Presented By: Tonya Paulette &   Leila Flores-Torres
Resources: Not Available
Recording:  View Recording 

This presentation will introduce participants to some key considerations in creating accessible course environments while also considering learner variability, including students with disabilities.  The session will invite participants to collaborate in reviewing reasonable accommodations for online and hybrid courses. Ensuring equitable access for a diverse student population through accessible courses leads to improved student performance.  

Presented By: Randall Monty,  Katherine Christoffersen,  James Frost, and   Nicole Nicholson
Resources: Not Available 
Recording:  View Recording

This interdisciplinary roundtable will discuss three concepts that impact online, hybrid, and mobile teaching: "Thinking Through Your Whole Course: Delivery, Interaction, Assessment;" "The Writing Process Online: Invention, Drafting, Feedback, Revision, Editing;" and "Critical Reflection w/of Online and Mobile Space: Blackboard, Social Media, Mobile Devices." These topics will first be posed as questions to the presenters, and then the discussion will transition to an invention workshop for audience participants. Question one will ask presenters to address the first issue of designing an online or hybrid course: “What is your approach to designing an online class that is based on a traditional class that you have taught?” Follow-up questions will focus in on issues of content delivery, interaction with and between students, and equitable assessment. Question two till drill down on the particular topic of student writing, first by asking, “How do you teach and facilitate students’ writing processes in online and hybrid environments?” and then following up by talking about specific in-class strategies and UTRGV services for supporting student writing. Question three will be more open-ended and theoretical in nature, as it will ask presenters to reflect upon their own online and hybrid teaching practices and technologies. Presenters will be asked about changes they’ve made to original course designs based on critical reflection and student student. Presenters will be asked to critique the institutional technologies they use (like Blackboard and OneDrive), augmenting technologies they recommend or suggest (social media, plagiarism software, etc.), as well as those that students bring into the classroom (mobile devices, cloud drives, etc.).

In addition to their responses, roundtable presenters will help audience participants meet the following objectives:

1. Develop a plan for moving a traditional course design to a hybrid or online context.
2. Help students develop and enact individualized and contextual writing processes for online work.
3. Critical reflect on their own online, mobile, and hybrid teaching practices.

Presented By:  Art Brownlow & Leticia De Leon
Resources:  Instructional Handout
Recording:  View Recording 

Are you hesitant to move more deeply into online teaching because of your fear of making instructional videos? Do you lack the necessary video production or technology experience? Do you lack the time or training? The ability to create captivating instructional videos is of immense value in moving the delivery of content outside the classroom space, thereby freeing class time for more engaging learning activities. Instructional videos enhance instruction by acting as substitutes for traditional types of content delivery, but with functional improvement (the second degree on Puentedura’s SAMR model for technology integration). However, instructors who are skilled at video creation can go one step further–they can teach students to design their own video projects to share with the world. This is the top level of technology integration in teaching according to SAMR, whereby ed tech not only enhances, but transforms the learning experience through the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable. This hands-on demonstration will show how easy it is to create high quality and engaging instructional videos for flipped, hybrid or online classes using only the iPad. The presenters will guide attendees through the process of video production using the Keynote app, and at the end of the session participants will have created their own instructional videos. Participants should bring their iPads, and make sure the devices are updated to the latest operating system (iOS 11.2.5). They must also install Keynote, Apple’s presentation software that is included free on all iOS devices. Attendees are welcome to duplicate the presenters’ sample video creation, or they may bring content, images and/or digital materials from their courses to create their own discipline-specific video lesson. In addition to learning all of the basic skills for creating videos with Keynote, participants will also learn several advanced skills, including Magic Move, Instant Alpha, Voice Narration and Screen Recording. At the end of the session, questions will be welcomed and encouraged.

Outcomes:

• learn basic skills of video production using iPad and Keynote
• learn four advanced skills that will enhance the quality and professionalism of your video: - Magic Move - Instant Alpha - Voice Narration - Screen Recording
• create an instructional video using the Keynote app
• realize the possibility of teaching your students to create their own videos as course projects

Presented By:  Joe Noe  &   Shoney Flores
Resources: Not Available
Recording: Not Available 

In this session we outline our redesign of two writing courses (ENGL 1302 and ENGL 3342) from face-to-face to on-line to hybrid. We discuss how translating face-to-face courses—even ones that already make liberal use of technology--into online courses requires tough decisions about class activities that may be “best practices” in one format and less so in another. As we redesigned our courses we came to recognize that all courses, no matter the designation on the schedule, are actually hybrid. After a brief discuss of the pedagogical and institutional implications of such a paradigm shift we invite attendees to discuss how re-conceptualizing technology enhanced courses as hybrid might affect course development, student engagement and student retention. 

Presented By:  Beatrice Newman  & Jessica Sanchez
Resources: Not Available
Recording:  View Recording

In online teaching environments, maintaining academic integrity is particularly challenging because pedagogical interactions are virtual and cyber-based. Internet availability encourages misuse of online resources. Using plagiarism detection tools alone, such as SafeAssign, is not enough to curtail such practices (Youmans, 2011). The Online Learning Consortium (2015) recommends that online courses provide resources on "ethics of research, proper citation, acknowledging sources, plagiarism, and academic integrity"(p. 52). They state that the faculty's role is not to “catch students in the act” but "rather provide the tools to educate and have discussions on academic integrity, ethical issues and appropriate conduct"(p. 62). Our presentation will be scaffolded on a Writing Honest, Writing Fair SoftChalk module developed in response to faculty concerns voiced at a Fall 2017 UTRGV online learning workshop. The module includes explanations of academic integrity, definitions of intentional and unintentional plagiarism, applications of basic strategies for integrating source material (targeted summary, paraphrasing, direct quotation, and combinations of these strategies), and model samples of basic documentation.

DEMO: We will (1) present excerpts of our research-based module created on Softchalk, (2) share feedback provided by students in pilot testing in Fall 2017, (3) encourage participants to volunteer to test the module in their classes. (10 minutes)

INTERACTIVE: Using a micro lesson template, we will guide participants in creating discipline-specific activities that show learners how to respect fair use of intellectual property. We will provide excerpts of texts from a variety of disciplines so that participants can practice adjusting the template for their own discipline. We will also provide a rubric template, adaptable to a variety of disciplines, to reinforce expectations for fair use of intellectual property. Additionally, we will propose processes to apply our strategies to a variety of disciplines. (30 minutes)

DEBRIEFING: Participants will discuss issues that should be included in online materials for fair use of intellectual property and concerns specific to their disciplines. (10 minutes)

PACKETS: Excerpts from the Writing Honest, Writing Fair module; an annotated bibliography of resources; a template for discipline-specific micro lessons on fair use of intellectual property; a worksheet for discipline-specific rubric for fair use of intellectual property; links to our materials.

SELECTED REFERENCES:

• Baird, C., & Dooey, P. (2014). Ensuring Effective Student Support in Higher Education Alleged Plagiarism Cases. Innovative Higher Education, 39(5), 387-400.
• Blum, S. D. (2009). My word!: Plagiarism and college culture. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
• Holt, E. A., Fagerheim, B., & Durham, S. (2014).   Online Plagiarism Training Falls Short in Biology Classrooms.  CBE - Life Sciences Education, 13(1), 83-89. 
• Lang, J.M. (2015 May 04).   Cheating inadvertently. Chronicle of Higher Education. 
• Online Learning Consortium (2015).   Criteria for excellence in the administration of online programs.  
• Selwyn, N. (2008).   "Not Necessarily a Bad Thing ...": A Study of Online Plagiarism amongst Undergraduate Students.  Assessment & Evaluation In Higher Education, 33(5), 465-479.
• Youmans, R. J. (2011). Does the adoption of plagiarism-detection software in higher education reduce plagiarism? Studies in Higher Education,36(7), 749–761. doi:10.1080/03075079.2010.523457

Presented By:  Leticia De Leon
Resources: Not Available
Recording:  View Recording 

An essential component of designing an online and hybrid course is the presence that the instructor establishes for the students as soon as they enter the course. However, presence is not just about being visible in the course, though this is an essential first step. Presence generally can be described as the way that a professor is active and engaged with the students in a number ways. Presence that also actively builds community with the students enrolled in the course involves a personal and professional connection that is not as easy to build in online courses. One way of establishing presence is through instructor and student introductions. These can be very valuable experiences, though they are often created in separate areas in Blackboard, diminishing the possibility of leveraging them toward community building. What if your introduction could be the catalyst for building a community? What if it could be the spark that ignites thoughtful sharing and the establishment of trust and understanding? This workshop aims to spark both presence and community using Adobe tools, which are now readily available to all faculty in the university.

This workshop will be divided into three general creation steps:

1. Planning for presence and community
2. Creating and building in Spark Video and Spark Page
3. Setting up the multimedia creations in Blackboard to encourage community building

In the first general step, the participant will first be guided in planning out the essential components of an instructor introduction that establishes presence and community. Specific guidelines will be offered and explored that encourage faculty to focus on what matters to students. In the second general step, participants will login to Creative Cloud to gain access to Adobe Spark Video and Page and begin the creation process. Adobe Spark tools use a simple multimedia drag and drop, and they are currently available only on iPad and online, so that participants will have the choice of using their iPad or a laptop to create in the online application.

During this second step, participant will develop the following technical skills:

1. Launching the Creative Cloud application
2. Using Layouts and Themes in Spark Video
3. Adding images and audio to slides
4. Using Themes as a starting format in Spark Page
5. Integrating Spark Video with Spark Page
6. Syncing to Creative Cloud online

In general step three, participants will take their finished product and explore several possibilities for adding the multimedia production as a tool for sparking community. These may include Blackboard options, as well as external tools, such as discussion forums, blogs, or social media. Participants may choose from several options, depending on the type of community and engagement they want to encourage in their students. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will briefly discuss of why these skills are important and how they can be applied in future course development for any given discipline.

Presented By:  José Dávila-Montes  &   Gabriel González Núñez 
Resources: Not Available
Recording:  View Recording 

Translator training is a pedagogical field that has proven to be especially efficient in on-line delivery formats, where the learning environment mimics the professional settings in which most translators carry out their work: remotely and without physically meeting many of their customers. And yet interpreting, the oral "translation" of a message, may seem a different kettle of fish, especially when it comes to Court Interpreting.

Interpreting is an area where conventional wisdom would indicate the need for the immediacy of the instructor and his or her students. Nonetheless, the faculty in the Translation and Interpreting program in UTRGV has developed an on-line set of courses in a fully online program of national and international outreach for aspiring court interpreters, where the lack of immediacy of asynchronous teaching becomes an unexpected ally in the learning process. This paper will present the general outline of UTRGV's on-line translator/interpreter training model, and it will focus specifically in the area of court interpreting training.

Presented By:  Susan Mills  &   Nicole Nicholson
Resources:  Yammer Group,   Adobe Spark Presentation
Recording: Not Available 

Presenters will share tips and tricks on using technology in reduced seating courses to enhance student learning and make the most of our available teaching tools. Based on our experience in online learning, classroom teaching, and reduced-seating formats, we can help prevent common pitfalls and introduce innovative ways to implement technology to make the teaching/learning experience dynamic, yet manageable to students and faculty. Bring Your Own Devices and join us while we work together to choose technology that best fits your pedagogical goals.

Presented By:  Jazmin Ley  &   Samantha Ramirez
Resources: Not Available
Recording:  View Recording 

The foundation of engineering laboratories is always to provide a chance to understand and explore theoretical concepts presented in lecture. Unfortunately, most students lack the understanding of the concepts to fully understand the hands-on activities that labs provide. The session will present a possible solution that introduces students to a pre-laboratory hybridized approach. Students are able to explore SoftChalk lectures to understand both procedures and theoretical background behind the laboratory work – the lecture will check for understanding and provide them a grade for their work. Additionally, a laboratory manual is provided where they have access to guidance to each of their labs. In order determine if the students have read their lab procedures, quizzing is done 10 minutes before lab. The quizzes provide automated feedback that is valuable to the students and instructor. Additionally, most of the labs introduced in materials engineering involve high-powered, expensive, rotating equipment. Safety is a primary concern. To introduce the students to their equipment, safety operating procedure (SOP) videos add a new level of interest and investment to both the lab and the hybrid environment.

The session will expose the participant to a lesson currently taught in MECE 2140 Engineering Materials Laboratory. It will expose the participants to a STEM curriculum while using their device to learn, understand, and complete a full engineering laboratory that can be presented to almost any grade level. This hybridized approach will expose participants, using Blackboard integration, to SoftChalk lectures, quizzing, mini-video lectures, and other video content while providing the participant with a hands-on experiment. The experiment is an introductory experiment conducted the first day of lab. The thermal expansion experiment allows students to familiarize themselves with various measurement devices (i.e. rules and calipers) as well as the effect of atomic bonding on material properties. Participants will be asked to upload their laboratory results to a WIKI for other participants to view and take the results to the instructor a supply a one-page laboratory memo as an assignment submission. Additionally, the instructor end of the assignment will be evaluated utilizing an online rubric that will provide data analysis for all the students/participants involved in the course.

Presented By:  Arlett Lomeli
Resources: Not Available
Recording:  View Recording

Sociology provides an inside scope on how social integration changes the lives of individuals. Our students begin a semester by entering a new classroom and often, can leave without making connections. This experience does not allow a student to become connected to those around them. For online, this is even more prevalent. Students can feel unengaged or isolated and sometimes fall behind or drop the course. Feeling alone means very different things to students in person and online. Isolation does not provide the connection students need to build on ideas and analytical discourse. To address this for my online learners, I have created a group foundation. Students have three group assignments and two individual assignments, which allow for individuals to show their work, but also help establish connections, communication skills, problem-solving, and project-based knowledge all while using material that is focused on strengths of their social capital. The second component of this presentation, I will show how I've incorporated Accessibility, Universal Design Learning, and Sociology into my online course through group creation and group assignments. Next, I will present findings from prior students end of course survey. Finally, I will conclude by sharing where I envision my next steps in bringing UDL and Sociology together to enhance the online learner's experience and success.

Presented By:  Bonnie Gunn
Resources: Not Available
Recording: Not Available 

In the traditional setting, courses are taught with material introduced in a presentation setting, and practice is done outside of the classroom. In contrast, the flipped classroom model requires students to come to class with a foundational knowledge of the material to be covered that day. This model allows more in-depth discussion, open questions, and activities during class time. The problem is that students are often unprepared to "self-teach" required materials and arrive at class without the foundation they need to fully take advantage of this model.

This session will explore the use of interactive technology in the online portion of a flipped classroom to help students become independent learners. Emphasis will be on the use of SoftChalk to engage students and prepare them for class while holding the student accountable for being prepared for class. Because not all material can be mastered in the same way, a variety of types of activities will be introduced with recommendations for the use of each type. Activity types include labeling, matching, photo albums, crossword puzzles, and quizlets.

This session will also include outcomes from 6 semesters of flipped Anatomy and Physiology labs as well as a discussion about the change in the dynamics of the classroom. The online portion of this course includes interactive pre-lab activities done in Softchalk, handouts provided for guidance in class, and online post-lab quizzes. This frees time in the laboratory for students to gain more hands-on experience and study time utilizing specimens and models. Though this session focuses primarily on positive outcomes, pitfalls of the technology will also be discussed.