Create an Alumni Account
All PSU active account users can create a free PebblePad Alumni account before they separate from PSU. This is a self-service process completed within PebblePad. To make an alumni account, take the following steps before you lose access to your PSU accounts.
- Log into pebblepad.pdx.edu with your PSU Odin credentials.
- Click in the top left “burger menu” icon with 3 vertical lines.
- From the left slide out menu click Additional Settings.
- From the exposed menu click Free Alumni Accounts.
- A new browser window will appear with a pop up box in the middle.
- Click Continue in the pop up box to make it got away.
- Fill out the form using a personal email address and password.
- Click Continue.
- Choose your subject expertise and career destination (optional).
- Read the Terms and Conditions then click the check box.
- Then click Continue.
- A confirmation screen will display the information you entered.
- After verifying that it is correct click Confirm.
- You will be presented with a completion screen.
- Bookmark the login URL for your alumni account before logging in.
See PebblePad support documentation for additional detail.
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Building an Effective Syllabus and Syllabus Template
An effective syllabus is both relevant and accessible for all students. Along with complete information, it needs organization and formatting that works well in assistive devices.
To help you get started, OAI has an accessible syllabus template with PSU policies and other common elements. It’s organized with Microsoft Word’s heading structure and uses accessible formatting. Keep the structure and formatting to maintain accessibility, but add and delete information to make it relevant for your course.
Note these elements:
- Headings: Use text formatted as a heading to identify sections of your syllabus.
- Lists: Use the list tool (bullets or numbering), not dashes, to identify lists of items.
- Links: Make them meaningful. For example, instead of click here, use a more descriptive link: OAI+ Tech Tutorials.
- Tables: Use column and row headers on every table.
- Images: Add alternative text that describes the image for visually-impaired students.
- Font: Make sure the text color you use has enough color contrast to be legible. Also, don’t use color or underlining to convey information or meaning.
- Layout: Use adequate line spacing (1.15 or greater) and a large enough font size. (Nine points is the minimum, but 12 to 14 is better.)
It’s also important for a syllabus to be culturally inclusive to all our students. The PSU Library has a guide to making your syllabus — and your whole curriculum — more culturally responsive and inclusive:
Important notes for building your syllabus:
- Talk with your department or college about any additional syllabus requirements.
- Be sure to check dates and links before use.
- Post the syllabus in the content area of your online course so students always know where to find it.
Beyond the Basics
PSU instructors have diverse perspectives about the use of generative AI in the classroom. As such, instructors must clearly communicate to students how and when generative AI tools can be used within a course in general and/or for any individual class activity or assessment. In addition to other forms of communication, the class syllabus serves as a formal agreement between instructor and student, which makes it an ideal place to document these expectations. Below, you will find three general student usage categories for generative AI tools and an example syllabus statement for each. This is not an exhaustive list, but we hope it will help you begin creating statements of your own. You can also explore other examples in the curated list Generative AI Syllabus Statements v.3 – OAI+. Feel free to adopt the language below or adapt it to fit your needs.
Note: When possible, we recommend using the phrase “generative AI” or “generative artificial intelligence” in your syllabus rather than calling out a specific tool (e.g. “ChatGPT”). If you choose to include some version of an example below that permits student use of Generative AI tools, also consider adding the Library’s suggested citation formats when using generative AI tools in academic work.
Generative AI Tools are Generally Allowed with Attribution
In this course, those students who wish to utilize Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are encouraged to do so. AI tools may be employed to brainstorm assignments or projects or to refine pre-existing work. However, to uphold scholarly standards, students are required to cite any AI-generated material that contributes to their work, including in-text citations, quotations, and references. The generation of content through AI without appropriate attribution constitutes academic misconduct.
Some Use of Generative AI Permitted Under Specific Circumstances of with Explicit Permission
Throughout this course, we may employ Generative AI tools like ChatGPT. Clear guidelines will be provided regarding when, where, and how these tools may be utilized along with instructions for proper attribution. Any usage outside of these specified permissions constitutes a violation of PSU’s Academic Integrity Guidelines.
No Use of Generative AI is Permitted
Intellectual integrity forms the bedrock of academic communities and serves as the cornerstone for impartial evaluation of your work. All coursework completed and/or submitted for this course must represent your original work and adhere to the University’s Academic Integrity Guidelines. Unauthorized collaboration or the use of ChatGPT or any other generative AI applications is strictly prohibited.
Particularly in online courses, it might be helpful to also create a video screencast introducing the course syllabus. Consider, for example, this Syllabus Builder Video from UDL on Campus.
Consider adding a statement to your syllabus that invites students to share their access needs throughout the term. An example:
I encourage you to name your access needs in this class and ask that you please communicate as your needs change. Naming your access needs can be asking a presenter to speak slower, or turning your camera off for a moment and letting the class know that you will participate via chat, or keeping your camera on but letting the class know that you may fidget, stretch, or move during class time. Naming your access needs is an important part of how you communicate with the class.
A negotiated syllabus is constructed collaboratively with students, giving them choices about what, how, when, and with whom they will meet learning objectives.
One way to build a negotiated syllabus is to start with what’s required for students to pass the course. Outline those requirements, then allow the class to determine some aspects democratically — such as readings, grade scheme, class activities, major assignments, etc.
Students are often much more invested in classes where they are making decisions and building the class with the instructor and their peers.
Designing a Hybrid or Blended Course
In blended and hybrid courses (with the terms used interchangeably in this article), students complete activities both in the classroom and online.
Online activities typically prepare, supplement, or assess in-class work. They can also invite engagement and exploration in the open web or within closed digital learning environments such as a learning management system’s forum or discussion board or a collaborative Google document.
Blended learning creates opportunities for students to engage with content and each other digitally in addition to learning in the face-to-face environment. Designing online activities and experiences that operate in tandem with face-to-face learning promotes exploration of real-world problems (informal and formal). Such “problem-based” learning can develop relevant digital skills that support learners to co-create knowledge.
Digital Activities
As you design learning experiences for a blended course, you have the web as an additional classroom space to support your face-to-face course activities and content sharing.
Offering activities online in conjunction with in-class experiences raises students’ digital literacy and addresses multiple learning preferences. Digital activities such as going on a “digital field trip” where students conduct research, engage in a discovery activity or analyze web content can support multiple learning goals. Educators can also design activities that require interaction and engagement online that enhance the community of learning already established in class.
Examples of Interactive Activities
- Using annotation tools (for example, Hypothes.is) to annotate websites and online articles
- Co-editing a Wikipedia page
- Creating and commenting on public blogs
- Building an eportfolio
- Collaborating on creating a digital document, infographic, website, podcast, or video
Even though classroom time is available to facilitate discussion and meaning-making, educators can design online forum discussions in small groups to take in-class discussions to a different level or add additional engagement opportunities to the course content. Creating opportunities for digital exploration and engagement can enhance comprehension and increases digital fluency for life-long learning.
Strategic Activity Design
As you design learning experiences for a blended course, you have the web as an additional classroom space to support your face-to-face course activities and content sharing. When designing assignments and activities, consider both the in-class learning environment and the online learning environment to create deeper and more diverse learning opportunities. This often opens up a new way of teaching and co-creating communities of learning.
Educators who plan effective in-class activities that run in tandem with online activities will find that students’ motivation and engagement increase. This is also true when digital learning spaces are presented as just as important as the in-classroom space. This is best achieved when the digital space is designed to be connective and collaborative.
One such activity to enhance connection and collaboration is dividing students into project groups for discussion and projects. Requiring student-led discussions or annotation activities and designing question prompts that are meaningfully relevant and/or reflective can foster online communities of learning as well.
Starting off the term with a personal share or declaration of course goals is a great way to build community and connection early on that can lead to easier interdependence and motivation for collaboration later in the term.
Instructors might use in-person meetings to tackle difficult course concepts, provide lectures, facilitate group/lab work and in-class presentations. Students have access to an accompanying online course shell, 24/7, hosted on the learning management system. The online course shell is used for course content, assignment submissions, videos, readings, participating in discussions, submitting quizzes, exams and accessing the gradebook tool. The logistics of course administration and ease of giving students timely feedback can be a great time saver for faculty. Students prefer the flexibility of reviewing course content anytime anywhere on their mobile devices and of using the course tools, such as the assignment dropbox, discussion tool and quick access to the library widget.
Things to Consider When Planning Face-to-Face and Online Activities
- Identify potential challenging content areas in the course, and consider what new online resources can support students learning complex concepts.
- Design your assignments first and consider what smaller activities will support their success (scaffolding). Which ones can be done online?
- Ask if content can be given through a recorded lecture watched before or after class. This can act as a prompt for in-class activities or enhance concepts from class time.
- Is the labor involved in the online experience appropriate?
- Is the activity or content clearly outlined and presented? Why are they doing it?
- Does the activity or content you present match your learning outcomes and is it realistic for your student population to succeed? Consider technical capacities, collaborative skills, and communication styles when designing and planning for alternatives. It’s possible that you may not know your student population well enough to determine success but having an open and adaptive mind will help you navigate these choices and create just-in-time solutions.
The most effective and engaging blended courses create digital learning experiences that enhance course content and provide opportunities for students to create, connect, and collaborate. Success is often achieved when educators make strong connections between learning that occurs in the classroom and learning that occurs online. Educators can place self-paced activities online as preparation for class or design activities for meaning-making and reflection to build a cohesive and well-balanced blended learning environment.
Supporting Students Online
Online students can find it challenging to stay motivated and engaged in learning. Here are steps you can take when building online activities to help students make meaningful connections with you, their classmates, and the content.
Be present.
Encourage regular student/teacher communication and establish an encouraging online environment. You don’t have to be online all the time; you can maintain regular contact with students through weekly updates, video reminders, and full-class messages acknowledging students’ good work.
Be active.
Give examples and encourage peer-to-peer collaboration. A common misconception about online coursework is that students can’t collaborate. However, tools such as discussion forums, Google Hangout, and Google Docs make remote collaboration easy. When establishing collaborative activities, remember to define what you expect, including examples of the work you want them to produce. Examples help guide students and make them feel like you’re an active participant in the class.
Be clear.
Set expectations from day one, share course objectives, and keep a predictable schedule. Students feel more confident and are better able to focus on the meaningful work of the course if the logistics are in place early and throughout the course. It helps to have regular due dates and to attach learning objectives to major activities and assignments so students understand what they’re working toward.
Give regular feedback.
Help students set reasonable expectations for receiving feedback. For example, let students know you’ll post assignment updates on Fridays, or that you’ll comment on their work weekly. Not all feedback needs to be individual. Sometimes it’s appropriate to send tips and insights to the full class, such as in a summary email or announcement. However, when you want a specific student or group of students to revise an assignment, individual feedback is best.
Get regular feedback.
Provide a Q&A space, and ask students for feedback about the course with enough time to make adjustments. If the Q&A space is public, students can answer questions for each other and everyone can view the answers. This builds community and gives instructors and students the opportunity to connect. Ask for specific course feedback via a survey, brief questionnaire, or written reflection. Whatever the format, it helps to focus the reflection around specific course practices, assignments, or assessments so students know what kind of feedback you’re looking for. Request course feedback by about the fourth week so you have time to make any changes before the course is over.
Give deadlines.
Help students manage their schedules by giving deadlines and scaffolding assignments. Without the rhythm of attending class in-person regularly, online students can fall behind and feel disconnected from learning progress. Regular deadlines can help students establish effective learning habits and stay present and engaged. Due dates should follow a consistent pattern. For example, short homework sets could be due every Thursday, and discussion activities each Sunday. Scaffold larger assignments by breaking the work into smaller segments with staggered due dates. By reviewing work in smaller pieces, you can also give more targeted feedback that students can use to improve their work.
Give challenges.
Encourage students to attempt challenging work but allow space for students to make mistakes. Communicate high expectations and signal that you believe students can meet those expectations. Giving students opportunities to correct mistakes can motivate them to take learning risks. For example, allowing students to resubmit an exam or project communicates that their effort is part of a larger learning process.
Give choices.
Through Universal Design for Learning, instructors offer students choices in how they learn, engage and demonstrate their learning. Giving students choices about how they’ll meet course learning outcomes motivates them to engage in the work and doesn’t have to be more work for you. Choice can be as simple as allowing students to write an essay, make a video, or build a slideshow to demonstrate their understanding of the content.
Connect classroom learning to authentic practice.
Help students find connections between what they’re learning and their lives, prior knowledge, and real world experiences. Consider how you can shape assignments so students can apply concepts to the real world rather than just recall information. For example, you could bring in relevant news stories that connect to course concepts, or work with case studies. Similarly, make sure your students feel represented in the course. Reflect a diversity of identities, perspectives and expertise through your curricular choices.
Host a virtual meeting with Hangouts/Meet
Google Hangouts Meet is the newest version of Google Hangouts. Hangouts Meet can be used at PSU for video conferencing. There are many additional online resources available for Google Hangouts Meet if you need more help.
NOTE: As of December 2019, Hangouts Meet only works in recent versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari. View current Meet requirements.
Start a video meeting from Meet
NOTE: You can have up to 100 participants in a Google Hangouts Meet.
- Make sure you are logged out of any personal Gmail accounts to avoid confusion.
- Login to your PDX Gmail account with your Odin account information.
- From the upper right corner, select the Apps menu (a square grid of dots):
- Go to Google Meet.
- select New Meeting.
- Select an option:
Create a meeting for later:
To share the meeting details for a future meeting, copy the meeting link and share with participants. - To directly start the meeting with this link, paste the link into a browser; or enter the link into the Enter a code or link field and then select Join.
- Start an instant meeting: Create a new meeting and join the meeting directly.
- Schedule in Google Calendar: To schedule a meeting, you’re directed to Google Calendar.
Start a video meeting from Gmail
Important: To start a video meeting from Gmail, you must turn on Meet in Gmail.
- Open Gmail.
- At the bottom left corner, under “Meet,” select New meeting .
To send the meeting invite via link or email, select Send invite.
To copy the meeting invite details, select Copy meeting invite.
To send an email invite, select Share via email. - When you’re ready to join the meeting, select Join now.
Before you join your first meeting, make sure to allow permissions for your Microphone and Camera. Once you grant permission:
To turn your microphone on or off, select Microphone.
To turn your camera on or off, select Camera.
To join the call, select Join now.
To end the call, select Leave call.
Schedule a video meeting from Google Calendar
When you create an event on Google Calendar, you can add a video meeting link. You can also add a dial-in number to the Calendar event. Important: Guests can forward the meeting link to other people. If an uninvited person tries to join , a meeting participant from your organization must accept their request.
- Calendar, create an event.
- select Add guests.
- Enter the names or email of the people you want to invite.
- select Save.
- To notify guests, select Send.
Create a reusable Meet link for office hours
NOTE: You can have up to 100 participants in a Google Hangouts Meet.
- Make sure you are logged out of any personal Gmail accounts to avoid confusion.
- Login to your PDX Gmail account with your Odin account information.
- From the upper right corner, click on the Apps menu.
- Select Meet from the available options.
NOTE: You can also access Meet via https://meet.google.com/ - Click + Start a new meeting.
- Click Start Meeting.
- Select the option to Copy joining info. This URL and dial-in access can be used for future meetings.
To use this meeting room at a later date, save the joining info. Copy the Meet URL to your syllabus, Canvas page, or email; or share with those you wish to join the video conference.
If you need access to the meeting details after you have closed the initial dialogue box, you can find them by clicking the Meeting details tab in the lower left corner of the page. - To end your call, close your browser tab, or click the red telephone icon in the lower center of your screen.
- When you are ready to meet with someone, navigate to your saved Meet URL and click Join Meeting.
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Communicate collaboratively with Google Hangouts Chat
Hangouts Chat is a group communication tool from Google. With it, you can create virtual rooms to chat with groups of people. Hangouts Chat facilitates quick back and forth conversation, similar to text messaging, but also preserves a searchable record of that conversation for later reference. Instructors might use Hangouts Chat to facilitate Q & A, discussions, or group communications. Hangouts Chat seamlessly integrates with Google Docs, and instructors who assign group writing projects or conduct writing coaching may find Hangouts Chat a particularly useful way to facilitate communications. Access Hangouts Chat at https://chat.google.com/
You can organize two types of conversation in Hangouts Chat: Rooms and Direct Messages.
- Rooms are conversational spaces, to which you can add students or other PSU users to at any time. Participants can chat and share files with everyone in the Room. You might set a room for your entire course to communicate, as well as additional Rooms for students working on group projects.
- Direct Messages are better suited for private conversations with individuals or groups. Unlike in groups, once you have started a Direct Message conversation, you cannot add new participants.
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ATLAS: Activate or Archive a Workspace
Active workspaces are accessible by workspace members. Inactive workspaces cannot be accessed by members.
Access your Workspace
- Login to PebblePad
- Click the ATLAS icon in the top toolbar.
- Select your course from the list of available courses in the the “Workspaces I am managing” ATLAS window.
Activate
- To activate the workspace, select the Activate button in the upper right corner.
- Confirm your intention to activate by checking the dialogue box.
- Click continue.
NOTE: If you do not see the Activate button, your workspace is already active.
Archive
NOTE: Archiving a workspace cannot be reversed. Do not archive your workspace until you are certain members will no longer need to contribute.
- To archive the workspace, select the Archive button in the upper right corner.
- Confirm your intention to archive the workspace by checking the dialogue box.
- Click continue.
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Choose Channel Privacy Settings
These are the options for channel privacy settings:
| Privacy Setting | Channel |
|---|---|
| Open | All logged in users can view content, but only admin-role users and channel members can contribute content. |
| Restricted | All logged in users can view content, but only channel members can contribute content. |
| Private | Only channel members can view and contribute content. |
| Shared Repository | Only channel members can view and contribute content; content may be published to other channels, according to publishing entitlements. |
| Public, Restricted | Anyone can view content (including anonymous, not logged-in users). Only channel members can contribute content according to their publishing entitlement. |
To adjust your channel settings:
- Click on the button in the upper right that says your name and click My Channels from the list.
- Find the channel you want change.
- Mouse over the channel until you see the pencil icon appear in the lower right corner of the channel cover image.
- Click the pencil icon to edit the channel settings
- Scroll down to the Privacy section on the Details tab.
- Choose a privacy option.
- Click Save.
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Create and Edit Auto-Generated Captions on Your YouTube Videos
After you have uploaded a video to YouTube, you can add automatic captions using speech recognition technology. The accuracy of the captions generated varies greatly based on the sound quality of the video (i.e. voice clarity, background noise, language, and complexity of vocabulary). These captions are never 100% accurate, and it is always necessary to fix YouTube’s automatic captions.
YouTube provides documentation for editing auto-generated captions.
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Remove Video From a Channel
- Browse to your name > My Channels from the upper right corner.
- Click on the channel you want to manage.
- Find the video in the list, and click the “+” symbol beneath the title.
- Click Remove.
- Confirm Remove in the pop-up window.
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