TLOS Tune-Up: Enhancing Courses with Instructional Technology–Aug 15, 2025

Need some help getting your courses ready for fall semester?

• Want to explore ways to use Virginia Tech’s technology resources to engage students and contribute to their success?
• Have questions about Canvas tools?
• Concerned about new ADA Title II accessibility requirements?
• Curious about using generative AI to support learning?
• Looking for online teaching tips?

TLOS is here to help!

Bring your questions and curiosity, and join your TLOS colleagues for a day of workshops, one-on-one consultations, and informal conversations to help make this semester a great experience for you and your students.

• Date: August 15, 2025
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Refreshments from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
• Where: University Mall, Suite 21, Room 2104 (Directions)

Schedule

All-Day Consultations

• ADA Title II Readiness - Room 2102
• Advanced Research Computing - Room 2138
• Artificial Intelligence - 2126 & Hall Table
• Canvas - 2126 & Hall Table
• Digital Media - Outside the Production on Demand (POD) Studio
• Instructional Design - Room 2116
• Professional Development Network - Lobby
• Technology-Enhanced Learning Grants - Lobby
• VT Domains - Room 2140
• Zoom - Room 2126 & Hall Table 

9:00 a.m. - Jumpstart Your Idea with Technology-Enhanced Learning Grants

Room 2104
Facilitated by David Duckett and Chris Kovach

Learn how Technology-Enhanced Learning grants can support you in exploring an idea for teaching and learning using technology.

10:00 a.m. - Create Accessible Course Materials: Tools and Strategies for ADA Title II Compliance

Room 2104
Facilitated by Pearl Xie, Asher Burns, De Harman, and Helen Ajao

This workshop will equip faculty, instructors, and graduate teaching assistants with practical tools, strategies, and best practices for designing accessible course materials that align with ADA Title II requirements. You will learn how to identify common accessibility barriers, apply universal design for learning principles, and use accessible technologies to support the success of all learners. Whether you’re creating documents, videos, or online content, this session will help you build accessible course materials to support diverse learners.

11:00 a.m. - Meet the TLOS Learning Technologies Team

Room 2104
Facilitated by Dan Yaffe

Let us introduce ourselves! We will go over who we are, what learning tools we support, and how we can support you or your TAs. This will be an overview session of the Virginia Tech learning technologies ecosystem and how to access to support you may need. 

1:00 p.m. - Canvas Basics for Student Success

Room 2104
Facilitated by Daron Williams

In this session, we’ll talk about some super-simple tweaks you can make to your Canvas sites to help your students better navigate your course. Whether you’re teaching face-to-face, asynchronously online, or anything in between, these simple strategies can help your students spend less time finding their way around and more time engaging with your content.

2:00 p.m. - Practical Media Skills for Your Course

Room 2104
Facilitated by Ian Griffin

Join us for a hands-on workshop designed to help you integrate effective instructional media into your courses. We’ll explore accessible tools and techniques for creating short instructional videos, interactive presentations, audio recordings, and visual aids that enhance student engagement and learning. You will learn how to select appropriate media formats for different learning objectives and discover time-efficient approaches to media creation that fit within busy academic schedules. The workshop emphasizes practical application over technical complexity, focusing on solutions that can be implemented immediately in your courses. By the end of the session, you’ll have a toolkit of media strategies and the confidence to begin incorporating them into your teaching practice. No prior media production experience is required.