During the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters, the following communities met to research and develop actionable insights to inform online teaching and learning practices within the University. Two communities were selected through a CFP process. A third community focused on H5P is funded and guided by a Louisiana State Board of Regents eLearning Innovation Grant.
Their efforts culminated in a showcase at the end of the spring semester where faculty and staff from across the University were invited to attend poster sessions followed by a panel discussion with this year's facilitators.
Read more about each community and the results of their efforts below:
CUREs: Course-embedded Undergraduate Research Experiences Online
Facilitator: Sherry Krayesky-Self, Ph.D., Student Center for Research, Creativity, and Scholarship (SCRCS) Director
Members:
- Erika Caramillo-Hatch
- Tammy Hall
- Thomas Cline
- John Laudun
- Rachel Ellison
- Ismatara Reena
- Farzad Ferdowsi
- Scott Sittig
The purpose of this FLC was to build Student Research Experiences (SREs)/Course-Embedded Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) into online courses.
UL Lafayette defines a SRE as a sustained effort by a student to apply subject knowledge, skills, and abilities to a project that is valued by the discipline.
While there are a lot of virtual experiences that can provide a multitude of possible outcomes to a virtual experiment and teach students skills, authentic research experiences cannot be pre-recorded. They are harder to design in any class environment. Adding them to an online course presents unique challenges, such as engaging students and producing “teachable moments.”
The community met regularly from October-April, exploring effective tools and outlining specific plans in order to include SREs / CUREs in online or hybrid courses. The community read and discussed Course-Based Undergraduate Research: Education equity and High-Impact Practice (edited by Nancy Hensel), and actively worked toward the following goals:
- Formulated a list of best practices for faculty to use while participating in SREs while teaching or educating students in the online environment.
- Designed CUREs for the classes taught by each member of the FLC team.
- Produced a list of references and helpful links for faculty to use while teaching or educating using CUREs in an online environment.
In designing their CUREs, the community adhered to the following Course-Embedded SRE criteria:
- The SRE is embedded in the course curriculum.
- All students in the class engage in the SRE in some fashion.
- The specific outcomes of the SRE are unknown to faculty and students beforehand.
- Students work collaboratively as much as possible.
- SRE projects introduce students to the professional research methodologies of the discipline.
- Outcomes of the SRE are communicated to a stakeholder that is not the course instructor of record.
Results:
Summary of 2022-2023 FLC CUREs
CUREs Handbook of Best Practices
Applying Microsoft Teams to Online Learning and Instruction
Facilitator: Michael Hebert, DNP, RN, MEC, LHC Group ∙ Myers School of Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Members:
- Tanya Beller
- Tarrah Davis
- Latasha Holt
- Amanda Mayeaux
- Bertha Myers
- Tamla Springer
- Mike Williams
This FLC focused on learning the practical uses for Microsoft Teams across work processes and instruction. Its exploration considered several use cases for Teams, including:
- Communicating
- Organizing
- Scheduling
- Meeting
- Teaching
They also researched how MS Teams features integrate with the whole of the Microsoft 365 suite of products.
Results
Introduction to Microsoft Teams FLC (video, 0:42)
Using Teams Channels (video, 1:47)
Using Teams as a Communication Hub (video, 4:49)
Using Teams as a Productivity Hub (video, 2:33)
Using Teams for Interdepartmental Instant Messaging (video, 2:20)
Benefits of Using Microsoft Teams Calling (pdf)
Enhancing Learner-Content Interaction with H5P
*Funded by a Louisiana State Board of Regents eLearning Innovation Grant.
Facilitators:
- Kathleen Schott Espinoza, MA, Master Instructor, Geography, College of Liberal Arts
- Marissa Lajaunie, MBA & RHIA, Senior Instructor, Health Sciences, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
- Penny Powell, Master Instructor, Biology, College of Sciences
Members:
- James Kimball
- Guolin Lai
- Randy Gonzales
- Jennifer Allain
- William Schmidt
- Jeffrey Lush
- Jessica White
- Valanne MacGyvers
- Traci Brochard
- Tricia Templet
- Jennifer Hargrave
- Barbara Marchetti
- Christy Langley
- Emily Blosser
- Robert Garrie
- Megan Breaux
- Pavel Samsonov
This community met regularly throughout the academic year to provide peer-to-peer professional development and support for faculty to learn H5P and design interactive course content used to enhance online courses taught in Spring 2023. The H5P-enhanced courses participated in a controlled study to assess the impact of H5P interactive course content on student learning and engagement. These activities were funded by a Louisiana State Board of Regents eLearning Innovation Grant.
H5P is an interactive content creation tool fully integrated with the latest version of Moodle. It offers a robust and easy-to-use tool for creating interactive course content (e.g., quizzes, presentations, videos, images, activities, etc.). Learn more about H5P.
One of the most important factors contributing to student success in online courses is learner-content interaction. Interactive content has been shown to enhance learner-content interaction and improve student learning outcomes.
The community consisted of three sections, each led by one of the facilitators listed above. Learn more about their experience facilitating these communities.
Results
The faculty who participated in this community designed a variety of interactive content for their courses. Click below to view and interact with a sample of the H5P activities they created.