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Storytelling, Amplifying the Human Connection in Online Learning

The online classroom environment can sometimes cause students to feel isolated, both socially and cognitively. Digital storytelling creates a framework that can bring the online classroom to life, energizing social-cognitive dynamisms, and promoting a more authentic sense of community in the virtual teaching and learning space.

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Extending the Efficacy of the Learning Management System: Integrating Tools to Enhance Learning Online

Abstract Learning management systems (LMS) such as Blackboard and Canvas provide a foundation for instructors to design online learning experiences. In recent years, the functionality of most LMSs has expanded to offer more flexibility, primarily by allowing external tools to be integrated. Tools such as Twitter, YouTube, and Quizlet have the potential to increase learners’ …

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Episode 15: It’s More About the Social than the Media

About Episode 15: Everyone has an opinion about the role of social media in education. In this episode hosts Thomas Cavanagh and Kelvin Thompson are joined by guest Dr. Tanya Joosten, author of Social Media for Educators: Strategies and Best Practices, as they consider the place of social media in online education. Download Transcript [PDF, …

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The Role of Synchronous Communication in Asynchronous Online Courses

Seminar Date: March 29, 2016 Seminar Time: 1:00pm Location: Streamed Online from LIB 161B AbstractThe ability to communicate in real time (synchronous) through media such as text, audio, and video, can enhance the online learning experience by providing dynamic opportunities for social connection, collaborative problem solving, and collective reflection. However, issues related to synchronous communication …

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Leveraging Mobile Devices to Support Authentic Learning

Ownership of mobile technologies such as smartphones and tablets continues to rise amongst college students. Incorporating these devices in coursework can facilitate authentic learning, with students connecting what is taught in the course to real-world issues and applications. This can be especially powerful in online learning environments, allowing students to capture experiences in the field and share with others in the class. Although instructors may express an interest in incorporating a mobile element, they are often unsure how to design course activities that are not only engaging, but also effectively support authentic learning. In this session, issues of mobile design, assessment, and support will be discussed. Specifically, an instructor’s experience of integrating mobile devices to support authentic learning in a mixed-mode (blended) course will be showcased.

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Using Social Media to Enhance Community in Your Classes

Today’s college students are using social media more than ever in their personal lives, and emerging research suggests that social media can have a powerful influence on the learning experience. Many instructors have an interest in harnessing the pedagogical potential of social media, but are unsure how to effectively integrate them in their curricula. In this session, we will describe how social media can foster a sense of community within and beyond the classroom setting. Specifically, we will showcase strategies designed to create and sustain community using the social media tool Twitter, addressing commonly identified issues such as student privacy and communication.

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Online Engagement Strategies For Large Classes

At the Center for Distributed Learning we often hear from faculty, “that’s a great idea, but it’ll never work for me because I teach such large classes.” Student engagement can be a challenge in any size class, but it can be overwhelming trying to reach hundreds of students individually when there’s only one of you. In this brief seminar, we will share a set of strategies that can be used to make the most effective use of your time to provide a personal touch to all of your students. We will provide specific examples using existing tools in Webcourses@UCF and share anecdotal experiences using these strategies with classes of over 1400 students. The strategies presented in this session were developed with large classes in mind, but they can be used successfully in any size class.

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Enriching Your Online Course Content: Selecting or Designing Media Elements

It is easier than ever before to include existing media and to create your own media for online course content. Photos, infographics, charts, illustrations, icons! Demos, screencasts, events, interviews! Webcams, smartphones, YouTube, and Flickr! Possibilities abound for enriching online course content with media that contribute to understanding, captivate attention, or increase retention. In this session rich with examples, presenters will share principles for making wise choices about how to best include media for the greatest benefit and the least amount of hassle.

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Engaging Online Students: Practical Interaction Strategies to Enhance Learning

Minimal student effort coupled with what some perceive as an isolating online learning experience make it more important than ever to identify strategies for engaging students online. In this recorded session, presenters will review a variety of synchronous and asynchronous interaction strategies with a particular focus on designing and facilitating meaningful online discussions.

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