The Office of Digital Learning and Inquiry is pleased to announce the start of a pilot community of practice focused on developing connections and expertise in Canvas course design with a focus on student-centered learning practices. This community of learners will post and answer questions, explore new options available in Canvas, as well as the ways in which classroom challenges might be addressed through design modifications.
Some challenges (and small move solutions) we have discussed over the past year include:
- Opening lines of communication that bundle messages by class
- Hosting virtual office hours to allow for flexible scheduling
- Using interest surveys to tailor instruction
- Facilitating virtual introductions prior to the start of class to enhance class community
- Touring your class site virtually to help students navigate your content more efficiently
If you are interested in joining the community of practice please let us know by emailing your name and Middlebury username to hstafford@middlebury.edu. We would also greatly appreciate it if you would fill out this brief survey to collect information about how you would like the community to support your pedagogical goals.
We anticipate hosting the community within Microsoft Teams which will allow for threaded conversations, file sharing, shared note taking and calendar coordination while also allowing us to explore a new tool in our Microsoft instance. Access information will be shared with those interested in joining the community.
We look forward to learning with you! All levels of Canvas/course design expertise are welcome!