Please review the tabs below to explore various presentations to help your students learn.

Affordable Learning Resources
Maximize PowerPoint
Save Time with Akindi
Small Teaching Strategies
Using Discussion Boards for Good

Affordable Learning Resources Through the University Libraries

Did you know there are Affordable Learning Resources Through the University Libraries?
In this session, we will discuss initiatives spearheaded by the University Libraries to provide access to required texts for class free of cost to students and faculty. Working with you and your department, the Libraries can identify texts freely available online or available for the Libraries to purchase for the entire campus community.

Presenter: Cris Ferguson, Dean, University Libraries

Blitz Week 2023

Review Session Resource

Blitz Week 2022

This session details the University Libraries' efforts to support student learning by providing access to course materials at no cost to students where possible. For the past several years the Libraries have been working with the University Bookstore to acquire eBook versions of the texts assigned by faculty as required course materials and make them freely available to students. This past fall, the Libraries supported a faculty member, along with her College and Department, in the creation of an Open Educational Resource for use as alternative textbook. Come learn how the Libraries can help support your courses and potentially pay for your course materials for your students!

Presenter: Cris Ferguson, Dean, University Libraries

Review Session Resource

Maximizing PowerPoint: simple Tricks for a Stronger, Interactive Class Environment (Blitz Week 2022)

PowerPoint is an incredible tool, if used correctly. This short presentation will highlight some of the best tricks and design principles to make your classroom presentations clear and engaging. We will talk about strategies for keeping students engaged and maximizing the use of classroom time. We’ll highlight approaches that work in both traditional and active-learning environments, including the use of PowerPoint with embedded media, clickers, quick-recall quizzes, and group projects.

Presenter: Kevin Revell, Professor, Department of Chemistry

Blitz Week Session 1, Part 1

Blitz Week, Session 2, Part 2

Save Time and Gain Insight Multiple-Choice assessments with Akindi (Blitz Week 2022)

Akindi offers instructors the ability to develop and deliver multiple choice assessments via paper, online, or hybrid approaches with one simple tool. It provides easy controls to change the timing, length, and question order for individual students, as well as, analytics on student performance and question construction. This session will cover the basics of Akindi and provide guidance on how to best use the analytics provided by the system.

Presenter: Elizabeth Gordon, Assistant Professor and Program Director
Amelia Dodd, Assistant Dean and Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Health Professions

Small Teaching Strategies to Optimize Learning (Blitz Week 2022)

In this lightning session, MSU faculty from different disciplines will share small but powerful strategies that you may consider using right away to help your students learn.

Presenter: Amanda Joyce, Associate Professor Psychology;
Jennifer Morrison, Assistant. Professor, Political Science;
Melony Shemberger. Associate Professor, Mass Communication;
Firm Faith Watson, Director, Faculty Development Ctr.

Using Discussion Boards for Good (and Not Evil)

Do you want interaction among students but you're tired of reading unnatural, awkward, forced discussion board responses?

Interactions among students and between students and faculty are a valuable part of the learning experience. However, it can be a challenge to create meaningful interaction using discussion boards. All too often, the structure of the boards creates an environment that discourages critical thinking and genuine conversation and encourages rote, predictable responses meant to hit a specified word count. The purpose of this recorded micro-learning is to explore strategies for encouraging more meaningful student-student and student-faculty interactions in a virtual space.

Participants will learn how to do the following:

Implement best practices for discussion board size, prompts, and instructions.
Encourage student interaction beyond “I agree with PERSON. I especially liked the part where he said SuchAndSuch". I also think SuchandSuch.”
Integrate external web tools (such as spotify and Google docs) to encourage interaction that can then continue on class discussion boards.

Presenter: Dr. Amanda Joyce, Associate Professor of Psychology