Have you ever downloaded an internet file to your computer and then wondered, “Where did it go?”
The default locations for Internet Explorer (IE), Firefox (FF) and Chrome is: c:/users/your_tuid/downloads.
I often prefer to have the default location set to the Windows desktop. If you want to change the location go to the page indicated below and type or browse to indicate the new location:
- IE - Settings Icon > View Downloads item > Options link
- FF - Open Menu Icon > Options item/icon > General page
- Chrome - Customize and Control Google Chrome icon > Settings item > Show advanced settings… item (bottom of page)
For more information, visit us in the CTE or email John Thommen at thommej@lcc.edu.
YouTube and other online video services provide educators with entire libraries of information, from how to write a scientific paper to tours of museums and historical sites worldwide. It has become second nature for us to embed a video into an online lesson or do a quick YouTube search to answer a student question in class.
When we select which videos to share with our students, it is important to keep in mind the definition of Universal Design:
The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design (http://www.missouristate.edu/ud/73199.htm, accessed 8/15/15).
In higher education, it is our obligation to provide students with accessible content, which means that videos we share must be captioned properly for deaf and/or hard of hearing students. YouTube has a feature that can make it easier for you to find well captioned videos.
First, do a search on YouTube as you normally would by entering keywords and clicking the search button. After receiving your initial results, expand the Filters menu and click the Subtitles/CC button.
A new set of videos will appear including ONLY those that have captions available. To check for accuracy, watch the videos with the captions on by clicking the CC button on the control bar.
You may not currently have a deaf or hard of hearing student enrolled in your class, but captioned videos can benefit other groups of students, too. Non-native English speakers can use captions to practice their reading skills and reinforce language concepts. In addition, students who study in noisy areas or where they can’t use headphones are able to turn on the captions and read as they watch.
Removing barriers to learning is an important concept to embrace in education. If you would like to discuss more about Universal Design or share your thoughts over a cup of coffee, contact Meg Elias (clarkm1@email.lcc.edu) or visit the CTE in TLC Room 324. If you have more in-depth questions about accessibility for deaf and/or hard-of-hearing students, or blind/visually impaired students, please feel free to contact the Center for Student Access at 517-483-1924.
(Post by Leslie Johnson)
If you’re looking for an alternative assessment for online or face-to-face classes, consider having your students publish an e-magazine. In the June 2015 issue of The Online Cl@assroom, John Orlando, associate director for the Northcentral University Faculty Resource Center, describes the benefits of such an assignment.
Most importantly, he notes that when students write for a public space, they are more likely to invest more time and take more intellectual risks. Furthermore, he notes that since communicating effectively in online environments is quickly becoming a critical job skill, we should be working to improve our students’ digital literacy.
Orlando suggests having the entire class produce an issue on a monthly basis. The student-produced articles should reflect class topics and be read by everyone in the course. Students can enhance their own work with graphics and videos as well as comment on their peers’ work.
As for the necessary e-magazine publishing tools, many “free versions” exist. Orlando recommends LucidPress but suggests that faculty also compare it with other systems, such as Simplebooklet and Glossi, to choose one that best suits their needs.
If you would like to read more from The Online Cl@ssroom, stop by the Center for Teaching Excellence, during our open hours. Copies are available in our lounge, and coffee is provided for your reading pleasure.
The Teaching Professor includes summarized articles from various educational publications, as well as original articles from university and college instructors. If you are interested in reviewing articles in this and/or other publications, please stop by the CTE, TLC 324, where you can read in a comfortable setting and enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
Inside the June/July 2015 issue of The Teaching Professor, you will find the following articles:
Flipped Exam Boosts Student Learning
Flipping the exam is the focus of “Flipped Exam Boosts Student Learning,” a summary piece based on research done by H.L. Lujanm and S.E. DiCarlo at Wayne State University. The researchers decided to grade students based on their collaborative efforts in answering exam questions. They asked students to answer 45 exam questions of which “30-35% of the material had not been talked about in class.” Students were given a set amount of time to collectively arrive at the answer for each exam question. In the next class period, instructors walked through the exam with students, asking them to explain their answers and challenging them to find the correct answer when one was incorrect. “In this way, students explored why answers were correct as well as incorrect while understanding principles and concepts.” Overall, the researchers feel that this method of testing promotes greater learning and more importantly, understanding of complex answers beyond the typical surface response.
Teaching Students the Importance of Professionalism
In the article “Teaching Students the Importance of Professionalism”, author Angela Keaton, an instructor at Tusculum College, observes that the majority of her students lack any sense of professionalism as they prepare to enter the professional workforce. She lists eight professional values that students are held to during the term: honesty, integrity, respect, humility, compassion, an awareness of interpersonal boundaries, expertise, and a commitment to excellence. She provides students with a list of poor behaviors associated with each of these values, such as turning in work late, arriving late, interrupting others, texting during class. She grades students on their class professionalism, which she explains to them on the first day of class. At the beginning of the term, each student is given 100 points. Students lose points for each unprofessional behavior they exhibit throughout the term. She reserves 10-15% of the final grade for their professionalism in her class.
References:
“Flipped Exam Boosts Student Learning.” The Teaching Professor 6 July 2015: 6. Print.
Keaton, Angela F. “Teaching Students the Importance of Professionalism.” The Teaching Professor 29.6 (2015): 5. Print.
by Guest Blogger Susan Murphy
I read a book one day and my whole life was changed. – Orhan Pamuk
Books are powerful. They transport readers and broaden horizons. Words are the medium of growth. These are the ideas behind One Book One LCC.
About One Book One LCC
One Book One LCC is a community reading experience. During the 2015-2016 academic year, all members of the LCC community - students, faculty, and staff – are encouraged to read The True American by Anand Giridharadas. The book offers a rich opportunity to engage with issues such as race, religion, health care, the American criminal justice system, and more. The greater Lansing community is invited to participate as well.
To enhance the experience of the book, special events, discussions, and college-wide conversations are planned, including possible visits from Anand Giridharadas and Rais Bhuiyan in spring 2016.
Change is the end result of all true learning. - Leo Buscaglia
One Book One LCC supports Teaching and Student Learning
One Book One LCC embodies high-impact educational practices and supports our students’ achievement of essential learning outcomes in many ways. One high-impact educational practice is a common intellectual experience. A community read can center college-wide intellectual conversations and activities; and the more courses that include the book, the broader the experience. A second element of high-impact educational practice is the first year experience. Here at LCC, students who take our first year experience course are required to read the One Book One LCC selection, where the book serves as a focus for assignments and conversations. The One Book One LCC selection can also serve as a platform for writing across the curriculum – another high-impact practice. Furthermore, while a community read does not meet the formal definition of a learning community as a high-impact educational practice, it does grow a community of learners. Finally, engaging with a common read helps students achieve essential learning outcomes such as intercultural knowledge, civic engagement, critical thinking, and ethical reasoning.
To learn more about One Book One LCC and to participate, visit the website or contact Susan Murphy. Her telephone number is 517-483-1645.
A new feature that is often overlooked in the 2013 version of Microsoft Word is that word can open, edit, and save Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) files.
To do this using MS Word Go to File > Open > Computer > Browse and change the All files (*.*) to PDF files (.PDF) find the acrobat file and click the Open button. Word will convert it and open it as an editable document.
If the Acrobat file is a scanned graphic of text, the procedure above will not convert the graphic; it will remain an image of a page of text.
For more information, visit us in the CTE or email John Thommen at thommej@lcc.edu.
In April we celebrated Faculty Appreciation Day (FAD) at the CTE, as almost 200 colleagues chatted and enjoyed food with each other. Additionally, we honored two of LCC’s finest, Tracy Price and Dale Herder with awards. The ceremony was heartfelt as many in the room shared a tear or two during the testimonies to them. Tracy and Dale spoke of their appreciation for all of the faculty they have worked with and each of them provided a long list of people who helped them over the years.
It is always nice to see people get recognition for the work they do and for people to know that they really do make a difference in the lives of others. The CTE staff truly appreciates all of the work and effort that faculty put into their teaching and we want faculty to understand that their efforts on behalf of our students is celebrated here.
Yet, how do we go about appreciating each other on a daily basis? How often do we take a small moment of time to consider the instructor/staff/administrator working in the next classroom or the next office? Most of us think about the difference we can make in the lives of our students, but equally important is the difference we can make in the lives of our colleagues. My mother always told me that I don’t have to like a person to be civil to them and that I can always greet another person with a smile and a hello. Perhaps we can try to extend a modicum of appreciation with a smile and a hello to fellow LCC employees as we move through campus, even if we don’t know them!
For a cup of coffee and some collegial discussion, please visit the CTE or email Carole Kendy at kendyc@star.lcc.edu.
Have you ever downloaded an internet file to your computer and then wondered, “Where did it go?”
