Tag Archive: accessibility

Fall 2015 Webinar Series

MCC CTL Fall Webinar Series

Fall Webinar Series

Join the MCC Center for Teaching & Learning for a series of higher education webinar topics. Attend in-person for an engaging dialog with your colleagues, join online from the comfort of your home/office or host your own session from the Academic Impressions catalog!

Live Sessions:

WCET Webinar – Promoting a Culture of Accessibility for Online Students
Thursday, September 24, 11:00am – 12:00 noon

Instructional designers from the University of Central Florida will share their strategies, challenges, and lessons learned from developing a campus-wide online course accessibility support model and address specific accessibility areas such as: captioning, course content, and testing.

Session Viewing Options

  • View the session in the the MC Center for Teaching & Learning (AS Building, Room 170) with your colleagues. Engage in a post webinar discussion. No registration required. Just stop by!
  • Register to attend the session in your office or home. Register Now.

Academic Impressions Webinar – Key Considerations for Learning Commons Design
Friday, September 25, 10:00am – 11:30am

This online training will prepare you to design a learning commons that helps you achieve your programmatic goals. Throughout this webcast they will share numerous examples of learning commons to illustrate trends and highlight the connections between learning commons design and program goals.

Session Viewing Options

  • View the session in the the MC Center for Teaching & Learning (AS Building, Room 175) with your colleagues. Engage in a post webinar discussion. RSVP Now
  • Register to attend the session in your office or home and engage in the online discussion. RSVP Now

Academic Impressions Webinar: Improving Academic Literacy for International Students
Friday, September 25, 10:00am – 11:30am

Gain ideas for providing targeted co-curricular academic literacy support to help students perform better in the classroom by building the skills that are essential for their academic success.

Session Viewing Options

  • View the session in the the MC Center for Teaching & Learning (AS Building, Room 170) with your colleagues. Engage in a post webinar discussion. RSVP
  • Register to attend the session in your office or home and engage in the online discussion. RSVP Now

Innovative Educators Webinar: Teaching Critical Thinking for Academic Success, Career Readiness & Personal Development
Tuesday, October 6, 12:00 noon – 1:00pm

We know critical thinking is important—but perhaps we have become so immersed in the why of critical thinking that we have forgotten about how to do critical thinking. This session examines how to use video, music, text, and exciting interactive activities to foster your students’ critical thinking skills across the curriculum for academic and personal success.

Session Viewing Options

  • View the session in the the MC Center for Teaching & Learning (AS Building, Room 170) with your colleagues. Engage in a post webinar discussion. No registration required. Just stop by!
  • Register to attend the session in your office or home. Register Now (Note: you will need to create an iStream account under your MCC Gmail to be eligible for the free registration).

OLC Webinar: 10 Tips for Creating Accessible Online Course Content
Thursday, October 8, 11:00am – 12:00 noon

With recent lawsuits in higher education and updates to Section 508 on the horizon, it is more important than ever that online learning content be made accessible to students with disabilities. In this webinar, Janet Sylvia, Web Accessibility Group Leader and Web Accessibility Trainer, will provide you with 10 tips for making your online course material accessible.

Session Viewing Options

  • View the session in the the MC Center for Teaching & Learning (AS Building, Room 170) with your colleagues. Engage in a post webinar discussion. No registration required. Just stop by!
  • Register to attend the session in your office or home. Register Now

Impression Series

Make an Impression! Host an Academic Impression Session this Fall in the CTL

Interested in promoting a dialog around important topics in higher education? Become an impressionist by hosting your own Academic Impressions session at the MCC Center for Teaching & Learning. First, review AIPro catalog to find a topic you are passionate about and then complete the form to set a time/date for your session.

Impressionists will be asked to host one live session and during that week moderate an online discussion around the selected session topic in Canvas. The CTL will support you along the way. access the technology, promote your session and get it set-up! Session hosts will earn an Impressionist Digital Badge for promoting dialog and critical conversations in the MCC community!

Questions or Concerns?
Contact the MCC Center for Teaching & Learning
Email: ctl@mesacc.edu
Telephone: (480) 461-7331

Canvas

Canvas User Updates September 1

Important Notices

Bounce Back from Inbox Message Issues

An unexpected change in the way Canvas handles user email addresses may have an impact on the sending and receiving messages using standard email. Specifically, when replying to a message that was received in an email account  Canvas is now verifying that the email address of the sender matches the preferred contact information provided by that user within NotificationsIf they do not match, this may lead to messages being bounced back as undeliverable.

What does this mean for you?
What this means is that if you reply to a Canvas message from your Maricopa Gmail, with one of your email aliases (MEID@mesacc.edu) that does not match the email address that you have used to set up Notifications in Canvas (first.name@mesacc.edu), that message will not be delivered.

What should you do?

Option 1: If you are electing to route your Canvas messages to your Employee Gmail be sure to add your MEID@mesacc.edu account to your preferred contact methods in Canvas and adjust your Notifications for receiving messages accordingly to this account.

Option 2: Within Employee Gmail, remember to select the appropriate alias when replying to a Canvas message. For example, if your preferred contact email address within Canvas is first.name@mesacc.edu then when replying to a message in Gmail select this alias from the “From” field. Note: If you are using an email app from a mobile device, you may not have the ability to change the “From” address when you reply.

Option 3: Streamline your communications by only replying to messages within Canvas. Use Notifications sent to email to alert you to messages to manage in Canvas. The advantage of this option is that you will only have one account to manage and the common issues with routing of messages will be avoided.

Course Deletion

Spring 2014 and older SIS courses (courses with a designated section number) will begin being deleted the third week in September. All course materials and student information associated with those courses will be deleted. These courses will also no longer appear in your course menu, inbox or calendar list.

What does this mean for you?
Please create archives of the courses if you think you want to keep/reuse any of the content. The archive (export file) can be imported into another Canvas course at a later time. Note: A course export does not include student records.

Canvas Community

Canvas launched an updated Community feature for users in April. The Community is a resource for students and instructors to find helpful guides on how to use Canvas, as well as to participate in feature discussions, find best practices and more.

What does this mean for you?
All the links to old Canvas Guides will remain functional, however, we recommend moving any support links you provide to students to the new community guides as the old guides will no longer be updated.

Canvas Update Cycle

Update Cycle Canvas is on a 3-week update-release cycle. The next beta (preview) release is on 9/8, production notes will follow on 9/14 with the release and documentation to follow on 9/19. Follow the release schedule on the Canvas Updates Calendar.

What’s New in Canvas?

Clone Group Sets

Groups will have you seeing seeing double the awesome!

Canvas allows for student group work either independently of assignments (study groups) or within the Assignment or Discussion features (group projects, activities, etc.). Moving students from groups caused a variety of issues once student work for that assignment had been submitted. In this latest update, Canvas has added a warning to instructors if they try to modify a group set that has existing student submissions. Instructors can choose to modify the group, or they can clone the existing group set.

Clone Group Set
Learn more about Groups in Canvas.

How can this feature be used?
  • Remove or add a student to a group for a future assignment without having to redo the group set-up or disrupting grading.
What will it look like?

Cloning a group set will copy the entire group set, including all groups, group leaders, and memberships; instructors can then make changes. Group sets can also be cloned at any time in the Settings menu for the group set.

Other Updates

External URLs in the SpeedGrader

When assessing web links (URLs) submitted in the SpeedGrader, a new link will appear to open the submission in a new tab. Learn more about the SpeedGrader.

Canvas Mobile

Review the latest improvements to the iOS and Android Canvas Apps.

Time Zones

Canvas has improved the accuracy of the displayed time even if a user’s computer browser and Canvas profile are set in different time zones, Canvas will display the profile time zone in a user’s account settings. Learn more about User Settings.

Review the Release Notes for more updates & bug fixes.

Did You Know?

Accessibility of Canvas: A Product Commitment

Instructure, the makers of Canvas, are committed to creating a learning environment for all users. Canvas is built on modern coding technologies and is dedicated to meeting web accessibility guidelines.

Learn about the basic accessibility features of Canvas or review the Canvas Voluntary Product Accessibility Template to more deeply understand Canvas’ conformance with the accessibility standards under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Accessible Content: Our Commitment

Although Canvas is constantly striving to meet and improve upon its accessibility, this does not guarantee that a course is accessible. Only we can ensure the accessibility of the content we place in Canvas.

5 Tips for More Accessible Courses in Canvas

Tip 1: Layout & Design

Keep it simple and clean. Chunk information and use the descriptive header styles built in to the Rich Content Editor. When using color font, select high contrast options. Use the WAVE Tool to check your text-based content for accessibility.

Tip 2: Images

Alternative (alt) text is required to provide a text alternative to non-text content or images in web pages and digital files. Embed images in Canvas to provide a descriptive text that will be read to those using a screen reader. Learn how to embed images in the Rich Content Editor.

Tip 3: Links

Ditch the “click here” or pasted web address links for descriptive words that link to a web URL. This will help all users understand where a link will go before they click on it. Learn more about descriptive links.

Tip 4: Captions & Transcripts

All videos should be captioned and a transcript alternative available for audio podcasts. Videos uploaded to Canvas can be captioned by the built in resource Amara. Learn how to create captions for new or uploaded Canvas videos.

Tip 5: Files

Verify that MS Word, PowerPoint, PDF and other non-native files to Canvas pass accessibility guidelines. For MS Office, use the accessibility checker utility to quickly scan and correct errors or learn how to create accessible PDF documents.

Resources

Learning Opportunities

MCCCD Canvas Webinar Learning Series

Join the Maricopa Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) for the fall Canvas Series. For nine weeks the CTLs will provide you with up-to-date informational sessions on tools, instructional techniques, and best practices for Canvas. Each campus will specialize in a topic important to Maricopa faculty. Sessions will be held in Adobe Connect so you may attend from anywhere. Topics include:

  • Humanizing and Social Presence in Online Courses (Register)
  • Using Collaborative and Social Tools in Canvas (Register)
  • Alternative Ways to Use the Quiz Tool in Canvas (Register)
  • Using Groups in Canvas to Achieve Learning Goals (Register)
  • Practical Peer Review Tips in Canvas (Register)
  • Grading the Easy Way: Using Rubrics in Canvas (Register)
  • Embedding Google Docs and Using Google Apps in Canvas (Register)
  • Using Images to Enhance Content Delivery in Canvas (Register)
  • Module Release in Canvas (Register)

MCC Center for Teaching & Learning

CTL LogoAppointments, Workshops and Customized Sessions

The CTL is your partner as you implement innovative teaching, learning and workplace strategies. From general support, to consultation services, and/or tailored workshops, we are here to help you, your department, program or team reach your goals for student success.

The CTL provides day-to-day support for faculty and staff on technology, teaching and productivity issues including Canvas. Stop by our offices, send us an email or give us a call for support or to set-up an appointment. We are here for you!

View our learning opportunity calendar.
Visit us on the web at ctl.mesacc.edu.
Email us at ctl@mesacc.edu
Call us at (480) 461-7331

Online Tutorials, Resources & Guides

Canvas Logo

  • Canvas Instructor Orientation is an open enrollment course that will walk you through the basics of setting up a new course in Canvas. To enroll, simply click on the “Join this course” button on the Course Home Page. There is no facilitator, but it is a good series of self-paced exercises.
  • Canvas Instructor Video Guides contain quick and informative video tutorials to get you started with Canvas.
  • Canvas Guides are available that cover all major features of Canvas. They can be searched by topic (e.g. Assignments, Discussions, etc.) or by user/type (e.g. Instructor, Mobile, etc.) and are formatted as easy to navigate and mostly image-based walk thru demonstrations of how to use a particular feature. Best practice tip? Share relevant Student Guides in your Canvas course to help students be more successful in using Canvas.
  • Canvas Live provides free webinar trainings on a variety of best practices with teaching and learning on Canvas topics. Join a live session or if you can’t make it .” target=”_blank”>sessions are archived for later viewing.
  • MCC Center for Teaching & Learning How-To Documents include a variety of helpful how-to guides such as the Getting Started with Canvas in 10 Steps resource.
  • MCCCD Canvas Help Area provides how-to documents, and support information to all Canvas users, students and faculty.
  • [Student Resource] MCC Canvas101 is an open enrollment, self-paced course that introduces students to Canvas and walks them through the basics of setting user preferences, submitting assignments, replying to discussions, taking quizzes, viewing grades and more! Recommended for all students.

 

Fall 2015 Start-Up Learning Opportunities Logo

Inspire Learning this Fall

Fall is Almost Here! Are you ready to Inspire Learning?

The Mesa Community College Center for Teaching & Learning  is offering a variety of learning opportunities this fall. Attend these informative and hands-on sessions that will help you discover the best in teaching and learning through Canvas, build a foundation for success from day one and engage students in a vibrant and universal classroom community. Get ready to inspire learning this fall at MCC!

View the full Fall 2015 Start-Up Guide Book.

Check our calendar for updates.

A Registration System Designed to Track Your Growth:

CTL sessions use HRMS (Time & Labor) for our registration system. The system allows for an up-to-date attendance system that integrates with your employee record and allows for wait-lists for busy sessions. Each opportunity has a unique course and session number to make it easy to identify and register for. Please feel free to contact us, ctl@mesacc.edu, if you have any questions or concerns about how to register with this system.

Register through HCM (formerly HRMS)

Registration Instructions HRMS (formerly HRMS)

Session Opportunities August 10 – August 21

Inspired by Teaching & Learning in Canvas

10 Steps to Getting Started in Canvas
Canvas is the Learning Management System of choice at the Maricopa Community College District. Did you know that Canvas can benefit any course format – face-to-face, hybrid and online? Learn how to communicate with your students, post course materials/ syllabus, set-up assignments and grades within Canvas in just 10 easy steps. Great for anyone interested in teaching and learning with Canvas.

Pick from the following sessions:
Monday, August 10, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
HCM Course #001839, Session #0016; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Tuesday, August 11, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
HCM Course #001839, Session #0017; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Thursday, August 13, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
HCM Course #001839, Session #0018; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Assessing Learning & Giving Effective Feedback in Canvas

In this hands-on session participants will get a brief introduction to Grades (SpeedGrader and Crocodoc), Rubrics, Discussions, Quizzes, and the Assignments features in Canvas including strategies on how to use them effectively to assess and provide feedback on student work. Review the options available in Canvas to help you know how well your students are learning in your courses. Great for new Canvas users or those interested in learning more about the assessment features.

Tuesday, August 11, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
HCM Course #001699, Session #0010; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

What’s New in Canvas? Personalized & Social Learning!

Explore the new features and updates to our learning management system, Canvas. From Differentiated Assignments to the New Community and “Liking” Discussions to Anonymous Peer Review, join us for a session dedicated to all things new in Canvas! Great for current Canvas users or new users looking to review Canvas features. (Note: Not a getting started session).

Pick from the following sessions:
Tuesday, August 11, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
HCM Course #001826, Session #0008; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Thursday, August 13, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
HCM Course #001826, Session #0010; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Monday, August 17, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
HCM Course #001826, Session #0009; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Becoming a Canvas Genius! Supporting Learners in Canvas

“Have you tried turning it on and off again? Have you switched browsers? Are you sure it is plugged-in?” If you have found yourself asking any of these questions then you know that one of the many roles we play as faculty is that of technical support. In this session we will explore ways to acclimate students to the Canvas LMS through orchestrated activities, relevant resources and clear/salient instructions. Walk away with tools, tips and tricks to be a Canvas Genius! Great for current Canvas users or new users looking to review Canvas features. (Note: Not a getting started session).

Wednesday, August 12, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
HCM Course #002360, Session #0001; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Let’s Talk! Communicating Effectively in Canvas

Communicating with students can be a challenge. In this session participants will learn how leverage Canvas as powerful tool for more effective and streamlined communication. First, learn how to send, receive and manage messages in Canvas using the Conversation Inbox & Notifications. Then widen your scope by incorporating Announcements, Discussion, Chat and more! There are just so many ways to say “good communication” in Canvas. Great for new users or those looking to review the communication tools in Canvas.

Thursday, August 13, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
HCM Course #002359, Session #0001; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

The A, B & 4Cs of Learning Outcomes in Canvas

Ready to start measuring the MCC 4Cs or learning objectives in general? Discover how Canvas Outcomes allows faculty to enter institutional outcomes, course competencies and learning objectives to monitor student academic progress. Participants will learn to enter Outcomes and then align and grade Assessments (Quizzes, Assignments and graded Discussions) using rubrics. The session will also review the MCC’s 4C’s Scoring Guidelines and discuss effective practice for connecting and monitoring these outcomes. Great for current Canvas users or new users looking to review Canvas features. (Note: Not a getting started session).

Thursday, August 20, 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
HCM Course #002358, Session #0001; Library – Room 144; Register Now

Inspired Productivity

Getting Started with Google – Mail a& Calendar

Attend this session to have hands-on assistance in using the MCCCD Google Mail and Calendar systems. Learn the basics to effectively communicate and organize your work schedule! Great for new employees and those looking for a refresher on the MCCCD Mail & Calendar systems.

Pick from the following sessions:
Monday, August 10, 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
HCM Course #001718, Session #0014; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Wednesday, August 12, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
HCM Course #001718, Session #0015; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Inspired Design

Easy Accessibility Check-Up with the CTL

Make your course more accessible with just a few simple best practices. In this session participants will view our accessibility resource for faculty and the WAVE Tool for checking online resources. Discover ways to make your course user friendly for all your students using universal design techniques. Great for all faculty.

Pick from the following sessions:
Wednesday, August 12, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
HCM Course #001798, Session #0007; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Friday, August 21, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
HCM Course #001798, Session #0008; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Inspired from Day One

Building a Learning-Centered and Interactive Syllabus

In this session we will explore how to construct a syllabus that not only conveys the required MCCCD/MCC policies and procedures of the class, but introduces students to the goals of the learning process in an engaging way. Discover how to build an interactive syllabus that focuses on meaningful expectations, learning objectives and provides students with the resources to be successful from day one. Great for all faculty.

Pick from the following sessions:
Friday, August 14, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
HCM Course #001201, Session #0015; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Friday, August 21, 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
HCM Course #001201, Session #0016; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Humanizing Your Course with Presence, Empathy & Awareness

Online learning systems and education technology tools have made it easier for us to be efficient in teaching and learning. Using auto-feedback features, and systematic announcements we can manage our classes and our learners to maximize our output. But what is the net effect of this efficiency model? In this session we will discuss facilitation and design practices that can re-humanize our courses to both strengthen the learning community and increase student success and retention. Great for all faculty.

Monday, August 17, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
HCM Course #002306, Session #0002; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

3D Retention Strategies

The first few weeks of class can be rough for students. In this session we will explore a simple model that will help reveal dropout warning signs while learning proactive intervention strategies. Discover how you can collect and review key Data indicators, Develop an engaging community and use Dialog (communication/feedback) to keep all your students on the path to completion. Great for all faculty.

Friday, August 21, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
HCM Course #002118, Session #0002; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Inspired Resources

Out of the Box! MCC’s Getting Started Module

The MCC Getting Started Module is designed to provide Mesa Community College faculty with the basic elements necessary to effectively welcome students to a course and connect them with valuable resources. Based on the Quality Matters rubric and the work of the MCC eLearning Committee, this module is a duplicative template that contains best practice ideas, resources and activities for a variety of course formats and needs. Come to this informative session to review the module and learn how to modify it for your course(s). Great for all faculty.

Pick from the following sessions:
Friday, August 14, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
HCM Course #002255, Session #0002; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Monday, August 17, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
HRMS Course #002255, Session #0003; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

MCC’s Video Toolbox

Looking for assistance with video? Look no further. Come to this session to see our new MCC Video Toolbox, carefully packed with everything you need to create stunning and content rich videos that will help your learners reach their educational goals. Great for all faculty interested in video production.

Monday, August 17, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
HCM Course #002313, Session #0002; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Behavior Assessment & Disability Resources at MCC

Join MCC’s Dean of Student Services, Meredith Warner, as she discusses behavior assessment inside (and outside) the classroom and Disability Resource Services at the college. Through real-MCC examples participants will learn about the diversity of student concerns and needs on our campus. Walk away with hands on tools to more effectively manage your classroom and ensure the safety of all learners while helping them reach their educational goals. Great for all faculty.

Monday, August 17, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
HCM Course #002257, Session #0002; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Introducing Adobe Connect

Adobe Connect is the premier resource for online live classroom and web conferencing solutions for eLearning and business applications and it is now available at MCC! Adobe Connect’s comprehensive product provides a safe platform for virtual real-time instructional and non-instructional presentations with features such as: screen and file sharing, video/audio capture, mobile device support, session recording, live polling and more! Learn more about Adobe Connect features, best use cases and how to request a session. Great for faculty and staff interested in live conferencing.

Friday, August 21, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
HCM Course #002361, Session #0001; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

Inspired Support

New Adjunct Orientation

New Adjunct Faculty Orientation is designed to welcome new Adjunct Faculty to teaching at Mesa Community College. Orientation includes a welcome by President Dr. Pan and Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Yohe. This session will cover all the little and big things you need to know about being an Adjunct Faculty Member. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet fellow faculty members, discover success strategies for starting the semester off right (including syllabi creation), and learn about the crucial support systems available to you and your students at MCC.

Saturday, August 15, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
HCM Course #001830, Session #0005; CTL AS Building – Room 175; Register Now

It’s Your CTL – Personal PD Information Session

A new space and a new face for Professional Development opportunities at the MCC Center for Teaching & Learning. Stop by to learn about our services including the new Professional Development request process where we help connect you to learning opportunities that will meet your needs. Discover how we can create tailor-made self-help materials/references, custom sessions/workshops and provide consultation services for your program or project. It’s all here! It’s your CTL!

Friday, August 21, 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m., AS Building – Room 175
No registration required!

CTL Open Labs

Drop in during any time of the open lab to access resources and help with Canvas or building/planning your course! CTL Staff will be available to answer questions as you work on your classes to get started for the semester. Handouts and computers are available so that you can come in and work and ask questions as you go.

Southern & Dobson CTL, AS Building
Saturday, August 15, 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon
Monday, August 17, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Friday, August 21, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Red Mountain, Palo Verde Building, Instructional Support Office
Monday, August 31, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 3, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

View the full Guide Book


Questions? Call the CTL 1-7331.
For a full description of the sessions visit the CTL Calendarctl.mesacc.edu/events/calendar.

Camp Innovate Banner

It’s almost time campers!

Reminders & Pre-Camp Activities
MCC’s 6th Annual Camp Innovate

Thank you for registering for the Mesa Community College Center for Teaching & Learning 6th Annual CampInnovate event. The event is just a few days away. We are looking forward to seeing you at your respective sessions Tuesday, May 26 – May 28 at the MCC Southern and Dobson Campus. So air out your tent and grab your gear to participate around the campfire of innovative teaching and learning!

Your Camping Sessions

You will receive individual email reminders for each of your sessions, but you can also review your requested sessions by visiting the HRMS Time & Labor System. After you log-in with your MEID and MEID Password, follow this path, Main Menu > Self-Service > Learning & Development > Training Summary to review your sessions.

See the Full Week Guide for a day-to-day listing and description of all events.

Pre-Camp Activities & Camp Participant Canvas Course

We have created a special campsite (Canvas Self-Enroll Course) just for you! In this course you will find general information about camp, pre-camp activities, session information/resources, session evaluations, online campactivities and more! Presenters will place all session resources and content into this guide throughout the week. We hope that you utilize this course to find resource, interact with fellow participants!

Self-Enroll Now to Access the Campsite

Don’t Forget to Complete the Pre-Camp Activities!

Camping Area, Tent Locations & Camper Parking

All Camping Sessions will be hosted in the AS Building; Southern & Dobson Campus in the Center for Teaching & Learning (Room AS175). We recommend that you leave your camper in the Northwest Parking Lot (Lot A) which is closest to the AS Building.

Is Camping Gear Required?

No! We won’t actually be camping. Just bring you and maybe a friend or two to enjoy the learning and community. Light provisions will be provided each day and at the Celebration Event Celebration on Thursday, May 28, 4:00 – 5:00pm. RSVP for the celebration.

Bring a Friend to Camp!

All MCCCD faculty and staff are welcome. Please encourage a friend to join us at camp! Space is limited, so tell them to register soon.

Note: Registration is through HRMS Time & Labor. 
Registration Instructions.

Earn a Digital Badge for Participation and More

“Campers” can earn digital badges for participating in sessions, bringing guests, submitting ideas/projects and evaluating the event. These digital badges can be added to your professional portfolio, Linked-In profile and more. Learn more about using digital badges in education. The MCC Center for Teaching & Learning will track and award badges based on the individual badge criteria.

1st Time Camper Badge – Camp Innovate Digital Badge

Attend 1 Session

Avid Camper Badge  –
Attend 3 or More Sessions

Camp Inspector –
Submit an Event Evaluation

Happy Camper –
Bring a Friend to Camp

Camp Crafts –
Share a “Craft” (Lesson, Strategy or Activity)

Campfire Chat – 
Tell the World about Camp (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)

Additional Badges may be awarded throughout the campfor submitting camp assignments, participating in campfire chats and more. These activities are located in the special camping site (Canvas Self-Enroll Course).

Say Cheese!

Please note, pictures will be taken throughout the week and by attending the event you authorize the Maricopa Community Colleges to photograph or video you and to use the photographs or videos for educational or promotional purposes.

Fall Tech and Teach Fest Logo

3rd Annual Tech & Teach Fest Begins October 20th!

A Festival of Learning Just for You

The Center for Teaching & Learning will be holding its 3rd Annual Fall Tech & Teach Fest Monday, October 20 through Friday, October 24 on the Southern and Dobson Campus.

What is the Fest?

The Fall Tech & Teach fest is a week of activities to support teaching & learning at MCC. The week will consist of sessions, discussions, hands-on demonstrations and other events that address excellence in education pedagogy and technology. All MCCCD faculty and staff welcome. Attend one or attend all, we hope to see you there! Register soon for this festival of learning.

Topics will include:

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Google, Canvas (conferences, collaborations, apps and other best kept secrets), VoiceThread (discussions around media), Nearpod (interactive presentations), Accessibility, Video Production, Outcome-based Learning, Designing for Online Learning, Building Effective Discussions, Kahoot (course polling/gaming) and more! See the Full Fest Guide for a day-to-day listing and description of all sessions and events. Topics are both staff and faculty oriented.

Event Maker Party!

Join us for food, fun and making! Learn how to create web mashables and applications to engage learners in content & activities for your program or course. Quickly remix web content, video, audio, images and pages using free web-based Maker Tools. Also feel free to bring your thoughts and ideas from any of the sessions throughout the week. Fest staff will be on hand to answer questions and help you develop your projects. Register Now.

See the Event Full Calendar:

Fall 2014 Tech & Teach Fest Guide

Sessions will be hosted in the CTL Room AS175, AS Building; Southern & Dobson Campus.

Register Now!

Register through the HRMS (Time & Labor System)

Registration Instructions

Having trouble registering? Call us at (480) 461-7331 and we will register you. Questions? Send us an email at ctl@mesacc.edu.

Fall 2014 Participation Digital Badge

Earn a Badge!

All event attendees will earn a 2014 Fall Fest Digital Badge. Earn and share your sills, accomplishments and professional development with others. Learn more about digital badging.

* We apologize, but C.A.F.E. Funds have been exhausted for this semester.

** Sessions with low enrollment may be canceled up to 24 hours prior to the start time/date.

Last Call for Summer Learning Sessions

Don’t Miss Out! Last Call for Summer Learning!

Last Call! Summer Learning Opportunities in the CTL

Don’t miss out on your chance to learn something new in the MCC Center for Teaching & Learning this summer. Register through HRMS (Time & Labor System) Registration Instructions Need Assistance? Call us at (480) 461-7331 and we will register you. Please register, sessions will be canceled due to low enrollment. See our Full Summer Guide for descriptions and more!

The Access Series

Reach your entire audience by creating universally designed content. Creating Accessible Documents (Word, PowerPoint & PDF) Wednesday, July 30, 3:00p.m. – 5:00p.m.; Course/Session#: 002074/0005 WAVE Tool Training (Reviewing Web Pages for Accessibility) Thursday, July 31, 9:00a.m. – 10:30a.m.; Course/Session#: 002083/0007 View the full calendar.


Please register, sessions will be canceled due to low enrollment.Questions? Call the CTL 1-7331. For a full description of the workshops visit the CTL Calendarctl.mesacc.edu/events/calendar.
Camp Innovate May 19-May22

Welcome Campers!

Reminders & Pre-Camp Activities for MCC’s 5th Annual Camp Innovate

The Mesa Community College Center for Teaching & Learning 5th Annual Camp Innovate event is just a few days away. We are looking forward to seeing you at your respective sessions Monday, May 19 – May 22 at the MCC Southern and Dobson Campus. So air out your tent and grab your gear to participate around the campfire of innovative teaching and learning!

Your Camping Sessions

You will receive individual email reminders for each session you register for, but you can also review your requested sessions by visiting the HRMS Time & Labor System. After you log-in with your MEID and MEID Password, follow this path, Main Menu > Self-Service > Learning & Development > Training Summary to review your sessions.

See the Full Week Guide for a day-to-day listing and description of all events.

Pre-Camp Activities & Camp Participant Canvas Course

We have created a special camping guide (Canvas Self-Enroll Course) just for you! In this course you will find general information about camp, pre-camp activities, session information/resources, session evaluations, online camp activities and more! Presenters will place all session resources and content into this guide throughout the week. We hope that you utilize this course to find resource, interact with fellow participants!

Self-Enroll Now to Access this Course and don’t forget to complete the Pre-Camp Activities!

Camping Area, Tent Locations & Camper Parking

All Camping Sessions will be hosted in the AS Building; Southern & Dobson Campus. We recommend that you leave your camper in the Northwest Parking Lot (Lot A) which is closest to the AS Building. Review the schedule for specific tent locations.

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Canvas User Updates Week of April 12

Summer Canvas Course Shells are Open

Important Notices

Summer Canvas Course Shells are Open

Summer 2014 course shells have been opened in Canvas. You will find links to all your summer courses on your Course List under Future Enrollments. TIP: Customize your course menu to include summer courses in your quick pick list.

The ongoing Daylight Savings Time (DST) issue that delayed summer course shells has been resolved and instructors will be able to copy courses from one semester to the next without having to worry about due dates/times changing when dates fall over DST. TIP: It is still best practice for faculty to review all of their due dates/times each semester.

Fall 2014 course shells will be created within the next few weeks.

Canvas Proactively Addresses ‘Heartbleed’

You may have heard recently of the ‘Heartbleed’ security vulnerability. Canvas IS NOT considered to be a high target threat, but nonetheless they have reported their security notice and are working proactively to address any potential security concerns. The MCCCD District IT is working with Canvas to ensure that Canvas and our student and instructional data remains safe and secure. There is no imminent threat to Canvas security.

What can you do to help with security?

Although we do not anticipate any issues with security, we can all take regular preventative steps to ensure that our data is safe. We recommend that you update your MEID password every few months and never, ever give your password to anyone under any conditions. MEID Password Maintenance Instructions.

Scheduled Maintenance Event April 16

Wednesday, April 16, 2014 between 2:00 AM and 3:00 AMMountain Time, Canvas will perform a very brief (<10 minutes) scheduled maintenance event. The purpose of the event is to install upgrades to key databases supporting the Canvas application.

Canvas Connections Logo

Canvas Connections User Group

Don’t miss the next meeting Wednesday, April 16, 12 noon – 1:00pm, CTL Team Spot – AS Bldg

Discussion: Best Practices Using the New Draft State

This informal user-focused group will meet bi-monthly to discuss: Features, Best Practices, Upcoming Changes, Issues/Bugs, Teaching Strategies, Design and Feature Requests.

Users should bring their own lunch. Snacks and desserts may be provided.

Join Now!

Canvas Update Cycle

Canvas is on a 3-week update-release cycle. The next beta (preview) release is on 4/21, production notes will follow on 4/28 with the release and documentation to be published on 5/3. For information about Canvas updates follow the release page.

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Access Series: WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation) Tool Training

Access Series: WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation) Tool Training

WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation) Tool Training

WAVE is a free, online accessibility evaluation tool “to help you determine the accessibility of web content.” WAVE is being used to help faculty and department admins at MCC determine if their websites meet ADA compliance standards for students needing alternative content delivery. Come to this session for a hands-on demonstration of the WAVE Tool. Best practices in creating accessible content will also be touched on.

Register Now             Registration Instructions

Theses sessions are HIGHLY recommended for department administrative assistants responsible for department, program or faculty websites AND for faculty that are using web sites (outside of Canvas or Publisher Resources) to deliver course content and materials.

WAVE Session Options

Tuesday, March 18, 3:00 p.m.  –  4:30 p.m. 
HRMS Course #002083, Session #0001; CTL Lab AS Building, Room 175

Monday, March 24, 9:00 a.m.  –  10:30 a.m. 
HRMS Course #002083, Session #0002; CTL Lab AS Building, Room 175

Monday, March 31, 3:00 p.m.  –  4:30 p.m. 
HRMS Course #002083, Session #0004; CTL Lab AS Building, Room 175

Wednesday, April 2, 11:00 a.m.  –  12:30 p.m. 
HRMS Course #002083, Session #0003; CTL Lab AS Building, Room 175

Tuesday, April 8, 8:00 a.m.  –  9:30 a.m. 
HRMS Course #002083, Session #0005; CTL Lab AS Building, Room 175

Other Upcoming Sessions in the MCC Access Series

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MCC CTL Learning Series: Accessing Accessibility at MCC

Accessing Accessibility Learning Series at MCC

MCC CTL Learning Series: Accessing Accessibility at MCC

CTL Learning Series: Accessing Accessibility & Beyond

Explore a series of sessions that focus on creating and maintaining accessible course and program content to benefit all learners. Discover solutions for video captioning, documents and content design that will ensure equal access while maintaining a rich learning environment.

Register Now             Registration Instructions

Captioning with YouTube

Learn how to create captions and transcripts for your video files using the free YouTube web site. In this hands-on session participants will learn how to adjust settings in their YouTube account so uploaded video files are automatically transcribed and captioned. Participants will also learn how to adjust and correct captions within YouTube; and how to download subtitle files onto their own computers.

Monday, February 24, 3:00 p.m.  –  4:30 p.m. 
HRMS Course #002072, Session #0002; CTL Lab AS Building, Room 175

OR

Wednesday, February 26, 11:00 a.m.  –  12:30 p.m. 
HRMS Course #002072, Session #0001; CTL Lab AS Building, Room 175

Accessing Accessibility Basics

Make your course more accessible with just a few simple best practices. In this session participants will view our online accessibility resource for faculty. Discover ways to make your course user friendly for all your students using universal design techniques. Accessible styles, documents, images, links and more will be discussed in this hands-on session.

Thursday, February 27, 9:00 a.m.  –  11:00 a.m. 
HRMS Course #001798, Session #0006; CTL Lab AS Building, Room 175

OR

Friday, February 28, 3:00 p.m.  –  5:00 p.m. 
HRMS Course #001798, Session #0005; CTL Lab AS Building, Room 175

Creating Accessible Documents

Never fear, the document doctor is here! Creating or converting existing documents into accessible formats doesn’t have to be stressful. In this session we will explore the built in accessibility features in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat to create or convert documents quickly and easily into accessible formats that everyone can use.

Monday, March 17, 3:00 p.m.  –  4:30 p.m. 
HRMS Course #002074, Session #0001; CTL Lab AS Building, Room 175

OR

Tuesday, March 18, 9:00 a.m.  –  10:30 a.m. 
HRMS Course #002074, Session #0002; CTL Lab AS Building, Room 175

Register Now

Register Now
Registration Instructions

Questions? Concerns? Suggestions?
Contact Us!

(480) 461-7331
ctl@mesacc.edu

View Our Calendar

See all of our upcoming learning events and activities.

https://ctl.mesacc.edu/events/calendar/