Instructional Technology
The Academic Technology and Innovation Unit within the Division of IT, has countless resources you might find valuable. If you are a new instructor, be sure to check out our "IT Highlights for Instructors" page.
Below are some learning technologies that you might find useful:
Enterprise Learning Management System (ELMS-Canvas) provides an online environment for students and instructors to extend the classroom with comprehensive functionality. To get your ELMS-Canvas course ready for the semester, consider the following:
- Learn how to get started with ELMS-Canvas
- Tools to help manage your ELMS-Canvas course
- Use the ELMS-Canvas Management Tool (EMT) to manage (merge or split sections, etc.) your ELMS-Canvas spaces
- Manage files and content in ELMS-Canas with TidyUp
- Use advanced page design and formatting features using the DesignPLUS sidebar in ELMS-Canvas
- Build your course with the Multi-Tool
For announcements, posting office hours, sharing weekly content summaries, or to expand your instructor presence, you might consider:
- Provide an easy-to-navigate ELMS site.
- Announce course information or record media messages in ELMS or Panopto
- Use the ELMS Conversation Tool
- Schedule office hours in ELMS and meet in Zoom
- Host a discussion board in ELMS or Piazza
- Provide feedback with Gradebook messaging in ELMS
For lectures, discussions or additional information sharing, you might consider:
- Share content on your ELMS page
- Use DesignPLUS to help organize content on your ELMS page and assignments
- Post your syllabus on ELMS
- Share PowerPoint slides with your speaker notes
- Post your written lecture using Office 365 or other Terpware tools
- Offer video (or audio) lectures with ELMS media recorder, Panopto (Windows | Mac) or Adobe Spark
- Create media with Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, Lucidchart or PowerPoint
- Share content with students synchronously in the classroom and online
- Share files in ELMS
- Provide books or media in Course Reserves
- Use GSuite (Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides)
- Embed an image or YouTube video in ELMS
- Create a blog/website
- Videos from LinkedIn Learning
- View these pages for information on labs or studio courses
For engaging your students, building community, helping them collaborate or solve complex problems, you might consider the following:
- Collaborate in GSuite, Google Hangouts or Meet (captions)
- Create Discussion boards in ELMS
- Post practice quizzes in ELMS
- Establish groups in ELMS
- Knowledge Check Quizzes in Panopto Videos
- Design student-created video assignments in Panopto, Adobe Spark, or Rush
- Engage students with polls using Zoom
- Form breakout rooms with Zoom|Webex
For providing practice and feedback, demonstration of learning or assessment of learning, you might consider the following:
- Create assignments, graded discussions, quizzes and surveys in ELMS, or textbook integration (such as Cengage, McGraw Hill, My Lab)
- Assign Team projects with assignments and discussions
- Use the Peer Review feature in ELMS
- Have students collaborate in Google docs
- Help students reflect on their progress with Portfolium
- Provide success criteria with a rubric in ELMS
- Make grading easier with SpeedGrader or Gradescope
- Check out your course analytics in ELMS
- Review assessment page for academic integrity suggestions
The Learning Technology team provides many workshops throughout the academic year. Check out our workshop calendar. If you need technical support or 1:1 consultations on learning technologies, please email itsupport@umd.edu.
Check out the security and privacy page for recommendations, best practices and resources for instructors to ensure that online teaching and learning activities are conducted in a secure, respectful and fruitful way.
For all UMD IT services, please visit the IT Service Desk's Service Catalog or email itsupport@umd.edu.