Learning Environments Programming

LE provides a variety of programming types throughout the year.

For those who want synchronous and group programming:

We have blocks of Faculty Workshops that are available to anyone who teaches at Rice.
First Fridays. This once-a-month event features instructor successes and is a place for anyone who is teaching to ask questions, give feedback, share success stories, and get advice. Visit the First Fridays tab for more information.
We also hold One-on-One Consultations by request.
Upcoming Event: AI Week @ Rice!

View the current workshop offerings below.

Important: You will receive a link to the webinar once you register using the link on the calendar below.

*Any changes to future dates will be reflected here, and any changes to workshops will be emailed to those registered for the session.

For asynchronous resources and training:

Our main workshops are recorded and can be found under Recorded Trainings.
Written Resources on Canvas, Zoom, Kaltura, and more can be found under the Documentation tab.
New Training Course: Mastering Canvas: Building Effective Online Learning Environments
LE Newsletter: For monthly updates on features, reminders, and instructional technology tips and tricks, subscribe to our newsletter. To do so, please go to LE-News and click “Join Group” or send an email to Teaching@rice.edu with a request to be added.
The Digital Teaching and Learning Blog contains details about new features in Canvas and other announcements and information.

Faculty Workshops
One-on-One Appointments
First Fridays
Recorded Trainings
Documentation
Podium Trainings

Note: All workshops will be online and 30 min unless otherwise noted. The zoom link will be sent to you once you register.

Faculty Workshops are open to anyone who teaches at Rice! Please check the calendar and register for the workshops that interest you. If you need further help, please email teaching@rice.edu.

Each track contains a variety of workshops to round out your skills in that area or level. You are welcome to take just the workshops you need or to complete whole tracks over the course of the year. Those who complete a full track will receive a certificate indicating this completion.

Introduction to Learning Tech at Rice

This series of workshops will introduce you to the basics of educational technology at Rice. They focus on how to use the tools while introducing basic use cases along the way. These workshops are 30 minutes in length and will be held over Zoom.

Canvas 1: Navigation, Communication, and Settings: Learn to navigate/set up your course and to communicate with students.
Canvas 2: Creating Content and Assignments: Learn to create content and assignments along with basics of grading in Canvas.
Kaltura: Managing Videos in Canvas: Learn to upload videos, manage basic settings, and add videos to pages and modules.
Accessibility in Canvas: Learn about the basics of accessibility in Canvas using our new tool UDOIT so that all students can access your course. (This workshop is 45 minutes in length)

Intermediate Learning Tech @ Rice

These workshops go a step further than the introductory series. They will teach more in-depth skills and focus on why you would use these features along with a basic how-to. These workshops are 30 minutes in length and will be held over Zoom.

Canvas continued: Work Smarter Not Harder: Discover skills to make your course run more smoothly with less work from you.
Kaltura continued: In-Video Quizzing, Editing, and Video Projects: Learn to use quizzes in your videos, to edit videos you upload, and to create video projects for your students.

Become a SuperUser of Learning Tech @ Rice

In this series, participants will hear about inspirational practices from other faculty and learn about great, but little known, features and skills. These workshops are 30 minutes in length and will be held over Zoom.

Leveraging Canvas Features and AI for Course Automation: This workshop will demonstrate how you can craft your course to run smoothly with less hands-on work from you during the semester using Canvas's native tools and AI.
Using Design to Enhance Student Experience: This workshop will focus on using basic design principles and best practices to visually navigate your students through your courses.

Using Digital Tools in Pedagogy: 1 hour each

The workshops in this series delve into ways to use educational technology to create and manage courses that use a variety of active teaching methods. Each of these workshops is an hour-long, and interactive; they model the method they focus on.

Setting Up and Running a Flipped Classroom: This workshop will teach you how to manage the tech necessary for a flipped classroom approach where content is delivered outside of the classroom and class time is utilized for discussion, problem-solving, practice, and more. This workshop will include pre-workshop resources and an in-person meeting to put our knowledge into action.
Employing Educational Technology in your Face-2-Face Class: Wondering what the best practices are for employing technology in your face-to-face course? This workshop will give suggestions and tips for using technology to improve student learning and instructor work load.

Using Tech for Student Engagement

Looking for ways to engage your students in Face-2-Face, Hybrid, or Online classes? This series will examine a variety of tools that can assist you in encouraging student engagement no matter your main teaching methods or mode of delivery. These workshops are 30 minutes in length and will be held over Zoom.

Facilitating Collaboration: Create, manage, and facilitate team projects online no matter the modality of your course.
Encouraging Participation: Use digital tools to help encourage and track student participation.
Engaging Student Interest: Flexibility in Assignment Design: Digital tools can help you to create and run flexible assignments that increase student buy-in and engagement in the course.

Special Workshops

Gradescope workshops occur every Thursday at noon. Please see the calendar or visit the Gradescope Getting Started page to register. They cover:

Set up assignments where students can submit freeform work (no printers or templates needed)
Grade your existing exams and homework on Gradescope
Make rubric changes as you grade - changes apply to previously graded work to maintain consistency
Write each comment only once - apply previously used comments with a click
Use ‘assignment analytics’ to gain insight into student learning

Faculty, TA, Staff, or Student One-on-One session

These sessions are for anyone who needs an individual consult or more in depth discussion of something covered in the workshops. To schedule a consultation, please email teaching@rice.edu with a brief description of your needs.

First Fridays

This once a month event will feature instructor successes and will be a place for anyone who is teaching to ask questions, give feedback, share success stories, and get advice. This event is on the First Friday of every month from September to April.

Please register in advance for this meeting: Registration Link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Interested in presenting at our First Friday event? Complete this First Friday Presentation Form

Recorded Trainings

You can find recordings of live workshops at Learning Environments: Recorded Trainings. We will continue to add new trainings as we create and run them.

Documentation

Below is a list of written documentation resources curated or created by the Learning Environments team to help you become familiar with Canvas, Zoom, Kaltura, and more at your own pace. For more on this, please visit the Teaching with Technology Resources Course.

Podium Trainings

Tutorial sessions for using the instructional systems in OTR classrooms are available. Individual sessions can be scheduled by emailing teaching@rice.edu.