Archive & Recordings

Are you ready to transform your online classes into dynamic hubs of student engagement? Join us for a hands-on workshop where you’ll master the art of crafting compelling asynchronous discussions that ignite curiosity and foster deep learning.

Discover the secret to standout online classes: powerful discussions that captivate and challenge students. In this interactive workshop, you’ll harness the Practical Inquiry Model along with 21 online discussion facilitation techniques to breathe new life into your discussions, elevating student engagement.

Direct Link:
How to Spark Online Discussions that Matter

Resources:
Community of Inquiry Concept Map
Practical Inquiry Model Overlaid on 21 Ways to Structure an Online Discussion
Schedule a CTLI Consultation
Contact the CTLI
Slidedeck: How to Spark Online Discussions that Matter

References:

1. Morris, S. M., & Stommel, J. (2018). An urgency of teachers: The work of critical digital pedagogy. Hybrid Pedagogy Inc.
2. https://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/
3. Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2001). Critical thinking, cognitive presence, and computer conferencing in distance education. American Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 7–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923640109527071
4. Ertmer, P., Sadaf, A., & Ertmer, D. (2011). Designing effective question prompts to facilitate critical thinking in online discussions. Design Principles and Practices, 5, 1-28. 10.18848/1833-1874/CGP/v05i04/38121.
5. Hu, Y., Donald, C., & Giacaman, N. (2022). Cross validating a rubric for automatic classification of cognitive presence in mooc discussions. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 23(2), 242–260. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v23i3.5994
6. Prud’homme-Généreux, A. (2021). 21 ways to structure an online discussion (parts 1-5). Faculty Focus, Magna Publications. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/online-student-engagement/21-ways-to-structure-an-online-discussion-part-1/

In this presentation, Robin DeRosa proposes that we use Open Education as a bridge to help us cross from higher education’s current challenges into a more hopeful future where our colleges and universities are vehicles for the public good, powered by the people who work and learn within them. By aligning our values with our pedagogies and linking the university to the communities that surround and sustain it, we can imagine a way forward and design our daily work to bring us one step at a time toward the higher education that our students deserve.

Direct Link: Teaching Toward an Open Future

Presentation Slides: Teaching Toward an Open Future

Engaging with disruptive students can be a difficult process, especially for new faculty members who are facing instances of poor behavior for the first time. In this workshop, various types of misbehavior, de-escalation methods, and Vermont State’s tips for resolving issues with disruptive students are discussed.

Direct Link: Engaging with Difficult Students in the Classroom

This information session was presented by Disability Services and focused on the learning tools and skills involved in communicating accessibly by email and Canvas as well as how to ensure documents that are distributed to students and/or colleagues are accessible.

Direct Link: Accessible Communication and Resources

Presentation Slides: Accessible Communication and Resources

Studies and survey data indicate that students prefer a consistent experience using a learning management system, such as Canvas. How can this be accomplished while also preserving the academic freedom valued by members of the faculty? This workshop is an introduction to an optional, but recommended, Canvas template that was developed by VTSU with student satisfaction, ease of implementation, and instructor flexibility in mind. Viewing this recording, provides an opportunity to explore the impacts of inconsistent course structures, become familiar with the Canvas template and how it can be integrated into your courses, and consider the pedagogical advantages of implementing the VTSU Canvas template.

Direct Link: Introduction to the VTSU Canvas Course Template

Presentation Slides: Introduction to the VTSU Canvas Course Template

Investing a little class time in incorporating metacognitive activities can lead to stronger outcomes for students. Empowering students to take control of their learning, become better problem-solvers, and better assess their strengths and gaps can lead to greater success at the course level and persistence through college. By viewing this recording, you will be able to identify particular aspects of metacognition most useful for students in your class(es) to adopt, consider various metacognitive strategies and activities, aligned with the metacognition cycle, to enhance learning in your class(es), and begin planning a metacognitive activity to facilitate in an upcoming class with your students.

Direct Link: Metacognitive Strategies for the College Classroom

Presentation Slides: Metacognitive Strategies

Enhance your expertise in supporting students with disabilities and implementing their classroom accommodations by viewing this workshop with VTSU’s disability services staff. Faculty play a pivotal role in the collaborative process for providing accommodations, and this workshop explains the process in depth, and places a spotlight on the dynamic “interactive process”. You’ll gain a better understanding for how students qualify for disability services, how “flexibility” accommodations may or may not work with your course, and how faculty involvement in this process can improve accessibility and inclusivity for students with disabilities and all students. 

Direct Link: What Faculty Need to Know about Disability Services and Their Role in the Interactive Process

The first 35 minutes of this session was a demonstration of Tutor.com’s 24/7 online tutoring and drop-off review services, which are available to all VTSU students. Tawana Collins, of Tutor.com, shared insights into how online tutoring can improve student success, along with tips for building awareness about this resource. The final 15 minutes of the session provided an overview of VTSU’s Academic Support services and a Q&A with Jen Jones, VTSU’s AVP for Academic Support & Educational Opportunities Programs.

If dialogue is essential to a participatory democracy, then college classes play an important role in teaching and practicing respectful and productive discussion. In this workshop, we considered the purposes of discussion before moving to the more practical: strategies for engaging students in dialogue with each other. We identified types of effective discussion questions and a variety of facilitation techniques for involving students in conversation. During the session, participants were given time to plan for an upcoming class discussion, using the approaches shared in the workshop. This workshop was appropriate for teaching in any modality.

Direct Link: Facilitating Engaging Class Discussions

Below is a recording of the Fall 2023 New Faculty Mini-Orientation, which was presented by Vermont State University’s Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation. The primary speaker was CTLI Director, Jen Garrett-Ostermiller, who welcomed new faculty to the university and discussed several teaching strategies and resources that can be particularly helpful during the early stages of the semester. Then, the second half of the meeting was facilitated by Director of Disability Services, Gerry Volpe, who discussed available disability services resources in general and the student accommodation process specifically.

Direct Link: New Faculty Mini-Orientation

Coming soon…