Instructional Design Center

Canvas Mobile: Maximize Your Course for the Student App
2022-02-17 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Surveys in higher education show that more than 65 percent of students use mobile apps to complete their coursework. Learn how to optimize your Canvas course for mobile delivery. Covered material will include using text headers within Modules to help guide student navigation, chunking content into smaller parts, using Pages to display content instead of linking to external URLs or files, and following guidelines for platform neutral prompts and instructions.
Pedagogy Connection: Canvas is Ramapo’s Learning Management System. This workshop guides instructors on how to use Canvas as a tool for delivering and managing assignments, facilitating group work, and enhancing the student experience in the classroom.
Presenter: Deb O’Connell
Open to instructors.
Register

LockDown Browser & Respondus Monitor Instructor Training
2022-02-17 14:00 - 15:00, 2022-02-23 12:00 - 13:00, 2022-03-01 14:00 - 15:00, 2022-03-03 15:00 - 16:00, 2022-03-08 15:00 - 16:00, 2022-03-31 15:00 - 16:00, 2022-04-06 14:00 - 15:00, 2022-04-07 13:00 - 14:00 and 8 more dates
This comprehensive training webinar is intended for instructors who plan to use LockDown Browser and/or Respondus Monitor with online exams. The session provides a detailed demonstration of both applications, including enhancements that make Respondus Monitor even more effective and easy to use.
Open to faculty and staff.
Presenter: Professional Respondus Trainer
Register

Apple User Group
2022-02-18 12:30 - 13:30
Join other Apple users on campus to share knowledge and learn more about Macintosh computers, iPhones and iPads. The agenda will include:

Tips and Tricks for Working Seamlessly Between Your Apple Devices
Soon to come features in upcoming software updates

Open to everyone.
Facilitator: Trish Williams
Register

How To Set Up A Turnitin Assignment in Canvas
2022-02-24 13:00 - 14:00
Turnitin Feedback Studio is an excellent resource for combating plagiarism. It is also thoroughly compatible with Canvas. This workshop will guide instructors on how to establish Turnitin assignments within Canvas, and demonstrate the benefits of using these powerful instructional tools.
Pedagogy Connection: Canvas is Ramapo’s Learning Management System. This workshop guides instructors on how to use Canvas as a tool for delivering and managing assignments, facilitating group work, and enhancing the student experience in the classroom.
Presenter: Ray Fallon
Open to instructors.
Register

The Paperless Campus
2022-03-03 13:00 - 14:00
Cut down on paper use by taking up a few of these practices in Canvas.

Use the Syllabus feature – an easy reference for students, no paper needed.
Upload files that were previously handouts (create PDFs). Files can be easily added to Modules.
Make use of Quizzes – no more paper/pencil quizzes, all quizzing can be completed online. Questions can be shuffled and answer choices, too. Multiple attempts can be enabled.
Assignments – can be turned in and graded through Canvas. PDFs can be uploaded and submitted by students and you’re able to add feedback to the files.
Library and OER Resources — learn how to find and integrate online resources, such as permalinks to library databases, links to the library catalog and e-resources, and links to Open Access materials and OER (Open Educational Resources).

Pedagogy Connection: Canvas is Ramapo’s Learning Management System. This workshop guides instructors on how to use Canvas and other electronic resources to reduce paper consumption on campus while increasing student engagement and learning.
Presenters: Deb O’Connell (IDC), Ray Fallon (IDC) and Hilary Westgate (Librarian)
Co-presenters: IDC and George Potter Library
Open to faculty and staff.
Register

Collaborating with Google Docs, Drive, and Slides
2022-03-10 13:00 - 14:00
Docs, Drive and Slides are part of the Google Workspace suite of applications included with Gmail. These apps are great for collaborating with others at Ramapo, and support a paperless campus. This workshop will demonstrate how to upload and share files and folders to Google Drive. We will demonstrate the Google Docs text editor, where you will get hands-on experience creating, and editing a document with others. We will also look at Google Slides which can be used for creating and sharing slideshow presentations. We will review the different permission settings for sharing Docs, Drive and Slides.
Pedagogy Connection: Google Docs and Slides enables instructors to create collaborative assignments and peer editing groups. Docs is also an excellent tool for brainstorming and sharing important class information. Students can use Docs and Slides to complete assignments. Work more efficiently with Google Drive without fear of losing your materials.
Presenter: Trish Williams
Open to everyone.
Register

Optimize It! Course Navigation and Layout in Canvas
2022-03-24 13:00 - 14:00
See metrics about how students have been using Canvas at Ramapo. Learn to streamline Canvas course navigation and layout for ease of use and improve student engagement. We’ll cover several usability best practices and how to initiate a continual mode of feedback and improvement for your course.
Pedagogy Connection: Canvas is Ramapo’s Learning Management System. This workshop guides instructors on how to use Canvas as a tool for delivering and managing assignments, facilitating group work, and enhancing the student experience in the classroom.
Presenter: Deb O’Connell
Open to instructors.
Register

Apple User Group
2022-03-25 12:30 - 13:30
Join other Apple users on campus to share knowledge and learn more about Macintosh computers, iPhones and iPads. Agenda: Learn how iCloud works with your Apple devices, and what features it provides.
Open to everyone.
Facilitator: Trish Williams
Register

Qualtrics Online Survey Reports
2022-04-07 13:00 - 14:00
This workshop will focus on how to set up reports in Qualtrics for your online surveys. We will review report options, how to create new reports, customize report graphs and tables, filter reports based on survey questions and answers, review Qualtrics Public Report options, download report options, and how to export raw survey data out of Qualtrics.
Pedagogical Connection: Survey development has a wide range of pedagogical applications. Instructors can develop surveys to ascertain student feedback on course content Surveys can also serve as assessment and data collection tools. Qualtrics surveys have extensive options that can help instructors tailor the surveys to their specific needs.
Presenter: Trish Williams
Open to faculty and staff
Register

Excel Basics
2022-04-14 13:00 - 14:00
This workshop will introduce you to the basics of the Excel workbook and its spreadsheets. Learn to input basic data elements, perform simple functions in your spreadsheet, and save your workbook for future use.
Pedagogy Connection: A strong grasp of the Microsoft Office suite helps instructors to deliver assignments effectively (Word), present content to the class in an engaging manner (Powerpoint), and analyze assessments of student work (Excel).
Presenter: Ray Fallon
Open to everyone.
Register

Excel: Introduction to Pivot Tables
2022-04-21 13:00 - 14:00
This workshop will introduce you to the Excel Pivot Table feature for analyzing worksheet data. Analyzing data can help you in decision making. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, especially when you have a lot of data. Pivot Tables help to summarize, analyze, explore, and present your data. They are highly flexible and can be quickly adjusted depending on how you need to display your results.
Please bring an Excel spreadsheet with data for your Pivot Table demonstration.
Pedagogy Connection: A strong grasp of the Microsoft Office suite helps instructors to deliver assignments effectively (Word), present content to the class in an engaging manner (Powerpoint), and analyze assessments of student work (Excel).
Presenter: Ray Fallon
Open to everyone.
Register

Apple User Group
2022-04-22 12:30 - 13:30
Join other Apple users on campus to share knowledge and learn more about Macintosh computers, iPhones and iPads. Agenda includes:
-Universal Control Overview
-IDs in Wallet: Privacy in Mind
-Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+
-Apple announces WWDC22

Attend via Webex or in-person in LC-129, please register below using your Ramapo email address.

Open to everyone.
Facilitator: Trish Williams
Register

Introduction to Canvas Commons and Blueprints
2022-04-28 13:00 - 14:00
Canvas Commons is a repository for shared instructor resources. Use it for ideas and new ways to present course content. You can import content for your courses and modify them to best fit your needs. Blueprint courses allow the set up of a master course that can be customized with locked and unlocked content and synced to one or more associated courses.
Pedagogy Connection: Canvas is Ramapo’s Learning Management System. This workshop guides instructors on how to use Canvas as a tool for delivering and managing assignments, facilitating group work, and enhancing the student experience in the classroom.
Presenter: Deb O’Connell
Open to instructors.
Register

2022 Faculty Teach and Share Conference: Day 1
2022-05-16 13:00 - 15:00
Conference Theme:
Navigating the Ever-Changing Classroom Landscape
The Ramapo College FRC and IDC are co-sponsoring the 3rd Annual Faculty Teach & Share Conference to be held virtually on Monday, May 16 and the morning of Tuesday, May 17. We will collectively share what we have learned this year as we experienced yet another version of the teaching environment. We will share best practices, create a space for dialogue and discuss relevant issues in effective teaching and learning. Join us to be part of this important conversation. Please register below with your Ramapo email address.
Register for Day 1
Day 1 Schedule – May 16
Moderators: Tammi Redd, FRC Director; and Michael Bitz, IDC Director

1-1:30 p.m.
Creative Use of Breakout Rooms to Maximize Student Online Engagement
Engaging students in discussion can be challenging when we are live and in person in the classroom. Facilitating online conversation and participation can be even more difficult. This session will explore a number of breakout room techniques for maximizing student contributions to the online classroom, improving student confidence, and fostering a more connected and engaged online community.
Presenter: Colleen Martinez (SSHS)

1:30-2 p.m.
Precarious Pedagogy: Teaching Critical Pedagogy as Anti-CRT Movements Attempt to Shape Education
Embedded within the Ramapo College General Education curriculum is EDUC 211: Student Literacy Corps. As stated in the course catalog, “This urban education course is designed to explore issues of social justice in education with particular emphasis on urban education. Issues of empowerment through education are linked to Paulo Freire’s philosophy and pedagogy.” This course is open to all undergraduates and, also, post-baccalaureate students in Teacher Education. Although this course has been required within Teacher Education since the late 1990’s, only recently has its content come under attack. The anti-Critical Race Theory (CRT) movement questions the inclusion of such words as, “diversity,” and “critical.” Thus, the teaching of this course has become politicized within mainstream discourses.
In this course, as part of one assignment, “Urban School Studies Critical Reflection and Discussion,” students facilitate learning groups around Critical Pedagogical texts in a classroom activity similar to a Jigsaw. In this session, I will discuss both the activity as one that is promising for post-pandemic pedagogies and, also, its implications as students navigate public discourses around the teaching and learning of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversities. I will share the assignment outline and text excerpts utilized in the assignment. As the session facilitator, I will engage participants in a discussion around the precariousness of teaching “anti-CRT” pedagogies in 2022.
Presenter: Sharon Leathers (SSHS)

2-2:30 p.m.
A Unique Approach to Learning in Teams
Team projects help students develop collaborative skills. Groups have the ability to tackle more complex problems than individuals and group presentations help other students learn new things from each other. However team projects in classroom are known to have problems such as Poor communication, Unequal contribution and conflicts in the group. This results in faculty adopting arbitrary measures such as different grades for each member of the team based on their contribution. Faculty however do not have visibility in the team dynamics and have to rely on inputs from team members which creates an environment of distrust and conflict in the team. The presentation will discuss an approach to team presentation and report that brings in more transparency for individual contribution. A new model for a simulation of classroom presentation will also be discussed.
Presenter: Nikhil Varma (ASB)

2:30-3 p.m.
Creating Safe Environments for Delicate Topics
Training, managers, and business leaders, to strategize in extreme scenarios in ethical and socially responsible ways has become a fascinating yet challenging field of study. This makes it even more critical to educate our current and future workforce to understand and apply these models appropriately by designing classroom environments that are non-judgmental and safe for them to voice all their ideas freely so that they can begin course correcting without judgement. Three short exercises will be presented to show how we could introduce the idea of unconscious biases and a need for shared meaning to build constructive strategies that will have higher probabilities of working.
Presenter: Malavika Sundararajan (ASB)

Please register with your Ramapo email address.
Register for Day 1

2022 Faculty Teach and Share Conference: Day 2
2022-05-17 10:00 - 12:00
Conference Theme:
Navigating the Ever-Changing Classroom Landscape
The Ramapo College FRC and IDC are co-sponsoring the 3rd Annual Faculty Teach & Share Conference to be held virtually on Monday, May 16 and the morning of Tuesday, May 17. We will collectively share what we have learned this year as we experienced yet another version of the teaching environment. We will share best practices, create a space for dialogue and discuss relevant issues in effective teaching and learning. Join us to be part of this important conversation. Please register below with your Ramapo email address.
Register for Day 2
Day 2 Schedule – May 17
Moderators: Tammi Redd, FRC Director; and Michael Bitz, IDC Director

10-10:30 a.m.
Make Grading Fairer, Faster, and More Transparent with Gradescope
(Attend this session and get a free trial of Gradescope Complete in Fall ‘22!) Gradescope is a cloud-based grading tool designed especially for STEM disciplines, but useful for others too. Gradescope allows instructors to grade hand-written or typed student work by consistently applying rubric items, in a different and much more powerful way than Canvas Speedgrader. Instructors can use AI-assisted answer grouping to group similar answers and assign a grade to the entire group, streamlining the grading process. Your rubric items and free-form comments can contain mathematical notation, computer code, and other formatted text, and changes to the grading scheme propagate retroactively. I’ve been using Gradescope for a few years, for assignments including in-class paper exams, handwritten work and typed lab reports submitted by students, and coding assignments, with and without autograding. With Gradescope, student work and instructor feedback are easily accessible online. This provides greater accessibility (students can’t lose their returned exams), transparency (as students can see the grading rubric and autograding test suite, understanding why they earned the score they did, and where their work fell short) and security (as the instructor retains an unaltered digital copy of student exams). I’ve been awarded a TLTR Grant to use Gradescope this Fall, including money to fund other instructors who’d like to try it out. Come see what Gradescope is all about and whether it might streamline your grading workflow, as it has mine. (No, I don’t get kickbacks from Gradescope – I’m just a satisfied customer!)
Presenter: Debbie Yuster (TAS)

10:30-11 a.m.
Writing Reflections for Meta-Cognitive Thinking
In a liberal arts education, students are encouraged to think critically, but they rarely are offered moments to think about their own thinking. I provide spaces in my classes for this kind of meta-cognitive work through writing exercises, including reflection writing, drafting, portfolio building, and “critical friends” peer reviewing. Students are required to think about the critical steps they took to arrive at a final piece of writing and be able to communicate those steps to someone else. They not only get immediate feedback on their writing through the peer review process, but reflections on their peer review sessions lead them to analyze other people’s thinking as it applies to their writing, too. All of this thinking about thinking allows students the opportunity to grow both their writing skills and their interpersonal communication skills, as they need to empathize with others and come to learn – and sometimes to overcome – their own cognitive patterns.
Presenter: Brendan Flanagan (HGS)

11-11:30 a.m.
Use of Gaming Applications in the Classroom
The use of gaming applications increases student participation. Many of our students prefer to use their electronic devices to answer questions instead of traditional question and answers. In my classrooms, prior to using gaming applications, there is about a 10% participation rate. When using gaming such as Quizizz and Kahoot, participation is at 90%- 100%. It also enables the faculty to see if some students have not answered yet, and you can adjust the time so that all students can answer. This enables those that need more time to be able to take their time and answer the questions. Kahoot word clouds, allow the students to answer in free text. If multiple students have the same response the box gets larger. This allows the faculty to see deficits and gaps in learning. There are many options for various question types: Multiple response, multiple choice, fill in, word clouds, etc. I have polled the students and the feedback for gaming is very positive and they have asked to use gaming. Since a higher number of students participate, the faculty can see the strength and weaknesses of the class and alter the content to address the gaps.
Presenter: Anne Marie Flatekval (TAS)

11:30 a.m.- 12 p.m.
Teaching for Learning
Teaching for Learning provides fellow instructors with information grounded in the academic knowledge base that include easily accessible, engaging, and practical methodologies. This non-traditional approach highlights and synthesizes proven teaching methods and active learning.
Presenter: James M. Micik (TAS)

Please register with your Ramapo email address.
Register for Day 2
