Over the past year I attended several remote conferences, (EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), Innovate Transformed (Ohio State University), and the College Art Association (CAA) annual conference. As you might imagine, remote/hybrid teaching and learning along with issues of equity and inclusion were at the center of discussion.  In this post I have tried to compile some of the key conference takeaways and other resources that you may find useful as we look forward to in-person learning in the fall. I’ve sorted these into sections for you: Pandemic Findings, Equity, Inclusion and Universal Design, Land Acknowledgement Resources, Tool and Tutorials, Vassar Teaching and Learning Resources and Funding. 

Designing for flexibility (multi-modal options for student participation, including mobile) is a key justice and equity issue.
– John Muir (conference attendee) 

Pandemic Findings

Educause Survey Results: Student Experiences Learning with Technology in the Pandemic                                                                                                            Christopher Brooks, Ph.D. Director of Research, Survey dates 10/4-12/14/2020 Total sample: 9,499 students, 58 institutions, US sample: 8,392 students, 54 institutions
Link to full report: https://tinyurl.com/2021StudentStudy 

5 Key Findings

• Pandemic learning happened everywhere and whenever. Learning environment appears to have played less of a role in determining students’ evaluation of their learning experiences than did course modality. Full-time students favored synchronous online courses. Married students, students living off-campus, and students who are working full-time preferred online asynchronous courses.
• Keep calm and embrace technology. Students reported that their instructors communicated effectively and demonstrated a reasoned and reasonable approach to technology use in their courses.
• Significant learning experiences start with opportunities for student and instructor interaction. Synchronous courses tended to be rated as better organized with greater opportunities for student–instructor and student–student interaction.
• The best technology experiences students had during the first semester of the pandemic were related to the use of the LMS, videoconferencing applications, and recorded lectures and access to specialized software. Regarding recorded lectures, the ability to review lecture materials whenever, wherever, and for however long respondents might need was seen as the major benefit of such recordings.
• Students’ worst technology experiences varied considerably but generally fall into one of three very broad categories: (1) explicit technology issues, (2) attempts to use technology that failed, and (3) poor pedagogical choices and course management practices.

Equity and Inclusion and Universal Design

Interaction Institution for Social Change. Artist: Angus Maguire

Equity Unbound
https://unboundeq.creativitycourse.org/
Equity Unbound is an emergent, collaborative curriculum which aims to create equity-focused, open, connected, intercultural learning experiences across classes, countries and contexts.  Equity Unbound is for learners and/or educators at all levels (e.g. undergraduate, postgraduate, professional development) who are interested in exploring digital literacies with an equity and intercultural learning focus, in an open and connected learning environment.
Virtually Connecting – YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/VirtuallyConnectingChannel/videos
The purpose of Virtually Connecting is to enliven virtual participation in academic conferences, widening access to a fuller conference experience for those who cannot be physically present at conferences.

Equity Unbound
Equity Unbound has teamed up with OneHE to develop some open educational resources for online community-building
https://onehe.org/equity-unbound/
Community-Building Resources from OneHE & Equity Unbound

Inclusive Stock images

Nappy
Beautiful photos of Black and Brown people, for free. For commercial and personal use. https://nappy.co/
Disabled And Here Collection
This stock library is a disability-led effort to provide free and inclusive images from our own perspective, with photos and illustrations celebrating disabled Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC). https://affecttheverb.com/collection/

Harvard Implicit Bias Test
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
Project Implicit is a non-profit organization and international collaboration between researchers who are interested in implicit social cognition – thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control. The goal of the organization is to educate the public about hidden biases and to provide a “virtual laboratory” for collecting data on the Internet.

Zoom Pros and Cons– Should you require your students to turn off their camera? Pros, Cons and Advice from Oregon State University’s Center for Teaching and Learning
https://oregonstate.app.box.com/s/j6vcszazsgaq3ikyqkcxc4s51pueb53h

Collaborative Learning Techniques – Quick Reference
Think-pair-share, talking chips, role play and more. 
https://library.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/tlc/CoLT%20Quick%20Reference%20%281%29.pdf

On Grief & Loss: Building a Post-Pandemic Future for Higher Ed without Losing Sight of Our Students and Ourselves – Joshua Eyler Keynote:
Open CoLab Live

Land Acknowledgement  Resources

Native Land – Native-Land.ca is a website run by the nonprofit organization Native Land Digital. We are guided by a Board of Directors and an Advisory Council. Our funding comes from friendly organizations and individual donors. https://native-land.ca/

Native Governance Center
Native Governance Center is a Native-led nonprofit organization that serves Native nations in Mni Sota Makoce, North Dakota, and South Dakota. We support Native leaders as they work to rebuild their nations through our leadership development and Tribal governance support programs. We believe that strengthening governance is a direct pathway toward improving quality of life for Native people. https://nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/

Universal Design

Pedagogies of Care– Pedagogies of Care: Open Resources for Student-Centered & Adaptive Strategies in the New Higher-Ed Landscape offers practical and engaging advice about what “next” should look like across higher education, from sixteen current and forthcoming authors in the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education book series from West Virginia University Press.

Why Universal Design for Learning is Essential to Higher Education’s “New Normal”
Thomas J. Tobin, State College PA, 2 May 2020

Tools and Tutorials

Discord (download app) is a voice, video and text communication service used by over a hundred million people. 
Discord offers:

• A dedicated, free to use, invite only class space for classes 
• Text channels to organize things like lessons, homework, or study groups so students can go over the latest assignments together
• Voice channels for both one-to-one and group discussions, or even office hours
• A real-time teaching environment where lessons can be shared with up to 50 people at a time

 Check out Chad Fust’s Techademia post to Get started.

Discord Server Templates will let you clone existing categories, channels, roles, and permissions to help you create a new server easily!
Discord template for Studio Art 
Discord Template Library

Join Vassar’s Discord User Group. Email Amy Laughlin (amlaughlin@vassar.edu), Chad Fust (chfust@vassar.edu), or Karly Andreassen (kandreassen@vassar.edu). 

Vassar Teaching and Learning Resources

• • Vassar Together Teaching and Learning
  • Vassar Moodle – Faculty Resources and Training 
  • Vassar Spaces- Vassar College provides students, faculty, and staff with the opportunity to register a domain name and create a digital presence through various mediums such as blogs, portfolios, and wikis. You can easily install open source applications such as WordPress, MediaWiki, Drupal, Scalar, and Omeka to your own domain, and use this space to create your digital identity and express your creativity.
  • LinkedIn Learning Provided by Vassar College at no charge to Vassar students, faculty, and staff, the LinkedIn Learning library offers access to more than 1,000 self-paced training courses. Get comprehensive training in audio, video, photography, graphic design, web design, business, and development from expert instructors, 24/7.
  • Equipment Checkout – SLR and Video Cameras/Audio/Lighting. Email Media Resources or Academic Computing Services.
    Media Resources – Lower Level of College Center 
    mediaresources@vassar.edu, (845) 437-7479                                                     Academic Computing Services – acs@vassar.edu
  • Vassar Innovation Lab – Chad Fust, manager, chfust@vassar.edu
    Amy Laughlin, director, amlaughlin@vassar.edu
  • Techademia (ACS Blog)
  • Vassar Engaged Pluralism Initiative (EPI)
  • Vassar College Anti-Racism, Equity, and Justice – Connecting with each other to dismantle, disrupt, and destroy racism, inequity, and injustice in our community

Funding 

Putnam Summer Fellowship for Teaching with Technology 
Frances D. Fergusson Faculty Technology Exploration Fund

Need help?  Email you ACS liaison or acs@vassar.edu

In this post I’ve gathered some tutorial videos and slideshows from Art Prof along with some links to using Discord in your classes. What is Discord? Check out Chad’s post, Using Discord for Teaching, Learning, and Community.  I’ve also included a handy tool for displaying images during in-person class discussions, critiques, or virtual meetings. 

Art Prof is a global online community of visual artists that cares deeply about art, learning, and sharing. We provide equal access to art education on a global scale, removing barriers that exist due to the cost of higher education, private classes, and online classes with paywalls. 

 Art Prof Clara Lieu, talks about her experiences using Discord to teach art courses online. 

Discord  (download the app)

Discord Server Templates will let you clone existing categories, channels, roles, and permissions to help you create a new server easily!
Discord template for Studio Art 
Discord Template Library

Reference Slideshows

Best Practices 
Discord for Classes
Get to Know Students
Video Layouts with OBS
Set up & Equipment
Photographing Artwork 

Stock images for drawing and painting 
ART Reference Photos

Quick Space Bar Image Viewing Tip for Mac OS – Helpful tool for sharing images in class or during virtual meetings. 

1. On your Mac, select one or more items, then press the Space bar.
   A Quick Look window opens. If you selected multiple items, the first item is shown.
2. In the Quick Look window, do any of the following:
   • Resize the window: Drag the corners of the window. Or click the Full Screen button  in the top-left corner of the Quick Look window. To exit full screen, move the pointer to the bottom of the window, then click the Exit Full Screen button  that appears.
   • Zoom in and out of an item: Press Command-Plus (+) to make the image bigger or Command-Minus (–) to make it smaller.
   • Rotate an item: Click the Rotate Left  button or press and hold the Option key, then click the Rotate Right  button. Keep clicking to continue rotating the item.
   • Mark up an item: Click the Markup button . 
   • Trim an audio or video item: Click the Trim button , then drag the yellow handles in the trimming bar. To test your changes, click Play. To start over, click Revert. When you’re ready to save your changes, click Done, then choose to replace the original file or create a new one.
   • Browse items (if you selected multiple items): Click the arrows near the top-left of the window or press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key. In full screen, click the Play button  to view the items as a slideshow.
   • Show items in a grid (if you selected multiple items): Click the Index Sheet button  or press Command-Return.
   • Open an item: Click Open with [App].
   • Share an item: Click the Share button , then choose how you want to share the item.
3. When you’re done, press the Space bar or click the Close button  to close the Quick Look window.

Short Demo Video:

Vassar, like many of its peers, is offering students the NRO option. 

I wanted to take some time to provide instructors and students an example of what student work might look like, exploring the range of scaled responses (from less time and energy to more time and energy).

Here’s a basic digital story: Ingredients include and image and a story. 

Basic Digital Story

Here’s an example of a more complex narrative but build along the same lines, multiple pictures and more text:

Risa’s Bread

Here’s an example of. a podcast assignment, a bit of edited audio embedded in a WordPress page:

Interview with a Master iPhone Storyteller

A typical digital story consists of short series of images

You can use Wevideo (web based, iMovie or Davinci Resolve) – All free

https://youtu.be/hnnG9VgcHAw

 
Many students are currently eligible for temporary free access to the Adobe Suite, including access to Adobe Premiere. Here’s an example of a full and in depth response to the digital storytelling / video assignment.

Hopefully this helps us understand how scaled responses can be used in the NRO landscape for a digital storytelling assignment.

I believe we can use story to help each other. This bread is great bread, easy to make, and very economical. My wife taught herself from online recipes and I have recently been trained by the master.

Prepare to be amazed! This recipe takes very little labor, is economical on ingredients and yields delicious amazing bread.

The Recipe

Measure and mix the dry ingredients, doesn’t have to be super mixed.Ad warm water and stir (hot water if you are in a hurry).

Bread dough should be lumpy and a little sticky, not too wet. Cover and let rise three to four hours until whenever (can rise overnight).

Get some fresh airEnjoy quality time in nature

Take some picturesThink about stuff, do some errands

via GIPHY

1. 
   Take out of the bowl and spin it and knead it (doesn’t need much)Cover and let rise 30 minutes.Pre-Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the pan and lid in the oven (empty). Pan heats for  30  minutes while the bread rises. Put the bread in the hot pan and bake for 30 minutes with the top on.Remove the top of the pan, bake for 15 more minutesRemove from the oven and let it cool. Reflect upon how much yeast you saved.

2. 

   Above: bread machine recipe, yields a small loaf, creates bread in an hour Below: Risa’s bread, much more yield for the cost, creates bread in 5-6 hours

3. Gather your loved ones, slice and eat bread

Congratulations! You can make Risa’s Bread!

Pedagogy: This is an example of using digital tools to tell the story of how to make bread. We are isolated but we are not alone. We are all in this together. Let’s make the best of it!

Wow last week was a big change for the campus and the employees who work here! Nearly all employees are now remote work from home employees! All of our our faculty and students are having classes online!

And we did it! Huzzah! It was really an incredible feat and shoutouts and kudos all around! The fact that we made these pivots so quickly is a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of our faculty, administrators and students.

Now that we have had a taste of the online experience, it’s time to take a collective step back and have a good think about our learning goals and how to make the most of a bad situation, keeping in mind the needs of our students.

People Missing in Action

Some students have not returned to class or checked in. They could be traveling, they could be sick or they could be taking care of the sick. What will their experience be when they find their way to the your course site? Please pace activities and instructions accordingly. Maybe create a check-in forum.

Grades

Many colleges, including Vassar, are offering an NRO option. The policy is humane, generous and provides great flexibility in grading and conducting learning activities for the rest of the semester. Students can scale their level of involvement to match their available bandwidth. Leverage this to provide a more relaxed learning environment for everyone. 

Pressure

Anyone who knows me, knows I adore the faculty. They rise to every challenge and constantly amaze and impress. That very quality can be a little intimidating to students. This April, we need to avoid falling into the usual “April Frenzy”. The usual intensity at this juncture will be intolerable for just about everybody.

So, in your quest to provide the best instruction, please be careful to not inadvertently ramp up the pressure. Faculty members are heroes to students. Please provide learning activities for your students that can be scaled to suit their available time and energy and send the message that any level of involvement is okay. Everything is okay!. Don’t worry, be happy! It’s a free pass to participate however you can. Reduce the pressure, reduce the anxiety, & reduce the stress load. Give yourself a break, too!

Sliding Scale of Engagement

Design learning activities to accommodate a range of involvement. Only have time for a sentence? That’s fine. Want to post an image and a paragraph or two? Super! Want to make a full-length film because your home and bored? Coolio! It’s all OK! Have fun! The situation is serious but their learning activities can include levity.

Zoom / Teaching Online in Real Time

Zoom is a powerful and fantastic tool. Bear in mind it is just one tool in the online teaching toolkit.If you don’t like zoom, please be assured though that you don’t have to hold zoom classes for all the same times that you used to teach in person. We are already hearing reports of zoom fatigue. Most online classes typically provide very little synchronous content. I earned my Master’s degree online, and the synchronous real time experience was the exception, not the norm.

The beauty of an online class is that the activities can be conducted to suit one’s schedule. Some of your students are in different time zones. Maybe there’s only one computer in a house of eight. Maybe their internet connection is poor. Please design your online plans accordingly. Zoom excels class for check-ins, office hours, consults and the like. Please assure your students that if they can’t make a zoom session, that it is okay. Missing a zoom session should not be the equivalent of cutting a class. Ask your students how they think zoom fits into class. Also, gauge your own comfort level. Use the technology in a way that best fits your teaching style, your needs and your students’ needs.

Intro to Zotero Groups for Creating Public Bibliographies

February 7, 2020 at 12:00 pm  (Electronic Classroom, Main Library)f

Zotero groups provide the opportunity for students and faculty to collaborate remotely to build custom bibliographies.These web-based bibliographies can be used in classroom instruction, community engagement activities, and much more. 

In this one hour workshop we will cover how to create a personal Zotero account, create a Zotero group, customize group privacy settings, add members to your group, and create collections of bibliographic content. Finally, we will touch upon publishing options to share your bibliographies with the world, including a demo of the implementation of the Zotero WordPress plugin. Led by Nicole Scalessa, Head of Digital Scholarship and Technology Services.

Intro to Audio Recording and Campus Resources

February 12, 2020 at 3:30 pm (Electronic Classroom, Main Library)

Planning to record voice or music and you have never done it before? Interested in podcasting? Perhaps you have an interview you need to edit and share? We’ll review free and cross-platform tools and review resources for audio production. We’ll conclude by visiting the audio production facilities in the basement of Chicago Hall. Led by Baynard Bailey of Academic Computing Services.

Intro to Hypothesis: Annotate Online Resources in the Classroom (E Classroom)

February 19, 2020 3:30 pm (Electronic Classroom, Main Library)

“Writing in the margins has always been an essential activity for students. Annotation helps in reading comprehension and in developing critical thinking about course materials. Hypothesis enables students to continue this essential activity with online readings.”

~ Source: https://web.hypothes.is/education/

Come learn how to digitally write in the margins of website content! You will create a personal Hypothesis account and test it on a variety of resources. We will also discuss new integrations recently released for use in Moodle that allow students to annotate web page content as well as PDFs in their course modules, without the need for a Hypothesis account. For more information on this new resource visit: https://web.hypothes.is/education/lms/

Led by Nicole Scalessa, Head of Digital Scholarship and Technology Services.

Getting to Know ArcGIS Pro

February 26, 2020 3:30 pm Sci Vis Lab, BLS 101

ArcGIS Pro is ESRI’s next generation Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping and analysis software and successor to ArcGIS Desktop (the suite of desktop programs including ArcMap), which Vassar students and faculty use to teach, learn, and conduct research across several departments. While support for ArcGIS Desktop will continue for some time, more and more GIS professionals and organizations who use ArcGIS Desktop are transitioning to ArcGIS Pro. The purpose of this workshop is to familiarize students and faculty who currently use, or are interested, to use GIS software with ArcGIS Pro. Prior exposure to GIS software is recommended but not required. Led by Neil Curri, Academic GIS Computing Consultant and Adjunct Instructor at Vassar College.

Linux Part I

Feb 28, 2020 3:30 pm  Sci Vis Lab, BLS 101 

Linux is an open-source operating system that can run on any computing device in the world! Come learn how to get started exploring the Linux world on your very own laptop, or use one of our computers. We’ll learn a brief history of Linux, look at the high-level structure of the operating system, talk about situations in which Linux would be a preferable OS, and start navigating the command line ourselves. We will go over common commands and how to navigate the file system, learn about permissions, shortcuts, and methods of installing software. Led by Chris Gahn of ACS.

Linux Part II

March 6, 2020 3:30 pm  Sci Vis Lab, BLS 101

Part II of the Intro to Linux Workshop will pick up where Part I left off. We will become more comfortable with navigating the command line, and introduce several new commands and programs. Finally, we will attempt to create our own Shell Script to perform some automated tasks. Led by Chris Gahn of ACS.

Intro to 3D Modelling 

March 25, 2020 3:30 pm Electronic Classroom, Main LibraryLearn the basics of 3D modelling for 3D printing, game design, and animation. Participants will engage in hands-on work in Tinkercad to create their own 3D objects. 3D models created in this class can be used in the Intro to 3D Printing course the following week. Led by Chad Fust of Academic Computing Services.

Screen Printing with the Vinyl Cutter Demonstration

March 27, 2020 10:00 am – 12:00 pm B19 Innovation Lab (Basement of College Center)

Familiarize yourself with the vinyl cutter in the lab. Learn how to make a silk screen using cut vinyl. After this workshop, participants can make follow-up visits in order to create and print their own designs. Led by Amy Laughlin of Academic Computer Services.

Email amlaughlin@vassar.edu to RSVP 

Intro to 3D Printing  

April 3, 2020 10:00 am – 12:00 pm B19 Innovation Lab (Basement of College Center)

Learn the software and tools involved in 3D printing and see how 3D printers work. Participants will learn the workflows involved in sending print jobs to the 3D printers in the Innovation Lab. Bring your own 3D models from the Intro to 3D Modeling class or learn how to find 3D objects online. Led by Chad Fust of Academic Computing Services.

Intro to Video Editing with Final Cut Pro X

April 15, 2020 3:30 pm Electronic Classroom, Main Library

Interested in learning video editing or recording a narrated presentation? Come to this hands-on workshop where you will learn to use Apple’s powerful but easy to use video editing software. Led by Baynard Bailey of Academic Computing Services.

Intro to Laser Cutting 

April 17, 2020 10:00 am – 12:00 pm B19 Innovation Lab (Basement of College Center)

Learn the basics of using the laser cutter to engrave and cut a variety of materials. Participants will learn how to invent or adapt designs in order to print them on the laser cutter in the Innovation Lab. Find out how to safely operate the laser and choose safe and appropriate materials for a variety of projects. Led by Chad Fust of Academic Computing Services.

Intro to Machine Sewing: Standard Pillowcase 

April 24, 2020 10:00 – 12:00 B19 Innovation Lab (basement of College Center)

Come learn the basics of sewing from cutting the fabric to threading the sewing machine, and ultimately going home with a standard size pillowcase. Due to the limited number of machines, materials, and space this class will be available to the first five registrants that contact nscalessa@vassar.edu; others will be waitlisted. If interest warrants, we will schedule another session. Enrollment is full but if you are interested in a workshop like this, please contact Nicole Scalessa, Head of Digital Scholarship and Technology Services.