5 ways faculty can connect with us while preparing for fall

Posted August 11, 2021 in Educational Technology News, Instructional Design News, JMU Libraries News

Faculty colleagues, as you prepare for the fall semester, we are here to help you:

1. Connect with experts and peers

Join experienced faculty, instructional designers, and media consultants in one of our Welcome Back to Teaching for Fall 2021 online office hours. The topics of discussion will be based on your needs, with a focus on making courses interactive, collaborative, and accessible.

2. Get set up with Canvas

Find advice on effective uses of Canvas at JMU for all types of teaching, including in-person, online, and hybrid courses. If you’re teaching online, bookmark our new Teach an Online, Hybrid, or Hyflex Class page (replacing our Guide to Online Teaching). Contact Library Tech Support (now called Learning Innovations & Design Desk) for help with setting up Canvas course shells and other technical tasks.

3. Set up your course reserves

Our Course Reserves program allows you to place items from JMU Libraries (books, media, etc.) on a 4-hour or 4-day reserve to make it easier for multiple students to access these high-demand library materials. Please use this form to submit requests for materials to be added to your course(s), including your personal copies or items that you would like the Libraries to consider purchasing (no textbooks). For more information, see the Course Reserves FAQ or contact reserves@jmu.edu.

4. Invite us to your class

Plan ahead to invite us to your in-person or online classroom to help your students build skills in research, evaluating sources, podcasting, data management, information literacy, or any of our areas of expertise. We also offer class sessions using Special Collections materials. You can even request Citizen 21 course content to teach your students 21st-century skills such as collaboration and mindfulness.

5. Incorporate digital assignments

Request a consultation for support as you design digital assignments or projects that leverage critical digital pedagogy and equity-based strategies. Find inspiration in these examples of digital assignments and digital projects that were created in partnership with faculty and students. Examples include websites, blogs, podcasts, maps, data visualizations, and other digital projects to promote engaged learning.

Originally posted on August 11, 2021; updated on February 6, 2024 to add mention of the Learning Innovations & Design Desk, previously called Library Tech Support.