Academic Technology has some best practices, tips and tricks to help prepare you for a the new semester. The team of technologists in Instructional Technology have put together a selection of tools and resources to assist you.
This packet includes:
- A Technology Checklist for Spring
- The CSUN Canvas Template
- AI Workshops from FTC Spring 2024
- Canvas Insights: See who hasn't logged in for two weeks
- Best Practices for Creating an Accessible Syllabus
- Faculty Development's Equity inspired Spring 2024 Professional Development Opportunities
- Mastering the Art of Exporting and Importing your course content
- Information about our FTC Tech Pantry & Faculty Media Studio
- Help Us Increase Awareness of Student Technology Resources
Spring Checklist
- Communicate to your students how you would like to correspond with them
- Create a short welcome video for your course
- Publish your courses before your first class session
- Create an Artificial Intelligence statement for your course(s). For help getting started, consider reviewing the campus memorandum on Guidance on Maintaining Academic Integrity in an Artificial Intelligence World and the Sample AI Syllabus Statements curated by CSUN’s Faculty Development team
- Upload your accessible syllabus
Remember, you can always check in with our Academic Technology team at our Canvas Course Set Up Clinic happening Tuesday, January 23rd at 10:00am.
CSUN Canvas Course Template
Give yourself a head start with the CSUN Canvas Template! The template is available as a Canvas course shell that you can import from Canvas Commons and we would love to get your feedback!
The CSUN Canvas Template is a framework of best practices to help you set up your Canvas course. This resource for CSUN Faculty was developed by Academic Technology, Faculty Development and Faculty Fellows, and was created with the CSU’s Quality Learning and Teaching Standards, equity-minded teaching, and universal design and accessibility principles in mind.
Academic Technology will hold two Canvas Template Clinics: Wednesday, January 10th at 1:00pm and Thursday, January 25th at 2:00pm to help faculty with the template. We can't wait for your feedback!
AI Workshops from FTC Spring 2024
CSUN Academic Technology has been hard at work creating new AI focused workshops, including "Save Time with Generative AI", "Designing with AI in Adobe Express", and "TurnItIn AI Detection". This term, we have a few new opportunities as well.
Join us on Valentine's Day, 2024, at 2:00pm for Hearts and Highlights: Discover New Features and AI-Enhancements to Familiar Tools. Interested in introducing something new to your teaching? Join CSUN’s Instructional Technology experts for a Valentine’s Day tour of new features and AI-enhancements now available in many of the tools you already use. We’ll cover the essential information you’ll need to get started and share some practical examples of how you might leverage these features in your teaching.
Join us Thursday, February 29th to Leap into AI and have a conversation about what AI tools may benefit you and your students, not just in academia, but in everyday life. This leap year, we invite you to join us in an exploration of how the higher education community is using AI-driven tools in academics and everyday life. If you've been curious about AI but unsure where to begin, this event is your chance to learn about common AI tools and develop a personalized approach to evaluating and integrating AI tools into your teaching and professional life.
Canvas Insights
Faculty can now leverage Canvas Insights to quickly identify and contact students who have not logged into Canvas during the preceding two weeks. After generating the report, faculty have the option to email students directly through Insights using available templates or a custom message. This proactive outreach to students can be especially impactful during the first few weeks of the semester. For help getting started, visit Canvas Insights or join a workshop. Academic Technology will be offering increased frequency of Canvas Insights workshops. Be sure to keep an eye on our Workshop Calendar to register when you are able to learn more from our expert team.
Accessible Syllabus
Important Syllabus Related Resources:
Equity-minded Syllabus Series
From Faculty Development
In this two-part workshop series, participants will gain ideas for creating a syllabus that interrupts bias and creates an equity-minded environment using the Center for Urban Education’s Equity-Minded Syllabus Review. We will decide shortly whether the program will be offered in-person on campus or online via Zoom.
Participants who attend and engage in both workshops in the series and complete written reflection activities will receive funding of $200.
Contact Faculty Development for more information.
Equity Minded Grading Series
From Faculty Development
In this two-part workshop series, participants will be introduced to the pillars of equity-minded grading. We will examine the ideas and assumptions of traditional grading and introduce strategies for ensuring that grading is mathematically accurate, bias-resistant, and instills intrinsic motivation in our students. We will decide shortly whether the program will be offered in-person on campus or online via Zoom.
Participants who attend and engage in both workshops in the series and complete written reflection activities will receive funding of $200.
Contact Faculty Development for more information.
Mastering the Art of Exporting and Importing your Course Content
So you have created a great course in Canvas, but the semester is over and you want to iterate on this course for the next semester. Canvas has a great tool called "Import Course Content" which allows you to bring your entire course to your empty new course. Importing an entire course will also bring in any personalization you have made, such as a course image or menu edits, alongside all your course content like files, modules, assignments, quizzes, and more. This allows you to save time as you don't have to redo all those pages, modules, and assessments and can focus your energy on improving the course.
FTC Tech Pantry
The Faculty Technology Center (FTC) has opened a Tech Pantry where faculty can borrow a variety of tech items like Cintiq Pro and Wacom tablets, 360 degree cameras, microphones, and more as a semester long loan.
To learn more or sign up to use one or more of these devices, please contact the Faculty Technology Center.
Faculty Media Studio
Did you know Academic Technology has a media studio available to faculty? Work with experts to bring your vision to reality. You can film interviews, mini-lectures, grant proposal videos, and so much more!
Lightboard
Lecture, Demonstration, Explanation. The Lightboard is a glass chalkboard full of light that allows you to face students while writing on the board. You can write notes, draw sketches, and perform equations as you lecture. When you're done, the Media Studio provides you with a video file that can be uploaded to Panopto, Canvas Studio, or YouTube and embedded in your course.
Help Us Increase Awareness of Student Technology Resources
Recent surveys conduct by the IT Division indicate that fewer than 45% of students are aware of the full range of technology resources available to support their learning and academic success. To help increase awareness, we invite you to incorporate one or both of the resources below into your course this semester.
Student Technology Resource Module
Academic Technology has created a resource module in Canvas filled with information for your students! It is comprised of several resource pages covering topics from how to access the University's wireless internet to how to download and install software like Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Cloud. This module can be found in Canvas Commons and can be imported into your Canvas course with a few clicks. For more information, visit: Student Technology Resource Module.
Peer-to-Peer Class Presentations
New for this semester, faculty can request a 15-minute Student Technology Resources class presentation to provide their classes with essential information about technology resources available. Our student fellows will deliver a 15-minute presentation to guide your students through the Student Technology Module and provide details about how to get technical support on campus. To request a presentation, please use this form to submit your date preferences and select the 15-minute option: Student Technology Presentation Request Form. After you complete the form, a member of our staff will contact you to confirm a final presentation date, based on your selected dates and presenter availability.
infotech_csun - Technology Tips for CSUN Students
Did you know that social media is one of the top three choices for students to learn about technology?
Academic Technology and the Faculty Technology Center have embarked on a campaign to use social media to increase awareness of campus-supported digital programs. So, we invite you to follow Infotech_CSUN on Instagram!
Our digital equity students post twice weekly with tips on finding CSUN technology resources, navigating the CSUN Portal, and utilizing technical features on their devices.
Contact Us
Email: ftc@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-3443
Drop-in help via Zoom (Monday - Friday 8a.m.-5p.m.)
Make an Appointment with our Staff: Pick from Available Times and Services
Be sure to stay in-the-know with our Academic Technology Newsletter
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