An overview of James Lang’s book on cheating lessons
I read an insightful book recently that made me stop and think. It was so inspiring that I decided to blog this fall about the topic. Academic dishonesty is brought up frequently in Teaching and Learning Technologies Online Course Design Working Group lunches and it’s a topic that many of us are concerned about. I’ll begin …
Read MoreBook Review: Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners
Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching by Lehman and Conceicao (2010), discusses how a strong online presence contributes to higher student satisfaction and retention. Students often take online courses without realizing that learning and communicating takes places very differently online. The authors state it is crucial that instructors create a sense of connectivity …
Read MoreBook Review: The Online Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and Practical Pedagogical Tips
The Online Teaching Survival Guide by Boettcher and Conrad (2010), presents theory-based techniques for teaching online and/or blended courses. The book reviews research in cognitive processing and learning outcomes. Boettcher and Conrad provide a framework of instructional strategies for designing or modifying a course for the online environment. Included are recommended technologies to integrate with …
Read MoreWebEx now available for faculty, staff, and students
Elon University faculty, staff, and students now have access to WebEx, a web conferencing tool that allows you to meet with others in a virtual environment at any time from any location with an internet connection. Think of it like a super-charged Skype that works with your Elon account. Read on for more information about …
Read MoreMedia Services, and the important things they’re up to
Jenn Grimmett sits at her desk, the heart of Elon’s Media Services office. It’s her third year in the position, and when asked about the evolution of Media Services, she has a lot to reflect on. “Have things changed in the running of Media Services year to year? Oh, yeah. Of course they have,” she says. …
Read MoreLearning Spaces Workgroup creates new “active” classroom
Students and faculty who frequent Alamance have probably noticed that room 207 recently got a makeover. Outfitted with multiple projectors, rolling desks, and bar height tables, this classroom is now the picture of an innovative learning space. Indeed, Alamance 207’s revamp is part of a larger effort at Elon to build more “active” learning environments. What’s …
Read MoreElon faculty share methods to deter academic dishonesty
These best practices for online and blended course design were compiled from the Summer College @Elon faculty data and personal interviews from 2006-2015. The consensus among Elon faculty parallels the literature in the field. Academic dishonesty At some point in our teaching careers, we’ve all asked ourselves, how can we uphold the integrity of our online/blended …
Read MoreVirtual walking tours connect students with history
It’s easy for students to feel detached from stories like The Canterbury Tales, which are so far removed (in both time and space) from modern-day Elon. But English professor Kevin Bourque, whose British Literature 1 class studied texts dating from the Middle Ages to 1800, found a novel way to engage his students with class materials …
Read MoreBest Practices with DIY Video: ACTION!
Do you record your own videos for class? Do you want them to look better? This is the third and final part of a series on recording great videos. The first section, LIGHTS!, focused on setting up your lights to make you look even better. The second, CAMERA!, offered a brief overview on setting up your camera and background. …
Read MoreStudents create Moodle-based treasure hunt
When most people think about using Moodle, the first word that comes to mind is probably not “fun.” But a group of Honors Fellows recently found a creative and, yes, even fun way to use the site—they employed Moodle to run the second semesterly National Treasure Scavenger Hunt for their fellow Honors students. How it began Jacquelyn Lanphear, …
Read More