DTEI offerings archive
Below you will find previous DTEI professional development offerings in reverse chronological order.
2023 - 2024
Summer 2024
Optimize Your Exam and Its Grading with Gradescope Bubble Sheets
Date, Time, and Location: Monday, September 23rd, from 1:00 – 2:00pm on Zoom
Facilitators: Bo Choi and Fanny Tsai, DTEI Instructional Designer
Simplify your multiple-choice or multiple-answer exam grading with Gradescope Bubble Sheets! Join us for this workshop that will introduce you to the benefits of using Gradescope Bubble Sheets, a streamlined and cost-effective solution for your assessments. You will hear from faculty who have successfully transitioned from using Scantron to Gradescope Bubble Sheets and learn their valuable tips and tricks for a smooth and efficient experience. Discover how to maximize the benefits of Gradescope for a more effective and insightful assessment experience.
Course Design Essentials Program
Date, Time, and Location: Monday and Wednesday, September 16th and 18th, from 10:00am – 3:00pm
Facilitators: Bob Pelayo (repelayo@uci.edu), DTEI Faculty Fellow; and Karma Rose Zavita (krzavita@uci.edu), DTEI Educational Development Scholar
The Course Design Essentials (CDE) Program is a two-day program that supports graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, staff, and faculty in designing courses using evidence-based practices. In this certificate program, participants will practice backward, integrated course design by establishing goals for student learning and aligning assignments and assessments with these goals. Participants who complete all program requirements and attend every session will earn a Certificate in Course Design.
Note that this is the same Certificate in Course Design that is offered in University Studies 390X and the Active Learning Institute.
Spring 2024
Panel: Beating Burnout: Strategies to Survive (and Thrive) in Grad School
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, June 6th, from 1:00-2:30pm on Zoom
Facilitators: Katelyn Kelly (katelymk@uci.edu), DTEI Educational Development Scholar; and Talin Abadian (tabadian@uci.edu), DTEI Educational Development Scholar
Research shows that graduate students experience more stress than both undergraduate students and the general population, and that this has only been exacerbated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic (Andrade et al., 2023). So, how do we mitigate this all-too-familiar academic burnout?
In this interactive panel, wellness experts and graduate students across different points in their careers will share strategies for how to prevent, recognize, and address burnout so that we may successfully navigate research, teaching, and life “outside”. We invite you to submit questions through the registration form below for our panel to consider ahead of time. There will also be time dedicated to Q&A.
Does it Have to Be this Way?: Breaking the Academic Grind mentality
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, May 30th, from 1:00-2:00pm on Zoom
Facilitator: Katelyn Kelly (katelymk@uci.edu), DTEI Educational Development Schola
While students and instructors alike are encouraged to maintain a healthy work-life balance and are inundated with resources to do so, the academic “grind” culture can make this feel impossible. How do we as overburdened instructors lessen the burden on our students? In this workshop, we will explore concrete strategies – both in and beyond the classroom – to disrupt this culture and prioritize both learning and wellbeing.
We invite you to bring any specific questions or challenges you may have around student engagement and grind culture for us to address together.
This workshop partially meets the requirements for the “Inclusive Teaching” and “Course/Lesson Design” modules for the Certificate in Teaching Excellence.
DTEI Faculty Showcase: Innovative GenAI in Teaching
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, May 23rd, from 2:00-4:00pm in AIRB 1030
Featured Panelists: Jonathan Alexander (English and Informatics), Mohammad Moshirpour (Informatics), Bradley Queen (English), Ian Straughn (Anthropology), Bill Tomlinson (Informatics and Education), and Thomas Yeh (Computer Science)
This panel will showcase of award-winning faculty who pursued projects incorporating generative AI into teaching this academic year. Attendees will learn about these innovative projects and lessons learned from an interdisciplinary panel of faculty with opportunities for questions and discussion. This will be moderated by Vice Provost Michael Dennin and DTEI Executive Director Danny Mann. Light refreshments will be served.
Interactive Innovations Unleashed: Making Learning Fun with Digital Adventures
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, May 16th, from 2:00-3:00pm online
Facilitators: Fanny Tsai, DTEI Instructional Designer, and Stephanie AU, Assistant Clinical Nursing Professor
Join us to step into an interactive workshop where you’ll unlock the secrets to student engagement through a virtual escape room experience. This session is designed to equip you with the tools to create immersive and interactive learning environments whether you are in-person or online teaching. By its end, you’ll have a toolkit for infusing energy and excitement into both online and hybrid courses. With Dr. Stephanie Au as our guest speaker, you’ll gain insights into innovative engagement strategies that spark student participation and make every class an adventure.
Shake-up your Syllabus!: Alternative Formats for Syllabus Design
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, May 16th, from 1:00-2:00pm in AIRB 1030
Facilitator: Talin Abadian (tabadian@uci.edu), DTEI Educational Development Scholar
Do you find yourself frustrated as to why students don’t read your syllabus? Instead of as a contract, what if we see the syllabus as an interactive platform and a dynamic tool for instructors and students to exchange ideas? This workshop explores different, innovative ways to design syllabi which prioritize student engagement and participation, such as the Liquid Syllabus, the FAQ Syllabus, and the Interactive Syllabus. We will learn about new and innovative syllabi that inspire curiosity, build student buy-in, promote dialogue, and ultimately enhance the learning experience for all involved, regardless of discipline.
(You do not have to have an existing syllabus to benefit from this workshop, though we invite you to bring one if you do.)
This workshop partially meets the requirements for the “Course/Lesson Design”, “Inclusive Teaching” and “Collaborative Learning” modules for the Certificate in Teaching Excellence.
STEM Equity Learning Community (SELC) Project: Towards Equitable Outcomes for Math Majors
Date, Time, and Location: Friday, May 10th, from 3:00-4:00pm in ISEB 1310
Facilitators: Adityakrishnan Radhakrishnan, SEISMIC Undergraduate Math Major, Alessandra Pantano, SEISMIC Math Faculty, Anna Ma, SEISMIC Math Faculty
The Introduction to Abstract Mathematics (Math 13) class is a cornerstone of the undergraduate mathematics curriculum and creates the foundation for most upper-division courses. In this talk, we discuss the question: Does Math 13 have equitable outcomes? To do so, we present the findings of our STEM Equity Learning Community (SELC) team, which are based on three data sources: Equity Reports from the SEISMIC Collaboration, midquarter evaluations, and interviews of current Math Majors who have taken Math 13. This talk aims to have a constructive discussion and call to action to continue studying, designing, and implementing interventions for more equitable outcomes for Math Majors.
This workshop partially meets the requirements for the “Inclusive Teaching” module for the Certificate in Teaching Excellence.
Panel: Embracing AI: Using Generative AI to Facilitate Learning
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, May 2nd, from 1-2:30pm in AIRB 1030
Facilitator: Alex Bower, Ph.D. (ahbower@uci.edu), Educational Development Specialist for Graduate Students and Postdocs
In this interactive session, we will explore how faculty use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to facilitate dynamic and personal learning in and beyond the classroom. We invite you to submit questions through the registration form below for our panel to consider ahead of time. There will also be time dedicated to Q&A.
Winter 2024
Panel: Supporting Neurodiversity: Perspectives from Students and Faculty
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesdays, March 13th, from 2pm-3:30pm in AIRB 1030
Panelists: Adam Kasarda (DSC Director), Albert Siryaporn (Associate Professor), Ainsley May (Graduate Student), Alisson Rowland (Graduate Student), and Dani Galvan (Undergraduate Student)
Join us for a panel on Neurodiversity and Learning! Neurodiversity describes the notion that people interpret and interact with the world in diverse ways. The goal of this panel is twofold: first, to increase awareness about neurodiversity at UCI, and second, to support the academic success of neurodiverse students through improved pedagogical practices. Through the perspectives of undergraduate and graduate students, UCI faculty, and our Disabilities Services Center Director, participants should be able to gain a better sense of how to increase the inclusiveness of their course design to accommodate for a range of neurodiversity.
Inclusive Teaching Institute
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesdays, January 22nd to March 1st, from 1pm-3pm in AIRB 3010
Moderators: Megan Linos, Director of Digital and Online Teaching, DTEI; David Trend, Professor, Claire Trevor School of the Arts; Meredith Ehrenberg, Information Architect, ODIT; Theresa Duong, Pedagogical Wellness Specialist, DTEI
The Inclusive Teaching Institute (ITI) is a faculty-led professional development program designed to support faculty in cultivating a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEI-A) culture in the classroom that supports the needs of all students, regardless of their backgrounds. It is designed in a flipped format, including pre-assigned readings, self-paced Canvas content, and weekly peer discussion sessions. A group of faculty peer coaches will facilitate the discussion and provide individual consultation to guide the ITI participants in reframing their curriculum and teaching strategies. All UCI faculty and grad students are welcome to participate.
Topics Include: DEI Practices in the Classroom, Transparency & Inclusion in Course Design, Accessible Teaching, & Pedagogical Wellness
Course Design Essentials Program
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesdays, January 31st to February 28th, from 11am-12:30pm in AIRB 3010
Program Team: Matthew Mahavongtrakul, Program Director of Educational Development; Jennifer Foung, Instructional Designer; Alex Bower, Educational Development Specialist for Graduate Students & Postdocs
The Course Design Essentials (CDE) Program is a series of five sessions that support graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, staff, and faculty in designing courses using evidence-based practices. In this certificate program, participants will practice backward, integrated course design by establishing goals for student learning and aligning assignments and assessments with these goals. All faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and staff are welcome.
How to Engage Everyone… in Every Classroom!
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesday, February 28th from 11am-12pm online
Facilitators: Mary Isaac (msisaac@uci.edu), DTEI Educational Development Scholar
It is notoriously difficult to get students to participate in lectures and discussion sections. We know that active learning leads to the most optimal student learning outcomes, and yet implementing these strategies is difficult, and we’re not always given direction on how to do so. This online workshop offers you various evidence-based tools to help engage all your students, in any class setting. You will learn about a range of simple to complex participation activities and be able to decide which strategies work best for your course. This workshop will pull from different instructors’ experiences across disciplines and include a collaborative discussion that addresses participants’ specific needs. Please fill out the Google Form to RSVP and to share any particular questions or challenges regarding student participation that you want to discuss at the workshop.
This workshop partially meets the requirements for the “Assessment” and “Inclusive Teaching” modules for the Certificate in Teaching Excellence.
More Than Just “Group Work”: How to Foster Collaborative Learning in the Classroom
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, March 22nd from 3-4:30pm in AIRB 1030
Facilitators: Xinyu (Cindy) Li (xinyul30@uci.edu), DTEI Educational Development Scholar
Group work – a group of students working or students working together? Transitioning from how we normally think about ‘group work’ into a focus on collaborative learning allows us to better engage students in deeper learning and developing soft skills: all which could benefit them in college and their careers beyond.
In this workshop, we will discuss effective ways to create, facilitate, and assess collaborative learning in our own classrooms, including:
– Framing group work vs collaborative learning and encouraging student buy-in
– Considerations and techniques for creating meaningful groups
– How to assess collaborative learning outcomes
CTE Categories: Collaborative learning, Inclusive practices, Active learning
DTEI Graduate Scholars Pre-Application Workshop
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesday, March 21st from 2-3pm online (Zoom)
Facilitators: Danny Mann (dmann@uci.edu), Executive Director of DTEI, Alex Bower (ahbower@uci.edu), Educational Development Specialist for Graduate Students & Postdocs, Xinyu (Cindy) Li (xinyul30@uci.edu), DTEI Educational Development Scholar
The DTEI Graduate Scholars Program facilitates summer-long collaborations between Grad Scholars and faculty mentors to enhance the equity, accessibility, and inclusivity of future courses while further developing graduate student skills and knowledge. The themes for this summer are (1) alternative assessment strategies (including considerations for genAI), (2) leveraging the instructional team for effective pedagogy (i.e. instructor, TAs, readers, LAs), and (3) enhancing pedagogical wellness. DTEI will prioritize support for projects that involve transitioning GE and/or large-enrollment lower-division major requirements into a hybrid format. DTEI Graduate Scholars will receive a $5,000 award, and both graduate students and faculty will earn a Partnership in Inclusive Design Certificate.
In this workshop, graduate students and faculty are invited to prepare for a successful application by exploring details about the Program, engaging with this year’s themes, and posing questions.
Coffee Meets Teaching
Date, Time, and Location: Tuesday, March 20th from 2-3pm and Wednesday, March 21st from 3-4pm in AIRB 3010
Facilitators: Megan Linos and Jennifer Wong-Ma
The Coffee Meets Teaching community provides a relaxing space for faculty to meet and engage in casual conversations about teaching over a coffee break. It is a faculty speed-dating like event to encourage teaching related conversions. Please join us if you could take a coffee break away from teaching and engage in casual conversation with other faculty about teaching. The DTEI will sponsor a $10 Starbucks gift card to each participant to encourage more peer dialogues after the initial meet-up.
Embracing AI: Using Generative AI to Facilitate Dynamic and Interactive Learning
Date, Time, and Location: Friday, January 26th from 2-3:30pm in 4201 Natural Sciences II
Facilitators: Matthew Mahavongtrakul, Program Director of Educational Development
In this session, we will explore how two faculty use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to facilitate dynamic, interactive, and personal learning activities to stimulate critical thinking and teach skills that would be helpful for successfully reading journal articles. You can submit questions on this registration form for the faculty to consider ahead of time. There will also be time dedicated to Q&A.
Panelists: Adrienne Williams, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Teaching, Developmental and Cell Biology; and Amal Alachkar, Ph.D., Professor of Teaching, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
This workshop partially meets the requirements for the “Collaborative Learning”, “Instructional Technology”, and “Course Design” modules for the Certificate in Teaching Excellence.
Fall 2023
Fearless Generative AI: How to Use GenAI in Our Teaching
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesday, November 29th, 2023, 2:00pm to 3:30pm PT in AIRB 1030
Facilitators: Xinyu Cindy Li (xinyul30@uci.edu) and McKenna Middleton (mrmiddle@uci.edu), DTEI Educational Development Scholars
Uncertain about what generative AI means for higher education? Join us for an interdisciplinary panel discussion featuring UCI faculty and graduate students who have tackled this question in their own classrooms.
In this workshop, you will learn how fellow UCI instructors have incorporated generative AI into their teaching practices in concrete, practical ways. You will have an opportunity to submit questions for the panelists about the relationship between generative AI and teaching. Finally, you will reflect on ways you could utilize generative AI in your courses.
This workshop partially meets the requirements for the “Collaborative Learning”, “Instructional Technology”, and “Course Design” modules for the Certificate in Teaching Excellence.
Poll Everywhere Unleashed: Igniting Classroom Engagement
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, November 16, 2023, 2:00PM to 3:00PM PT, Online
Presenters: Bo Choi, Instructional Designer, DTEI, David Copp, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Join us for a faculty presentation showcasing effective methods of student engagement through the utilization of digital learning tools. In this workshop, Professor David Copp, Assistant Professor of Teaching in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), will take you on a journey beyond the conventional use of Poll Everywhere as a simple student response tool in the classroom. Professor Copp will discuss the broader applications of Poll Everywhere and its impact on student learning, as well as share valuable lessons learned. We invite you to participate in this workshop and delve deeper into the possibilities of Poll Everywhere with Professor Copp!
Leading a Classroom for Diverse Learners: A Starter’s Guide
Date, Time, and Location: Monday, November 13th, 2023, 3:00pm to 4:00pm PT in AIRB 1030
Facilitator: Xinyu Cindy Li (xinyul30@uci.edu), DTEI Educational Development Scholar
Diversity in classrooms benefits students by offering different perspectives and opportunities to learn from one another, but creating and presenting lessons which accommodate all of our diverse learners is not always easy. So, where can we start?
In this workshop, we will consider effective practices for leading your own diverse classroom communities, with particular focus on the areas of inclusive teaching techniques, presentation skills, discussion facilitation, and active learning activities. We will also reflect upon the three principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and discuss how they may be incorporated to further increase inclusivity in our classrooms.
This workshop partially meets the requirements for the “Active Learning” and “Inclusive Teaching” modules for the Certificate in Teaching Excellence.
Learning Technology Roundtable Discussion
Date, Time, and Location: Monday, November 13th, 2023, 1:00PM to 3:00PM PT, Online
Presenters: Megan Linos, Director of Digital and Online Teaching (DOT)
Join the faculty roundtable discussion, where you will learn new teaching ideas, ask questions, and exchange teaching experiences with other faculty about implementing learning technologies for teaching. A UCI faculty will partner with a DTEI instructional designer to facilitate the discussion and showcase possible ways to use it to creatively enhance the student learning experience.
- The Group discussion/annotation Tools: Ed Discussion and Perusall
- The Grading and Assessments Tools: Gradescope and Turnitin
- The Student Engagement Tools: Poll Everywhere and Google Education Apps
Empowering Engagement: Leveraging Scaffolding, Collaboration, Gamification, and Pedagogical Teaching Tools
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, November 2nd, 2023, 2:00PM to 3:00PM PT, Online
Join us for an engaging workshop on ‘Empowering Engagement.’ Discover how emotions, technology, and creative teaching strategies boost student motivation and participation. Experience interactive teaching tools like Kahoot! in action. Enhance your teaching skills and energize your classroom. Unlock the potential of innovative teaching methods.
Presenters: Fanny Tsai, Instructional Designer, DTEI, Stephanie Au, Director for IPEP & Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Nursing, Ian Straughn, Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Anthropology
Making Assessments Less Overwhelming and More Inclusive
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesday, November 1st, 2023, 2:00PM to 3:00PM PT in AIRB 1030
Facilitator: McKenna Middleton (mrmiddle@uci.edu), DTEI Educational Development Scholar
Quizzes, exams, papers and assessments are an opportunity for students to show instructors what they understand about the course. However, students and instructors alike may find themselves overwhelmed with the prospect of assessments.
In this workshop, you will identify inclusive, effective assessment techniques that can set students up for success. You will discuss the implementation of low-stakes formative assessments in your courses. You will consider evidence-based pedagogical strategies for efficient grading that incorporate effective feedback, rubrics, and metacognitive reflections.
This workshop partially meets the requirements for the “Assessment” and “Inclusive Teaching” modules for the Certificate in Teaching Excellence.
Gradescope Bubble Sheets As a Scantron Alternative
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, October 26th, 2023, 2:00PM to 3:00PM PT
Presenters: Jennifer Foung, Instructional Designer, DTEI, Brian Sato, Associate Dean, DTEI
Gradescope Bubble Sheets is a powerful tool designed to streamline the way you handle and grade multiple-choice, hand-written assessments. In this workshop, we will walk you through step-by-step how to deliver bubble sheet assessments, set up an answer key and push grades back into Canvas. Gradescope Bubble Sheets will be able to help you reduce grading time, access valuable data about student understanding, and allow you to fully control the grading and feedback process. Register for this workshop to learn how to get started with Gradescope Bubble Sheets today!
Keeping the Pedagogical Design in Mind When Creating a Canvas Course Space
Date, Time, and Location: Monday, October 23rd, 2023, 1:00PM to 3:00PM PT
Presenters: Megan Linos, Director of Digital and Online Teaching (DOT)
In this workshop, we will review key design elements, showcase a DTEI Canvas course sample, and share the use of various course design tools and templates to start designing a Canvas course. Participants will exchange experiences and begin creating a real course on Canvas from scratch.
2022 - 2023
Spring 2023
Keeping the Pedagogical Design in Mind When Setting Up a Canvas Course Space
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesday, September 20th, 2023, 10:00AM to 12:00PM PT, Online
Presenters: Megan Linos, Director of Digital and Online Teaching (DOT)
This hands-on workshop is designed to help faculty set up their Canvas course space for Fall 2023. We will review some key design elements and showcase a DTEI Canvas course sample in the first hour. Then, the participants will work in small groups led by the DTEI instructional designers to set up their Canvas space.
Digital Tools for Student Engagement: Rethinking Assessment Via Annotation
Date, Time, and Location: Monday, May 8th, 2023, 10:30AM to 11:30AM PT
Presenter: Barry Goldenberg, Education
Are you struggling to make sure your students are engaging with course reading assignments? Are Canvas discussion boards not doing the trick? Well, social annotation might be the solution! In his final workshop of the academic year, faculty fellow Barry Goldenberg, from the School of Education, will introduce Hypothesis—an accessible, engaging, and easy-to-use (for instructors and students) social annotation tool—and how it can be used to increase student engagement with course texts and reading materials. While this workshop will provide an overview of the “nuts and bolts” of Hypothesis and the benefits of social annotation, more importantly, it will demonstrate how to use Hypothesis and the process of social annotation as a primary mode of assessment in reading-intensive courses.
Teaching & Learning Together: How to Build a Collaborative Teaching Team
Date, Time, and Location: Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023, 11:00AM to 12:30PM PT
Presenters: Brandon Golob, Criminology, Law & Society; Karma Rose Zavita, Graduate Student – Criminology, Law & Society; Isabel Patten, Graduate Student – Criminology, Law & Society
In this workshop, we will explore tactics for building an effective teaching team. When instructors, teaching assistants, and learning assistants collaborate, we learn from one another and discover creative ways to teach our students across different instructional modalities. We encourage you to bring a device to get the most out of this active workshop!
Help Students Learn How To Learn: Team Sports Coaching Can Motivate Students To Learn More Effectively In The Classroom
Date, Time, and Location: Tuesday, April 25th, 2023, 10:30AM to 12:00PM PT
Presenters: Patrick Hong, Engineering; Scott Juniper, UCI Women’s Soccer Head Coach
Practice. Practice. Practice. We have heard the standard advice if we want to do anything well. To gain knowledge or skill, repeated drills (on the field or in the classroom) help us develop muscle memory, physically and mentally. However, that’s not enough. Authentic learning comes when one can apply the same practiced knowledge or skill in an unknown environment when it counts, such as during game time or beyond the classroom in the workplace. Come to the workshop with your device and join UCI Women’s Soccer Head Coach Scott Juniper to explore pedagogy and digital tools that empower students to practice effective learning through critical thinking and teamwork and confidently tackle future workforce demands.
Winter 2023
Digital Grading of Paper-Based Assessments to Improve Teaching Efficiency
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesday, March 1st, 2023, 1:00PM to 2:00PM PT
Presenters: Brigitte Baldi, Statistics, Natalia Chernyshoff, Social Sciences
The Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI) is hosting a workshop series on Exam Digitization and Grading using tools like Canvas and Gradescope to support the assessment delivery and grading process. In this workshop, we will examine how instructors can deliver a paper-based assessment in the classroom but grade them online efficiently. Faculty guest speakers will present how they currently use Gradescope Exams to upload student exams and use Gradescope’s rubrics to facilitate consistent grading and feedback.
Fully Digitizing Exams using Online Quizzing Tools
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023, 1:00PM to 2:00PM PT
Presenters: Brigitte Baldi, Statistics, Rachael Barry, Biological Sciences
The Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI) is hosting a workshop series on Exam Digitization and Grading using tools like Canvas and Gradescope to support the assessment delivery and grading process. In this workshop, we will discuss the benefits and compare the pros and cons of creating online assessments using Canvas Quizzes and Gradescope. Faculty guest speakers will share how they use these tools to deliver, grade, and manage exams online. The participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, engage in peer discussions, explore the latest trends, and learn the best practices to stay ahead of the curve.
Setting up Take-Home Exams and Assignments for Online Submission
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Presenters: Jennifer Wong-Ma, Information & Computer Sciences, Ana Garcia Vedrenne, Biological Sciences
The Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI) is hosting a workshop series on Exam Digitization and Grading using tools like Canvas and Gradescope to support the assessment delivery and grading process. In this workshop, we will explore different options to deliver take-home exams/assignments for students to submit their work online through Canvas Assignments or Gradescope Homework/Problem Set. Faculty guest speakers will also demonstrate how they save time and effort to deliver, grade, and manage student work using these online tools.
Digital Tools for Student Engagement: Innovative Content Creation & Delivery
Date, Time, and Location: Monday, February 13th, 2023, 1:00PM to 2:30PM PT
Presenter: Barry Goldenberg, Education
Tired of PowerPoint presentations? Want to explore another way to deliver your lecture content? Wish you had a presentation platform to “jump around” on instead of linear slides? In this workshop we will introduce the use of Prezi, a non-linear presentation platform that allows for the creation of dynamic, colorful, and engaging presentations that encourages student interaction with course content. This workshop will explore the unique features and uses of Prezi through real examples, followed by a walkthrough of how to get started in designing your own presentation on the platform.
We encourage you to bring a laptop to get the most out of this hands-on workshop!
Introduction to Exam Digitization and Converting a Scantron-based Exam Online using Gradescope Bubble Sheets
Date, Time, and Location: Wednesday, February 8th, 2023, 1:00PM to 2:00PM PT
Presenters: Megan Linos, Director of Digital and Online Teaching (DOT), Constance Huang, Interim Director, Academic Testing Center, Jennifer Foung, Instructional Designer, DTEI
The Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI) is hosting a workshop series on Exam Digitization and Grading using tools like Canvas and Gradescope to support the assessment delivery and grading process. In this workshop, we will introduce exam digitization and grading options, and demonstrate how a digitization process can alleviate common issues with paper assessments and grading. The representative of the Academic Testing Center (ATC) will also share an update about ATC services. Finally, the participants will learn how to digitize the traditional scantron exam efficiently using Gradescope Bubble Sheets.
Embedding Digital Literacy Across Disciplines
Date, Time, and Location: Tuesday, February 7th, 2023, 10:00AM to 11:30AM PT
Presenter: Brandon Golob, Criminology, Law & Society
Digital literacy is a crucial competency for our students. In this workshop, we will explore the foundations of digital literacy, why it matters for student learning, and how to embed it in assessments. Regardless of discipline-specific goals, promoting digital literacy is beneficial for our students, ourselves, and our society at large.
Bring the Growth Mindset of a Sports Coach to the Classroom: A Workshop on Teaching Critical Thinking
Date, Time, and Location: Tuesday, January 31st, 2023, 10:30AM to 12:00PM PT
Presenter: Patrick Hong, Engineering
In this workshop, we will explore strategies for integrating critical thinking into your teaching practice, much like a sports coach incorporates it into their team’s training. By focusing on critical thinking skills and digital tools like ChatGPT, Poll Everywhere, Wordwall, etc., instructors can help students become more analytical and independent lifelong learners and increase engagement in their classrooms.
Fall 2022
Canvas Course Design Workshop
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, December 8th, 2022 & Friday, December 9th, 2022, 10:00AM to 11:30AM PT, Online
Presenter: Jennifer Foung, Instructional Designer, DTEI
The Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI) hosts a Canvas Bootcamp Workshop to assist faculty in designing Canvas courses in preparation for teaching in Winter 2023. This workshop will discuss best practices in course structure and design, do’s and don’ts and accessibility considerations. Participants will have the opportunity to work with DTEI instructional designers to get started in transforming a Canvas course space to enhance the student learning
experience.
Please join one of the two following Canvas course design workshops:
- Thursday, December 08, 2022, from 10 AM to 11:30 AM on Zoom
- Friday, December 09, 2022, from 10 AM to 11:30 AM on Zoom
Watch 12/08 Recording
Watch 12/09 Recording
Digital Tools for Student Engagement: Classroom Learning & Collaboration
Date, Time, and Location: Tuesday, November 15th, 2022, 11:00AM to 12:30PM PT
Presenter: Barry Goldenberg, Education
Tired of the usual think-pair-share activity? This workshop will present two digital tools that engage students in collaborative ways and promote shared thinking and active interaction with course content. This workshop will cover the What, Why and How of Padlet & Mentimeter, including best practices and effective methods of implementation.
We encourage you to bring a laptop to get the most out of this hands-on workshop!
Building Class Community in Various Instructional Modalities
Date, Time, and Location: Tuesday November 8th, 2022, 10:00AM to 12:00PM PT
Presenter: Brandon Golob, Criminology, Law & Society
In this workshop, we will explore different practices and activities for helping students connect to course material and each other to cultivate class community regardless of instructional modality.
We encourage you to bring a laptop to get the most out of this active workshop!
Want Your Students to be More Engaged in Learning? Teach Like a Coach
Date, Time, and Location: Tuesday, November 1st, 2022, 10:30AM to 12:00PM PT
Presenters: Patrick Hong, Engineering
Instead of thinking our jobs as instructors are to dissimulate knowledge and assess retention, what about considering our roles more like coaches in sports? We provide foundational knowledge as guidance in the huddle (lectures). During practice (most of the class time), we stand on the sidelines and cheer them on as they help each other and apply the knowledge through constructive failures. After repeated practice, we watch them able to make decisions on their own at game time when it counts (final assignments), adapting to new, never-seen-before conditions. All this is active learning! Come to the workshop to learn best practices from different instructors across different disciplines and class sizes on how active learning can be implemented with various digital technologies.
2021 - 2022
Spring 2022
Designing an Engaging and Visually Appealing Canvas Course Space
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, May 19th, 2022, 1:30PM to 2:30PM PT
Presenter: Jennifer Foung, Instructional Designer, DTEI
Whether teaching an in-person, online, or hybrid course, an easily navigable, appealing, and learner-friendly Canvas course space is essential to support student learning and keep your students engaged. The DTEI instructional designers have developed a faculty-friendly and easily adopted Canvas template, and they offer a training workshop every academic quarter to facilitate faculty integrating this template into their Canvas your course space online. This DTEI Canvas template, including various Canvas layouts and page designs, will be introduced. Participants will learn how to customize the Canvas template and use the built-in design toolkit, such as banners, icons, and images, to develop a student-centered course space online. We will also discuss the best practices, examples, and accessibility considerations in this session. Participants will be guided to get started in transforming a Canvas course space to enhance student learning experience.
Using Canvas Assignments and Calendar to Enhance Learning Collaboration
Date, Time, and Location: Tuesday, May 12th, 2022, 1:30PM to 2:30PM PT
Presenter: Fanny Tsai, Instructional Designer, DTEI; Zachary Zahringer, Instructional Technologist, OIT; Cydney Palecek, Technology Support Specialist, OIT
Many faculty have raised a common question about how to use Canvas tools to set up group work and foster learning collaboration in the classroom.. In this workshop, we will demonstrate effective ways to use Canvas discussion boards to encourage student interaction, best practices in using Canvas assignments to set up group work, peer reviews and link external tools, and how to use Canvas Calendar to create group events or schedule office hours. By the end of this session, instructors will have the tools and knowledge they need to set up their Canvas Course spaces in a way that promotes teamwork, communication and a cohesive classroom atmosphere.
Step Forward to Inclusive Teaching
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, May 5th, 2022, 1:30PM to 3:00PM PT
Presenter: Bo Choi, Instructional Designer, DTEI; Anita C. Bradford, Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Chicano/Latino Studies; Pavan Kadandale, Associate Professor of Teaching, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
One of the first places that our students encounter and experience true college life happens in the classroom. Therefore it is crucial to make your classroom more inclusive and more accessible so that all students are given the opportunity to experience and thrive in their learning.
In this session, we will start with questions, what is inclusive teaching and why it should be important to you? What things can be done to make the teaching and learning environment more inclusive? We have invited UCI faculty who will share the importance and awareness of Inclusive teaching and the impact it has on our students to thrive to success. Rethinking about how to measure student’s learning and fostering a growth mindset into their teaching to promote inclusion.
Encouraging Ownership and Agency in Flipped and Online Classrooms
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, April 28th, 2022, 1:30PM to 2:30PM PT
Presenters: Janet DiVincenzo, Instructional Designer, DTEI; Emily Brauer Rogers, Lecturer, Composition Program
Are you looking for ways to increase student engagement in your classes? How do you get students passionate about their projects? What makes learning meaningful? In this session, participants will come away with strategies for encouraging students to take ownership of their assignments and learning through assignment scaffolding, individualization, and gamification. This webinar will demonstrate easy-to-implement techniques using Canvas, specifically portfolios and the gradebook to help individualize work.
They’re Not Just Guest Speakers: Integrating the Best of the UC System and Beyond
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, April 14th, 2022, 1:30PM to 2:30PM PT
Presenters: Janet DiVincenzo, Instructional Designer, DTEI; Paul Piff, Associate Professor, Psychological Science
In this workshop, participants will learn some best practices for integrating contributions from faculty across the UC system and beyond to create a vibrant and highly engaging multi-disciplinary online course. The discussion will touch on topics such as visual branding, the project management of multiple contributors, and the role of the lead instructor.
Winter 2022
Preparing Learning Content and Instructional Videos for Bite Size Online Delivery
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, February 17, 2022, 1:30PM to 2:30PM PT
Presenters: Natalie Hadland, Video Producer, UCI Media; Megan Linos, Director of Digital and Online Teaching (DOT)
Most traditional lectures given in the lecture hall can range from 50-80 minutes. However, student attention spans online are not what they are in the classroom, and lecture videos should be more in the ballpark of ten minutes. So how do you decide how to take material that you have prepared to be delivered in the long format of the lecture hall and format it for online delivery? Can this only be done ahead of time, or can you take long videos you’ve already filmed and retrofit them for online learning? In this workshop, we will explain the importance of digital content and instructional videos for online learning. We will also share practical techniques of helping students retain knowledge by dividing lecture content and instructional videos into bite sized chunks.
Being Mindful of Teaching Accessibility when using Classroom Technologies to Engage Students
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, February 10th, 2022, 1:30PM to 2:30PM PT
Presenters: Fanny Tsai, Instructional Designer, DTEI; Kelsey Layos, Classroom Technology Liaison and Application Support Specialist, Office of Instructional Technology; Natalie Hadland, Video Producer, UCI Media
Cultivating an accessible learning environment for all students is a vital commitment for every instructor. In this session, we will demonstrate various classroom technologies available at UCI (e.g., Poll Everywhere) and provide best practice guidelines to foster teaching accessibility. We will also discuss accessibility considerations for recording in-person class meetings or when providing lecture recordings to support absent/remote students. Finally, we will review some tips and tricks for using existing Campus-wide tools (classroom technology) and applications to engage students, regardless of any teaching mode.
Who Are Our Students? Understanding The Diversity of UCI and Taking The First Step in Inclusive Excellence
Date, Time, and Location Thursday, February 3rd, 2023, 1:30PM to 2:30PM PT
Presenters: Bo Choi, Instructional Designer, DTEI; Joseph Morales, Assistant Director, Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIE); Karen Andrews, Director, Disability Services Center (DSC)
To keep moving forward with creating a more inclusive teaching and learning environment at UCI, it’s essential to know “why” and “who” are the recipients/beneficiaries to this shift or change. In this session, Dr. Joseph Morales, assistant director of the Office of Inclusive Excellence, will share the diversity of our student population at UCI; specifically, UCI’s status as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). Karen Andrews, director of UCI’s Disability Services Center, will then share about different types of disabilities, bring awareness to our current students who are registered at the DSC and also students who are not registered but are still in much need, and the impact that a more inclusive teaching and learning environment will bring to all students.
Designing an Engaging and Visually Appealing Canvas Course Space
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, January 27th, 2022, 1:30PM to 2:30PM PT
Presenter: Jennifer Foung, Instructional Designer, DTEI
Whether you’re teaching in-person, online or hybrid, an appealing, easily navigable and user-friendly Canvas course space will help support student learning and keep your students engaged. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to a Canvas course template which will include a variety of home page, content page and layout designs. Participants will be shown how to use the built-in Canvas design toolkit which will contain matching banners, icons and images that can be used to further customize the look and feel of the course space. Finally best practices, use cases for different layouts, and accessibility considerations will be discussed. By the end of this workshop participants will have the tools they need to start transforming their courses and create a course space that is user-friendly, organized and fun to navigate!
Designing Creative and Engaging Digital Assignments
Date, Time, and Location: Thursday, January 20, 2022, 1:30PM to 3:00PM PT
Presenters: Kailey Baez, Instructional Designer, DTEI; Christine King, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Samueli School of Engineering; Joab Corey, Associate Professor of Teaching, Economics, UC Riverside
This workshop will introduce ways in which you can integrate a variety of digital engagement, productivity, and design tools into your teaching. Ways to create more engaging, reflective, collaborative, and meaningful assignments to enhance students’ learning experience will also be highlighted. In this session, UC faculty across multiple disciplines will showcase innovative teaching ideas that actively engage students in various modes of learning. We will share best practices and strategies on how you can rethink and implement engaging assignments without completely redesigning them. Participants will walk away from this workshop with new ideas and a repository of digital tools in-hand to start enhancing and creating exciting and engaging digital assignments.