Creative Commons Instructional Content

Check out these slide decks (videos-to-be) about the Creative Commons, copyright laws, and how it all works together to expand the Open Educational Resource (OER) community. Join the UAH Creative Commons group (registration is free!) and help us jumpstart the OER movement in Huntsville as well as contribute to Alabama’s ongoing statewide OER initiative!

The videos will be along soon! Feel free to use, share, adapt, and remix as you wish if you are teaching the same concepts to a specific audience of learners!

• From Copyright to Creative Commons

• Copyright Law: The Basics

• Anatomy of a Creative Commons License

• Using CC Licenses and CC-Licensed Work

• Creative Commons for Libraries and Academics

Silver Linings: Could the Pandemic have improved online learning?

EDUCAUSE: Research Shows Captioning Improves Outcomes for ALL Learners!

It makes complete sense that having captions available would help all learners, not just those with documented disabilities. Many people with no discernible disability nor cognitive challenges benefit greatly when seeing and hearing the same information simultaneously, especially when proper nouns and technical terms may be confusing to hear or spell.

Here's some strong Educause-style data to back up this claim. We also know anecdotally that people across generations and ability spectrums use captions routinely by choice, and learners are apt to play our instructional videos at both slower AND faster speeds than the speed in which they are recorded. Captions help those learners—indeed, ALL learners— with key ideas and details that may elude them otherwise. 

For help captioning your videos, email helpdesk@uah.edu for guidance. 

"When asked why captions are helpful, respondents overall expressed strong agreement that captions help students focus, retain information, and overcome poor audio."

 

It's true! It's true!

 But the Reddit platform is where it's at! 

WHY Active Learning Works

Why Active Learning Works came to me via Stephen Downes who himself forwarded it from Mike Taylor. I love the networks we form in our quest for new knowledge!

From Stephen (great embedded links!):

I think it is well known that "active learning — where learners engage in debate, problem-solving, role-playing, product creation and so on — is much more effective than presenting and explaining content." But why is it better? Stephen Kosslyn explains. First, "what we remember often is a byproduct of simply paying attention and thinking." Working with something focuses our attention. Second, "learning is enhanced by paying attention to feedback," and active learning produces plenty of feedback. Third, providing more ways to experience (visual, textual, etc) provides more ways to remember. Fourth, active learning helps us group and organize what we learn. And fifth, active learning creates a frame and context for learning. Via Mike Taylor.

Best 4 Design Tips Ever

 This bite-sized lesson packs a powerful four tips into one tiny video for anyone who wants to get started on building better learning materials!

Educause: Asynchronous Video Discussion Tips and Best Practices

Educause* has eleven great tips for hosting asynchronous video discussion threads. Check out Asynchronous Video Conversations: 11 Tips and Best Practices for the full scoop. 

*Educause is a “the largest (nonprofit) community of technology, academic, 

industry, and campus leaders advancing higher education through the use of IT.”

All UAH faculty can create a free Educause account since UAH is a member institution. Check out the various sections and communities, resource portals and published research in emerging best practice in OIT and online and e-learning in higher education.

Join our MET&L Workshop Weekly Series: UDL & ADA in Course Design

 Join us Wednesdays at 2:00 pm for Mastering Enhanced Teaching and Learning (MET&L) Workshop Series. This week, we'll cover UDL and ADA in Course Design.

Missed the meeting? Here's the presentation!

UDL/ADA / MET&L Workshop by Tess Olten