Ignite Session Morris 104

Attending the presentation? Take shared notes in this Google Doc and view the final notes below.

Speaker 1

Dr. Travis Matteson
Assistant Professor

Brief Description

This presentation discusses digital tools to help students engage with Indigenous histories and communities, with the goal of exploring the cultural importance of land, disrupting the myth of the “vanishing Indian,” and developing a digital advocacy mapping project.

Full Abstract

“Firsting and lasting,” according to Jean O’Brien, is a narrative construct used by New England colonists to write American Indians out of local histories. By honoring the “firsts” of the colonists (schools, founders) and elegizing Indian “lasts,” local historians effectively narrated the myth of Indian “extinction” despite the persistence of local Indigenous populations.

This presentation discusses tools to help students identify and respond to examples of “firsting and lasting” in their local communities. Though O’Brien’s research focus is southern New England, students find that there is ample evidence of this narrative construct in New York’s local histories. In a class called “Global Perspectives,” I first introduce the context of Land Acknowledgments using a variety of print and video examples. From this foundation, I ask students use the Native Land digital map to identify and discuss the Indigenous territories on which they live, study, and work. Then, students search a database of New York State historical markers for their hometown using search terms like “first” and “Indian” and reflect on their findings. Finally, students work together to develop infographic maps that acknowledge the history of “firsting and lasting” and advocate for engagement with their local Indigenous histories, cultures, and communities.

Objectives

At the end of this session, participants will learn how to access digital tools for mapping Indigenous history in their local communities.

Biography

Travis Matteson is an Assistant Professor of English & Humanities at SUNY Alfred State College. He teaches courses writing, literature, and global awareness with a focus on using digital tools for civic engagement.

Speaker 2

Mr. Taylor Jadin and Amanda Schmidt
Reclaim Hosting

Teach Your Students to Fish: Open-Source in the Classroom

Brief Description

Where do open-source tools fit in a classroom? This session explores the balance between open-source tools and closed platforms, and how the impact they have on the learning environments we create for students.

Full Abstract

Where do open-source tools fit in a classroom? Closed platforms and tools are typically designed to be easy to use above all else, while open-source tools often require students to dig into the details and learn new skills to make the most of them. The costs of these tradeoffs are not always immediately obvious, and striking an appropriate balance can be difficult to do. This session will focus on how those tradeoffs often play out in the classroom, and offer strategies to encourage the adoption of open-source tools that can empower your students.

Objectives

Throughout this session, participants will: 1. Reflect on the tools students are asked to use 2. Examine the relationship they have with those tools, and what effect that relationship has on student learning

Biography

Taylor is Reclaim Hosting’s Community Instructional Technologist, as well as a proud husband and father, teacher, musician, avid camper, and unashamed nerd. He is passionate about educating and empowering people who want to make cool stuff on the web! Before joining the team at Reclaim, Taylor graduated from St. Norbert College with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, and went on to teach K-12 Instrumental and General Music before returning to his alma mater to support faculty, staff, and students in their use of technology to elevate teaching and learning.

Co-Presenter Bio

Amanda is Reclaim Hosting’s Instructional Support Specialist with a background in digital humanities support and instruction at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo, Open Educational publishing with SUNY OER Services, and a Bachelor of Arts in English, focusing on Old and Middle English dialects. Building her lifelong learning path and career around digital and informational literacy and access, she is completing her Masters in Library and Information Science at the Texas Woman’s University to better understand service and research structures surrounding the present information landscape, specifically in higher education institutions.

Speaker 3

Colleen Kaminski
Instructional Designer

Top 10 List: Personalizing Your Brightspace Environment to Your Students

Brief Description

Faculty will learn quick ways they can develop and maintain regular and substantive interaction with students in the Brightspace environment.

This fun session will be presented using the “David Letterman’s top ten list” format. These 10 tips will assist faculty in personalizing their course to their students in Brightspace. The tips are easy to implement and help students feel connected.

Full Abstract

As SUNY continues to transition to the Brightspace environment, this ignite session will help faculty personalize their courses to each student. Research shows that students who feel connected to the instructor and classmates are more persistent and successful in online courses. Faculty will learn quick ways to personalize their course in Brightspace so they can develop and maintain regular and substantive interaction with students.

This fun session will be presented using the “David Letterman’s top ten list” format. These 10 tips are easy to do and faculty can begin implementing them in Brightspace immediately. This will enhance the engagement with students in their course. The personalization students will feel as a connection with the instructor and classmates increases can enhance retention and success.

Objectives

At the end of this session, participants will: ∷ Learn new features/functions in Brightspace ∷ Know how to include students voices in Brightspace ∷ Understand the value of new tools in Brightspace

Biography

Colleen Kaminski is an instructional designer at SUNY Broome. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education working in academic affairs and student affairs. As an adjunct instructor and instructional designer she has taught online for four institutions and has created a community among her students in the virtual learning environment.

Speaker 4

Mr. Michael Panetta
Educational Technologist

Stories from the Front: Empire State College’s Experience with the LMS Transition

Brief Description

This session is a partial deconstruction of the processes that Empire State College developed and executed as part of the LMS transition, with respect to the pedagogical and practical implications of such a move. It is an unvarnished view into the high points and low of the transitional period as a member of Cohort One.

Full Abstract

Cohort One is in the middle of its first term with Brightspace as its new learning management system. Though the transition has been successful in some ways, in other ways Empire State College has seen a great level of pushback from all user groups, from faculty and adjuncts to professional staff to the students whose experience in the LMS is formative for their education. The purpose of this presentation is to present to the SUNY community Empire’s experiences with the transition and, in doing so, provide the campuses that are to start their transition as part of the next cohorts as well as organizations outside the SUNY aegis with a clear view of what to expect, what mistakes we made while doing so, and what we did to remediate them. It is our goal to also provide similar feedback to the SUNY administration as well, for the purposes of streamlining the administrative process as well as provide potential solutions to problems in the process that we, at Empire State College, discovered along the way.

This presentation combines observations made by the various technology and instructional design departments represented in Empire State College along with user anecdotes about their use and experiences within Brightspace. It is an unvarnished view into our campus’s world after transition to assist and provide context for campuses awaiting the start of the transition process. Processes to follow through on, processes to avoid, and so on.

Objectives

At the end of this session, participants will: – Understand the processes developed by Empire State College to transition the campus to a new LMS. – Make connections between policies developed by their home campuses and Empire State College to determine best practices for LMS transition. – Develop best practices for the transition of student and instructor data to a new system.

Biography

Michael Panetta, an educational technologist from Empire State College. In my role, I have developed relationships across the college spectrum, with faculty, staff, and students, throughout our work as part of Cohort One of the SUNY LMS Transition effort. I primarily work with faculty in the remediation of courses from our previous LMS, Moodle, to Brightspace and, in doing so, help inform policy as it relates to the technical aspects of the transition.

Speaker 5

Dr. Lisa Berardino
Associate Professor SUNY POLY

Asking Asynchronous Students: What more would you like in your courses? Investigating learning preferences in the online asynchronous classroom

Brief Description

Two professors serving on an assessment team explore these questions: How to offer more to asynchronous students, to ensure their full learning experience? What is recommended to faculty seeking to increase interaction? What do asynchronous students seek in terms of live (synchronous) sessions, professor recordings, and live face-to-face meetings? From the viewpoint of assessment, what faculty offerings provide assessment gains?

Full Abstract

Asking Asynchronous Students: What more would you like to see in your courses? Investigating student learning experiences and preferences in the asynchronous classroom

The evolution of education in the digital age provides newly developed modes of teaching that must be assessed to facilitate an environment that is conducive to learning. Not only must we prepare students for the field we are teaching, but we must also have knowledge of what students expect from their classes.

Understanding classroom modality preferences, including student needs in synchronous online classroom is critical in providing the tools necessary for student success. This incorporates the opportunities of synchronous lectures, recordings, one-to-one meetings with their Professor. This study investigates both online and traditional classroom student preferences for lectures and classroom meetings.

What do asynchronous students really want for their learning experiences? How can dedicated professors deliver the content that asynchronous students value. Do students really watch the videos offered? Some professors report adding optional synchronous sessions. These are not scheduled during registration, but are delivered at a mutually convenient time. One issue is what to call these class meeting sessions in the async environment: drop-ins, meet and greets, group study sessions, bonus material ?

The College of Business at SUNY POLY offers MBA and MS Accounting degrees in the asynchronous (all online) format. A promise is made to the student that no meetings at a certain time will be required. In contrast, undergraduate business and accounting degrees classes are offered in two distinct formats: traditional in-class and online asynchronous. Students select a format and are to stay with that format.

Faculty assessment discussions have asked these questions: How to offer more to asynchronous, to ensure a full learning experience?

One specific recommendation is for each professor to include a course COMMUNICATION plan in the syllabus along with the typical office hours. This lists and offers to students a range of ways to receive substantive engagement and feedback. Here, the optional synchronous offerings can be listed.

In conclusion, what do asynchronous students seek in terms of live (synchronous) sessions, professor recordings, and live face-to-face meetings? From the viewpoint of assessment, what faculty offerings provide assessment gains? This presentation will offer our questions, our exploration and conversations with our students, and make recommendations to those interested in student-centered learning.

Objectives

Consider student preferences for increased interaction with faculty. Co-Presenter Bio Katie Matt is an assistant professor in the SUNY POLY accounting program. Katie currently serves on the College of Business assessment committee. Her areas of research focus on accounting education, online learning, valuation, and forensic accounting.

Biography

Lisa Berardino, Associate Professor SUNY POLY, faculty in the College of Business, has more than twenty years experience in online teaching. I attend many SUNY ONLINE workshops. I have taken several LUMEN circles teaching development courses. I currently serve on our College of Business assessment committee. I use adaptive learning programs, create recordings, and continue to explore innovative teaching methods.

Session Notes

Attending the presentation? Take shared notes in this Google Doc and view the final notes below.