Welcome to the College of IST Learning Design eNewsletter
March 2024
Tips and Tricks: Accessibility
Color contrast is an important part of making content accessible. By law, the minimum contrast is 4.5:1. Sometimes two colors may meet contrast but still seem difficult to read. The largest color contrast is between black and white, which is 21:1. The larger the contrast, the more accessible content will be to everyone. Below are some helpful resources and tools to keep color contrast in mind.
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- Penn State Accessibility – Color Contrast
- WebAim Color Contrast Bookmarklet – lets you to check web contrast without having to leave what you’re working on. Use the eyedropper tool to select colors on your page.
- Coolors Color Contrast Checker – allows you to check anything displayed on your screen, including non-web elements. Use the eyedropper tool to select colors anywhere on your computer screen.
Upcoming Training and Events
This month there are many opportunities to enhance your teaching by learning something new. See the opportunities below:
Beyond content – Teaching for civic engagement and participation
“College teaching has traditionally been viewed solely for the dispensation of subject matter expertise. While I allude to the continued importance of that function, I will focus on the underemphasized role the classrooms can play in helping students cultivate the skills that help them civically engage in a socially just world. In this session we will make the case, with evidence, as to why that matters, and suggest strategies for participants to consider in their own classrooms.”
Bryan Dewsbury is an Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University (FIU).
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
Canvas: Transition Your Canvas Course to a New Semester
Are you interested in getting up and running with your Canvas courses each semester in a faster, more streamlined way? This one–hour demonstration will outline tasks to complete in your courses at the end of the current semester and beginning of a new semester to make the transition to each new term as smooth as possible. You will review tasks along with how–to resources and suggested timelines. Leave with practical strategies to enhance your existing strategies for managing and organizing your courses.
Tuesday, 3/26, 1-2:30 pm, Via Zoom
The Schreyer Conference on Wed March 27 will focus on the connections between learning and emotion. Sarah Rose Cavanagh will give an interactive presentation “Energizing Learning with the Spark of Emotion.”
Wednesday 3/27, 12:00 – 1:00 pm followed by break-out sessions till 2:00 pm, Via Zoom
Anthology Ally for Accessibility Audits and Alternative Formats
Anthology Ally is a Canvas accessibility plugin that provides “Alternative Format” options for students and accessibility audit reports for instructors. This session will introduce instructors to different student alternative format options and to the accessibility audit tools. The session will also discuss tools and training options to help instructors repair different issues.
Wednesday, 3/27, 1-2 pm, Via Zoom
Endorsement: Inclusive and Equitable Teaching
This endorsement is part of the Provost Endorsement Program and engages experienced instructors in implementing inclusive and equitable teaching in their current or upcoming course(s). This program assumes participants already understand the need for inclusive and equitable practices. Eligible participants must have teaching responsibilities in the current or upcoming academic year so that they can most immediately benefit from the content of the program by applying program concepts to their teaching. Participants will revise a syllabus or assignments for future use, reflect on their teaching based on student feedback and peer interactions, and consider how they might cultivate belonging in their courses.
Runs from 3/29 to 5/1 in Canvas
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.