TLC Bi-Weekly Newsletter for Tuesday,
January 23rd, 2024
Welcome back, K-Staters!
We hope you had a wonderful winter break and are ready to begin the Spring 2024 semester! The Teaching & Learning Center (TLC) would like to remind you of our commitment to support your efforts in teaching, mentoring, and advising. We are excited to announce the various priorities, events, and resources that are designed to advance teaching and learning at K-State. This video explains what the TLC can do for you.
Teaching During IT Disruptions
As Interim Provost Mercer shared earlier, please check the IT Disruption news and Frequently Asked Questions for regular updates on academic continuity during IT disruptions. Provost Mercer also responded to some questions with teaching guidance:
- Is Canvas still working? Canvas still works. You can share course content and files on Canvas. However, since some students are still struggling to get an eID, please be flexible and understanding during the first weeks of class in terms of student access to material. If you see someone on KSIS that is not yet on your Canvas site, please send the syllabus and any assignment links directly to that student or send direct links to all students so they have multiple ways to access materials the first week(s) of class.
- If you have students who have struggled with access to your content for any reason, please be flexible in the due dates to your initial quizzes, assignments, and assessments. Because this disruption is due to a technology-related issue, we need to be mindful to check in with our students regarding their access to content.
- How can I see an updated student roster for my course? KSIS has the updated class enrollment and location information. IT worked with the registrar’s office and has prioritized a way to link KSIS information to Canvas. It should be working now.
- How long will Mediasite be down? We do not have a set timeline for the restoration of Mediasite services for creating and housing video content. IT is in the process of standing up a cloud-based iteration of Mediasite which can be used for new content production. While we have backup of some content, we cannot assure the recovery of that content or its quality. A start to recovery of backup content is weeks, not days, away.
- We encourage you to create or recreate video content via the video resources shared previously. Remember that short videos can be uploaded directly to Canvas files for students to view. Longer videos can be saved to OneDrive and linked to Canvas pages as well.
- Please note that if you have been contacted by the Student Access Center and are required to create accessible contact, you should confer with them to continue that dialogue and process.
Programs & Events
Our Professional Development (PD) Series will continue on Wednesdays at 12 noon via Zoom. All events are free, and no registration is required. As we finalize our PD Series, we will post the schedule on the Upcoming Events page of our website and on our social media: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
- On Wednesday, January 24th (tomorrow!), Angie Brunk from K-State Libraries will lead a Need-To-Know event titled, Creating an Accessible & Welcoming Learning Environment." Click here to view the promotional video.
- • On Wednesday January 31st, Tom Hallaq will lead an event on captioning video content. We hope to see you there!
Also, if you are interested in earning a PD Certificate or in becoming a TLC Fellow for this academic year, check out the requirements on our website.
Engage the Sage Videos to Support Excellent Teaching
We would like to remind you of several video resources as part of Dr. Don Saucier’s YouTube channel, Engage the Sage, that are particularly relevant toward the beginning of the semester:
- Teaching Tweaks for a New Semester (6:40)
- Making Video Overviews for Your Syllabus (13:02)
- Nurturing Student Voices Early- Even in Large Classes (4:16)
Our two newest releases:
- Making Memories on the First Day of Class (4:49)
- Ten Things to Say Early and Often to Your Students (8:42)
Thank You & Encouragement
We are grateful for your continued support of your students and colleagues and hope you take advantage of the resources available to you at K-State, including us at the TLC, throughout the upcoming semester. Thank you for all you do for your colleagues and our students. And thank you for advancing K-State’s teaching and learning mission with energy and optimism.
Sincerely,