Welcome to the College of IST Learning Design eNewsletter
February 2024
Generative AI Faculty Guides
Curious about how Generative AI can be put to good use in your teaching? Commonwealth Campus Teaching Support created these faculty guides to help! Check them out today!
New Procedures for Using Practice Labs
Instructors for Courses that use Practice Labs need to contact IST IT in order to receive access — voucher codes are no longer provided. Access can also be requested for TA’s and LA’s. helpdesk@ist.psu.edu
Accessibility
Did you know that links with the text “link” or “click here” are not accessible? Similar to alt-text, links should be descriptive enough to know what is linked if it is removed from surrounding context. People who use screen readers will sometimes navigate from link to link, skipping the content in between. They also sometimes review links in alphabetical order. Below are some examples of link text that are and are not accessible.
- Bad: Start here
- Better: Start here to learn about the College of IST as a prospective student.
- Best: Explore the College of IST
For more resources on making link text accessible can be found at WebAIM Links and Hypertext, Yale Web Accessibility Links, and W3Schools Accessibility Link Text.
Upcoming Training and Events
This month there are many opportunities to enhance your teaching by learning something new. See the opportunities below:
Accessibility & Belonging: Pedagogical Strategies
Focusing on the intersections of accessibility and belonging, participants of this interactive webinar will discover the foundational role of accessibility in fostering a sense of belonging as well as evidence-based pedagogical strategies for making their courses more accessible.
Tuesday, 2/14, 2:00 – 3:15 pm Via Zoom
Teaching with Video at Penn State: Kaltura, VoiceThread, and Zoom
Innovate your teaching using Zoom, Kaltura and VoiceThread to create course materials and student assignments. Learn why and how to use video in your teaching, what options are available to you, and how to choose the best option for your needs. Leave the session with fresh ideas and the knowledge to put those ideas into practice.
Tuesday, 2/20, 10:00 – 11:30 am Via Zoom
Accessibility & Belonging: Course Materials
Focusing on the intersections of accessibility and belonging, participants of this interactive webinar will discover the foundational role of accessibility in fostering a sense of belonging as well as the essentials about creating accessible course materials.
Tuesday, 2/20, 1:30 – 2:45 pm Via Zoom
Canvas: Engaging Your Students Using VoiceThread
VoiceThread is an online discussion, assignment, and presentation tool that can be enabled in Canvas. Instructors and students can use VoiceThread to create and share dynamic asynchronous conversations and ideas using video, voice, image, text, and drawing. Learn how to add VoiceThread to your Canvas courses and how to utilize it to enhance engagement and learning for your students.
Thursday, 2/28, 1:00 – 2:30 pm Via Zoom
Tracks include Analytics, Outcomes, Future of Data, and Innovations. Register and build professional and personal networks during this event for the data-minded.
Wednesday, 2/28 and Thursday, 2/29, 8:45 –1 pm via Zoom
Explore the new frontier of Artificial Intelligence. Register and join the IST LD Team and see the latest in AI innovation and inspiration.
Friday, 3/22, 11:30-5 pm in the Business Building
Register and join the IST LD team in exploring teaching ideas and meeting the people behind them. Unlock technology’s potential to improve your teaching and learning.
Saturday, 3/23, 8:30 – 4:15 pm in the Business Building
Course Materials
As a reminder, the LD Office can’t facilitate textbook or materials changes less than 6 months before a semester start due to World Campus requirements. In addition to being a law, changes made after this date create a disadvantage for students who plan for their textbook purchases.
Request World Campus Course Templates
If you are teaching a Resident Instruction (RI) version of a College of IST course, you can request a copy of the World Campus (WC) course template for that course. Many of the courses that run in residence have an online WC version, and while the format is different from the RI section, you may find useful elements that you can utilize in your course. You can also request the RI shell or just the Academic Integrity module. Make sure that you also contact the course committee chair for info about the course.
Learning Design Support
The Learning Design team is available to help you! Email the Learning Design team with specific questions or to schedule a consultation at istlearningdesign@psu.edu and one of the team members will get back to you as soon as possible. The IST Teaching https://teaching.ist.psu.edu/ site has information that you will find useful.