General Team Update
This month EDLI streamlined our project management approach with a centralized project board and weekly report-outs. We also began collecting data on multimodal instruction happening in classrooms across campus in collaboration with IT. In addition to these activities, we have advanced our focus on educational spaces by developing evaluation plans for software tools and evaluation. We expanded EDLI meetings to include Shannon Kelly, a graduate assistant in the CAL Technology Office. Shannon’s research focuses on institutional communication; she brings expertise in writing, designing, and program planning.
Multimodal Classroom Project
EDLI is working with instructors who are teaching multimodally in the dedicated multimodal classrooms and other spaces across campus. EDLI is collecting surveys from instructors and students and started classroom observations in these courses. Additional instructors are being added as some have switched to offering multimodal options for students with illnesses or COVID exposure. This evaluation will be used to develop guidelines for faculty interested in multimodal instruction and as pilot data for grant applications to further MSU’s multimodal expertise. (Contact: Caitlin and Jun).
Software/Tool Evaluation and Acquisition/Sunset Project
This month we have initiated a project on informing the acquisition and phasing out process for educational software/tool, and software/tool evaluation. The project conceptual model is as follows:
This project has two components that are interrelated: (1) software acquisition and support process (Innovation/Sunsetting Pathway) and (2) evaluation of software on campus.
Component 1 goals are to provide clear processes for decision making around acquiring software (e.g. RFP processes, support planning and providing, purchase processes) and a similar process for sunsetting software in use on campus. Component 2 goals are to provide a potentially replicable process for evaluating the pedagogical value of a software investment on the campus.
Specifically, we are currently collaborating with Christopher Shaltry at the Department of Physiology and other campus partners to start planning for the pilot evaluation of PlayPosit — a tool that enables instructors to incorporate interactive assessments into videos (Contact: Scott, Jun, and Jessica).
Projects Engaging Campus Collaborators
Scott, Sarah, and Jessica have continued to attend meetings on Quality Matters with stakeholders across MSU. There they have discussed a larger University-wide QM strategy, as well as what the various stakeholders can offer in terms of QM Professional Development and quality reviews.
Scott, Shannon, and Jun worked with Bill Hart-Davidson to develop and offer a workshop on Designing a Resilient Pedagogy that introduced the core principles of the approach and offered participants an opportunity to reflect on and share their own examples and experiences with resilient approaches to teaching.
The EDLI Team met with Jason Beaudin (Director of Academic Technology) and Stuart Braiman from Techsmith to talk about approaches for turning digitally captured materials (e.g. lectures or workshops) and transforming them into engaging asynchronous experiences. Challenges were identified and potential approaches or assets were explored. This group will continue to consider and discuss.
Guidance for Temporary Modality Change
The EDLI team produced some template language to provide faculty guidance when considering a temporary modality change in their course. This guidance encourages faculty to consider alternative options of meeting in-person in a reduced density environment rather than immediately changing modality to online, but also provides guidance and language they can use for ensuring that they clearly communicate the temporary nature of a modality change. Additionally, the document provides a guide to help students attend a virtual class session.
Template for Student Notification – Faculty Temporarily Changing Modality
Educational Landscape Discussions
EDLI continues to deepen ties with key stakeholders on campus. In September, we began framing the educator professional development space from a TPaCK perspective, where the space is defined as technology, pedagogy, content knowledge, or some combination of the three. So far, the framing has been helpful in identifying how responsibilities might be distributed across campus partners, to minimize redundancies and gaps, and promote shared visions. EDLI also continues its work inventorying the teaching and learning landscape at MSU on the heels of a key stakeholder meeting EDLI convened in August. The details of that strategic meeting are located here: T&L Support Fall 2021 Meeting Summary Having begun that inventory work, EDLI and other teaching and learning leaders on campus met with Executive Vice President Melissa Woo and Senior Associate Provost Thomas Jeitschko. That meeting served as a platform for formalizing the T&L landscape inventory and continued the momentum toward a more solidified teaching and learning structure on campus.
