As students return for the fall semester, it’s a good time to consider ways to engage them in the online learning environment. Ensuring that students can interact with their instructors, peers, and course materials is critical to academic success. If you’re seeking guidance on student engagement, the Office of Distance Learning encourages you to participate in the pilot for Annoto. This video collaboration tool works to increase student interaction while providing usable data about student participation. Read more below on how to pilot the user-friendly engagement tool.

Using the social learning platform Yellowdig is another way to keep students connected. With this tool, you can track student engagement, share content, and follow participation as students share, listen, and learn together. Yellowdig offers a virtual training session on August 9, so sign up to learn more about building an active learning community.

As you finalize your course sites for fall, check out our checklist on ways to make your task a little easier. You can take a refresher training course on Canvas basics or use a tool to remove unpublished content in your courses. We’ve updated our training schedule, so you’ll have access to webinars on course quality and design, tools and technologies, and universal design and accessibility.

Our media team can help you prepare dynamic video content for your fall courses. The team uses professional tools like the lightboard or 360 camera to transform your course into an engaging and immersive experience for online learners. We’re happy to visit you in your office, on location, or in our production studio at UCC-2100 in the stadium.

We continue our feature on the 2021-2022 winners of the FSU Excellence in Online Teaching award. In this issue, we take a closer look at the insight and instructional strategies of Dr. Lisa Johnson from the FSU College of Social Work.

Good luck as you prepare for and engage in another term of teaching. We look forward to supporting you this fall, so please let us know how we can help. Visit our website at odl.fsu.edu or find us on Twitter or Facebook.

Help Pilot Video Collaboration Tool

The Office of Distance Learning is offering a pilot this fall for Annoto, an interactive video tool that encourages student collaboration and provides analytics on student usage and performance. If you’re looking for new ways to increase student engagement, consider participating in the pilot. The first step to getting started is to enable Annoto in Canvas. View easy step-by-step instructions to begin.

Annoto Overview

Annoto, which integrates seamlessly with Kaltura, encourages a collaborative learning experience by allowing students to add time-tagged annotations to video content and discuss the content with the instructor and their peers. In-video interaction, discussions, and personal notes help facilitate active student learning. The dashboard provides comprehensive analytics and actionable insights on learner performance. Analytics include videos showing student activities, average completion rate, and number of engagements. By gaining insights on how your students interact with the video content and each other, you can tailor content accordingly.

With Annoto, you can use video content in a variety of ways:

• Assignments
• Skills assessment
• Guided watching
• Peer review and reflection
• Instructor feedback

“ODL has tried numerous engagement tools and so far Annoto hits several marks on seamless integration, low learning curve, centralized location for management, and analytics views for instructors,” said ODL Instructional Development Faculty Liying Miao. “Students will find it easy to use as well. When they watch a video, they won’t feel like they’re going through it alone. I encourage all instructors to give Annoto a try.”

Resources & Help

For more details on Annoto, visit our Technology Pilots page. If you need assistance, our technical support team can help. Reach them at canvas@fsu.edu or 850-644-8004. For general information, contact Dewel Lindsey at dlindsey@campus.fsu.edu.

In the Spotlight: Lisa Johnson

The Office of Distance Learning congratulates the winners of the 2021-2022 FSU Excellence in Online Teaching award: Lisa Johnson, Charla Perdue, Svetoslava Slaveva-Griffin, and Karen Works. The award recognizes outstanding and innovative teaching in distance learning courses. From now through December, we will be sharing insights and instructional strategies from each honoree.

In this issue, we spotlight Dr. Lisa Johnson, assistant teaching professor with the FSU College of Social Work. Johnson received an MSW and PhD in Social Work from FSU and has been with the university since 2018.

Why do you like online teaching?
I love having the opportunity to connect with students who are located all over the country (sometimes even internationally) and being able to provide as close to an on-campus classroom experience as possible. There are benefits to teaching (and taking) online classes, including the ability to create voiceover PowerPoint lectures. Students can pause, fast-forward, and rewind a lecture, which they couldn’t do in a traditional class setting. I can update each module regularly with resources and information to keep it as current as possible. On a personal note, I currently live in Kennesaw, GA, and love that I’m able to be a part of the prestigious faculty in the College of Social Work at Florida State University while living in a different state. I received both my MSW and PhD in the College of Social Work at FSU, so it is extremely special to be part of the faculty at my alma matter.

What teaching tips would you have for instructors interested in teaching online?
I would recommend making use of trainings offered by the FSU Office of Distance Learning. I would also suggest talking to other faculty in your department who may already be teaching online classes. I am always excited to meet with faculty who may be interested in teaching online. I love showing them everything we can provide to our students via Canvas. I am sure there will be faculty in their department who are equally as excited to provide a course tour.

What is your favorite instructional strategy for teaching online?
One of my new favorite strategies is using Flipgrid discussions. The software is similar to social media, since students can apply filters and “heart” posts that they’ve viewed. It is a wonderful tool for visual learners, since they can see and hear the students instead of just reading a discussion board post. It is a wonderful tool to increase student engagement. I also try to make my courses consistent and easy to use with a one-page HTML module that includes everything for the week.

How do you engage with your students and how do students engage with each other?
Because engagement is a high priority for my classes, I continue to look for new ways to increase student interaction. Recently, I started requiring students to use Flipgrid for their mandatory first-week introduction. It has been a wonderful tool, since it allows students to be creative by sharing pets, significant others, and children and by using fun filters. Though less than three minutes, each video gives a wonderful glimpse into each student’s life and has helped them feel more connected to one another.

I kick start the week with a brief announcement video that provides reminders about assignments due that week and mentions any current events. Students appreciate seeing and hearing from me each Monday, and it’s a bit more like we’ve met in the classroom for the week. I sometimes provide optional Zoom guest presentations with notable speakers in the field, which offers another opportunity for students to connect with each other, me, and professionals in the field. These presentations are recorded and placed in the Canvas course for those who couldn’t attend live.

Assessment can sometimes be challenging in online courses. What strategies do you use for assessing student learning?
I am always looking for new ways to assess student learning. I use online quizzes in most of my classes. I’ve also been incorporating more of the publishing platforms, such as Cengage MindTap Helper Studio, assessment activities. In addition, I’ve added Flipgrid assignments to help provide an opportunity for students to briefly present (in 3-5 minutes) various course content learned.

Coming Soon: We will be featuring Dr. Svetoslava Slaveva-Griffin of the FSU College of Arts & Sciences, Department of Classics in the September/October issue. For a look back at Charla Perdue’s profile, visit the May/June issue.

Checklist Assists with Course Prep

From Canvas basics to course templates, the Office of Distance Learning offers the course readiness checklist below to help you prepare for the fall term. Review the recommendations and see how the tools and tips can support your teaching, both online and face-to-face.

Canvas Instructor/Staff Orientation

Enroll in this training course to learn the basics of Canvas. The self-paced course includes information on navigating Canvas, setting up profile and notification settings, adding course content, and accessing the FSU Canvas Support Center for helpful resources.

FSU Online Quality Design Course

Enroll in this self-paced course to learn strategies for developing quality online instruction using Canvas. You’ll get access to live and recorded webinars that can help you incorporate elements of quality design in your course.

Quality Course Shell

Import the ODL Quality Course Shell into your course or development site. The shell, which is suitable for both online and face-to-face courses, provides a Start Here page and templates that will help your students more easily navigate the course site. The templates embed elements that help online courses meet quality standards. View the support article for instructions on importing the shell.

FSU Emergency Module

Import the FSU Emergency Module into your Canvas course site. The module is designed to help faculty and students stay connected and navigate an emergency event, such as a hurricane, and can be used in both distance learning and face-to-face courses.

Accessibility Quick Fixes

Ensure your course content is accessible to all students. These four quick and easy fixes will get you started with creating an inclusive course. For more information, read how the Ally accessibility tool works within Canvas to scan content and provide an accessibility score and options for remediation if needed.

File Cleanup Tool

Create an organized, user-friendly course by removing unpublished content. Use the TidyUP tool, which can be enabled in Canvas, to identify and delete unused content in your course. The accessibility tool Ally marks unpublished files, pages, and folders as inaccessible so by removing this content, you’ll move closer to an accessible course. See the support article to enable the tool and start the cleanup process.

First-Day Attendance in Canvas

Find an easy way to take first-day attendance in Canvas. For online classes, options include creating a quiz or survey requiring a password or creating a discussion board post.

Training Webinars

Register for training webinars on course quality and design, tools and technologies, and universal design and accessibility. Our team of instructional development experts can help you create measurable learning objectives, design effective assessments, work with media tools in your course, and more.

New Online Programs & Certificates

FSU’s catalog of nationally ranked online programs is growing with recent additions of a financial planning degree and entrepreneurship certificates.

Bachelor’s Degree in Financial Planning

Offered by the College of Applied Studies, a bachelor’s degree in Financial Planning prepares students to become effective financial planners, experienced in both the academic knowledge and interpersonal skills required for practice. Upon graduation, students will be eligible to sit for the Certified Financial Planner exam.

Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship

Offered by the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, the certificate in Entrepreneurship develops the ability of students to analyze industry-specific issues from a global perspective, while enhancing the skills needed for today’s competitive field of entrepreneurship. Students from all academic disciplines are encouraged to pursue the certificate to expand knowledge in their chosen field by linking it to an entrepreneurial career.

Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Entrepreneurship

Offered jointly by the College of Medicine and the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, the Biomedical Entrepreneurship certificate is designed for scientists, clinicians, and engineers who champion health innovation. The development of leadership skills is necessary to identify, create, and launch pioneering solutions with healthcare applications.

To learn more about FSU online offerings, visit distance.fsu.edu.

Fall Testing & Scanning Services

The FSU Testing Center supports specialty exams, certification exams, and form scanning for the fall semester.

Proctored Testing Services

The Testing Center currently accommodates self-funded exams such as the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS), Modern Language Placement (MLP), and Certiport certification exams. Certiport partners with software providers such as Microsoft and Adobe to streamline the administration of their certification exams to students, staff, and instructors. This fall, we’ll be offering exams for these certifications:

• Microsoft Office Specialist – This certification demonstrates mastery of Microsoft Office products and is ideal for office and IT professionals.
• Adobe Certified Professional – This certification demonstrates mastery of Adobe Creative Cloud software and essential knowledge for digital media careers.
• Information Technology Specialist – This certification targets IT candidates and includes topics like software development, networking and security, and coding.

To learn more about Testing Center services, visit the Proctored Testing page.

Scanning Services

The Testing Center provides optical mark-sense scanning services to convert paper-based, multiple-choice exams and surveys into reliable, usable data. FSU instructors teaching courses or conducting non-funded research can order forms and request scanning services free of charge. Funded FSU projects and external clients pay a fee for forms and labor. See our price list for current rate information.

Instructors (or their designated runners) can drop scan jobs at the dropbox located inside the FSU Testing Center Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm. Scan jobs are processed quickly, with a typical turnaround time of one business day. Instructors can use our online tracking system to view the final results and securely download exam data from any computer. You can adjust your test keys and reprocess exam reports in the system without having to rescan the exam. While you’re welcome to pick up your scanned forms, you’re not required to do so. We’ll store the forms for one year before shredding.

For information on the test analyses and reports we offer, please see our Form Scanning page, and contact us at 850 644-3017 or odl-at@campus.fsu.edu with any questions.

Help Students Understand Course Structure

The goal of the Quality Quick Tips feature is to help instructors enhance the quality of their online courses by meeting essential standards from the Quality Matters rubric. By meeting these standards, you’re on your way to developing a robust learning experience for your students. We continue our rubric review with a look at Essential Standard 1.2 and course structure.

Essential Standard 1.2: Learners are introduced to the purpose and structure of the course. This standard falls within general standard 1 (see boxed text below), which states that the design of the course is made clear from the start. Help learners understand how the learning process is structured, including the course schedule, communications modes, learning activities, and assessments.

These tips can help you meet the essential standard:

• Use a Start Here page or Welcome module to include the schedule, activities, and assessments. You can download the ODL Quality Course Shell, which includes the ODL Start Here template.
• Add a course calendar or schedule to your syllabus or Start Here page.
• If including both synchronous and asynchronous elements, make sure these formats are clearly explained and what learners are expected to do in each format.

If you’re interested in learning more about online course quality, visit the FSU Online Quality Initiative page.

Fall Training Webinars Focus on Quality

The Office of Distance Learning provides training for instructors who might need a refresher on developing learning objectives, making course content accessible, or engaging students online. Our expert facilitators can help you master FSU’s teaching and learning technologies to create a quality course.

Course Quality & Design

Our training can help you incorporate elements of quality design into your online courses. Webinars address module-level learning objectives and alignment, as well as assessment design. You’ll also learn about the principles of universal design, delivery strategies for effective communication, and ways to engage students with online activities.

Tools & Technologies

We offer skill-building webinars that highlight instructional tools such as Kaltura, New Quizzes, and the Canvas Gradebook. From creating engaging media to getting your Gradebook up and running, these tools can help you enrich your online course and your learners’ experiences.

Universal Design & Accessibility

Accessible course materials are critical to ensuring that all students can enjoy a positive learning experience. We provide training on the accessibility tool Ally and the principles of universal design, as well as how to make Word and PDF documents accessible.

How to Register

You can sign up for a session or one-on-one consultation by visiting our Training & Workshops page. Interested in setting up departmental training? Contact John Braswell at jbraswell@campus.fsu.edu.

Media Team Can Help Enrich Your Course

Whether you need a course introduction, lecture video, or virtual field trip, the media team at the Office of Distance Learning is here to help. The team offers a range of professional media services for online courses and can work with you to create videos that meet quality standards and engage your students.

Visit our Media Production Services page for a closer look at the services we provide, including a suite of media tools:

• Insta360 Camera. Shoot course videos with 360-degree or wide-angle footage to create an immersive experience for your students.
• Document Camera. Capture images in real time, including learning materials like documents, textbooks, artwork, and 3D objects.
• Lightboard. Use this see-through whiteboard to teach and show concepts at the same time, supporting student engagement in the online classroom.
• SMOOTH 5 Gimbal. Employ this handheld stabilizing device to capture smooth and steady video from your smartphone.
• One Button Studio. Produce a do-it-yourself, high-quality video with the push of a button.

The team can come to your office or meet you on location. You can also visit the state-of-the-art production studio, located in building UCC-2100 in the stadium. If you’re interested in scheduling a consultation or reserving equipment, fill out the request form. For general inquiries, contact Media Production Manager D.D. Garbarino at 850-644-7574 or dgarbarino@fsu.edu.

Get Trained on New Quizzes

As the move to New Quizzes continues, the Office of Distance Learning wants to ensure instructors are prepared for the transition. We're offering Zoom workshops that will introduce you to assessment features such as new question types, shuffling of assessment questions, and robust auto-grading options. 

How to Register

To register, visit the Training & Workshops page, go to the offerings under Tools & Technologies, and sign up for the New Quizzes session that best fits your schedule.

We encourage instructors to become familiar with the new features and transition timeline. Visit our support articles to learn about quiz creation and item bank improvements.

• Introducing New Quizzes
• Get to Know New Quizzes
• New Quizzes Transition Timeline

Upcoming Improvements

Canvas developers are upgrading the Rich Content Editor (RCE) in New Quizzes so the functionality will match the RCE used in other areas of Canvas. Once integrated into New Quizzes, the RCE will support the upcoming bulk migration tool and provide advanced elements like editing HTML, adding media, using the Canvas accessibility checker, and more.

You can subscribe to updates or share your experiences with New Quizzes by participating in Instructure’s Quizzes Transition user group. For assistance, reach out to ODL technical support at 850-644-8004 or canvas@fsu.edu or submit a ticket.

Dig into Social Learning with Workshop

Instructors can learn about the dynamic social learning platform Yellowdig by attending a one-hour workshop. Yellowdig will be hosting the 2022-23 kickoff session on August 9 at 1 pm via Zoom. To join the workshop and learn how Yellowdig can enhance student engagement in your course, access the Zoom link on training day.

Yellowdig Overview

Yellowdig encourages active participation, peer-to-peer engagement, and real-time feedback to build a robust learning community. Integrated within Canvas and funded through a student-pay model, Yellowdig’s learner-centered approach allows students to share, listen, and learn in an online, hybrid, or face-to-face environment. Instructors can track engagement, share content, and follow participation. Students can communicate and collaborate about class content and share learning resources.

Resources

For more information on Yellowdig, see the support article or view the following resources:

• Instructor Certification Course
• Guide to Best Practices
• Knowledge Base
• YouTube Channel

Comment Library Feature in SpeedGrader

To help instructors grade more quickly and efficiently in Canvas courses, SpeedGrader provides a Comment Library function. The Comment Library allows instructors to save and reuse commonly used text feedback in the SpeedGrader assignment comment area. As an instructor, you can select, add, and delete comments while you’re grading. You can also enable a suggestion function that matches the first three letters of your typing to existing comments. Because the Comment Library is associated with your account, the library is available in both new and existing courses and their assignments.

How to Use the Feature

To view the Comment Library while in SpeedGrader, click the speech bubble located to the upper right of the comment text box. The small number to the right of the speech bubble icon indicates the number of comments currently stored in the library.

Clicking the speech bubble icon opens the Comment Library on the right of the screen. Here you will see existing comments, which can be edited or deleted. You can add new comments to the library and can enable the “Show suggestions when typing” feature.

When you select a comment from your library, it will populate the comment field, but remember to click the submit button for the student to receive the comment. Comments can be edited and augmented once they are in the SpeedGrader comment field. Keep in mind that the Comment Library functionality is not available in the assignment submission details page.

For more information on the Comment Library feature, view the support article from the Instructure Community. If you need assistance with SpeedGrader, contact ODL technical support at canvas@fsu.edu or 850-644-8004 or submit a ticket.