What's Happening at FCTL

Workshop: Crafting Instructional Videos with Camtasia: Best Practices Make for Better Content

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Facilitator: Eric Taylor

Are you interested in learning how to use Camtasia to create instructional videos? Join Eric Taylor with the FCTL where he will share best practices and strategies for crafting high-production value content. This session will include editing, mastering and project management, and exploring the different ways faculty are using Camtasia to enhance pedagogy.

Both in-person and virtual sessions will be offered. Links to virtual sessions will be provided prior to meeting.

NEW DATES!

  • Monday, October 3: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Virtual
  • Wednesday, October 5: 10:00 am – 11:00 am  Virtual
  • Tuesday, October 11: 10:30-11:30 Meyer Library, Room 206
  • Thursday, October 13: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Virtual
  • Wednesday, October 19: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Virtual
  • Thursday, October 20: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Virtual
  • Monday, October 24: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm  Meyer Library, Room 206
  • Friday, October 28: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Meyer Library, Room 206

Register through MyLearning Connection.

Showcase Friday: General Education Assessment at Missouri State

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September 16, 11:00 am – 11:50 am

Facilitator: Joe Williams, CGEIP Chair

Meyer Library Rm 120

This session will present CGEIP updates for the 2022-23 academic year and methods of review and assessment of Missouri State’s general education courses that align with the CORE 42 framework for general education. The goal of CORE 42 is to facilitate the seamless transfer of academic credits (DHEWD, 2022). The Council for General Education and Interdisciplinary Programs (CGEIP) has worked diligently to satisfy these state requirements while keeping our unique identity in Public Affairs through general education.  General education course coordinators are also encouraged to attend for updates on the biennial reporting process and timeline. Your feedback is vital for the continued assessment and steering of general education at Missouri State. Please join Joe Williams, CGEIP Chair for this important and informative session.

For complete details and to register, go to My Learning Connection.

Good to Know

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Micro-activities and improved student learning

By Nancy Gordon

Searching through Magna Commons library led to the discovery of a 20-Minute Mentor titled “How can I use microactivities to engage students and improve learning and retention?” by Dr. Wren Mills at Western Kentucky University. This video can be accessed from Magna Subscription in the Academic Community and will be the featured Monday Morning Mentor on April 4th.

An earlier discussion on active learning prompted this search when a faculty member asked, “What does active learning look like? Isn’t all learning active?” This is a great question! It seems as educators we like to create labels and sort things into boxes!

All learning is essentially active, however, Chickering and Gamson (1987) suggested that students must do more than listen, that they should be actively engaged with the content. To achieve a deeper understanding of the content they must read, write, discuss, practice tasks, and engage in problem solving activities. The core of active learning are instructional activities that involve students in doing and thinking about what they are doing.

Micro-activities (back to the labels!), are short learning activities, usually 5 to 10 minutes, that allow students to actively engage with the content and are an effective way for the instructor to check for understanding. These types of activities can be used at the beginning of class to create a sense of inquiry, as a reading check, or to reinforce the last session. Micro-activities can also be used to break up lectures every 15 to 20 minutes and at the end of class as a review or to create interest in the next class session. Lang’s (2016) book “Small Teaching” outlines nine approaches to this type of structure that supports knowledge, understanding, and inspiration.

Dr. Mills suggests the following reasons to use of micro-activities to engage students and improve learning:

  • Most people have a 15-minute attention span.
  • Learning new information is easier when it is presented as a series of shorter and spaced sessions rather than one long session.
  • Learners must touch information multiple times and in multiple ways to move from short-term to long-term memory.
  • Learners need frequent and supportive feedback/review.

Marin (2011) compiled a list of 50 Micro-Activities for energizing the College Classroom. Examples of micro-activities that can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of class are:

  • Bookends: at the beginning of class students spend one-minute to write what they already know about the topic and then spend one-minute at the end of the class to write what they learned that was new about the topic. Ask students to turn in their bookend paper before leaving class.
  • Test Prep: at the end of the lesson have students write a test question over what was just discussed. Take 2 minutes where students can share with a classmate to answer and critique.
  • Rose and Thorn: students share what they enjoyed most about the class session and what is unclear or confusing. These can be addressed on Blackboard before the next class or at the beginning of the next class.

Advice for integrating micro-activities:

  • Keep it simple. Don’t use too many micro-activities in a single class period.
  • Clickers, polling software, and other apps can be used for engaging micro-activities; but be sure to try out in advance and be prepared with any materials or supplies that may be needed.
  • Let students know what the activity is and why you are doing it.
  • Many of these activities can become back-pocket activities that can be used on the spot as deemed appropriate.
  • Be sure the activity aligns with the learning goal for the day or with a course objective.

Contact the FCTL@missouristate.edu for more information on micro-activities or access Dr. Mills video from the Magna Commons Library found in the Academic Community on Blackboard. If you’d like more information or assistance with activating your Magna Commons subscription, contact the FCTL.

 

References

Chickering, A. and Gamson, Z. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. American Association for Higher Education.

Hattie, J., and Yates, G. (2014). How learning is acquired. In Visible learning and the science of how we learn. Routledge.

Lang, J. M. (2016). Small teaching: Everyday lessons from the science of learning. Jossey-Bass.

Marin, A. (2011). Using active learning to energize the psychology classroom: Fifty exercises that take five minutes or less. Presented at the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology.

Mills, W. (2019). Magna 20-Minute Mentor: How can I use microactivities to engage students and improve learning and retention? Magna Publications.

HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE FCTL

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Call for Proposals – 37th Showcase on Teaching and Learning

The submission deadline is March 31.

The 37th Showcase on Teaching and Learning will be held August 17, 2022. This year we will be back in PSU meeting in-person! There will also be opportunities to engage in HyFlex blended sessions. This way faculty can choose how they want to engage in Showcase: live in-person, synchronously online via Zoom, or viewing recorded sessions on their own time. We will be following university COVID-19 policy that is in place at the time of Showcase and will move to a virtual event if necessitated by safety protocols.

Additional Information on the FCTL Website.    For questions, please contact FCTL@MissouriState.edu .

Unlikely Allies Conference

Lecture and Book Signing

The university community has a unique opportunity to take part in meaningful conversations about true alliances in the academy among women and improving race relations. Dr. Karen Dace, author of Unlikely Allies in the Academy: Women of Color and White Women in Conversation (2012), will present a campus-wide lecture on Friday, March 4th at 7:00 pm, in the Plaster Student Union Theater. This will be the kick-off event to the Unlikely Allies Conference (UAC). The UAC was conceived by a group of Black women at MSU to promote dialogue about racial allyship as a transformative strategy for institutional change.

“As women in the academy, we have been trained to value our intellect. Yet intellect is insufficient and we too often remain stymied, frustrated and puzzled in our efforts to have conversations about difference and understand the nature of alliances.” (Chao, P. as cited in Dace, K., 2012, pp. 3-4)

Special thanks to the following members of the Participatory Action Research Counterspace (PARC; West, 2021) at MSU for their vision and bringing the Unlikely Allies Conference to our campus: Elizabeth Atukunda; Harmauhny Faulkner; Michelle Gavel; Jorre Hadley; Azaria Hogans; Tia Latimer; Arica Lee-Anderson; Denise Lofton; Ashley Payne; Michele Smith; and Nicole West.

Interested faculty should use the QR code to download the eBook, which requires BearPass login.

You Can Help a Student

You Can Help a Student! The Counseling Center is offering a free training where you can learn more about supporting students struggling with mental health concerns, including how and where to refer students when necessary. This 90-minute session uses interaction and conversations to teach actionable ways to support students in distress. Register today through My Learning Connection for one of the following sessions:

Wednesday, March 16th – 8:30 to 10:30 am on Zoom
Monday, April 4th – 10:00 am to Noon in-person
Monday, April 25th – 9:00 to 11:00 am in-person
Thursday, May 19th – 8:30 to 10:30 am in-person

Camtasia License Update

As we transition away from Mediasite, the University is preparing for a campus-wide rollout of Camtasia video acquisition software. Camtasia will allow faculty to record screencasts and webcam feeds from any computer. The FCTL website will continue to have up-to-date information on the licensing status, so check back frequently. Faculty should contact their college’s distributed user support specialist (DUSS) or the Computer Services Help Desk as to when licenses will be available in Spring 2022.

Upcoming Camtasia Workshops:

The FCTL will offer training workshops on Camtasia video acquisition software. The workshops will cover:

  • Best practices for creating instructional videos and mini lectures
  • Editing video and audio
  • Creating titles, transitions, and effects
  • Sharing and distribution of edited videos

Workshop dates TBA after licenses become available Spring 2022. Contact the FCTL for more details.

The Wellbeing Elixir

Seats are limited – contact the FCTL today!

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unprecedented challenges to the educational system and many educators faced disruption to their careers. Many of us felt mentally and physically exhausted wondering if we could find joy and happiness in our careers again?

This new online course was developed by higher ed faculty for faculty to assist them in exploring wellbeing, resilience, and strategies for managing stress in their personal and professional lives. The course will consist of monthly Zoom sessions dedicated to a variety of topics like self-compassion and gratitude, generosity and joy at work, and the building blocks of happiness and resilience.  Opportunities for ongoing discussion and reflection questions will also be included.

Contact FCTL@missouristate.edu to reserve your seat today.

Faculty Writing Retreats

Faculty Writing Retreats will help you meet your writing goals for the year. Begin new articles, revise and resubmit, polish your book proposal, complete your last edits, and connect and collaborate with other faculty scholars.

Register for any of the following dates. If you register, you may also choose to write along in your office or at home and join our lunchtime roundtable via Zoom.

Spring 2022 dates

March 11 (Friday)
March 24 (Thursday)
April 8 (Friday)
April 22 (Wednesday)

FCTL Conference Room, Meyer Library Room 204 – 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Please register through My Learning Connection by searching for “Faculty Writing Retreats Program” and choose the sessions you wish to attend. If you sign up, you are not obliged to stay all day if you have other obligations.

Participants will be sent a form to log their goals and contacted prior to each event with a reminder.

Lunchtime Workshops may feature special topics and/or guest presenters on writing and research productivity.

Morning coffee and catered lunch provided by the Office of the Provost.

For more information or to be put on the mailing list, please contact facultywriting@missouristate.edu

More information at the Faculty Writing Group Sharepoint, and keep the workshop conversation going at the Faculty Writers Yammer.

MAGNA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES 

Are You Interested in Participating in an Online Seminar Directly from Your Office?

MSU has an institutional license to the following on-demand resources.

  •  The Teaching Professor – access great articles and practical, evidence-based insights on strategies for creating a better learning environment.  This online newsletter has been a trusted guide for educators for more than 30 years.  Editor Dr. Maryellen Weimer has over 25 years of experience in college teaching.  She has authored several books and is a highly regarded proponent of effective teaching practices.
  • Magna Commons – a content library of on-demand versions of many of Magna’s most popular Magna Online Seminars, covering a broad range of topics of interest to faculty and administrators.
  • 20-Minute Mentor – a content library of on-demand versions of Magna’s popular 20-Minute Mentor programs, covering a broad range of faculty development topics. (See below).

Access these resources by activating your Magna subscription through the Academic Community located in Blackboard. Select the Academic Community from the Community tab in Blackboard, and from the Academic Community’s main menu, select Magna Subscriptions located under Professional Learning.  Follow the instructions provided to activate your subscription.

Monday Morning Mentor

These sessions will become available on Monday mornings.  Through your Magna subscription, the program will be available for on-demand viewing for one full week.

Remaining Fall 2021 sessions Coming up in March

March 7 – What Are Practical Solutions for Managing My Online Teaching Workload?

Instructor workload is a definite concern for instructors teaching online courses. Both the development and facilitation of online courses can be work-intensive; however, the workload related to developing and teaching online courses doesn’t need to be overwhelming. This 20-Minute Mentor will explore a variety of practical solutions instructors can use to manage the workload of online teaching.

March 14 – How Can I Write Better Exam Questions to Measure Student Performance and Learning?

Multiple-choice exam questions can be an effective way of measuring student performance and learning. Refreshing and reinvigorating exam question sets provides students with more effective examinations. But what can instructors do to develop better exam questions? This 20-Minute Mentor shares suggestions for creating and evaluating exam question sets, with an emphasis on writing good multiple-choice exam questions. These recommendations will help instructors write improved questions to more effectively assess their students’ knowledge of course material.

March 21 – What are Active Strategies for Structuring a Synchronous Class?

Teaching an effective and engaging synchronous online course can be a difficult task. Live synchronous class sessions, where participants are logged in and interacting at the same time, can provide a high-touch element previously missing from online instruction. However, it can be difficult to strategically structure an active learning environment during synchronous instruction. How do instructors incorporate active learning strategies synchronously? This 20-Minute Mentor offers a foundational understanding of synchronous instruction and offers several techniques for enhancing synchronous interaction by focusing on lesson planning, enacting, and assessing active strategies.

March 28 – What Are Three Proven Ways to Manage My Online Discussion Board and Actively Engage Students?

The discussion board is one of the key areas in any online classroom where truly active learning can take place. But it can be a struggle for students and teachers alike to connect—both in terms of logistical day-to-day tasks, and in terms of higher levels of engagement. So how can we avoid burnout and make the discussion board a place where students are eager to go? This 20-Minute Mentor offers three strategies to help ensure that instructors are modeling high engagement and expectations, making fruitful connections, and sharing expertise on the discussion board to ensure that the content pushes the conversation further.

For information on all sessions for this semester, see Spring 2022 Schedule . Go to the Academic Community to activate your subscription and view the complete schedule. Passwords will be provided weekly.

Mediasite Transition

We want to remind everyone of our transition away from Mediasite. You will have until September 2022 to backup or transfer your presentations. Here are instructions on how to download your presentations.

International Center for Academic Integrity (ACAI) Virtual Conference

The 2022 ICAI Annual Conference will be held virtually on March 8-10. The conference will run 12 – 5:30 p.m. EST daily. Each day of the conference will include the following:

  • Plenary Sessions focusing on the “Past, Present or Future” as ICAI celebrates 30 years of Academic Integrity.
  • Plenary Panel Discussions featuring the world’s experts and thought-leaders on that day’s primary topic.
  • Concurrent sessions presented by leading experts from around the globe who will focus on the following technology, current research, policy issues, and student/institutional/practitioner experiences.
  • Networking opportunities throughout the day.

Click here to view the complete conference schedule.

Addition Conference Information – please contact Katie Stinnett to register.

Author Shaun Tomson Featured At April’s Public Affairs Convocation

Author of the university-wide Common Reader, The Code: The Power of “I Will” Shaun will share his life experiences in and out of the surfing world and offer how the simple message – I Will – can be a model to face life’s challenges.  Learn more about Shaun Tomson and request a complimentary copy of the Common Reader.

Public Affairs Convocation

Date:  Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Time:  3:30 p.m.
Location:  PSU Theater

For more information contact Mary Ann Wood, Director of Public Affairs Support at MaryAnnWood@MissouriState.edu

Public Affairs Talks! Spotlights Faculty & Staff Shares Ideas and Inspiration

Living the Public Affairs Mission

Date:  Thursday, March 3, 2022
Time:  4:00-5:00 p.m.
Location:  Zoom Webinar

Moderator: Dr. Keri Franklin, Associate Provost, Public Affairs & Assessment
Presenters:  Dr. Judith Martinez, Shannon Mawhiney, Dr. Gary Meints, Dr. Matthew Pierson, Caryn Saxon and Dr. Suzanne Walker-Pacheco.

For more information contact Mary Ann Wood, Director of Public Affairs Support at MaryAnnWood@MissouriState.edu 

LinkedIn Learning – Professional Development Opportunity

Organizational and Talent Development (OTD) is offering another session of  MSU LEAD – Lead Others: The Supervisor Series.    This series is designed for faculty or staff supervisors who complete an ADP for at least one direct report.  The courses are timely, relevant and tailored specifically for MSU supervisors.  Register in My Learning Connection.

Schedule includes:

  • March 8:  8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • March 10:  8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  • March 24:  8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  • April 7:  8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  • April 21:  8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  • May 5:  8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  • May 19: 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
  • May 26:  8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Refer to the spring 2022 flyer for additional details.   The registration deadline is February 10, 2022.   Questions?  Contact MSULead@missouristate.edu.

Course Video Sharing for Faculty

The Office of the Provost, the FCTL, and Information Services would like to share some information with faculty about uploading video to Blackboard.

We are recommending video be shared via Microsoft Stream or YouTube. Please see How to Share a Video to Blackboard.

As storage space is at a premium, you are encouraged to remove video files. Here is an article on how to do so How to Remove Video Files from Blackboard.

Blackboard is not a video streaming service and storage is at a premium. Videos need to be stored on a video streaming platform such as Microsoft Stream or YouTube. The links to the videos can be shared within your Blackboard courses. Here is a list of Blackboard best practices Blackboard Best Practices for Faculty.

Assessment Grants Opportunities

 Faculty Assessment of Student Learning Grants are available.  The purpose of these grants is to support you, the faculty, in your innovative practices in the assessment of student learning.

Apply today for a $500 Program Assessment Grants to share how your program assesses student learning.

Self-Paced FCTL Course Development Boot Camps

The resources from the FCTL’s virtual online boot camps are available as a self-paced course development boot camp. This self-paced version will cover many of the same things as the virtual and on-campus boot camps, but you will be participating at your own schedule and can contact the FCTL Instructional Designers at any time during this process. Their contact information is listed in the meet your instructional designers area of the modules.

What’s included in the self-paced course development boot camp

  • Best practices related to online courses and teaching
  • Different assessment options available in Blackboard
  • How to remove potential barriers for students with disabilities.
  • Strategies to foster community and engagement in the online classroom
  • Strategies to prevent student cheating
  • Copyright and fair use in distance education

How to find the self-paced boot camp (access begins June 1, 2020)

  • Log into Blackboard and select the Community Tab at the top of the page.
  • select Academic Community from the My Organizations module.
  • Once in the site, on the main menu, locate “self-paced course development boot camp” to access the boot camp materials.

Upon completion of each of the activities within the module you will be able to print a certificate of completion. Contact the FCTL@MissouriState.edu for additional information on any of these opportunities.

Good to Know! Helpful Resources for Designing Assessments of Student Learning

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The Teaching Professor recently sent a call for contributions for upcoming articles. This call focused on the humble quiz. The purpose of quizzes, advice on using this assessment technique, giving online quizzes, and designing quizzes that deal with learning issues. In addition to the collection of best practices used by guest contributors the editor also featured several 20-Minute Mentor videos including a video from Dr. Christy Price who was on campus in 2018 presenting the keynote at the Showcase on Teaching and Learning. Dr. Price’s video is titled, “How do I Create Ideal Assessments for Modern Learners?”

How can you find these resources? MSU has a subscription for Magna’s The Teaching Professor and the 20-Minute Mentor Commons: go to the Academic Community in Blackboard and under Magna Subscriptions you will find instructions for how to activate your account and access these resources.

A standard reference on classroom assessment techniques, or CATs is Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross (1993) Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. This book includes 50 CATs that are meant to provide immediate feedback of students’ understanding. These can be used as a formative assessment strategy and as a way of informing instructional changes. The CATs book is available in Meyer Library as well as the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning. The K. Patricia Cross Academy Video Library contains examples of many of these techniques and is organized by teaching modality, type of activity, and teaching problem addressed.

Contact the fctl@missouristate.edu if you would like additional information on designing assessments of student learning.