Sent January 12, 2021
Dear Colleagues,
With the shift to online and hybrid teaching since March of 2020, the value of a centralized group providing support for online teaching has been made evident. The Learning Design team, previously part of the Rabb School of Continuing Studies, has moved into the Library’s Research Instructional Services unit. John McCormick (Associate Director of Learning Design), Zoe Baptista (Learning Designer), and Ashley Whittington (Learning Designer) will continue to provide support for Rabb programs, while also working with the Library’s Instructional Technologists, Digital Literacy Specialist, and other library staff members to support faculty with pedagogical approaches for using academic technologies and course design as part of a newly formed hub for digital teaching.
Contact library@brandeis.edu with instructional challenges you’re considering, such as:
- the most appropriate technology for a given learning goal
- how to add interactivity to online courses, while aligning with your teaching goals and engaging students
- online assessment practices with LATTE or other tools
- the LATTE shell. We can talk through options for structuring your class on LATTE, including options if you’re finding that the LATTE shell doesn’t align with your teaching needs.
- the backup and restore function in LATTE
- course design considerations for large classes
- how to structure group work effectively
- effective practices for online course facilitation
- student presentations
- recommendations for structuring course materials with clarity and consistency
- the development of course outcomes and objectives
- the development of online course materials and multimedia elements
- instructional design support with the development of blended and flipped courses
I want to thank Lynne Rosansky, Interim Vice President of the Rabb School of Continuing Studies, for facilitating this move of the Learning Design team which will provide stronger, centralized support for online teaching at Brandeis.
The CTL and ITS are also available to support your spring course preparations.
- Email the Center for Teaching and Learning at ctl@brandeis.edu or call 781-736-8322 to discuss teaching best practices and visit their website and the Faculty Development Calendar to learn more about teaching support.
- For technical support and troubleshooting with tools such as Zoom, Echo360, and LATTE, please contact help@brandeis.edu.
Sincerely,
Matthew Sheehy
University Librarian