Categories for Online Learning

Webex Breakout Rooms stylized to appear as a Kit Kat wrapper.

Webex Breakout Room Training

By James Bowles |

Webex has introduced breakout rooms! This workshop will cover the basics of setting up breakout rooms, leveraging new features for hosting, and more! The first sessions will be held:

  • Tuesday, September 29, 1:30pm – 2:30pm
  • Wednesday, September 30, 1:30pm – 2:30pm

See the CTL Calendar for meeting details and future sessions!

“Brake me off a piece of that Breakout Room!”

It starts with you! Let's reach 100% completion.

Help Reach the 100% Completion Goal!

By James Bowles |

Current Completion

Are you teaching an online course this summer? Complete the eLearning at MCC Canvas course! This brief course will expose you to the MCC eLearning expectations, online syllabus requirements, communication strategies, and more! Apply new knowledge to your online teaching practice.

Help us reach our goal of 100% completion for summer instructors!

Enroll NOW!

Summer 2020 Online Plan Banner. Masterpiece Canvas

SpeedGrader

By James Bowles |

Welcome to Masterpiece Canvas! In this episode we’ll be learning about how to use the Canvas SpeedGrader.

The SpeedGrader can benefit you in the following ways :

  • All student work remains in the course page. No more downloading all of your student’s assignments to your computer.
  • Student work is sorted by the student name and the name can be hidden for anonymous grading.
  • Grade from rubrics to quickly give students feedback based on their mastery of each criterion.
  • Give separate feedback to each student.
  • Annotate corrections directly on the students submitted paper.
  • Allow for mobile grading using the Canvas Teacher app on iOS and Android.
  • More!

Check out these handy Canvas Guides for accessing and how to use the SpeedGrader!

This video will also give you an additional overview of Canvas SpeedGrader.

Tips For Using The SpeedGrader

The following tips can help you get started with the SpeedGrader and improve your grading workflow.

You can learn more about the many things you can do with the Canvas SpeedGrader by visiting the Canvas Instructor Guides.

Masterpiece Canvas

Online Quizzes & Exams

By James Bowles |

Welcome to Masterpiece Canvas! In this episode we’ll be learning about the benefits of online quizzes and exams and how to implement them in Canvas.

Some of the advantages of creating online quizzes and exams include:

  • The ability to automatically randomize questions and possible answers.
  • The ability to set a time limit and give a specific number of attempts for the exam or quiz.
  • Instantaneous quiz or exam results for the students as well as the instructor providing rapid insight on opportunities for improvement.
  • Many different types of questions as well as types of quizzes (surveys, practice quizzes, and graded quizzes).
  • More!

Check out this handy Canvas Guide for creating an online quiz!

This video will also give you an additional overview of Canvas Quizzes.

Tips for online quizzes

The following tips can help you and your students be successful in completing and submitting online quizzes.

  • Create a low-stakes quiz to allow students to practice accessing quizzes and become familiar with the quiz interface. Check out the student guide for Taking an online quiz.
  • Setup a practice quiz to give your students an opportunity to check their knowledge on a topic. This type of quiz can be attempted multiple times. The practice quiz can show the correct answers after completion and guide students back to course content for additional learning.
  • Setup a graded quiz with a finite number of attempts for exams. You can also set a time limit for the exam to be completed.
  • Consider enabling the display one question at a time option for exams that build off previous questions.
  • Use a variety of question types (multiple choice, short answer, matching, etc.)
  • Be sure to check your questions for clarity, spelling, and grammar issues.
  • You can provide accommodations for students by using the Moderate this quiz button.

You can learn more about the many things you can do with online quizzes in Canvas by visiting the Canvas Instructor Guides.

Masterpiece Canvas

Accepting Assignments Online

By James Bowles |

Welcome to Masterpiece Canvas! In this episode we’ll be learning why accepting assignments online can be a valuable tool for us and how to setup your assignment in Canvas.

Accepting assignments online benefit us in the following ways:

  • Assignments are turned in to a single location.
  • The Learning Management System (LMS) manages due dates and flags late work.
  • The LMS automatically identifies the assignment author.
  • The LMS allows for online grading.
  • More!

Check out this handy Canvas Guide for Creating an assignment online and enabling online submission!

This video will also give you an additional overview of Canvas Assignments.

Tips for online assignments

The following tips can help you and your students be successful in completing and submitting online assignments.

  • Create a low-stakes assignment to allow students to practice submitting an assignment. Check out the student guide for submitting online assignments.
  • Be consistent with assignment naming and include academic language. For example Assignment 1: Informative Speech or Assignment 2: Persuasive Speech.
  • Be consistent with the assignment instructions. Include a description of the assignment and your expectations for full credit. A bulleted list is a very clear way to approach this.
  • Don’t put due dates in the assignment title nor the assignment instructions. Canvas has an additional field dedicated to the due date and will automatically notify students when assignments are approaching their due date.
  • Provide ample time for students to complete the assignment in a potentially new modality. This may be the first time your students are submitting an assignment online.
  • Consider permitting various forms of assignment submission like file uploads and video submission.

You can learn more about the many things you can do with online assignments in Canvas by visiting the Canvas Instructor Guides.

Road with stylized continuity of instruction. Group of sparrows facing each other.

Discussion Board Basics

By James Bowles |

By Lisa Young – Scottsdale Community College | 2012

Definition of discussion boards

Two quick videos that explains how discussion boards can be used to engage students:

Advantages of Using Discussion Boards in Hybrid Courses:

  • valuable feedback 
  • connections seeing other point of view 
  • perspective
  • validation
  • stimulating responses – less terrifying
  • not in real-time
  • come to some conclusions/summaries
  •  can see specific evidence from the text and can refer to in F2f class
  • can allow students to express themselves as needed

An article on building community with discussion boards.

Check out page 5 of this document for great discussion board resources.

Disadvantages of Using Discussion Boards in Hybrid Courses:

  • discipline
  • responses may be brief
  • time and effort on part of instructor

Writing Discussion Board Questions

Tips for writing discussion board questions:

An article that will help you to identify the characteristic elements of critical thought, describe the features of online discussion that support critical thought, and explore the role of the instructor in facilitating successful online discussions.

Discussion Board Rubrics

Rubrics for discussion boards are useful as they provide a basis for grading students on their discussion board posts. Criteria can include participation, content, grammar, etc.

Samples of discussion board rubrics located at Maricopa’s Blended Learning site.

Three evergreen trees with camp inspired text.

Last Call! CTL-FSS Camp Inspired Registration

By Megan Garvy |

The CTL has partnered with FSS to offer three days of professional development for faculty and staff. The full program is now available for review. Register before 5PM on 5-10-17. Space is limited.

May 15, 17-18 • View the Full Program

Compensation Available

  1. Residential faculty may earn up to 14.0 clock hours of FPG.
  2. A stipend of $110.00 for the first full day completed and verified through the CTL. A stipend of $137.50 each for the second and third full days completed and verified through FSS.  Funding is limited; priority will be assigned by registration date. That’s $385.00 to attend all three days!

Hourly breakdown: ($27.50 x 4 hours x 1 day) +  ($27.50 x 5 hours x 2 days)

Participating faculty will need to fill out all necessary paperwork, including daily evaluation and assessment forms. To be eligible for stipends, MCC faculty members must have taught during the 2016-2017 Academic Year and not reached their summer load limit. This includes Residential, OYO, OSO, and Adjunct faculty. HR will check load before processing assignments for payment.

Pre-Conference (5/15): FMS 2017 Upgrade Overview • HCM Course: 002771 Session: 0001

DAY 1 (5/15): GRAB YOUR PACK AND GET HIKING • Session Full

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) will kick off camp with a day filled with learning. Student Affairs staff will find connections with inclusive practices for serving diverse students.

Mid-Conference (5/16): MCLI Tech Conference • Registration: mcli.maricopa.edu/node/47991

DAY 2 (5/17): BLOOMING DESERT SCAVENGER HUNT • HCM Course: 002755 Session: 0001

Day 2 is focused on topics that integrate an array of tools for supporting students from recruitment to instruction. Keynote, Robin Ozz, will share current practices and trends for developmental learners.

DAY 3 (5/18): GRAND CANYON JEEP TOUR • HCM Course: 002756 Session: 0001

Day 3 will challenge faculty and staff to engage in refined practices to elevate the student experience at MCC. Keynote, Caron Sada, will introduce the entrepreneurial mindset for community engagement and career readiness. Select sessions will demonstrate alignment to MCC’s GPS and HSI initiatives.

Spring Training Banner

MCCCD Spring Training 2017

By Megan Garvy |

Throughout the month of March, faculty and staff professional development will be available at Maricopa campus and district locations in a number of formats including day, evening and online. Each week, a different region of locations will be offering learning events, i.e. games. Faculty and staff are encouraged to not only attend games (sessions) in their own regions, but also travel to other regions of the Valley. MCC’s CTL is offering a variety of in-person and webinar sessions for this series. View the MCC Spring Training professional development schedule. We hope to see you soon!

How to access MCC webinars:

  1. Go to ctl.mesacc.edu
  2. Click on the calendar icon on the top right side of the page.
  3. Click on the webinar event that you would like to attend.
  4. On the calendar description, click on Join video call.