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Whether in person or online, discussions are one of the most important and potentially memorable aspects of any course. Seeing students working together to build foundational knowledge and extend their learning–all while creating connections with each other–is rewarding and uplifting.
In this month’s COLRS Catch Up, meet our new eLearning Specialist, explore October’s focus on journaling, and catch up on key Canvas updates and upcoming events.
Journaling is a powerful way to help students connect course material to their personal experiences. Learn how journals can foster reflection, critical thinking, and meaningful instructor–student relationships.
Welcome to the second COLRS Catch Up! We'd like to start by introducing our COLRS GA, Lyba Mehdi.
Teaching Conversations
Join UIS instructors as they share activities, ideas, and practices that have shaped and improved teaching and learning. After sharing a brief summary of their work, presenting instructors will be available at individual tables to answer questions and collaborate with attendees. Light refreshments will be provided.
Illinois Online Higher Education Symposium
Doing Less with Less, Effectively: Illinois Online Higher Education Symposium
After a successful inaugural event, we're excited to invite you back for another engaging gathering of Illinois educators and thought leaders in online teaching and learning. Our theme, "Doing Less with Less, Effectively," emphasizes innovative strategies for impactful online education within evolving resource constraints.
The rapid emergence of generative AI tools has added new pressure to the challenges already facing higher education faculty. While these technologies can be used responsibly, many instructors are alarmed by the growing tendency of students to rely on AI as a shortcut. This practice not only raises serious questions about academic honesty but also threatens to erode the very skills higher education is meant to cultivate—critical thinking, clear writing, and independent problem-solving.
Welcome to the first COLRS Catch Up of the year! Periodically, we will send out these emails to provide reminders or updates, share materials you may have missed, and highlight some of the amazing work our faculty is doing in their online classes.
In case you missed it
In August, our focus was getting your semester started right, and we offered three resources to help you get started:
Online Discussions Workshop
Online discussion are vital to building a community in an online course. In order to achieve that goal, we need students to engage in these online discussions. Join COLRS staff as we explore some strategies for making the most of your online discussions. We'll think about different thinking routines and prompts, post length, frequency, and more!
- When: Tuesday, November 11 at 1 p.m.
- Where: BRK 141A and COLRS Zoom
- Duration: 1 hour
Journaling Workshop
Understanding how our students are feeling about our classes is important, but survey fatigue might prevent them from sharing those thoughts--especially multiple times in a course. Journaling is a strategy we can use to find out how our students are doing in a low-stakes and personal way (and for so much more!). Join COLRS staff to learn more about how journaling can be leveraged in your courses.