In recent newsletters, we’ve highlighted the support services offered by the Center for Teaching Excellence and Digital Learning Technologies. Although Digital Learning tends to support more of the tech side of teaching and CTE tends to support more of the pedagogy side, we recognize that of course there are crossovers. The Digital Learning site lists several Learning Tools that are installed systemwide at the U, as well as some they may be installed upon request. Our offices are collaborating to help you as instructors understand what these tools are and how you might use them to promote learning in the classroom.
An example of an interactive teaching tool that many of us are familiar with from COVID teaching days is the digital whiteboard. Many of us started using this out of necessity, but studies have demonstrated that using interactive tools in the classroom (online or on site) can increase active learning (Barbetta, 2023), and these increases in student participation may lead to increased academic outcomes (Martin-Somer, Casada, & Gomez-Pazuela, 2024).
Did you know Google’s Jamboard, a popular online whiteboarding tool, is retiring at the end of the year? Have no fear. We have identified three online whiteboard alternatives that are freely available to the University of Utah community: Zoom Whiteboard, Microsoft Whiteboard, and Miro Lite. Watch this short video for more information about digital whiteboard options!
