Presenters' Abstracts

Session 1 (9-9:50am)

Building Connections Through Synchronous Meetings in an Online Setting, Tereasa Gilmore and Deborah Marszalek, Baker University JOIN HERE

Learn how to use optional synchronous meetings in online classes. Move students from gag to glad...from blah to hoorah...from ho-hum to gung-ho. Use these synchronous meetings to enhance student learning through real-time discussions. These meetings strengthen connections between faculty and students, student to course content, and students to students. Receive ready-to-use language for setting up your students for success.

Avoid Zoom Overload - Breakout Across the Curriculum, Leslie Umstattd, Park University JOIN HERE

Are you suffering from Zoom fatigue? Are you Zoomed out? Zoom has become one of the most widely used tools across the curriculum. In October, Zoom usage involved 300 million meeting participants daily, an increase from only 10 million in the previous year (Techrepublic.com, 2020). So, how do we Zoom without Zooming out? We breakout! Join this session as Dr. Umstattd explores specific and applicable ways breakout rooms can be used across the curriculum.

Session 2 (10-10:50am)

Assets of Teaching Online During Covid-19, Jessica Kamuru, Avila University JOIN HERE

During this session, I will share four big ideas related to the joys of teaching online during Covid-19. First, I will share how using break-out rooms and the interactive white board function in Zoom allowed for student conversation and increased class participation. Next, I will demonstrate how using videos from YouTube and other free websites (such as virtual math resources) simulated real world scenarios for students to engage in. Third, I will explain how being more intentional with the online grading system encouraged my students to be more organized and demonstrate higher quality work. Lastly, I will share a few cautionary tales from challenges that took place in my classes as a result of online learning.

#working: Using Slack to Extend the Online Classroom and Increase Accessible Interactions, Stephen David Grover, Park University JOIN HERE

The workplace messaging software Slack provides ways to promote more—and more organic—interactions between students, the instructor, and the course material and to extend those interactions into the space and time between synchronous online or face-to-face class sessions. In this presentation I will outline the benefits, pitfalls, and principles of use that I’ve discovered over 5+ years of using Slack in my teaching. Additionally, I will demonstrate how I use it in practice, including what channels I set up, how I get students set up on the software, and how I use it for team-based projects among students who may never meet in person. I’ll even share how Slack once led to an impromptu late-night class party at a local ice cream parlor.

Session 3 (1-1:50pm)

Making Online Connections Through Strengths: A Step-by-Step Guide to Incorporating the Clifton Strengths Program into Your Online Classroom, Catherine Schrag, Lindsey Welsch, and Chancee Craig, Johnson County Community College JOIN HERE

Are you looking for a proven way to make meaningful connections with your online students? Are you struggling to understand who your online students are and what makes them tick? Do you want to give your students a gift that will boost their confidence and increase their self-esteem? Good news! In the era of online learning, we have a tried and tested solution that will help you connect with your students and more...The Clifton Strengths Program! The benefits of this program are truly amazing and scientifically proven. From increasing self-confidence, engagement, retention, GPA, and overall success in school, your students will thank you for this invaluable opportunity. Whether you have used Clifton Strengths in your F2F classes or have never heard of the program before, you will learn how to successfully incorporate the Strengths Program into your online classes regardless of your discipline. From Math to Biology, Graphic Design to Art History, we will share step-by-step directions, practical tips, and show you exactly how to make the Strengths Finder program one of the most important and beneficial lessons you share with your students.

Unpacking Engagement Opportunities with Google Workspace, Lauren Lovvorn and Melanie Kinney, Park University JOIN HERE

Learn about tools included in Google Workspace (formally G-Suite) for communication and collaboration in and outside of the classroom. Presenters, both Google Workspace certified, provide an overview of features from several Google programs, including functionality and ease of use. Then, the presenters lead participants in hands-on activities and brainstorming sessions using Google Docs and Slides. Participants leave with a better understanding of Google tools as well as activities they can incorporate in the classroom and with colleagues. This session is suitable for new to more advanced users of Google Workspace.

Zoom Resources

Zoom Test - https://zoom.us/test

Zoom System Requirements - https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362023-System-Requirements-for-PC-Mac-and-Linux

Zoom Technical Support - https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362003-Zoom-Video-Communications-Technical-Support