141 Interactive Content – 11.09.2018

Interactivity can help students connect more closely with course content to become active agents in their learning. At the November 9, 2018 Active Teaching Lab, participants discussed ways to move activities beyond traditional readings and videos. Attendees explored what options exist for building interactive materials, how to integrate them into Canvas, and how to strike a balance between the time required on the instructor end and the payoff in achievement of learning outcomes. 

Takeaways

• Consider accessibility: What technology will your students need to successfully participate? Laptop? Smartphone? Do your students have access to these tools? Do students (and instructors) have access to support? Click here for a list of UW-supported applications.
• For in-class use, build in plenty of time for training, facilitation, and troubleshooting, and have back-up plans. For out-of-class use, provide detailed instructions, and be sure the first experience with any tool is low- to no-stakes to avoid penalizing students for misunderstandings or tech problems.
• Identify the activity’s purpose. Is the primary purpose to break up a dense lecture? To gauge student understanding? To provide an opportunity for application of knowledge? Knowing your intent will help you make decisions about the format and facilitation of the activity.
• Start simple. Use the existing capabilities of Canvas to create a short branching case scenario or a Kaltura in-video quiz. Using UW-supported tools ensures you will have access to tech support. Once you have established a system and expectations that work well with your course, expand your possibilities by experimenting with tools like H5P.

For more information on interactive content, visit the session’s activity sheet.

Video

The Active Teaching Lab is a Faculty Engagement program with sessions held on Thursdays from 1:00-2:00pm (room 302) and Fridays from 8:30-9:45am (room 120) in the Middleton Building (1305 Linden Dr.) during fall 2018. Check out upcoming Labs or read the recaps from past Labs. We build interdisciplinary conversations that are more emergent than a presenter and more dynamic than a panel — a conversation with colleagues sharing challenges, solutions, and experiments on topics selected by a variety of stakeholders.

Sign up for regular Lab announcements by sending an email to join-activeteaching@lists.wisc.edu.