Pre-Semester Workshops (Summer 2023)

Get ready to teach! CATL is offering a variety of pre-semester workshops to help instructors prepare their Fall 2023 courses. Each workshop will be held via Zoom.

If you would like to receive an Outlook invitation with the Zoom link, you can register. Registration is not required, feel free to drop in and meet the the CATL team!

Creating a Student-Friendly Syllabus (Friday, Aug. 25, 10:00 a.m. & Tuesday, Aug. 29, 1:00 p.m.)

One of the best ways to set a positive, welcoming tone for your class is with the syllabus. Join us for a one-hour session as we dive into UWGB’s syllabus requirements and go beyond them to consider characteristics of effective syllabi, including transparency, clear learning outcomes, welcoming language, and more.

Friday, Aug. 25: Zoom meeting link

Tuesday, Aug. 29: Zoom meeting link

Getting Started with Canvas: Building Your First Module (Friday, Aug. 25, 1:00 p.m. & Tuesday, Aug 29, 10:00 a.m.) 

New to Canvas and not sure where to start? In this one-hour workshop, we will walk you through the essentials for building your first module! Learn about the features you might need to prepare your class including pages, assignments, discussions, and quizzes.

Friday, Aug. 25: Zoom meeting link

Tuesday, Aug. 29: Zoom meeting link

Getting Your Canvas Gradebook Going  (Wednesday, Aug. 30, 10:00 a.m.) 

Maintaining an accurate gradebook in Canvas benefits students in any class modality. Bring your questions to this session as we explore the ins and outs of using the feature-rich Canvas gradebook.

Zoom meeting link

Building Relationships: Communicating With Your Students in Canvas (Wednesday, Aug. 30, 1:00 p.m.)

Join us as we discuss ways to build relationships and foster effective communication with students on Canvas. We’ll focus on ways to use Canvas to communicate with your students, establish a welcoming class community, and explore small ways to create a warm, inclusive class environment that promotes student engagement and belonging.

Zoom meeting link

Generative AI & Assessments (Wednesday, Aug. 30, 3:00 p.m.)

Join us as we discuss the implications of emerging AI products, and brainstorm creative, high quality, aligned, and feasible strategies for adapting course materials and assessments. We encourage you to bring your syllabus, learning outcomes, and assessment ideas to this workshop. View our blog post on the Generative AI & Assessment Workshop for more details and registration information.

Zoom meeting link 

Making Your Canvas Course Materials Accessible (Thursday, Aug. 31, 11:00 a.m.)

Do you have questions about course accessibility in Canvas? If so, please join our one-hour workshop to discuss the ins and outs of improving accessibility in your Canvas course. Learn how to effectively utilize the Canvas accessibility checker, leverage the power of UDOIT, and explore general accessibility tips tailored specifically for teaching with Canvas.

Zoom meeting link

Creating and Sharing Video Recordings with Kaltura My Media (Thursday, Aug. 31, 1:00 p.m.) 

Instructors at UWGB can use Kaltura My Media to create, upload, and share videos in Canvas courses. Join us for a one-hour session where we will cover how to create and share engaging instructional videos with Kaltura’s easy-to-use media tools and unlimited storage space.

Zoom meeting link

If you need accommodation for this virtual event, please contact CATL at CATL@uwgb.edu.

High-Impact Practices

What are High Impact Practices?

High Impact Practices (HIP) are experiences that engage students with real-world problems, allow students to interact with their instructors, fellow students and community members, encourage students to explore new interests and develop new passions, and provide students with opportunities to challenge themselves and achieve things they may not have thought possible.

Some examples of High Impact Practices include:

  • First year seminars
  • Common intellectual experiences
  • Learning communities
  • Writing-intensive courses
  • Collaborative assignments and projects
  • Undergraduate research, scholars and creative activities
  • Diversity/global learning
  • Service learning/community-based learning
  • Internships
  • Capstone courses

Why do HIPs make a difference?

Key characteristics of HIPs is that they are effortful and help students build substantive relationships. They engage students across disciplines while providing them with rich feedback. They also help students apply and test what they are learning in new situations, and provide opportunities to reflect on the people they are becoming.

High Impact Practices such as those listed above have numerous positive impacts on students and on the institution, such as increased student persistence and GPA, higher rates of student-faculty interaction, increased critical thinking and writing skills, greater appreciation for diversity, and higher student engagement overall.

In short, deep approaches to learning, such as High Impact Practices, help students make richer more lasting connections to material through an emphasis on integration, synthesis and reflection.

A colorful, geometric, and somewhat abstract illustration featuring buildings and streets covered with arrows, numbers, and the text "AI"

Generative AI and Assessments Workshop (June 28, July 18, Aug. 8, & Aug. 30, 2023)

Please join CATL for a virtual summer workshop focused on creating assessments in the age of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT)! CATL facilitators will work with instructors to review their learning objectives, discuss the implications of emerging AI products, and brainstorm creative, high-quality, aligned, and feasible strategies for adapting course materials and assessments.

To participate in this virtual workshop, CATL asks that instructors bring a course syllabus with learning outcomes, ideas for at least two assessments for that course, and a willingness to engage in a reflective process that includes thinking about how generative AI technologies might impact those course materials. This workshop, “Generative AI and Assessments,” will occur three times throughout the summer months with more offerings to come in the fall. While registration is not required to attend, we encourage you to register today to receive a calendar reminder for the timeslot that works best for you!

Workshop Dates and Times:

All sessions are fully virtual and will meet via Microsoft Teams. Each workshop will be the same so please only sign up for one timeslot.

If you need accommodation for this virtual event, please contact CATL at CATL@uwgb.edu.

Register

 

How Will Generative AI Change My Course (GenAI Checklist)?

With the growing prevalence of generative AI applications like ChatGPT and the ongoing discussions surrounding their integration in higher education, it can be overwhelming to contemplate their impact on your courses, learning materials, and field. As we navigate these new technologies, it is crucial to reflect on how generative AI can either hinder or enhance your teaching methods. CATL has created a checklist designed to help instructors consider how generative artificial intelligence (GAI) products like Copilot, ChatGPT, and more may affect your courses and learning materials (syllabi, learning outcomes, and assessment).

Each step provides guidance on how to make strategic course adaptations and set course expectations that address these tools. As you go through the checklist, you may find yourself revisiting previous steps as you reconsider your course specifics and understanding of GAI.

Checklist for Assessing the Impact of Generative AI on your Course

View the 2024 Checklist for Assessing the Impact of Generative AI on your Course as a PDF.

Step One: Experiment with Generative AI

  • Experiment with GAI tools like Copilot (available to UWGB faculty, staff, and students), ChatGPT, or a similar application by inputting your own assignment prompts and assessing their performance in completing your assignments.
  • Research the potential benefits, concerns, and use cases regarding generative AI to gain a sense of the potential applications and misuses of this technology.

Step Two: Review Your Learning Outcomes

  • Reflect on your course learning outcomes. A good place to start is by reviewing this resource on AI and Bloom’s Taxonomy which considers AI capabilities for each learning level. Which outcomes lend themselves well to the use of generative AI and which outcomes emphasize your students’ distinctive human skills? Keep this in mind as you move on to steps three and four, as the way students demonstrate achieved learning outcomes may need to be revised.

Step Three: Assess the Extent of GAI Use in Class

  • Assess to what extent your course or discipline will be influenced by AI advancements. Are experts in your discipline already collaborating with GAI tools? Will current or future careers in your field work closely with these technologies? If so, consider what that means about your responsibility to prepare students for using generative AI effectively and ethically.
  • Determine the extent of usage appropriate for your course. Will you allow students to use GAI all the time or not at all? If students can use it, is it appropriate only for certain assignments/activities with guidance and permission from the instructor? If students can use GAI, how and when should they cite their use of these technologies? Be specific and clear with your students.
  • Revisit your learning outcomes (step two). After assessing the impact of advancements in generative AI on your discipline and determining how the technology will be used (or not used) in your course, return to your learning outcomes and reassess if they align with course changes/additions you may have identified in this step.

Step Four: Review Your Assignments/Assessments

  • Evaluate your assignments to determine how AI can be integrated to support learning outcomes. The previous steps asked you to consider the relevance of AI to your field and its potential impact on students’ future careers. How are professionals in your discipline using AI, and how might you include AI-related skills in your course? What types of skills will students need to develop independently of AI, such as creativity, interpersonal skills, judgement, metacognitive reflection, and contextual reasoning? Can using AI for some parts of an assignment free up students’ time to focus more on the parts that develop these skills?
  • View, again, this resource on AI capabilities versus distinctive human skills as they relate to the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
  • Define AI’s role in your course assignments and activities. Like step three, you’ll want to be clear with your students on how AI may be used for specific course activities. Articulate which parts of an assignment students can use AI assistance for and which parts students need to complete without AI. If AI use doesn’t benefit an assignment, explain to your students why it’s excluded and how the assignment work will develop relevant skills that AI can’t assist with. If you find AI is beneficial, consider how you will support your students’ usage for tasks like editing, organizing information, brainstorming, and formatting. In your assignment instructions, explain how students should cite or otherwise disclose their use of AI.
  • Apply the TILT framework to your assignments to help students understand the value of the work and the criteria for success.

Step Five: Update Your Syllabus

  • Add a syllabus statement outlining the guidelines you’ve determined pertaining to generative AI in your course. You can refer to our syllabus snippets for examples of generative AI-related syllabi statements.
  • Include your revised or new learning outcomes in your syllabus and consider how you will emphasize the importance of those course outcomes for students’ career/skill development.
  • Address and discuss your guidelines and expectations for generative AI usage with students on day one of class and put them in your syllabus. Inviting your students to provide feedback on course AI guidelines can help increase their understanding and buy-in.

Step Six: Seek Support and Resources

  • Engage with your colleagues to exchange experiences and practices for incorporating or navigating generative AI.
  • Stay informed about advancements and applications of generative AI technology.

Checklist for Assessing the Impact of Generative AI on Your Course © 2024 by Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Want More Resources?

Visit the CATL blog, The Cowbell, for more resources related to generative AI in higher education.

Need Help?

CATL is available to offer assistance and support at every step of the checklist presented above. Contact CATL for a consultation or by email at CATL@uwgb.edu if you have questions, concerns, or perhaps are apprehensive to go through this checklist.

 

 

Cold Lunch & Hot Topics: “How Can We Implement Ungrading?” (June 26, 11:30 a.m.)

Bring your lunch and join the conversation with CATL and instructors from across the institution as we discuss a hot topic in teaching and learning! Join Shara Cherniak (Assistant Professor, Education) and Kris Purzycki (Assistant Professor, Humanities) for an informal conversation on the topic of “ungrading” and alternative assessments this June.

This virtual session will be held on Monday, June 26, from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. Register to receive a calendar reminder and the Teams link for the session.

Register

If you need accommodation for this virtual event, please contact CATL at CATL@uwgb.edu.

Do you have an idea for a future Cold Lunch & Hot Topic? Email CATL Director Kris Vespia (vespiak@uwgb.edu).