The US Department of State selects Howard University's Dr. Morris Thomas to host an International Delegation for Digital Learning Excellence Engagement
Congratulations to our newest CETLA Fellows for the 2024 - 2026 academic years! Excited to see the impact you'll make in advancing excellence in teaching and learning.
The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CETLA) will assist Faculty, Department Chairs, and Deans with the following (4) Canvas matters:
Requests to add TAs to courses
Requests to merge courses
Requests to create Organizations
Assistance with instructional strategies, e.g., setting up an exam, using the Grade Center, using Echo 360, scheduling a web conference class session using Zoom, and/or Teams, and other related academic matters
Please email cetlasupport@howard.edu directly for assistance with the previously listed (4) items and include all pertinent information for your specific requests. Please be sure to copy an academic administrator such as your Department Chair and/or Academic Dean on requests. Without the appropriate parties copied, requests will not be completed.
CETLA cannot add Instructors of Record to any courses manually within the LMS, academic administrators such as Department Chairs, etc. must add this information in Banner/BisonHub.
Please note: CETLA does not assist with SSO, technical, and/or credentials such as error messages or not having an HU email or login issues. Please contact Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) at huhelpdesk@howard.edu for assistance with technical matters.
The Learning Management System (LMS) Essentials Course will now take place using our new LMS, Canvas.
The Canvas LMS Essentials course is not currently required for those who previously completed this course in Blackboard. However, the Canvas LMS Essentials course is available for those wanting to receive Canvas specific training.
Name School/College Howard University Email Address
The LMS Essentials Course offers a (6) self-paced module learning experience that covers the following (LMS) content:
Module 1: LMS Overview
Module 2: Managing Course Content
Module 3: Communication Tools
Module 4: Assignments
Module 5: Assessment Features
Module 6: Gradebook
These modules are designed to provide an opportunity to develop the essential skills to effectively use the Learning Management System for facilitating learning experiences across instructional modalities (i.e., in-person, online, hybrid, etc.).
Please note: If you have previously completed the Blackboard Course/Certificate, you are not required to complete the LMS Essentials Course at this time. However, the course is available to you should you desire to enroll.
The Best Practices in Distance Learning course will now take place using our new LMS, Canvas.
The following dates for the Best Practices in Distance Learning course.
All HBCUs and TCUs can now give their students and faculty immediate access to the diverse, groundbreaking, university press books published on JSTOR as part of Path to Open at no cost to you. This access is made possible through grant funding from the University of North Carolina Press—one of the founders of Path to Open—and the Mellon Foundation. I hope you will consider taking advantage of this unique opportunity.
Path to Open is a multi-year pilot program. Roughly 50 university presses around the world collaborated to increase access to diverse ideas and research, and create a pathway for 1,000 high-quality university press ebooks to become open access three years after publication. Since its launch in 2023, Path to Open has made more than 300 books available to supporting institutions.
Participation benefits include:
Free participation in the Path to Open pilot through December 2026 (valued between $3,000-$30,000 depending on institutional classification). Your institution does not need to be an existing JSTOR participant to be eligible for this program.
Benefit from the bibliodiversity offered by participating university presses, which introduce new voices, fresh areas of scholarship, emerging fields, and expertise across diverse disciplines.
The collective investment model, now with additional grant funding, allows for more equitable access to knowledge throughout the entire academic ecosystem, making it more readily accessible to people around the world.
There is no obligation beyond expressing your interest in participating in this grant-funded project, and there are no ongoing costs or required commitments. Kindly contact me before the November 30, 2024 deadline to sign up.
If you would like to learn more about this exciting industry and body of knowledge, consider enrolling in this course: Project Management Essentials via Coursera. [NO COST TO ENROLL].
Howard University's Dr. Morris Thomas, is featured in one of D2L's Master Classes: Engaging and Inclusive Learning Environments
In this D2L Master Class, host Dr. Cristi Ford (VP, Academic Affairs at D2L) is joined by Dr. Morris Thomas (Assistant Provost, Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Assessment at Howard University) to explore ways that educators can build upon and expand the inclusive practices they already have in place in their blended and online classrooms.
Dr. Thomas will dive deep into his E.N.H.A.N.C.E. Learning Model for supporting the academic and social aspects of learning environments, and participants will have the chance to experience best practices for teaching for inclusion before applying concepts to their own work.
Dr. Andrew Straw has used Echo360's PointSolutions polling technology for many years and has conducted extensive research into the use and benefits seen by incorporating PointSolutions in a Peer Instruction Model. Below are links to his research.