Next Steps for McKelvey Teaching in Spring 2021

As indicated by Chancellor Martin’s message, Washington University in St. Louis will shift to remote instruction for the first two weeks of the Spring 2021 Semester. Loosely adhering to the adage that “[a] good start is half the battle,” the McKelvey Instructional Design Team encourages instructors to be intentional with the construction of their Canvas […]

Teaching tools: Piazza vs. discussion boards

Canvas and many other software apps can be used to encourage interaction and build communication spaces. In McKelvey, the two most straightforward approaches are Canvas Discussion Boards and Piazza. Each can accomplish similar goals; however, each also has its own capabilities. Canvas Discussion Boards can create long discussion chains and foster a sense of student […]

Online Community Building: Inclusive teaching

What is it? Inclusive teaching refers to pedagogy that strives to serve the needs of all students—students of all backgrounds and identities—and supports their engagement with subject material. Why do it? There are many reasons to embrace inclusive teaching. The most compelling reason, however, may be linked to the understanding that students who feel included […]

Online community building: Engaging students

When planning your course, it’s helpful to think about your course content in terms of the content that students can experience and learn outside of class (asynchronous work), and the content for which you really want to be present (synchronous work).  From there, you can build out your course map or plan. To visualize this process, […]

Online community building: Icebreakers

A key part of any online learning community is the building of that community.  Students must be made to feel welcome in the digital environment.  Getting to know both their peers and instructors sets students up for successful interactions later in the course.  There are many strategies that can be used, but frequently, relying on fun, light-hearted […]

Course structure: Online office hours

Office hours are an integral part of a traditional face-to-face course, and they serve an important role in providing your students with support in their learning.  Office hours take a different form in an online environment.  Using scheduled Zoom sessions for synchronous office hours is a recommended approach.  A perennial issue with office hours for […]

Course structure: Instructor biographies

When teaching in traditional brick and mortar settings, most instructors open their courses by introducing themselves.  Instructors make these introductions in order to give students a sense of who their instructor is as a person. In online courses, face-to-face introductions are rare. To address this problem, Quality Matters standards call for instructors to include Instructor Biographies […]

Course structure: Orientation modules

The first week of any course is critical. Because we are starting Spring 2021 online, building out your Canvas site and using it as a platform to introduce your course to your students is vital. An Orientation Module can help you in this process. An Orientation Module provides students with critical course information. These details […]

Course design: Objectives

Course Objectives describe specific abilities students should have gained by completing a course. Good Course Objectives are specific and measurable; they, too, focus on student ability. When Course Objectives are explicit, students can take agency of their learning. Students can do this by choosing to align their efforts and resources with the Course Objectives. To articulate good Course Objectives, instructors might […]

Course tools: Kaltura resources

Kaltura is WashU’s approved video content management platform. While it may not be as straightforward as Zoom for recording Powerpoint lectures or seminar-style conversations, Kaltura is a far more powerful tool overall. Once you become comfortable with it, Kaltura promises to enrich your Canvas learning environment well beyond simple lecture capture. Here are some useful […]