Welcome back! As the new academic year begins, we wanted to share this TLOS Top 10 list of reminders for the fall 2024 semester. We hope these opportunities, resources, and updates will assist you in having a smooth and successful semester.
 

1. Apply for a Technology-Enhanced Learning Grant
   Have an idea for exploring a new technology or pedagogical approach this year? Apply for a Technology-Enhanced Learning Grant (formerly Innovation in Learning Grant) to support the evaluation, design, and/or implementation of innovative approaches to teaching and learning using technology. Deadline to apply is Sept. 13, 2024.
   
   
2. Consider your approach to generative AI
   Artificial intelligence tools are advancing at a rapid pace, and these tools simultaneously introduce new opportunities and pose new challenges for teaching and learning. Our updated guidelines and collected resources can help you make informed decisions about the role of generative AI in your courses.
   
   
3. Complete the EDUCAUSE 2024 faculty survey
   TLOS is partnering with the Division of Information Technology to promote participation in the 2024 EDUCAUSE Faculty survey. Your response will help inform decisions about instructional technology services at Virginia Tech. Participants will have the option to earn one Professional Development Network credit for completing the survey. Learn more and take the survey.
   
   
4. Register for an inclusive course design workshop
   TLOS Accessible Technologies invites faculty and graduate teaching assistants to register for the Instructional Design with Universal Design for Learning: Addressing Learner Variability in College Courses workshop, scheduled for Sept. 23 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This one-day professional learning event will share updated digital accessibility policies and inclusive design practices intended to help you reduce educational barriers and foster student success during the course design process.
   
   
5. Use Gradescope in your courses
   Gradescope is now available in all Canvas course sites under a multi-year software contract. Gradescope offers flexible options for grading paper-based, digital, and bubble-sheet quizzes, exams, and homework assignments. The tool pairs AI-assisted grading with instructor-created rubrics to increase the efficiency and consistency of scoring and facilitate more timely feedback. After assignments are graded, instructors can analyze questions to better understand student performance.
   
   

6. Try out the new Canvas grading options
   New Canvas Speedgrader and Gradebook features give you added control when scoring assignments. In Speedgrader, you can add screen capture recordings as comments, and when you share typed feedback it is marked as “Draft” until submitted. In Gradebook, the “Message Students Who Total Grade” modal has been updated to clarify the cutoff value and to remind you that students may see different values. In addition, Gradebook has added the option to apply scores to ungraded assignments.
    

7. Explore new Canvas features
   Updates to the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE), Inbox, Files, and Profile offer efficiency, productivity, and flexibility:
   • Find and Replace Plugin (RCE)
   • Mark All As Read Button (Inbox)
   • Add Auto Response to Messages (Inbox)
   • Add Signature to Messages (Inbox)
   • Set File Availability Times (Files)
   • Enable Pronunciations (Profile)
      
8. Review new Respondus Lockdown Browser and Respondus Monitor features
   Respondus has released updated sensitivity levels and screen recording options. The flagging system now supports three sensitivity levels (strict, standard, and relaxed) that you can select after students have completed their exams. Setting up screen recording allows you to see what’s happening on a student’s screen during an online assessment. Students can set up and test their Respondus LockDown Browsers before attempting a graded assessment.
   
   
9. Request assistance with instructional media and video
   TLOS supports high-quality video production in a classroom, in a studio setting, or in the field for course-based instruction, employee training, research, engagement, and marketing. Our Do It Yourself (DIY) studio allows you to walk in, turn on the lights and camera, sign in on the computer, and start recording. Our Production on Demand (POD) studio offers a sound-proof, modular space ideal for smaller projects that require more support than the DIY studio but don’t need the full capabilities of our larger video production studio. If you are interested in checking out these services, schedule a meeting with one of our media experts or time in our studios.
   
   
10. Subscribe to the PDN Monthly Workshop Spotlight newsletter
    Subscribe to receive a monthly newsletter from the TLOS Professional Development Network (PDN) highlighting new and upcoming workshops at tlos.vt.edu/pdn-spotlight.

Contact us at tlos@vt.edu with questions or to share an idea.