Going the Distance
2021 Summer Teaching Symposium: Back to the Future
The fall 2021 semester promises a return to normal — but what will "normal" really look like? During the summer teaching symposium, College of Engineering and Applied Science faculty came together to discuss how we continue to build a system of respect, trust, community, engagement and resilience in a place that looks familiar but is radically different in many ways.
Spring 2021 College Teaching Conversations
During the Winter Teaching Symposium, the faculty called for a cross-college teaching discussion. In this spirit, we hosted a series of discussions, loosely themed, but essentially open to any topic.
- Feb. 5: Resilience [recording]
- Please visit the Resilience Canvas Course
- Feb. 19: Platform Constraints: Does Remote Actually Help with Anything? [recording]
- March 19: Inclusivity [recording]
- Please visit the Center for Teaching and Learning Inclusivity page
- April 2: Lessons for the Fall
- April 16: Wellness at the End of the Semester [recording]
- April 30: The Long Look Back
Online Pedagogy Winter Symposium
Held Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021
The College of Engineering and Applied Science's Remote and Online Lecture Best Practices Training Working Group hosted a winter teaching symposium devoted to thinking through the lessons of fall 2020. The symposium consisted of presentations by Interim Dean Keith Molenaar, Associate Dean Rhonda Hoenigman, and numerous faculty members, followed by breakout groups.
Discussion Series on Innovative Online & Remote Teaching
In summer 2020, the college hosted a weekly discussion series exploring best practices for distance and online teaching. Each seminar, hosted by Professor William Kuskin, featured a CU Engineering guest giving a short presentation on a concept, followed by an open discussion.
In addition to the faculty-led seminars, summer resources included virtual office hours from Continuing Education's Learning Design Group and "Tech Fridays," an hour-long instructional design support session. All sessions have been recorded and archived so you can revisit them at your convenience.
Instructor Seminars
- June 15: Bob Erickson: Break out the hemlock (Modular lectures: How to make them and use them)
- June 22: Chris Haynes: Alternatives to videos that also reach students
- June 29: Wendy Martin: The loneliness of the long-distance teacher
- July 6: Bob McLeod: Bringing 1,000 students into your lab
- July 13: Jem Corcoran: Engaging the virtual student
- July 20: Chris Koehler: Building community in a lecture format
- July 27: "What's Your Plan? Symposium"
- Aug. 3: Diane Sieber: Keeping them engaged, whether remote or in-person
- Aug. 10: Al Gasiewski: Delivering online material (+ Download PowerPoint slides about how to deliver online material)
Tech Fridays
One hour of instructional design support with William Kuskin and Donna Hall.
- June 19: General overview of Canvas and the resources that are available through Continuing Ed
- June 26: Creating content and adding them to modules
- July 10: Creating videos and embedding quizzes
- July 17: Discussion forums: Building, running, conduct and grading
- July 24: Creating Canvas assignments and grading
- July 31: Quizzes: Creating and grading
- Aug. 7: Quick hits on key technology (Mediasite, Zoom, Slack, and Camtasia)
- Aug. 14: Synchronous Video Production on Zoom with Dave Benson
- Monday, Aug. 17: Asynchronous Video Production using Kaltura Personal Capture and Mediasite with Nick Steinkamp
What's Your Plan? A Symposium on Education for Fall 2020
Held Monday, July 27, 2020
The symposium featured a series of roundtable discussions, offering a space for conversation around core themes to help faculty members get to their plans, one that they craft based on their needs.
Canvas Community Course & Cartridges
The college is now offering a Community Course on Canvas to guide instructors through the program and provide basic, intermediate, and advanced cartridges, or pre-formatted templates, to give instructors an advantage in building their own Canvas courses. The Community Course will be refined over time in response to faculty feedback. Questions may be directed to william.kuskin@colorado.edu.
To access the course:
- Use the Create a Course directions to request your Canvas course(s). Note: it is recommended you use Chrome to submit your request.
- Everyone should have a sandbox course. Check your unpublished course list to see if you have one. If you do not have one and would like a sandbox course where you can practice and experiment, submit the Sandbox Course Request form.
- Enroll in the CEAS Community Course to get access to the templates, tutorials, and other resources. Note: it is recommended you use Chrome to enroll.
What's Next?
Send questions and suggestions for future topics to william.kuskin@colorado.edu.
Going the Distance video reveal
"The new normal is challenging us to retool our teaching. William Kuskin’s remote-learning series is going to be a tremendous resource in that effort, because the topics will range from the tiniest Zoom details to the loftiest educational goals. There is something for everyone here!" - Leland Giovannelli
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"Bob Erickson knows more about online teaching than Socrates and Plato combined. I learned a ton about online education and feel so much more prepared for the fall." - Rhonda Hoenigman