October DOLCE and Faculty Forum Video Recordings Now Available! 

Dear Faculty Colleagues, 

Thanks to so many of you for joining us at our first two faculty events of the fall quarter: the October DOLCE (Discussing Online Learning & Collaborative Education) titled, “Zoomarchaeology, Canvas Modules, and Piazza,” and the October Faculty Forum titled, “Promoting Engagement in Remotely-Taught Classes.” The DOLCE and Faculty Forum video recordings are now available!

At the DOLCE on October 9th, we heard three faculty and staff speakers discuss interactive approaches to traditionally hands-on instruction in the remote learning environment, including the design and scaffold of low-stakes assignments and assessments. Christyann M. Darwent from the Department of Anthropology discussed the instruction of visual information in the context of skeletal anatomy, referencing her recent publication, “‘Zoomarchaeology’: Teaching Animal Skeletal Anatomy in an Online Format” (reprinted with permission on The Wheel). Susan Abplanalp from Design discussed her use of the UC Davis Canvas Modules tool to format class activities and assessments around drawing that appeal to four different learning styles: Kinetic, Auditory, Visual, and Reading. Instructional Technologist Steve Faith briefly introduced attendees to Piazza, a tool newly-integrated into UC Davis Canvas that encourages peer instruction and community building in large-enrollment classes through the format of a faculty-guided online FAQ.

At the Faculty Forum on October 16th, we heard from some of our SITT all-stars on the topic of enhancing engagement in remote learning settings: Hannah Minter Anderson from The Center for Child and Family Studies, Joe Anistranski from the Department of Human Ecology, Laci Gerhart-Barley from Evolution and Ecology, Mark Verbitsky from Political Science, and Narine Yegiyan from Communication. We discussed various strategies for encouraging engagement, including facilitating virtual icebreakers; communicating modes of student participation in Zoom (e.g., the Chat feature, the “Raise Hand” feature, or the physical raising of hands on video); asking students to present media sources that illustrate course concepts; and rotating small discussion groups in Zoom Breakout Rooms to encourage meeting new classmates, taking notes in a class-shared Google spreadsheet, and practicing presenting small group takeaways after returning to the larger class group. We also discussed asynchronous modes of engagement, such as PlayPosit interactive video lessons, and instructors’ incorporation of student insights from surveys, discussion boards, and other asynchronous assignments during synchronous class discussions.

Academic Technology Services (ATS) hopes that these two recorded events will encourage instructors in their exploration and implementation of activities that promote interactive, hands-on learning and engagement in a remote learning environment. ATS presents noon PST events on the first and third Fridays of the month during the school year, giving us opportunities to meet with faculty colleagues to discuss teaching and technology. 

To stay tuned about registration information for our November faculty events, please subscribe to The Wheel e-mail updates, or follow @ucdaviswheel on Twitter. If you have questions about Instructional Design at UC Davis, please contact our ATS senior instructional designers at instructionaldesign@ucdavis.edu.

Best regards,

Dr. Andy Jones Academic Associate Director, Academic Technology Services Editor in Chief of The Wheel: The Instructional Technology Blog of UC Davis University of California, Davis