2021 Newsletter - August
teach.usu.edu: A New Hub for All Things Teaching
Several teams on campus support teaching and learning, but knowing where to look can be challenging. USU’s new teaching website, teach.usu.edu, brings together help guides from multiple teams, along with the links to services, request forms, event notifications, and more. It is the central hub where you can find the help you need for your teaching without having to know first who does what.
teach.usu.edu is a new teaching resource that combines tutorials and help guides from the Center for Instructional Design and Innovation (CIDI), Classroom Support, and Empower Teaching Excellence (ETE). On this new website, faculty will find
- instructions for using tools such as Canvas, Kaltura (video recording, uploading, and streaming), Zoom, and more,
- teaching tips for the online, hybrid, and face-to-face teaching,
- workshop and event schedules and sign-ups.
Most of the tools instruction pages now include brief videos to walk you through the steps. We hope this new website will provide an easy way for you to find the support you need to teach your classes this fall.
August/September Training Opportunities
The lead-up to fall 2021 features many training opportunities. Click the links below for more information!
- Empower Teaching Excellence Conference. This is the premier annual event to kick off the school year. This year the program was packed. Get access to the session archives soon at the ETE Conference website.
- CIDI Workshops. Workshops cover a broad range of tools and topics and are all over Zoom. Register on the CIDI Workshops page.
New Technology Tools and Updates
Below is a list of updates to Canvas that can be used in your courses, also a University-wide email update will make some tools easier for students to utilize.
- Canvas has released their New Analytics tool.
- A new Discussions redesign can be enabled in Canvas.
- New Assignment Enhancements can be enabled in Canvas.
- The SpeedGrader now features a comment library.
- Email changes make Office 365 tools easier for students to use.
Fall Preparation Tips
- Review the Pre-semester Online Checklist.
- Import your Canvas content to your Fall 2021 courses.
- Update your due dates in Canvas on import or using the Edit Assignment Dates tool.
- For fun, learn more about Playful Pedagogy.
Contact an Instructional Designer
CIDI is here to help make sure your courses are ready for students, usable, and accessible. We are available to help you build course content using Canvas and other tools, answer questions, and provide pedagogical tips and support at no cost to you. You can schedule an appointment with one of us online. You can also reach CIDI on chat, via phone at 435.797.9506, or via email to cidi@usu.edu.