When COVID-19 began to spread in Spring 2020, Dr. Manyu Li СAPP like many instructors СAPP had to teach in a whole new way. By taking the extra step to become ULearn Certified, Dr. Li says she gained new perspective and discovered the right tools for her courses.
Dr. Li, an assistant professor of psychology, planned to earn her ULearn Certification to teach online and hybrid courses at the СAPP, but COVID-19 pushed up her timetable.
"I didn't expect that it would happen this fast," she says. СAPPBut this past summer, I had to stay home so that was a good time to learn about it and to give my students the best experience.СAPP
To , UL Lafayette faculty must complete a combination of the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric workshop and online workshops from our catalog of Professional Development Courses.
Dr. Li says the training was both manageable and insightful.
СAPPThe Distance Learning Staff do a very good job of modeling online teaching for us so we can experience that,СAPP Dr. Li says. СAPPI learned a lot being a student in those courses.СAPP
Particularly, Dr. Li gained new perspective on establishing clear learning objectives for her PSYC 330 and PSYC 340 courses.
"With objectives, it keeps me focused on what I want them to learn, and I think that helps me a lot when I prepare these remote courses,СAPP Dr. Li says. СAPPThe feedback I got from my students is that it makes them feel very clear about everything they're doing in each module. And I think it's because of the objectives and activities that match with the objectives."
She says she plans to carry that clarity and organization into future courses, regardless of modality.
Dr. Li has also made use of video lecture tools, including , to create accessible micro-lectures for her remote courses.
СAPPAlthough it took me more time to create video, I feel I can be more concise in breaking it down into topics with each mini video micro lecture, focusing on a topic or an example, and concentrating that.СAPP
By using Panopto, Dr. Li can easily edit her recordings and captions to provide more accessible lectures.
СAPPPanopto is so user friendly that I can easily change whatever [autocaptioning] mistake they have,СAPP Dr. Li says. СAPPAnd then I can cut easily so if I make a mistake I just keep talking and then later I just cut it. It saves a lot of time.СAPP
Creating accessible online learning environments has become a priority for Dr. Li, not only for students who may need accommodations, but all her students.
СAPPPreviously, I might have had slide and study guide images that I don't use alt tags or links that are not featured in a very friendly way,СAPP Dr. Li says. СAPPSo those skills, I'm going to keep for the rest of my teaching career.СAPP
Learn more about accessibility and alignment by enrolling the self-paced or the facilitated course. Email distancelearning@louisiana.edu to get started.