Professors are learning to use new tools and strategies as they make the switch from face-to-face teaching to online delivery.

Kevin Griffin teaches a paramedic leadership course and also works in DC’s Centre for Academic and Faculty Enrichment. He began using Microsoft Teams earlier in the semester and says it’s a vital tool now more than ever.

“I decided to commit to it and have actually transitioned online. That class has actually been really easy because the students were already all in [Teams] and they were already using it,” says Griffin. “So, I used it for the week-to-week, in-class activities.”

Griffin says while DC Connect is a great platform, MS Teams is great for facilitating group work and collaboration.

Microsoft Teams is available through Microsoft 365, and is a communication and collaboration application that enables live chatting, video conferencing, file sharing and more. Griffin explains exactly how he directed his class to participate in a group project from home.

“There was a case study they had to read. There were some guiding questions that they had to answer,” Griffin explains. “When we started the session, I was running a meeting using the ‘Meet Now’ option. Once I framed what they were responsible for doing, I sent them over to their individual groups.”

Griffin says only students assigned to certain groups are able access the content. He adds he has admin capabilities and could enter each group to see if students had any questions or needed support.

Beyond being a useful tool in the current climate surrounding COVID-19 and social distancing, Griffin points out that Microsoft Teams can be used even when classes resume. He says it would be a great way for students unable to attend class to continue to participate.

He describes how he uses Teams as a tool to provide in-process grades. “The theory behind in-process marks, I’m okay with,” says Griffin. “I don’t want to give someone marks purely for attending my class. I want them to come in and demonstrate that they’ve learned something or have engaged with it <the course content>.”

Griffin says applications like Microsoft Teams would enable students to continue to work to achieve their marks even if they aren’t present. He says that with Teams, he’ll be able to encourage interactivity on a weekly basis. The tool allows him to track participation within the application.

Microsoft Teams not only is proving to be a useful tool for Griffin, but the CAFÉ also has uses it to continue their operations remotely. It’s something Griffin says he hopes fellow faculty and professors consider using it in the future.

“Because Teams came to us mid-semester, you didn’t have that opportunity for people to kind of look and explore it,” says Griffin. “This unique situation has pushed us to make decisions and move forward faster than what people are used to so now you’re seeing people starting to say: ‘OK, maybe Teams is a good option’.”

Want more information on MS Teams? Check out our resources

Despite the cold and snowy weather, Durham College’s (DC) CAFE had an excellent turnout at our February faculty PD Day.

More than 70 faculty members joined in for breakout sessions and a featured session presented by DC faculty despite last-minute tweaks to the event.

Attendees had the opportunity to engage in sessions including The Truth and Reconciliation of Land Acknowledgements by Julie Pigeon and Michelle Majeed; Introduction to Applied Research: a Faculty Led Panel by Nicole Doyle, David Smith, Lorrain Closs and Ruba Al Omari; and Building Hope Through Bibliotherapy with Jennine Agnew-Kata, executive director of the Literacy Network of Durham Region.

“I discovered that there are a lot of resources available to anyone that is interested in doing applied research,” says Howard Umrah, a professor in the School of Business, IT and Management. “I think this is a great event that the CAFE offers every semester and I think everyone should take advantage of the opportunity.”

Refreshments and lunch were also provided for everyone who attended as well as the opportunity for faculty to participate in the Lunch and Learn Marketplace, where they could learn new skills and discover different student resources at DC. Riipen for experiential learning, Access and Support Centre and Student Academic Learning Services for supporting students, and Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for institutional and applied research were just a few of the booths present at PD Day.

The event closed out with an interactive featured session: 5 Reasons your Students aren’t Showing up to Class presented by Heather Harrison and Amy Roosenboom from the School of Health and Community Services.

Faculty participated in learning about choice theory and how to use it to not only build relationships with their students, but also how to support student self-evaluation.

“I’ve been using choice theory in my classrooms and the effect is amazing,” says Harrison. “I would say that my relationships with students most of the time are great. My classes are well attended – it works. So, I’m interested in sharing this information.”

Harrison and Roosenboom led faculty through a lesson on Choice Theory’s 5 basic needs. They explained how knowing them could help in why students choose to come to and engage in class AND why they don’t.

“I think it’s so important for faculty to know about it, because it really takes a bunch of the pressure off [the faculty],” says Roosenboom. “With this knowledge, they can create an environment where students just choose to be there.”For more information on April’s upcoming PD Day and how you can host your own session, go to our website.

“Everyone is an expert on something. So why not?” says Harrison. “It’s a great way for us to learn from each other.”

Written By: Jacklynne Graves, Third Year , Journalism – Mass Media Student

Using Durham College’s Respondus Lockdown Browser revolutionized testing and marking for me while still preserving the integrity of a closed-book test. So, let me tell you why you should consider using it!

When the Lockdown Browser is used, students using their own laptops are not permitted to access anything other than the test. The Lockdown Browser takes over their laptop and prevents them from accessing their notes, messaging apps, Google or any other aid. It is exactly like a closed book test, just online and without the wasted paper.

Why do I love the Lockdown Browser? Many of my courses have both a mid-term and a final test with multiple choice and short answer questions. Typically, marking one test takes 3-4 hours. By using the Lockdown Browser, the marking for the multiple choice is automatic and once I mark the short answer, all the grades are transferred to the grade book automatically. In the end, instead of 3-4 hours, one test takes 30-40 minutes!

In addition, the Lockdown Browser is easy to set-up. You set the test up just as you normally would using the Quizzes function in DC Connect (so you can still use your Question Library). Once completed, you click that you want the Lockdown Browser for the test and choose a password – it really is that simple!

There is a little bit of work that must be done in advance of test day, but it typically only takes 10-15 minutes of class time. In advance of test day, you have your students download the Lockdown Browser onto their laptops. Once downloaded, I get my students to complete a one question quiz (worth no marks) to ensure that the Lockdown Browser works on their laptops. If a student has an issue launching the Lockdown Browser that I cannot easily troubleshoot, I tell them to go to IT and get it resolved. I tell my students that on test day, they will not be given any additional time should they have any technical difficulties. However, not once has there been an issue on test day that was not easily solved within a minute or two (usually by asking the student to restart their computer).

And as always, the CAFE is there to help you with any questions along the way!

Click here for more information for Respondus Lockdown Browser at Durham College.

Kerri Knudsen B.A.(Hons.), LL.B.

Do you need help finding course material that is free to use? Do you need a little refresher on how copyright works? Here are some resources you can use!

Resources such as The Fair Dealing Decision Tool enable faculty to determine whether Fair Dealing allows them to use certain materials for their classes, such as print, artistic work and audiovisual works.

The Fair Dealing Decision Tool is there to make sure you can safely present your curriculum when using any material.

If you need material for your classes that is openly licensed, Creative Commons is the place to go! Creative Commons is a not-for-profit which offers globally accessible public commons for knowledge and culture. The site makes it easier for people to share creative and academic works that are accessible to others.

Creative Commons provides licenses and public domain tools to every person and organization around the world. This makes it easier to grant copyright permissions, ensure work is properly attributed, while allowing others to copy, distribute and use those works freely.

Another resource is The Learning Portal. If you need to either refresh or learn about copyright and how it applies to you as an Ontario college employee, The Learning Portal offers learning modules on the subject.

The modules provide faculty with a self-directed learning resource for Ontario college employees to engage in using material under copyright. The modules reinforce as well as enhance training, services, as well as resources provided by the college library.

If you’re interested in learning more, see The Learning Portal for more.

As we move into the second half of the semester, your students may be working hard on their research papers. Provide your students with a module on how to cite, with a 10-question quiz, directly imported into DC Connect.

Access this and other LMS integration cartridges on the Faculty Toolkit section of The Learning Portal.