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Review the pedagogical and technical information below to inform your progress in Week Three. Have questions about what you learned here or ideas for future tips? Join Coffee & Answers (open support Zoom sessions with the Academic Technology Team) or email the Office of Teaching and Learning.
Pedagogical
How can I make more course more accessible to a variety of learners?
The Office of Students with Disabilities
Last week we highlighted the Office of Learning Resources and what is available for teachers and students there. This week, we wanted to highlight the work of The Office of Student Disability Services (SDS). Around 20% of college students qualify for accommodations, and you may have already received a note from SDS alerting you to a student’s accommodation for their documented disability. As per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), these letters specify the requirements for accommodating students who have documented disabilities.
Typical accommodations include longer time for exams (students can request space in the Student Testing Center proctored by SDS) or assistance with notetaking. According to the U.S. Office of Government accountability, many students who have disabilities do not seek out official accommodations. With this in mind, it's worth considering what you might do to make your class accessible to a variety of learners. We’ll come back to working with students with learning differences in a future post.
What many folks do not realize is that the SDS can support students with temporary disabilities as well. Hospitalizations, broken bones, or concussions can affect a student’s performance in your course, but students do not know that they can request temporary accommodations or additional support. If you become aware that one of your students might need temporary support, please let them know that they can reach out to SDS at sds@sju.edu or 610-660-1774.**
** Faculty and other employees who need accommodations can reach out to the Office of Human Resources for assistance. More information about how employees can apply for reasonable accommodations can be found online, and a form can be completed via Workday.
Technical
What Assessment types are available in Canvas?
Common assessments to set up in your Canvas courses include quizzes and/or assignments. There are several options for deploying both. Here are some links for tutorials on how to do both and some settings to consider with each.
Quizzes
The first step is to set up your quiz. There are a few common settings to keep in mind in the quiz settings. Adding dues dates to a quiz is a great way to keep your students on track. It’s important to know the difference between due dates and availability dates. If a student has an accommodation adding extra time or an extra attempt may be something that they require.
Assignments
If you have an assignment where students will “hand” something in for grading. There are instructions for setting those up. Determining the submission type will depend on the type of assignment you are giving to students. Learn more about these settings.
Are these tips helpful? Do you have a topic we should include in future weeks? Please let us know by emailing otl@sju.edu!
Additional Resources