MCOB Updates

As we move into our first full week of online teaching, I have heard from faculty concerns about quizzes and exams and administering them using Sakai. A great place to start is with the Assessment Planning page within the Resilient Teaching website.

If you are somewhat new to using Sakai Test & Quizzes here is a general overview link. Last semester I switched my final exam to a Sakai test. I gave the students the 2-hour block to complete a battery of Excel problems and then had them answer questions within the Sakai test. The Sakai test was based on what they calculated using Excel and was mostly fill-in-the-blank questions with some multiple choice. The great thing about this was Sakai did all the grading, and it immediately was added to the Sakai Gradebook. 

iRubric is a rubric tool within Sakai that allows for easy itemized grading and feedback. I have used iRubric for several years now, and although it takes a bit to get started, once it is in place it makes grading assignments much easier and helps with consistency. Here is an overview link and a quick start guide. Some of these tips and tricks may take a bit of time to get right, but in the end, it streamlines the grading process.

With the 2020-2021 now underway, our success depends on everyone’s compliance with safety practices. If a faculty member is having an issue with a student not wearing a mask in class that is not resolved by a gentle reminder, he or she should report the noncompliance through the process established by the Office of Student Affairs:

“Our success depends on everyone adopting these practices, so we must hold one another accountable. This starts with grace and understanding, recognizing that these are new habits for all of us. It also involves being an active bystander by kindly reminding your peers to comply. Emphasize that adopting these practices protects us all. Any member of the campus community can also share concerns about individuals engaged in unsafe practices by using this form. The relevant University office will follow up on these reports promptly.”

(Note that this is a correction of a previous guidance in Mendoza Exchange; Student Affairs — not undergraduate advising — is charged with overseeing student compliance.)

Video assets that were created and used in pervious semesters will need to be transferred to the Fall course in Sakai. I like to transfer the content from the previous semester to the current semester. This works for files, quizzes and other things created and stored in Sakai, but not Panopto videos. Mendoza IT’s Frank Mark created a video on this called “Copy or Move a Video” in his Panopto self-help website. 

Going back to the Resilient Teaching Mini Course, I recommend 3.1 “Actively Engaging All Students During Class Meetings.” There are some great tips, including some ways to use Google Forms for group discussions. Along with our internal Mendoza demonstrations, be sure to check out what the ND Learning & the Kaneb Center are offering on their Summer 2020 Events page.

Keep learning, keep improving and be prepared.

Bob