and teaching approaches that can accomplish these aspects, online course design and teaching can be transformative for students (and instructors) when more human-centered strategies are built into the courses, strategies that go beyond cognitive tasks and challenges, and attend to the well-being of students and instructors. What if these practices and approaches are built upon kindness? Cate Denial’s (2024) “A Pedagogy of Kindness” invites us to explore ways … Pedagogy of Kindness in Online Teaching and Learning – Part 1
by · December 1, 2025

Students Don’t Want AI Bans—They Want a Seat at the Table

Many educators are grappling with questions about AI detection. Yet, AI detection tools are unreliable, biased, and distressing. False positives can harm students’ academic standing and well-being, with marginalized groups often disproportionately affected, while detectors still miss significant portions of AI-generated text (Lurye, 2025; Encouraging Academic Integrity, 2025; Hirsch, 2024). And detection tools assume students simply copy and paste AI outputs, when in reality many use these tools more fluidly–taking suggestions, rewriting, or iterating through prompts–making their work indistinguishable from original writing. As one student noted, “it’s very easy to use AI to do the lion’s share of the thinking while still submitting work that looks like your own…” (Terry, 2023). What Students Want Most students believe institutions should address … Students Don’t Want AI Bans—They Want a Seat at the Table
by · November 25, 2025

Haunted by a Blank Course: Tales from a First-Time Developer

Special Edition: Guest Blog by Assistant Professor of Practice (Urban Forestry), Jennifer Killian When I was asked to create a new course for Oregon State University’s Ecampus program, my first reaction was a mix of sheer excitement… and, well, a little terror. I’ve built workshops, presentations, and even all-day trainings, but assembling ten weeks of graduate-level content from scratch? That felt like wandering through a haunted house to me. Dark, empty, and full of unknowns. Adding to the surrealness, I realized that thirteen years ago, I was a graduate student here, taking several Ecampus courses myself including an early version of the very class I would now be teaching. The idea that I could bring my professional experience back to … Haunted by a Blank Course: Tales from a First-Time Developer
by · October 20, 2025

When Passing Is Failing: Cultivating Critical AI Literacy

We all remember the warning from math class: “You won’t always have a calculator in your pocket!” How we laugh now, with calculators first arriving in our pockets and, eventually, smartphones putting one in our hands at all times. I have seen a lot of comparisons across the Internet to artificial intelligence (AI) and these mathematics classes of yesteryear. The idea being that AI is but the newest embodiment of this same concern, which ended up being overblown. But is this an apt comparison to make? After all, we did not replace math lessons and teachers with pocket calculators, nor even with smart phones. The kindergarten student is not simply given a Casio and told to figure it out. The … When Passing Is Failing: Cultivating Critical AI Literacy
by · September 29, 2025

Integrating Microsoft Teams into Canvas: A Win-Win for Students and Professors

Too often, online courses struggle with communication that feels slow and one-sided. Students swap ideas in discussion boards, but collaboration stops there. Integrating Microsoft Teams into Canvas changes that. It brings real-time conversation, file-sharing, and group spaces directly into the LMS–helping students connect more naturally and giving instructors new ways to guide and engage. This integration not only boosts collaboration, it also provides more opportunities for Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) between students and instructors—structured, faculty-initiated engagement that is required in online courses under federal guidelines. Seamless Collaboration Across Projects and Courses Integrating Teams into Canvas ensures that group work and peer review move beyond static discussion boards into dynamic, asynchronous interactions. Students can download the app on their mobile … Integrating Microsoft Teams into Canvas: A Win-Win for Students and Professors
by · September 2, 2025