Slipper Camp 2020

This is an archive of a virtual faculty development event held at Plymouth State University on
Tuesday, May 12 and Wednesday, May 13 

Welcome & Update

Associate Provost Ann McClellan gives us a quick lay of the land and welcomes us to Slipper Camp.

Framework for Contingency Planning & Modeling for Fall

Robin & Martha introduce the ACE framework (Cluster Learning edition) and discuss the issue of preparing for Fall 2020 with hy-flex and modular teaching models. Rachelle Lyons also joins us to talk a bit about basic needs as an academic issue, and how COVID-19 has amplified our students' challenges.

Moodle!

Most of us use Moodle. What are the best practices, tips, and tricks that make Moodle especially helpful during a pivot to remote learning? Our own dedicated Czar of Moodle, Jason Neenos, presides.

Zoom!

Zoom was the #1 technology that folks mentioned as being helpful this Spring. Come learn why! If you know Travis, you know that he KNOWS his Zoom. He is here to explain it all to you!

Universal Design for Learning

What is UDL? It's about making your course-- especially your online course-- ACCESSIBLE to all learners. This isn't only the law, it's also a great way to demonstrate care for ALL your students. Join Accessibility Hero Hannah D. as she boils it down to the essentials.

Open Educational Resources & Lo-Cost Learning Materials

What are open educational resources (OER), and why is OER especially helpful right now? Where do I find it? How do I use it? What other ways can I lower the cost of learning materials in my class? Take this workshop with Christin and you will be on your way to building a NoLo course (NO cost for learning materials or LO cost for learning materials).

How the Heck? Online Labs, Art, Performances, Internships, Etc.

If we do need to be fully online, what will this mean for disciplines and curriculum that is almost always delivered in person here at PSU? How can we adjust? This team will float a few ideas for you, but we also want to hear what thoughts YOU have about these classically f2f experiences if we have to be remote for some or all of the semester.

Teams! Try It with Your Classes

Teams can be used with students in classes as a way to make communication smoother. How can Teams help you stay connected with your class? If you had trouble staying connected with students this Spring, maybe Teams is an option to consider. Our resident Teams guru Melinda is here to give you the basics!

Communication and Connection in Online Classes

What is the best way for faculty to stay connected with students when they don’t see them face-to-face? How to build online community and minimize the number of students who go missing when courses go online. Come hang out and get some tips and approaches from our own PSU Learning Developer.

Cruelty-Free Syllabus

Many faculty have been working on making their syllabi more student-friendly over the last year. How can this movement help us with COVID-19 contingency planning? Back by popular demand, Matt will walk you through some aspects of rethinking your syllabus that could make your course more flexible, accessible, and equitable for all your students.

Project-Based Learning Online

Do we have to fully abandon PBL if we are all online? No! What are some ways we can rethink PBL for a remote learning context. This in-house team of PBL experts will bat around some ideas for how to center PBL while still acknowledging the shifts that happen when we switch to remote learning.

Pressbooks: Make Your Own Course Pack or Book

Pressbooks let you create digital books that you can use like course packs. How can Pressbooks help you organize OER you find, help you build an online resource that will be all in one place for students, or help you design something fun and cool to structure your class for fall? Erika is our PB wizard, and she can give you some ideas to get you going!

When My Student Has No Internet. Or When I Don't!

How do we do online learning if students lack devices and/or the internet? Strategies for faculty in assignment and course design, tips for getting connected, and advocacy planning to make sure USNH helps to tackle this challenge before Fall arrives.

Grading & Assessment: What Might Change During Remote Learning?

What needs to change in our assessment practices if we are teaching remotely? Teaching in a global pandemic? What alternatives are worth considering as we shift modalities and help our students through an uncertain time? Martha has been working on ungrading and alternative assessment for years, and she is excited to explore the options with you.

Reducing Disposable Assignments

How can we use the technologies of online learning to connect students to their scholarly and professional communities of practice so that their work ends up making an impact instead of going into the Moodle graveyard? Robin and Kristin have been advocates of "non-disposable assignments" ever since they started working with open pedagogy. Come hear about some examples, and imagine the possibilities for your own course!

Tying Curriculum to THE REAL WORLD

There may be no world more real (though it feels surreal) than this current world we are experiencing through the lens of a devastating pandemic. Suzanne will offer some thoughts about teaching through a public health crisis, Laura and Denise will share some benefits of tying your curriculum to the current global context, Katie will cover the possibilities for linking context and curriculum to career, and Robin will explore how we can think of curriculum in partnership with students' current lives.