CETL Blog

Deleting Everything in a D2L Course Site – Updated

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to delete everything (content and activities) in your D2L course in order to “start from scratch”. Note that you cannot “delete all” in one step – you will need to delete the content/activities in each tool used in the course separately.

We recommend that you do not delete everything in course site that has student data in it (i.e., a course site for a past offering). It is better to do this in a DEV or MASTER course site only.

If the course you are deleting from also has custom homepages or navigation bars, or incorporates tools beyond the list below (for example the Glossary or Survey tools), you will need to delete content contained in those tools as well. If you are unsure of how to delete content from homepages, navigation bars or other tools not included in this tutorial, contact desupport@camosun.ca or an instructional designer for assistance.

Deleting Content and Files in File Manager

  1. Go to the Content tool in your course.
  2. Click on the down arrow next to Table of Contents (at the top of the page), and select Delete All Modules.Select Delete all Modules
  3. To delete all Modules and Topics in the Content tool, as well as all the linked files (stored in Manage Files) AND linked activities (in other D2L tools), select the second option in the pop-up box.Select the second option and click Delete
  4. Now, click on Related Tools and select Manage Files.Under Related Tools, select Manage Files
  5. Click on the select box at the top of the File Manager table to select everything in the table. Then click on the trash can, and click Yes in the Confirmation pop-up window.Select all in Manage Files and click the trash can to delete

Deleting Quizzes

  1. Go to the Quizzes tool in your course.
  2. Click on the select box at the top of the quizzes table to select all quizzes in your list. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.Select all quizzes, under More Actions select Delete
  3. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.In the pop-up box select Delete
  4. Next, click on Question Library.Click Question Library
  5. Click on the select box at the top of the Question Library table to select everything in the list. Click on the trash can/Delete.Select all in the Question Library, then click Delete
  6. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.Click Delete

Deleting Assignment Activities

  1. Go to the Assignments tool in your course.
  2. Click on the select box at the top of the Assignments table to select all Assignments in your list. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.Select all Assignments, under More Actions, select Delete
  3. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.Click Delete

Deleting Gradebook Items

  1. Go to the Grades tool in your course.
  2. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.

    Under More Actions, select Delete

  3. Click on the select box at the top of the Delete Grade Items and Categories table to select everything in the list and click Delete. NOTE: If grade items are attached to other activities in your D2L course site (eg, a dropbox or quiz), you will need to delete those activities BEFORE you can delete their grade items.

    Select all grade items, and click Delete

  4. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.

    In the pop-up box, click Delete

Deleting Discussion Forums and Topics

  1. Go to the Discussions tool in your course.
  2. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.

    Under More Actions, select Delete

  3. Click on the select box at the top of the Delete Forums and Topics table to select everything in the list and click Delete.

    Select all the forums and topics, and click Delete

  4. NOTE: You will NOT be asked to confirm the deletion of Discussion Forums and Topics. BUT you will be able to restore them later if you have deleted them in error.

Deleting News Items

  1. Go to your Course Homepage.
  2. Click News (to go to the News tool).

    Click News to go to the News tool

  3. Click on the select box at the top of the News listing to select everything in the list and click Delete.

    Select all your News items, and click Delete

  4. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Yes.

    In the pop-up box, click Yes

Things to Remember

Note that even if you delete Discussion Forums and Topics, you can restore them at any time (they are never really gone). This is the same for Dropbox activities, Grade items, and News items.

This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.Icons by the Noun Project.

 

 

 

Deleting Everything in a D2L Course Site – Updated

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to delete everything (content and activities) in your D2L course in order to “start from scratch”. Note that you cannot “delete all” in one step – you will need to delete the content/activities in each tool used in the course separately.

We recommend that you do not delete everything in course site that has student data in it (i.e., a course site for a past offering). It is better to do this in a DEV or MASTER course site only.

If the course you are deleting from also has custom homepages or navigation bars, or incorporates tools beyond the list below (for example the Glossary or Survey tools), you will need to delete content contained in those tools as well. If you are unsure of how to delete content from homepages, navigation bars or other tools not included in this tutorial, contact desupport@camosun.ca or an instructional designer for assistance.

Deleting Content and Files in File Manager

  1. Go to the Content tool in your course.
  2. Click on the down arrow next to Table of Contents (at the top of the page), and select Delete All Modules.Select Delete all Modules
  3. To delete all Modules and Topics in the Content tool, as well as all the linked files (stored in Manage Files) AND linked activities (in other D2L tools), select the second option in the pop-up box.Select the second option and click Delete
  4. Now, click on Related Tools and select Manage Files.Under Related Tools, select Manage Files
  5. Click on the select box at the top of the File Manager table to select everything in the table. Then click on the trash can, and click Yes in the Confirmation pop-up window.Select all in Manage Files and click the trash can to delete

Deleting Quizzes

  1. Go to the Quizzes tool in your course.
  2. Click on the select box at the top of the quizzes table to select all quizzes in your list. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.Select all quizzes, under More Actions select Delete
  3. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.In the pop-up box select Delete
  4. Next, click on Question Library.Click Question Library
  5. Click on the select box at the top of the Question Library table to select everything in the list. Click on the trash can/Delete.Select all in the Question Library, then click Delete
  6. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.Click Delete

Deleting Assignment Activities

  1. Go to the Assignments tool in your course.
  2. Click on the select box at the top of the Assignments table to select all Assignments in your list. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.Select all Assignments, under More Actions, select Delete
  3. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.Click Delete

Deleting Gradebook Items

  1. Go to the Grades tool in your course.
  2. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.

    Under More Actions, select Delete

  3. Click on the select box at the top of the Delete Grade Items and Categories table to select everything in the list and click Delete. NOTE: If grade items are attached to other activities in your D2L course site (eg, a dropbox or quiz), you will need to delete those activities BEFORE you can delete their grade items.

    Select all grade items, and click Delete

  4. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Delete.

    In the pop-up box, click Delete

Deleting Discussion Forums and Topics

  1. Go to the Discussions tool in your course.
  2. Click on the More Actions drop-down menu, and select Delete.

    Under More Actions, select Delete

  3. Click on the select box at the top of the Delete Forums and Topics table to select everything in the list and click Delete.

    Select all the forums and topics, and click Delete

  4. NOTE: You will NOT be asked to confirm the deletion of Discussion Forums and Topics. BUT you will be able to restore them later if you have deleted them in error.

Deleting News Items

  1. Go to your Course Homepage.
  2. Click News (to go to the News tool).

    Click News to go to the News tool

  3. Click on the select box at the top of the News listing to select everything in the list and click Delete.

    Select all your News items, and click Delete

  4. In the Confirmation pop-up box, click Yes.

    In the pop-up box, click Yes

Things to Remember

Note that even if you delete Discussion Forums and Topics, you can restore them at any time (they are never really gone). This is the same for Dropbox activities, Grade items, and News items.

This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.Icons by the Noun Project.

 

 

 

Media tagging advice and best practices: A Kaltura tutorial

The goal of this post (written by Alexandra Flynn, one of our Camosun librarians) is to encourage thoughtful collaboration regarding Kaltura media tagging. This will lead to the creation of a tagging system that makes sense to your department and for the users most likely to be accessing your media content on Kaltura.

Definitions

For the purposes of this post:

  • Private content means media that is limited to student use in D2L, for internal college or department use only, and requires a login to view; Public content is general promotional or information sharing/ instruction that does not require a Kaltura login.
  • Tags: are alternate search terms or keywords that you create which help people discover or retrieve your videos and help you and your colleagues organize them [1].
  • Taxonomy: “A hierarchical classification scheme made up of categories and subcategories of information plus a controlled vocabulary of terms, usually used to describe a specific area of knowledge [2].”
  • Folksonomy: “The mental model, or classification system, of a taxonomy of content or concepts in the minds of content consumers. Includes vocabulary, organization, relationships, and interactions [2].”

General advice

Imagine only be able to search for TV shows by episode number, or using a music app that organized all songs by release date rather than musician or band name! Such frustration should be avoided; having a logical tagging system helps!

  1. Avoid repetition; do not re-use information that you entered as part of the upload process.  Example: no need to have a ‘CHEM’ or ‘COOK’ as a tag because the Kaltura Upload interface requires you to add a Course Code.
  2. Avoid tags that are too generic like “Assignment 1” – or “Unit 1”
  3. Do use specific terms that provide immediate clarity: ”Thermodynamics”
  4. Do meet with your department/program group to decide which tags to use or to choose a guiding theme or taxonomy your group will follow 

Possible strategies to guide tag creation

Recommendation 1: Pair the category tag (in bold) with course or assignment specific tag

Examples:

  • Keyword tags pulled from assignments, for exampleEssay-Research | Essay-argumentative | Essay-persuasive
  • Learning outcomes/objectives, for exampleatomic mass factual, meat cutting procedure, etc [3]
  • Cognitive process (create, evaluate), for example analyse author bias [3]
  • Media content/purpose, for example demonstration, promotional, problem-solve etc.
  • Audience for example prospective students, Camosun employees, Community Partners

Recommendation 2: Add additional information as per the Upload interface (see image)

  • Department/Program
  • Course name and number
  • Term and Year

Your media content can then still be easily discoverable without the use of tags.

Fields for organization

Recommendation 3: Additional considerations

  • For private / Instructional content, your department/program group may decide you do not need tags.
  • For public or promotional material, you may intentionally use tags that overlap with other departments, programs, or student events.
  • Do you want a hierarchy of granularity or specificity? Three levels of required information (highlighted in image) may mean you decide to limit tags to three levels. [4]
  • Do you want students to be able to add tags? Social-tagging/folksonomies are often ambiguous, unrelated to content or create unwanted overlap with other media [1].

Sample Tagging Practice

The image below shows the tags that were added to a short video of the games and puzzles in the Interurban library (the tags include promotions, interurban, marketing, board games, library, puzzles, and stress busting.)

In the image, the Marketing tag is marked with a red X because it is too vague; it could indicate a Marketing Course, or the college Marketing Department, or part of an event. That tag should be removed. Additionally, Promotions could be changed to Library marketing and Interurban could be replaced with Interurban Library, etc.

Tag examples

Best Practices for you & your department/program group

  1. Have a meeting or create a shared document to decide what tagging strategies you will use.
  2. Create a list of agreed-upon tags and distribute to all Kaltura users in your department.
  3. Make sure this information is shared with new Kaltura users and eLearning (the Kaltura administrators).
  4. Create tag guidelines for students who will be uploading media that they have created.
  5. Anticipate how terminology in your disciple overlaps with other disciplines and use language that is more precise. Example “CREST Scan” instead of “Environmental scan” to tag a Business course video.

References

[1] J. Ignacio Vazquez, J, Abaitua, and D. LĂłpez de Ipiña. Feb. 2006. [Online]. “The Ubiquitous Web as a model to lead our environments to their full potential” W3. Available: https://www.w3.org/2006/02/Deusto_Position_Paper_v1.0.pdf [Accessed: Mar. 26, 2019]

[2] “Taxonomy – the secret ingredient of great content – and how it is linked to business strategy” The Verditer. Jan. 16, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.theverditer.com/blog/2019/1/15/taxonomy- the-secret-ingredient-of-great-content-and-how-it-is-linked-to-business-strategy   [Accessed: Mar. 25, 2019]

[3] “Ensuring Technological Plurality through effective Learning Design” SlideShare. Jan. 26, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.slideshare.net/Simon_Atkinson/ensuring-technological-plurality-through-effective-learning-design [Accessed: Mar. 25, 2019]

[4] “Digital Commons Three-Tiered List of Academic Disciplines” bepress. Jan. 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.bepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Digital-Commons-Disciplines-taxonomy-2017-01.pdf [Accessed: Mar. 25, 2019]

Universal Design for Learning conference at Royal Roads University!

The Third Pan-Canadian Conference on UDL will take place at Royal Roads University October 2- 4, 2019. This is an amazing opportunity for people working in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), wanting to connect with some of the leaders in the field, or wanting to find out more about UDL and what it might mean for their teaching and learning.  Early bird registration is available until the end of this month, so check it out – I hope to see you there!

Rather than repeat everything on the conference website, I am simply going to give you the link to it here.

https://udlcanada.ca/index.html

 

 

Adding Links to Library Resources – a D2L Tutorial

I posted a version of this tutorial about 4 years ago (can you believe it?), but things in D2L have changed a bit, so I thought it would be a good time for a refresher!  So, here I will cover the steps involved with adding licensed library e-resource permalinks into the HTML editor. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will work in the Content tool. For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca  for assistance.

Steps

  1. Go to the Content tool in your course.
  2. In the Table of Contents box, click on the title of the Module to which you wish to add your library resource links.Click the title of the Module to which you want to add your library resource links
  3. Click on the New button and choose Create a File.Click New then Create a File
  4. Give your new Content page a Title, then add some text into the HTML editor (for example, to set the context for the article you are going to link to), then put your cursor where you would like the link to the library resource to appear (in the image below, the cursor is below the text). Then click the Insert Stuff icon.Give your page a title, then click Insert Stuff
  5. In the Insert Stuff box that opens, click Insert Link.Click Insert Link
  6. Open a new browser tab or window, and go to the Camosun Library website to search for the article you wish to link to in D2L. (For more information on permalinks, persistent links and stable URLs, go to the Camosun Library’s Libguides (http://camosun.ca.libguides.com/c.php?g=92275&p=1238057).
    1. If your licensed library e-resource has a permalink (or persistent link/stable URL) option, first click on the Permalink option, then copy the link that appears in the Permalink box and paste the permalink into the Insert Link URL box.

      Find a permalink for your article and copy it
      Paste the permalink into the Insert Link URL box

    2. If your licensed library e-resource does NOT have a permalink option, contact Camosun Library staff for help.
  7. Once you have copied the appropriate link into the Insert Link box, click Next.

    Click Next

  8. Add the title of the article into the Link Text box. If you don’t add anything here, students will see the full URL (which can be a bit long). Click Insert. The library resource has now been linked in your Content page. Note that the link will open in a new tab or window when the students click on it.

    Add Link Text, then click Insert

  9. Make sure that you use the Change Path button to save your file to the appropriate folder in your Manage Files area. Then click Publish or Save as Draft. Remember that if you save your file as draft, you will need to publish it before students can see it.

    lick Change Path to make sure your file is saving to the right place in Manage Files, then click Publish or Save as Draft.

Things to Remember

DO NOT use the Quicklink –> URL option to add permalinks to the HTML editor in D2L. Always use Insert Stuff. In fact, we recommend you always use Insert Stuff when adding web links of any kind into an HTML page in D2L.

It’s a good idea to test the link to your library resource once you have Published or Saved as Draft to ensure that it works, and that it opens the page/document you wish it to open. We also recommend you test opening the link from off-campus to make sure students will also be able to access it from off-campus (using their C# and password.)

This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.Icons by the Noun Project.

A Brief Introduction to ePortfolio in D2L

Looking for options for your students to collect and share documents, assessments, presentations, etc. with other students and faculty across their Program? You might want to come see us to find out how ePortfolio in D2L might support you and your students!

D2L’s ePortfolio is a personal portfolio tool for storing, organizing, reflecting on, and sharing items that represent their learning. Students can include items such as documents, graphics, audio files, videos, presentations, and course work to demonstrate their improvement or mastery in certain areas.

ePortfolio is a system-wide tool which can be accessed by students in any course, and because it is a D2L tool, students can use ePortfolio to save course-related materials so that they can access them for as long as they are registered at Camosun, and they can export some of their ePortfolio items when they leave.

Students can control what items they want to include in their portfolios, how portfolios are organized, and who they are shared with. When items are shared items with peers, mentors, or potential employers, students can control permission to view items, edit items, see or add comments, and see or add assessments to receive feedback.

ePortfolio items and collections can be shared with other students and with instructors, added to the Assignment tool, and used to create presentations. In addition, comments can be enabled on artifacts, collections, reflections, presentations (which can be shared externally to D2L as well), etc., and others in the course can provide evaluation and feedback through the Assignments tool or using Rubrics.

Items that can be saved to ePortfolio include:

  • Reflections (to which you could embed a video or audio file, for example from Kaltura)
  • Links to external websites
  • Files uploaded from a device (documents, images, audio files, etc.)
  • D2L News items
  • D2L Grade items (but ONLY if the instructor has enabled that feature)
  • D2L Quiz Submissions (but ONLY if the instructor has enabled that feature)
  • D2L Assignment submissions (but ONLY if the instructor has enabled that feature)

If you would like to find out more about ePortfolio and how it could be used to support you and your students, contact desupport@camosun.ca to arrange for a consult with one of our instructional designers. To find out more about the benefits of keeping an ePortfolio, check out the following websites:

Uploading Media to Kaltura’s My Media in D2L

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to upload a video (or other media file, such as an image or an audio file) from your device into your My Media space (Kaltura) in D2L so that you can then embed it into a D2L page, or add it to a playlist in your Course Media area. Note that there are a few ways to access My Media in D2L – see the tutorial Setting up My Media (Kaltura) in D2L for more information.   For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

  1. Go to your D2L course.
  2. Go to My Media (it may be a link on your NavBar or in your My Tools drop-down menu, or it may be added as a link using Insert Stuff within a Draft Topic in the Content tool) to open your personal Kaltura space. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will have the My Media link on the NavBar.Go to My Media
  3. Click Add New, and select Media Upload.

    Click Add New and select Media Upload

  4. Click Choose a file to upload, find the video file you want to upload from your device, and click Open. All common video, audio and images format are accepted. Only one file can be uploaded at a time.

    Click Choose file to upload
    Select video and click Open

  5. It may take a bit of time for the video file to upload – the bar at the top of the screen will track the upload, and let you know when the upload is complete (as shown in the second image).

    Status bar for video upload
    Completed upload status bar

  6. Fill in the details as listed. You will be required to give your media file a Name, and we highly recommend adding information to the Description, Tags, and the additional fields to help you filter/sort your media files as you build your collection, and to help your students search for specific media files.Tags are words that can be used to search for specific media files, so think of terms that would most likely be used by your students to search for your video.

    Note that you do NOT need to Publish your video for it to be available for use in your course. Click Save when you have filled in all the details (you can edit this information later if needed). Your media file has now been saved to My Media, meaning that it is available for you to use in any of your D2L courses.

    Complete the details as much as you can, then click Save.

Things to Remember

There are additional features you will want to set up before using your video in a course. See the tutorial Adding Features to Your Kaltura Media to learn more.

This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.Icons by the Noun Project.

Setting Up My Media (Kaltura) in D2L

Now that Kaltura is available in Camosun’s D2L, and we have run the first round of workshops for faculty, it’s time to start sharing our tutorials on using Kaltura in D2L.  Remember, Kaltura is our new streaming media service which you (and your students) can use to house your media files, create videos/audio, and integrate your media into your D2L course.

This first tutorial is designed for faculty who have previous experience using D2L, including adding items to a course Navbar and My Tools drop-down menu, and will cover the steps involved when you wish to add Kaltura’s My Media space to your D2L course.  There are three scenarios covered – choose the one that works best for your purpose.  For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

My Media is your own personal media storage space in D2L.  The My Media link gives you access to only YOUR media space, and if a student can see the My Media link, it will give her access to HER media space.  In addition, any media added to My Media will be available across D2L.  This means you can add videos stored in your My Media to any of your D2L courses.

Scenario 1: Adding My Media to your NavBar

If My Media is linked on your NavBar or My Tools drop-down menu, students will also have access to their own media space in Kaltura (this will NOT have an impact on your My Media space.)  Use this option if you would like students to be able to create or upload their own media for sharing in your D2L course (for example, if you would like them to add video/audio as an Assignment, or embed video as part of a Discussion).

Steps

  1. Go to your course in D2L.
  2. Click Edit Course.Click Edit Course
  3. Click Navigation and Themes.Click Navigation and Themes
  4. Click the title of your course’s NavBar. (If you have not yet created your own NavBar, click the down arrow next to Course default 10.3 and click Copy – then click on the title of the Copy.)Click the title of your course navbar
  5. In the Links area, click Add Links.Click Add Links
  6. Scroll down until you find My Media, click the select box next to it, and click Add.Select My Media and click Add.
  7. Click Save and Close.Click Save and Close
  8. Make sure your NavBar is selected as Active in the Active Navbar drop-down menu. You will then see the My Media link appear in your NavBar.My Media appears in the NavBar

Scenario 2: Adding My Media to your My Tools drop-down menu

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to add the link to My Media to the My Tools drop-down menu on the NavBar in your D2L course. Note that if My Media is linked on your NavBar or My Tools drop-down menu, students will also have access to their own media space in Kaltura.

Steps

  1. Go to your course in D2L.
  2. Click Edit Course.
  3. Click Navigation and Themes.
  4. Make sure you have already created custom NavBar for your course (see Customizing your Navigation Bar for more information). Then click Custom Links.Click Custom Links
  5. Click My Tools.Click My Tools
  6. Scroll down to the Links area and click Add Existing Link.Click Add Existing Link
  7. Scroll down until you find My Media, click the select box next to it, and click Add.Select My Media and click Add.
  8. Click Save.Click Save
  9. Click Navbars and make sure your NavBar is selected as Active in the Active Navbar drop-down menu. You will then see the My Media link appear in your My Tools drop-down menu.My Media appears in the My Tools menu

Scenario 3: Adding My Media in a draft Topic in Content

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to add the link to My Media to a draft Content Topic – this will mean that students will not have access to their own My Media space through your course site.

Steps

  1. Go to your course in D2L.
  2. Click My Tools and select Content.Click My Tools and select Content

     

  3. Click the title of the Module you would like to add your draft Topic to. For the purposes of this tutorial, we have added a Module called Kaltura Videos, and set it to Draft.Click the module you want to add your topic to
  4. Click New and select Create a File.Click New and select Create a File
  5. Give your Topic a Title. Then, in the HTML editor box, click Insert Quicklink.Add a title and click Insert Quicklink
  6. Scroll down, and click External Learning Tools.Click External Learning tools
  7. Click My Media launch.Click My Media launch
  8. Click Save as Draft.Click Save as Draft
  9. Click Cancel.Click Cancel
  10. Click the My Media launch link, and the My Media space will open in the Topic window.Click the My Media launch link

    My Media in the Topic window

Things to Remember

If you are not sure how to create a new NavBar or My Tools drop-down menu, see the tutorials Customizing your Navigation Bar and Customizing your My Tools Menu in the On-Demand Training course for more information.

If you need more help creating Topics in the Content tool, see the tutorial Creating Modules and Topics in the Content Tool for more information.

CC-BY This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.Icons by the Noun Project.

Flipping Out over the Flipped Classroom workshop summary

Our Flipping Out over the Flipped Classroom workshop is co-facilitated by members of eLearning and Faculty Development (both units in our Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning unit). It’s one of my favourite workshops to facilitate, partly because it’s a workshop about flipping, which is itself flipped!

One thing faculty quickly realize when they get our reminder email about the workshop (one week in advance of the face-to-face component), and the instructions for how to access the online component of the workshop (which they MUST complete before the face-to-face component
and yes, I have turned people away if they don’t complete it!), is how challenging it is to be self-directed enough to complete activities before coming to the face to face class. And this is what I love most about this workshop – it puts the faculty in the shoes of their students, making them think about why they would flip their classes, and how to encourage students to engage outside of the classroom.

While this time we didn’t have to turn anyone away, several of the attendees noted that they had put off completing the activities until the last minute. It was a good first discussion as we did our initial check-in around the online component. It was great that  everyone ‘fessed up!

After checking in around the online experience, we engaged the participants around the readings they were to have completed, compiling a list of pros/benefits and cons/challenges of flipping the classroom, as well as some ideas for mitigating some of the challenges. This time around, here is what participants came up with:

Pros/Benefits of Flipping the Classroom

  • Active learning
  • Less boredom
  • Controlled pacing
  • Relevance: learning comes to life
  • Addresses multiple learning styles
  • Moving up Bloom’s, can get multiple perspectives to unpack in safe environment
  • Encourages critical thinking
  • Students are more likely to come prepared
  • More engagement with content – “it sticks”

Cons/Challenges of Flipping the Classroom

  • The time it takes an instructor to distill content to the basics, and develop material
  • Need to create small marking rewards (clerical)
  • Accountability (for students)
  • Students resist – they have ideas about the roles of the student and the instructor
  • Students have busy lives, and may lack a good study environment and access (to technology)
  • Interest in topic – how to “hook” the students in

Ideas for Mitigating the Cons/Challenges

  • Collaboration (between instructors)
  • Institutional support
  • Sharing resources between/among faculty to mitigate workload
  • Scaffolding to mitigate student accountability and resistance (e.g., teaching them how to watch videos)
  • Transparency (re: expectations) – why are we doing this?
  • Check-in with students re: their resources, (safe) space, etc.
  • Create more learning commons on campus
  • Find out what’s available to students and let them know
  • Advocate for more resource and support access (evenings, weekends) – writing and learning skills, etc.
  • Scalability – do one thing
  • Create guides for new/term/sessional faculty – shared resources
  • Use flipped activities as formative feedback

We integrate a bit of a lecture into the workshop, discussing how flipping can maximize effectiveness of teaching using Bloom’s taxonomy as a guide. But the real fun in the workshop comes with the Troika Consulting (one of my favourite Liberating Structures activities) where participants work in small groups to get advice on ideas for flipping components of their classes, or for challenges they have faces when flipping. We always mix the groups so they are working with people NOT in their School or discipline, so they can have the joy of discovering new ideas and suggestions.

Main takeaways

  • Networking and sharing and collaborating as a flipped activity and to create flipped activities
  • Don’t need to flip a whole class – can flip a topic or an activity
  • I am not alone – can pull on resources around the college (colleagues, etc.)
  • Need more opportunities for multi-disciplinary things – hear different kinds of creativity when not too silo’ed
  • Don’t always have to be f2f – web lunch meetings – Community of Practice and sharing what they’ve tried and make suggestions – ongoing opportunities?
  • Finding help when you need it is a challenge sometimes – when trying something – need ongoing connection and conversation
  • Is there research that shows flipping works better with certain audiences, topics, etc.?
  • Doesn’t have to be everything, and it’s not just about technology
  • You need to be prepared!
  • It takes courage and preparation
  • Flipping as a Program approach – built into all courses with support for all faculty, collaboratively created activities/resources, build it in gradually so students understand its value

What I was happy to see this time was an emphasis on the collaborative and programmatic approach to flipping, so it is not just one instructor in isolation. When all instructors in a program are flipping, students get used to it, they potentially will engage more, and see the benefits. Something to think about in the grand scheme of things at our institution!

If you are interested, I am including links to the resources participants were required to read/view during the online component of the workshop. If you have questions or comments, please post them here!

BCcampus Open Education

Open Education is a going concern here in B.C. and around the world. If you don’t know a lot about Open Education and Open Educational Resources (OER), a good place to start is the BCcampus Open Education website (https://open.bccampus.ca/)

What I really want to do today, however, is encourage you to explore the many projects and grants available through and supported by BCcampus. I am reblogging their Call for Proposals webpage below, where you can find out more about reviewing open textbooks, or nominating someone for an Award for Excellence in Open Education, as well as about past calls, and current and past Open projects.

If you have any questions about Open Education, contact BCcampus, or email eLearning support to arrange a meeting with one of our instructional designers (desupport@camosun.ca).

Calls, Expressions of Interest, Reviews