dlasota

Instructional Designer | Certified QM Peer Reviewer | Certified QM Training Facilitator

Best practices (tips), Teaching Tips

Public Domain, Copyright, and Fair Use Practices for Effective Teaching

A still from the Steamboat Willie animated cartoon

Anyone can use works that are in the public domain, and you as an educator can also use copyrighted works under the principles of fair use for educational purposes. This teaching tip provides details on copyright law and resources to help you apply fair use in your teaching.

dlasota
January 30, 2024

Presentations & Events

Concept Mapping Workshop

An illustration-style image of instructors chatting about a concept map.

Join us Tuesday, 30 January 2024, 1-4pm Instructional designer Dan LaSota for a workshop exploring conceptual maps to assess student comprehension and illustrate course content effectively. Learn teaching and assessment methods through hands-on activities. Available online and in-person; participation requires laptops and…

dlasota
January 19, 2024

Best practices (tips), Teaching Tips

Consider Online Teaching Tools to Promote Efficiency and Student Success

This line diagram illustrates the influence of information overload, communication overload, and perceived tech skill requirements on ultimately student satisfaction with an online course.

This teaching tip explores some details to consider when deciding which digital tools to use in your online class such as learning objectives, time, and opportunity. Knowledge is power in answering the question, "Good for us, or bad for us?"

dlasota
November 28, 2023

Emerging ideas (tips), Teaching Tips

Mitigate AI problems with alternate assessments to the essay

A concept map of concept maps. The boxed words and phrases are concepts and the labeled connector lines indicate how one concept is related to another. From "The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them" by J.D. Novak and Alberto Caños [4].

Generative AI is disrupting normal practices in education, including one of the most often used forms of assessment, the essay. Approaches offered here include using other forms of assessment or embracing AI by modeling good behavior for your students. This tip builds on other ideas published in July.

dlasota
September 18, 2023

Emerging ideas (tips), Teaching Tips

Use ChatGPT to Generate Question Banks in Canvas

A screenshot of a multiple choice quiz question in Canvas LMS

Generating question pools that can be used for effective assessment or practice can be laborious. This teaching tip demonstrates a sequence of steps you can follow that will allow you to direct ChatGPT to create a large number of questions. These questions can then be placed in your Canvas course.

dlasota
August 1, 2023

Emerging ideas (tips), Teaching Tips

Adapting the Essay to Maintain Authenticity in the Era of AI

A diagram of the writing process Starting from an outline, then draft, and a revision and feedback cycle before moving to a final

Large Language Model Artificial Intelligence technology like ChatGPT is disrupting traditional methods of assessment, especially as it relates to grading via the essay. This teaching tip offers possible solutions, including the incorporation of a revision cycle with reflection.

dlasota
July 17, 2023
3 Comments

Emerging ideas (tips), Teaching Tips

Sharpening Critical Thought with ChatGPT

A diagram of concentric circles that place educators at the center of teaching design, preparation and practice

In this teaching tip, we explore the possibility of using ChatGPT to develop rich question pools with correct and incorrect responses and having students examine each response in a low-stakes manner. The teaching practice is borrowed from a published article from the Journal of Chemical Education.

dlasota
June 21, 2023

Emerging ideas (tips), Teaching Tips

Dealing with AI generated academic dishonesty from a policy and teaching perspective

A screenshot of the UAF Student Code of Conduct

Claiming the work of others, even that which is generated by an AI, as your own, is academic dishonesty. This Teaching Tip will help you face this problem head on and provide solid strategies for helping you and your students navigate an increasingly difficult environment.

dlasota
May 19, 2023
2 Comments

Emerging ideas (tips), Teaching Tips

Ways to constructively use the chatGPT AI in your course

An example chatGPT prompt asking the tool to display a list with an intentional error.

Fed by massive amounts of data scanned from the Internet, the ChatGPT AI does a remarkable job at producing conversational text and even structured code in response to prompts. The amazing thing is that you can “ask” chatGPT questions in…

dlasota
February 22, 2023

Inclusive Practice, Teaching Tips

Maintaining asynchronous equity when conducting synchronous activities

Hands typing on a bluetooth keyboard and convertible laptop while a web meeting is connected.

One of the reasons that asynchronous courses and online degree programs are so popular with students at UAF is the flexibility afforded. Compared with the national average, UAF has older students, many of whom balance family and job responsibilities with…

dlasota
April 7, 2022

Best practices (tips), Teaching Tips

What is CircleIn and when will students have access?

UAF is expanding its pilot study of CircleIn, a supported online tool for peer study groups. Starting in fall 2021, CircleIn will be available to all students at UAF.

dlasota
May 25, 2021

Emerging ideas (tips), Teaching Tips

Managing large online classes

Two people sitting in front of an online meeting

With strategic course design, it is possible in large classes to provide a strong instructor presence, give expert-level feedback on subjective assignments, and maintain a quality learning experience for students.

dlasota
December 14, 2020