Center for Teaching,
Learning, and Assessment
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Survey gathers feedback on OHIO faculty use of AI
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All instructors of record and faculty are invited to take a survey related to their current perspectives and use or non-use of generative artificial intelligence in teaching and learning. The survey is designed to capture the diverse landscape of AI in a variety of disciplines and teaching and learning contexts at OHIO.
Results will be used to inform a new version of the CTLA’s AI-enhanced Course Redesign Institute, as well as the work of future faculty fellows to support this effort. The center hopes to see a large response rate to most effectively respond to the next waves of this technology as it evolves and infuses itself in both the professional and personal lives of our students.
An open-ended question at the end of the survey allows for additional feedback, requests for training or other questions related to AI and teaching and learning.
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Festival of Learning winners exemplify effective instructional practices |
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From left to right: Festival of Learning winners Tasha Penwell, first place; Janice Collins, second place; and Nitya Pandey, third place.
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The 2026 Spotlight on Learning Conference, held Friday, Feb. 13, included the second ever Festival of Learning: a dynamic session during which presenters actively shared novel and/or highly effective teaching strategies and student support resources with participants on a self-guided festival tour.
Over a dozen presenters shared strategies for increasing student engagement, facilitating student learning of complex topics and leveraging co-curricular resources to support student success.
Faculty presenters at the Festival were judged by a panel of their peers, including members of the Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Committee and past Festival winners. The top three presenters were awarded prizes of $1,000, $750 and $500, respectively to be used to support student activities in an upcoming course. This year’s award winners were:
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First place: Tasha Penwell, College of Business, “Instant AI Visual Guides to Support Varied Learning Styles.” Prof. Penwell showcased how to use Scribe, an AI-powered tool that captures on-screen workflows to instantly generate step-by-step visual guides that help students learn complex technological processes and procedures.
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Second place: Janice Collins, Scripps College of Communication: “Who Wants to Make an A?” Following the format of a popular game show, Prof. Collins demonstrated a fun and interactive way for students to support one another as they assess their understanding of course material.
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Third place: Nitya Pandey, College of Arts & Sciences: “What Do You Care About the Most?” Prof. Pandey guided participants through a classroom activity that can be used to help students learn about themselves and their values to support authentic learning and build classroom community.
The CTLA has put together a toolkit of digital resources from the event, including slide decks and supplemental materials, as well as recordings of the keynote and plenary sessions. These resources are available to anyone with an OHIO login. Spotlight on Learning is an annual project of the Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (TLA) Committee.
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Summer 2026 book group cohorts focus on remembering and recall |
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For decades, Bloom’s Taxonomy has guided educators to move students from basic to advanced thinking (recall to evaluation/creation), but generative artificial intelligence’s ability to perform “higher order tasks” has disrupted the taxonomy. Some scholars suggest classroom activities once designed to cultivate analysis, for example, may no longer indicate student learning in the same way they once did.
Faced with recent technological developments, how can instructors best design courses, learning experiences and assessments to facilitate and support student learning?
Two cohort book groups scheduled this summer by the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment engage faculty around this question and set the stage for a visit from the book's author, Michelle D. Miller, professor of psychological sciences at Northern Arizona University and an internationally recognized expert on attention, memory, technology, and college teaching.
Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology takes a deep dive into how memory works—and what that means for how we teach. In an era of instant information and generative AI, how can technology help as well as hinder our ability to remember? Drawing on both classic research and current findings, this book offers practical strategies for helping students build meaningful, lasting knowledge while navigating a digital world.
The first cohort will meet May 21, May 28 and June 4, and the second cohort on July 21, 28, Aug. 4. The first 10 participants for each cohort will receive a hard copy of the book, which is also available in digital form through Ohio University Libraries. There will be an optional opportunity for faculty to earn a small stipend ($250) for sharing instructional materials for colleagues to adopt and adapt.
Miller will be a featured presenter at CTLA’s annual 2026 fall semester kickoff event. Miller is also the author of A Teacher's Guide to Learning Student Names and Minds Online.
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Canvas releases improved accessibility checker that scans an entire course |
Canvas recently released a Course Accessibility Checker that can find and fix a variety of accessibility issues across all types of courses. This tool is now available in all courses for instructors to scan courses for accessibility.
Previously, the Accessibility Checker could only scan one page at a time and simply flagged issues without much context. The new tool now provides a course‑wide review, explains why issues matter for accessibility, and offers guided, easy-to-apply fixes directly within Canvas. The page-level tool remains available, as well.
What’s New?
The new Course Accessibility Checker does the following:
- Scans an entire course at once, instead of one page at a time
- Identifies accessibility issues with clear explanations, for example, missing alt text, unclear file naming, and limited color contrast
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Provides guided remediation, suggesting specific improvements and allowing you to apply changes with just a few clicks
- Helps make your course more inclusive for all learners, not just those with accommodations
Instructors will find the tool in their Canvas course menu, where it is labeled “Accessibility” with the option to “Scan Course,” which may take a few minutes to complete depending on the course and its content.
Once the scan is complete, faculty will see a list of issues in the course along with the location and edit date for scanned content. Below is an example where one item is flagged with a red number one icon in the issues column, along with an option to “Fix”.
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Where fixes are possible, Canvas will provide detail for the issue it identified and a possible remedy. In this example, Canvas flagged a heading that is difficult to read or skim. The green box below the text describes the issue and then provides the opportunity to remediate, by clicking on the button labeled “Change to paragraph.”
Actions to Take
Right now: Run the tool on current courses to catch easy-to-fix issues that may impact students this term.
Going forward: Make the checker part of regular course-building and review workflow each term.
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A few minutes spent reviewing flagged items today can significantly improve the learning experience for all students. Accessibility is not just a compliance requirement; it’s a core component of good teaching and inclusive course design.
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For more support with accessibility |
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OIT requests feedback on three tools |
The Office of Information Technology is reviewing OHIO’s survey and course evaluation tools, including Qualtrics, Blue, and REDCap. Feedback from students, faculty, and staff is essential; please share your experiences and needs by completing this survey. Your input will guide next steps as the project moves into review activities later this year. More information is available on the project website. Please also feel free to share this information with colleagues.
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