As we near the midway point of the semester, it’s a good time for instructors to begin thinking about end-of-term student course evaluations. Evaluations give students a chance to make their voice heard and can provide valuable feedback to instructors about their courses. In this issue of Distance Up Close, we offer tips about preparing your evaluations and mapping out ways to encourage student response.

Explore our newly branded Training & Outreach section, which provides a range of professional development opportunities. This issue highlights training from the Florida Instructional Designer Network, including webinars on discussion boards and deep learning, accessibility quick tips, and interactive digital textbooks. You’ll find webinars on quality course design facilitated by ODL’s instructional development experts as well as sessions on the social annotation tool Hypothesis. Celebrate National Distance Learning Week by participating in free webinars the second week in November.

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 Dr. Svetla Slaveva-Griffin of the FSU Department of Classics and how she embraces the challenge of teaching online.

As a reminder, if you need help making up class time for students impacted by Hurricane Ian or the recent campus closure, the university provides online tools and resources that can get your course back on track. You can also review how to reschedule exams or adjust due dates in Canvas. For individual assistance, reach out to the ODL instructional development faculty or email odl-faculty@campus.fsu.edu. We’re here to help!

Encourage Students to Complete Surveys

The administrative window for course evaluation opens soon, so now is the time for instructors to prepare their surveys and remind their students about the importance of feedback.

Prepping the Survey

You can begin making changes to the Student Perception of Courses and Instructors (SPCI) surveys when the administrative window opens on October 11. One of the first steps in preparing your survey is to verify course information. See our support article for information on checking user enrollments, adding instructors or students, or changing survey start and end dates.

It’s important to avoid surveys that are not anonymous. Neither Qualtrics nor a Canvas survey guarantees a student’s anonymity. Instead, customize the SPCI survey by adding your own questions. For optimal response rates, we strongly recommend you limit custom questions to three or fewer and avoid repeating questions already in the survey. Instructors who make time during class for students to complete the survey are encouraged to allow students additional time to complete each custom question.

To protect the anonymity of students, FSU contracts with an outside vendor to manage and store evaluation data. Instructors do not have access to which students responded, and FSU technology administrators do not have access to a student's identifying data.

Encouraging Your Students

Research shows that students are more likely to provide feedback if instructors encourage them to do so.* To help you engage your students in the evaluation process, review the Talking Points for Instructors. You can direct your students to the Feedback Matters page, which addresses some common reasons why students opt out of course evaluations.

Coming Soon

Be on the lookout for communications about a Feedback Matters module that you can upload into your course from Canvas Commons. The module will provide information to instructors about how to promote course evaluations, including a video of FSU faculty and a student sharing their insights on the importance of providing feedback.

If you have questions about course evaluations, visit the Faculty Senate Teaching Evaluation Committee page or the Course Evaluations page. You may also email our Assessment & Testing team at odl-at@campus.fsu.edu or call 850-645-2730.

*Bennett, L., & Nair, C. S. (2010). A recipe for effective participation rates for web-based surveys. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(4), 357-365

In the Spotlight: Svetla Slaveva-Griffin

As part of our ongoing spotlight on 2021-2022 Excellence in Online Teaching, the Office of Distance Learning congratulates the four award winners: Lisa Johnson, Charla Perdue, Svetla 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. Svetla Slaveva-Griffin, associate professor in the FSU Department of Classics. Slaveva-Griffin received her PhD in Classics from the University of Iowa and has been with FSU since 2001.

Why do you like teaching online?
I like challenges in teaching. I am what is called an engaging instructor. By “engaging,” I do not mean an instructor who imparts her knowledge fluently and clearly. But rather, an instructor who reaches out to her students to meet them on their turf. Just as there are no two snowflakes alike, so are no two students alike. Students come with diverse backgrounds, different learning skills, interests, and pedagogical needs. The in-person classroom levels the ground for all students and puts them on an equal footing, so to speak. The students with an outgoing set of learning skills fill up the learning space with questions, opinions, and troubleshooting. The others with an introverted set of learning skills remain in the background, waiting for the instructor to notice them.

A Welcome Challenge
Online teaching obliterates that difference. In the online classroom, there are no overt or introvert learners. All students are at the same educational distance, to speak figuratively, from the instructor. And here comes the challenge in online teaching I like. It is easy for me to walk in an in-person classroom and fill up the learning space with my erudition, passion for the subject, and communicable interests. It is not so easy or it is more challenging at least to do the same in the virtual classroom.

First, there is no concrete physical space I can imbue with my learnedness. The virtual classroom is infinitely large in which the physical space is replaced by a mental space. This mental space is like a door that I open for my students to enter. That door does not operate on the basis of “first come, first served,” as in the physical classroom. All students come in at the same time. In fact, all of them come in first and, most importantly, all students engage with me as their instructor on their individual turf as learners, be it overt or introvert, experienced or beginning. In my infinite virtual classroom, there is no front and back row. Every student takes the front row and their learning experience in my class is paced and tailored to their learning skills, goals, interests, and needs. The mental space of my virtual classroom becomes their mental space in which I teach them how to engage with the material based on their set of learning skills and goals. Instead of being the talking professor behind the lectern, I am the individual guiding tutor of every student and get to discover the beauty of the subjects I teach through the eyes of my students. This is what I consider an engaging teaching style.

What teaching tips would you have for instructors interested in teaching online?
It’s simple. Four things:

1. Stay connected with your students throughout, in every assignment, exam, deadline.
2. Be your students’ learning guide. Let them show you the way in which they can engage with your subject.
3. Show your students the long-term perspective of why they are learning what they are learning now.
4. Do not lose your human touch behind the digital screen. Behind any student email, there is a human life, like yours, unfolding.

Coming Soon: We will be featuring Dr. Karen Works of Computer Science in the November/December issue. You can view profiles of the other online teaching award winners in the following issues: Charla Perdue in the May/June issue and Lisa Johnson in the July/August issue.

Quick Turnaround on Scanning Services

If you plan on proctoring midterm exams in the classroom, take advantage of the FSU Testing Center’s revamped scanning services. Scantron (bubble-sheet) form scanning is provided for multiple-choice exams and surveys with a typical processing time of one business day. Scanning jobs may be dropped off in one of two locations:

Monday & Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
ODL Assessment & Testing Office
University Center C-2200

Tuesday-Thursday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
FSU Testing Center Drop Box
University Center C-1100

Instructors can access their results online as soon as the scanning job is complete, and grades can be imported directly into the Canvas gradebook. Blank forms are available to departments at no charge but should be requested in advance to guarantee availability. See the Form Scanning page for more information.

Guide Students with Course Objectives

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 2.1 and the importance of learning objectives.

Essential Standard 2.1: The course learning objectives, or course/program competencies, describe outcomes that are measurable. This standard falls within general standard 2 (see boxed text below). A measurable objective clearly describes what learners will be able to do upon successfully completing the course. The more specific the objective, the more meaningful the content will be for learners. Well-written objectives guide learners on how to focus their learning.

Here are examples of well-written objectives for FSU courses:

• Explain applicable statutes and regulations governing public and private health insurance. (LAW6729)
• Critically examine, interpret, and explain how personal, cultural, economic, and social experiences and/or structures shape the history of the United States from 1877 to the present. (AMH2020)
• Calculate and analyze the aerodynamic characteristics of an airfoil and an aircraft wing. (EAS5102)

These tips can help you meet the essential standard:

• In writing course objectives, think about what you want learners to be able to do with the content by the end of the course. What is the takeaway?
• Begin your statement with an active verb.
• Review Bloom’s Taxonomy verb lists for examples of active verbs in key cognitive areas.
• Think ahead of how learners will demonstrate that they can meet the objective. What kind of assignment or assessment will support the objective?

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

Video Discussion Tool Connects Students

The video discussion tool Flip (formerly Flipgrid) provides instructors with a free, simple, and engaging way to connect students with their classmates. Students can use Flip to introduce themselves in the virtual classroom, practice a foreign language, or discuss course work. Instructors can use Flip to post video assignments in Canvas, and students can respond by recording and sharing video with their instructor and peers. Students can add rich media like emojis, stickers, and filters to make their videos more creative and captivating.

In addition to increasing student and instructor presence, Flip provides the following benefits:

• Use of guest speakers. The Guest Mode allows you to invite guest speakers into discussions. You can also add teaching assistants to Flip assignments.
• Grading options. You can grade Flip assignments using SpeedGrader.
• On-the-go communication. Flip is compatible on any device, anywhere: laptops, tablets, and mobile devices via Windows, iOS, or Android apps.

“Flip can be used in a number of different scenarios,” said Liying Miao, Instructional Development Faculty with the Office of Distance Learning. “Some instructors use the tool in low-stakes assignments such as self-introductions while some use it for five-minute presentations. Some foreign language instructors use Flip videos for quizzing students or fun activities such as singing in another language. All these scenarios contribute to a great learning experience for students.”

Flip Support Resources

• Take advantage of free training sessions.
• Access the Educator Toolkit, including a step-by-step getting started guide.
• Discover five ways to use Flip in a university setting.

For more information on Flip, including a how-to video on installing and using the tool in your Canvas courses, see our support article. For questions about the tool, contact ODL Technical Support at 850-644-8004 or canvas@fsu.edu.

Canvas Release Notes

The monthly Canvas release notes describe features that will be included in an upcoming release of Canvas. Here are the features for October:

• Instructors using BigBlueButton can enable a waiting room in Conferences settings, which allows them to manage when participants join the conference.
• Instructors can use the Schedule Page Publication feature to publish pages on a specific date and time.
• Inbox coding has been updated to improve functionality.

You can access the complete October notes on the Canvas Community page. To be notified of updates, subscribe to the release notes.

Celebrate National Distance Learning Week

Faculty are invited to participate in National Distance Learning Week by attending free webinars during the annual conference hosted by the U.S. Distance Learning Association (USDLA). Scheduled for November 7-11, 2022, the virtual event highlights best practices in online learning. The event marks its 15th year with a focus on leadership across all aspects of distance learning.

Daily webinars are scheduled for 10 am and 3 pm (Eastern Time). USDLA is currently finalizing the session topics, so be sure to visit the National Distance Learning Week page for updated information. You can access archived recordings from past conferences at the bottom of the page.

Enhance Your Professional Development

FSU faculty are welcome to join a series of free professional development webinars hosted by the Florida Instructional Designer Network (FL-IDN). FL-IDN, created by Florida Virtual Campus in 2018, provides online faculty with professional development resources in instructional design, course development, and learning technologies.

The 2022-2023 webinars target the training needs of instructional design and technology professionals, online education professionals, and other educators who support teaching, learning, and student success.

How to Register

Click on a webinar title below to sign up for the session of your choice. Additional information is available on the FL-IDN website.
 

FL-IDN 2022-2023 WEBINAR SERIES

• November 8, 2022
  Cultivating Deep Learning Using Discussion Boards
  • Facilitator: Rob Rose, University of North Florida

• December 1, 2022
  Quality Content: A Case Study on Creating Effective Training for Educators
  • Facilitator: Caity Bente, Florida State University Program for Instructional Excellence

• January 17, 2023
  Setting the Bar: A Quality Approach to Online Learning
  • Facilitator: Katie Ragsdale and Carleigh Okwali, Polk State College

• February 7, 2023
  Fast 5: Quick Tips to Make Your Course More Accessible
  • Facilitator: Lindsey Morris, Tarrant County College

• March 7, 2023
  Building Interactive Textbooks for OER-Driven Courses
  • Facilitator: Laurie Nave, University of Alabama (Huntsville)

• April 11, 2023
  Live-online: A.L.I.V.E.
  • Facilitator: Dax Parcells, Palm Beach State College

Caity Bente, Assistant Director of the Program for Instructional Excellence at FSU, will facilitate the December 2022 workshop ”Quality Content: A Case Study on Creating Effective Training for Educators.”

“We will outline a case study of developing a training program designed to prepare graduate students in university teaching assistant roles for the rigorous duty of teaching college-level courses,” explained Bente. “We will explore topics such as tips for developing a high-quality product under time/budget constraints, identifying key subject-matter experts for creating content, accessing valuable content sources such as open educational resources, and overall creating a training program that facilitates a high transfer of skills from the training to the real-work context.”

Past Recordings & Resources

To access recordings of previous FL-IDN sessions, visit the Professional Development Webinars page. You can visit the IDN Additional Resources page for best practices, training and support, and development resources. Subscribe to the FL-IDN listserv for the latest news and announcements on professional development.

Join ODL Faculty for Quality Training

The Office of Distance Learning continues fall training on developing learning objectives, making course content accessible, and engaging students online. Our expert facilitators can help you master FSU’s teaching and learning technologies to create a quality online course.

• Course Quality & Design. Incorporate elements of quality design into your courses with webinars on learning objectives and alignment, assessment design, student engagement, effective communication, and accessibility.
• Tools & Technologies. Access skill-building webinars that highlight instructional tools such as Kaltura, New Quizzes, and the Canvas Gradebook.
• Universal Design & Accessibility. Learn how the accessibility tool Ally and the principles of universal design can help you ensure all students can enjoy an inclusive learning experience.

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.

Help Students Engage with Text

Instructors seeking ways to enhance students’ deep reading skills can try Hypothesis, a social annotation tool available for use in Canvas. With Hypothesis, your students can annotate online course readings and webpages, encouraging them to connect with the content and their peers. The tool is intended to help with student engagement, reading comprehension, and the development of critical thinking skills.

To provide you with strategies to implement annotation in your courses, Hypothesis offers 30-minute online workshops this fall:

• Activating Annotation in Canvas. Join the introductory workshop and learn how to begin adding social annotation into your courses.
  • November 1
• Show-and-Tell Participatory Workshop. Leverage the features of Hypothesis more fully. Instructors can share examples of effective annotation assignments.
  • October 4
  • December 6
• Using Hypothesis with Small Groups. Discover how to develop a more collaborative learning environment by using Hypothesis in small groups.
  • October 11
  • November 8
• Using Multimedia and Tags in Annotations. Learn how to add multimedia and tags in annotations to increase engagement.
  • October 18
  • November 15
• Creative Ways to Use Social Annotation in Your Courses. Review a variety of discussion protocols and active-learning strategies.
  • October 25
  • November 29

How to Register

You can register for any of the above sessions on the Hypothesis workshops page. All webinars are scheduled for Tuesdays at 10 am (Pacific Time). For recordings of previous workshops, visit the Hypothesis YouTube channel. For more information on the tool, see our support article.