Online Learning News - August 5, 2020

Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, Chief Innovation Officer, Contact North | Contact Nord

With over thirty years of experience in teaching online as well as developing online programs and courses. Dr. Murgatroyd designed, developed and implemented the world’s first online MBA as Executive Director, Centre for Innovative Management at Athabasca University.

Dr. Dianne Conrad, Research Associate, Contact North | Contact Nord

Author of Assessment Strategies for Online Learning: Engagement and Authenticity, Dr. Conrad has thirty-five years of experience in teaching and researching in post-secondary institutions in Canada and the US with a particular expertise in adult and distance education, online learning, and prior learning assessment and recognition.

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How to Help Your Online Students Succeed

Join us for a series of four FREE, practical and interactive webinars to assist faculty and instructors engage students and help them succeed. For more information and to register, click on the titles below.

1. How to Engage Online Learners in Authentic Assessment
   
   Date: Monday, August 10, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (ET) 
   
   Host: Dr. Dianne Conrad, Research Associate, Contact North | Contact Nord
    
2. The Key Ideas of Engaged Learning 
   
   Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (ET) 
   
   Host: Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, Chief Innovation Officer, Contact North | Contact Nord
    
3. How to Design Courses for Student Engagement: 20 Design Ideas 
   
   Date: Wednesday, August 12, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (ET) 
   
   Host: Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, Chief Innovation Officer, Contact North | Contact Nord
    
4. How to Effectively Use Assessment in Online and Blended Learning to Help Your Students 
   
   Date: Thursday, August 13, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (ET) 
   
   Host: Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, Chief Innovation Officer, Contact North | Contact Nord

Active and Engaged Learning in and Out of Class at Lambton College, Ontario

Explore how Lambton College in Sarnia, Ontario, is developing as a mobile learning college, providing information, apps, and activities for all formats of teaching – face-to-face, hybrid and online – accessible and consumable on a mobile device. This initiative is now expanded through the Class+ experience, which builds on traditional learning in classrooms by integrating resources and learning tools such as e-books, software, apps and open educational resources (OER). The goal is to deliver an active learning and teaching environment that fully and creatively engages students and the college community.

Search the Directory of Teaching and Learning Centres in Ontario and across Canada

Access the resources of over 80 teaching and learning centres in colleges and universities in Ontario and across Canada that support faculty and instructors by offering resources, tools, coaching, and training to help enhance teaching and learning strategies, assessment practices, and student interaction.

Search the Directory of Teaching and Learning Centres

Free Webinar Back by Popular Demand!

Leveraging Online Learning Not Only to Increase Access but Also to Develop New Skills

Tuesday, August 11, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (ET)

During the first 25 minutes of this interactive webinar, Dr. Bates offers insights, practical advice and guidelines about choosing and using technology in post-secondary education. The remaining 30 minutes is a moderated question and answer and discussion session with Dr. Bates.

Register Here

Host: Dr. Tony Bates
Contact North | Contact Nord Research Associate

Read Dr. Tony Bates’ Blog Post

In this blog post, Dr. Bates shares his presentation with CiCan where he talks about the design of hybrid learning.

Read Contact North I Contact Nord Research Associate Dr. Tony Bates’ blog post:

Designing hybrid learning in a Covid-19 era: a video of my presentation to CiCan members

Must-Read Books on Online Learning

Must-Read Books on Online Learning features books and articles of interest to those involved in the expansion and improvement of online learning.

Tool Kit Edition
(Free Help Guides Available on Kindle)

As faculty begin to think about the fall term (or even summer sessions) online, they may be wondering how best to use the tools the college or university has enabled them to use. Here are some free to use materials, which will help with the basic platforms being used for synchronous learning.

Google

Connors, M. (2020). A Beginner’s Guide Google Teach from Home. Kindle Direct.

A simple but helpful guide to using Google Meet and related resources for teaching and learning.

Brook, N. (2020) Google Classroom: 2020 User Manual to Learn Everything You Need to Know to Use Google Classroom Effectively. Amazon Services.

The G-Suite is used extensively to offer a range of services to students and instructors by many institutions, with some integrating it into Moodle and other LMS systems. This is a comprehensive guide to its use.

Tyrell, A. (2020). Google Classroom: How to Benefit from Distance Learning and Setup Your Virtual Classroom. Amazon Services.

An equally helpful resource, clearly written by someone who learned the “secrets” the hard way.

Browse all Must-Read Books