UConn Educational Technologies
Dedicated to the support and advancement of best practices in teaching and learning at the University of Connecticut.
Technologies to Enhance Teaching and Learning at UConn
Video Conferencing
Use a variety of video conferencing tools to meet with your students.
Recording Technologies
Use technologies such as Kaltura and the Lightboard room to create and share videos.
Collaboration & Engagement
Use a variety of tools to engage students in the classroom and outside it
Testing & Assessment
UConn offers a variety of testing and assessment solutions to better enhance your teaching.
Accessibility
UConn is committed to providing an accessible digital environment for everyone.
Portfolios
UConn offers Portfolium accounts for all faculty, staff, and students. Valuable learning tool.
Workshops
Register Today
-
Sep
27
Keeping It Simple: Organizing Course Materials In HuskyCT1:00pm
Keeping It Simple: Organizing Course Materials In HuskyCT
Monday, September 27th, 2021
01:00 PM - 02:30 PM
Other Online
This session will cover options for presenting and arranging materials in your HuskyCT course in ways that minimize confusion for students. We will discuss various organizational strategies, such as ways to develop a straightforward main course menu, building in content areas, the difference between sorting materials into folders and learning modules, as well as controlling the visibility of content to students. We will also cover options for adding multimedia elements to your course, such as audio and video, among the variety of other options available in the system.
Monday, September 27, 1:00-2:30
Register - https://fins.uconn.edu/secure_inst/workshops/workshop_view.php?ser=2189Contact Information: edtech@uconn.edu
More -
Sep
27
Helping Students To Be Better Prepared To Succeed 6:45pm
Helping Students To Be Better Prepared To Succeed
Monday, September 27th, 2021
06:45 PM - 07:45 PM
Other Online
Participants will leave with specific strategies for identifying students who may have gaps in their knowledge in key areas, specifically areas in which they are less than fully prepared to be successful, as well as strategies for bringing the students up to speed.
We will discuss topics such as:
• Turn it around: Consider how an unprepared or underprepared student feels
• Assessing how prepared students are (quick, ungraded pretest, short writing assignment, small group then whole group discussion…)
• Determining what needs to be done to bring them “up to speed”
• Your responsibility, theirs, some of each?
• The role of feedback. Types of feedback. The importance of feedback- read and comment upon rough drafts, have checkpoints for projects and actually check them
• Freshmen in particular
• On campus sources- the Writing Center, tutoring services, Q center, http://achieve.uconn.edu, the library…
• Working in small groups, peer editing, peer feedback in general…
• Study groups for test prep; groups that meet regularly throughout the semester
• Consider giving work done early in the semester less value in grading: 1st test- 20%, 2nd test 30%, Final 40%, quizzes, HW, class participation 10%- something like that.
Register - https://fins.uconn.edu/secure_inst/workshops/workshop_view.php?ser=2161Contact Information: stacey.valliere@uconn.edu
More -
Sep
28
Specification grading: an alternate means of assessing learning based on mastery and process12:00pm
Specification grading: an alternate means of assessing learning based on mastery and process
Tuesday, September 28th, 2021
12:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Other Online
Specification grading: an alternate means of assessing learning based on mastery and process
Online
Presenters: Lauren Schlesselman, CETL-EdTech and Jamie Kleinman, Psychological Sciences
As professors explore this new world of distance learning and look for ways to assess learning for the fall semester, they are searching for better ways to assess student work. This session will provide you with an alternative known as specification grading. Jamie Kleinman has been using specifications grading in her psychology courses for the past three years and will describe her experiences with this grading system, which helped her make a seamless transition to distance learning this spring semester. Specifications grading is a system designed to promote student motivation and mastery. All work is graded as pass or fail based on rubrics or ’specifications’ that are provided to students. Built into this system is a way for students to check their own work to determine if it meets the basic standard to pass and a feedback process for students to correct work that has not yet met the standard. Instead of focusing on getting grades, students focus on developing skills and engaging with the subject material in a way that promotes mastery through multiple levels of critique. While this system takes time to set up, once it has been established, grading is simplified for the instructor as they can use a checklist to make sure that student work meets the criteria to pass. Students are still assigned traditional grades by linking assignments together in bundles that correspond to grade levels. Jamie will bring course syllabi to explain how she uses this system and why it is an excellent way of approaching student work, today more than ever.
Tuesday, September 28, 12:00-1:30
Register - https://fins.uconn.edu/secure_inst/workshops/workshop_view.php?ser=2144Contact Information: edtech@uconn.edu
More -
Sep
28
Managing Culture And Climate In The Classroom 6:45pm
Managing Culture And Climate In The Classroom
Tuesday, September 28th, 2021
06:45 PM - 07:45 PM
Other Online
Participants will walk away with:
Specific, concrete strategies for creating and maintaining a positive learning environment, beginning before the first day of class and continuing through the entire semester.
We will discuss things like:
• What to do before the first day of class
• How to begin the first class
• Things to do every day…
Register - https://fins.uconn.edu/secure_inst/workshops/workshop_view.php?ser=2162Contact Information: stacey.valliere@uconn.edu
More
Noteworthy News
Mediasite Migration to Kaltura
If you are a Mediasite user and have not already requested your content be moved to Kaltura, now is a good time because ITS is eliminating Mediasite. To convert from Mediasite to Kaltura, send a request to Academic IT.
What's New in Webex
HuskyCT instructors can now integrate Webex directly into their course page, allowing instructors to create/begin scheduled meetings, list class recordings, and facilitate office hours directly through HuskyCT. Also, instructors can now pre-assign breakout session groups. Users in breakout sessions will also be able to move between breakout sessions without the instructor manually moving them, leading to increased flexibility with larger discussion sections. The hand-raising feature in Webex has moved to the emoji section for mobile users. In addition to hand-raising, users will now be able to use thumbs up/down and clapping emojis along with other seasonal emojis. Finally, Webex now utilizes Slido for their polling feature.
iClicker Integration
Instructors and students will no longer need to use iClicker Sync because iClicker Cloud will integrate into your HuskyCT course.
iPad loan program for BYOD testing
For classes administering computer-based assessments in the classroom, the instructor can reserve iPads from ITS as back-up devices. The iPads can be checked out from ITS up to 48 hours before the test and returned within 48 hours after it. To reserve iPads: https://confluence.uconn.edu/ikb/loan-of-ipads-to-instructors-for-exams
New software review process
Procurement has developed a new software and technology service review process to ensure the safety of FERPA-protected data.
Edtech Newsletter
