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Technology and Teaching Modalities

Teaching tools and practices are in a constant state of change. The information on this site is designed to foster your effective use of technology for any of the UT teaching modalities you have chosen to use. This site provides a curated selection of existing OIT resources with tips for their use, organized to support each teaching modality established by the Registrar’s office. We hope you will find this resource informative and helpful.

Information on Specific Teaching Modalities

Information for All Teaching Modalities

Check out classrooms.utk.edu for instructions and ideas on using the technology in your classroom.
This site contains training and resources for campus-hosted classrooms and resources that will help with all classrooms on campus. 

The Clicker Self-Service Training course will equip you with the tools and knowledge to pose response driven questions in real-time during your course instruction. Whether you teach with PowerPoint or other presentation styles, you can use the PointSolutions software to ask and receive responses. This response system also allows you to sync the responses to Canvas for class participation scores or quizzes. By completing this course, you will have the ability to:

  • Setup your Canvas course to use clickers
  • Create questions in PowerPoint, Anywhere Polling (questions over other software), Self-paced quizzes (participants answer at their own pace), or Scheduled quizzes.
  • Sync grades to Canvas

Enroll in the Canvas course to learn more about Clickers and how to incorporate them in your teaching

Best Practices for Online Assessments

Putting your final exam online? Need ideas for how to assess learner progress in Canvas? This is a one-stop location for asynchronous, self-paced training related to designing and delivering effective tests and assessments online. Topics include pedagogy and design, using Canvas to construct assessments, and facilitating feedback effectively. Enroll in the Canvas course to learn How to Create Online Tests and Assessments

Akindi

Akindi is a web-based assessment system that automates the creation and grading of multiple-choice examinations. It is accessible through Canvas and it uses your departmental copy machine to scan and score bubble-forms. The use of Akindi is centrally funded. Learn more about Akindi.

Proctorio

Proctorio is an automated remote proctoring service that integrates with Canvas. Proctorio enables instructors to utilize machine learning and facial detection technology to remotely proctor online assessment to help protect the academic integrity of test-takers. Learn more about Proctorio.

Turnitin Similarity

Turnitin Similarity is a software resource designed to help students avoid plagiarism and improper citation. The software encourages original writing and proper citation practices by cross-referencing submitted materials against other submitted papers, the Internet, and numerous published journals, newspapers, and magazine articles. Turnitin Similarity is fully integrated into Online@UT (Canvas) and does not require additional software. Learn More about Turnitin Similarity.

Online lectures are a great strategy for reinforcing or supplementing your classroom instruction, flipping your class or taking your class totally online. Learn more about the OIT-supported methods for creating online lectures.

  • Panopto allows you to record lectures in the classroom using Cynap and from your office using a computer. It’s a great tool for creating online lectures or for recording your in-person lectures for later viewing.
  • Canvas Studio is a media tool that allows students and instructors to upload, create, edit, manage, share and discuss audio and video files. Existing files can be used or new ones can be created with Studio’s capture and editing tools. Studio allows instructors to insert discussions and knowledge quizzes in the video timeline. 

Here are some tips that will help you create learning materials that are accessible to all:

  • Tips for Accessibility
  • Learn more about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) through our asynchronous online course Implementing UDL on Canvas
  • Learn more about options for captioning your videos (for everyone’s benefit!)
  • Explore resources for making your learning materials accessible for all
  • Check out upcoming Workshops related to Accessibility and UDL
  • Canvas Accessibility Checker is a powerful tool within Canvas’ Rich Content Editor that allows you to run a quick accessibility test on content you have created within the Editor, including text, images, and hyperlinks. Anywhere the Rich Content Editor is found — when you are creating a Canvas content page, an Assignment prompt, a Discussion prompt, or the like — the Accessibility Checker will appear in the toolbar, normally at the far right. With this tool, you can catch common errors that make web content difficult to access for users with disabilities, and you can easily correct those errors as well before you save and publish your content. Once you have entered content into the Rich Content Editor, just click the Accessibility Checker icon to receive instant feedback.
  • Universal Design Online Content Inspection Tool, or UDOIT (pronounced, “You Do It”), enables faculty to identify accessibility issues in their Canvas course content. It will scan a course, generate a report, and provide resources on how to address common accessibility issues. Learn how to use UDOIT.

Remember that regardless of your preferred teaching modality, the best way to be prepared for any teaching/learning scenario is to create a robust Canvas site for your course. Doing so will provide you and your students the flexibility to fully participate regardless of the delivery mode (Face-to-face, Hybrid, Online).

A Robust Canvas site is one that:

  • Includes an inviting course Homepage.
  • Employs a course template designed by OIT to help structure your course site.
  • Uploads course content to include recorded lectures, PowerPoints, links to external web resources and other materials.
  • Creates assignments that are automatically linked to the gradebook and the course calendar and establish a standard method for students to submit assignments.
  • Creates online assessments using the Canvas quiz tool, in which quiz questions and distractors can be randomized to create unique student attempts.
  • Delivers live lectures and conducts office hours online in Zoom.

Asynchronous Training Available on Canvas Catalog

  • Canvas Training for Faculty and Staff
    Begin this self-paced workshop (log in with NetID/Password).
  • Teaching Online Reboot: Canvas and Zoom
    Learn the general framework for easily creating Canvas course sites by applying a new course template as well as techniques to manage the online classroom environment using Zoom.
    Begin this self-paced workshop (log in with NetID/Password).
  • Online@UT Canvas) Resource Guide
    Familiarize yourself with using Canvas by launching the guide.

Accessing the OIT Canvas Course Template

  1. Log in to Online@UT (Canvas).
  2. Select the Commons icon in the grey navigation bar underneath the Power T.
  3. In the search box, enter UTK Canvas Course Template.
  4. Select the course card to see a preview.
  5. Select Import/Download button.
  6. In the pop-out window, place a checkmark next to the course site you wish to import the template into.
  7. Select the Import into Course button.

Explore information about Zoom, UT’s supported synchronous teaching and meeting tool.

There are a variety of collaboration tools that you and your students can use before, during, or after a class session that will facilitate communication and collaboration between students in the classroom and online.

Check out our guide on instructional tools, recommended uses, and available training.