Week 1 teaching checklist |
The first weeks set the tone for the entire term. Use these quick steps to build community and keep things running smoothly:
✔️ Manage your waitlist. On the first day of the term, the automated waitlist closes. You’ll need to issue overrides in Banweb. Learn more about waitlists.
✔️ Track student attendance. Federal guidelines require documentation. Review the Faculty Guide to Initiation of Attendance.
✔️ Introduce yourself. A simple welcome message—whether via email, video, or even a photo—helps students connect with you right away. Browse email templates for the start of the term.
✔️ Check that your course is accessible. Our guide, How to make accessible Canvas courses, walks you through the steps to ensure every student can access your course.
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Teaching support for the term ahead |
As the term gets underway, you may be refining an assignment, trying a new way to engage students, or wondering how students are experiencing your course. OAI is here to help you think it through! Talk with us about a teaching question, invite us to observe your class, or reach out for help with accessibility and course technology.
Whether you bring a new idea or a recurring challenge, we’ll work with you to find approaches that fit your course and students.
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Fostering academic integrity faculty workshop |
Friday, October 9, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Online
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When the tools students use are changing faster than our courses can, how do we help them produce work that reflects their own thinking—and supports real learning?
In this interactive session, we’ll explore how instructional design principles, student-centered pedagogies, and inclusive teaching practices can foster academic integrity and engagement.
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| All members of the PSU community may provide or update their preferred pronouns for use in the classroom or academic environment. Here's how to do it.
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| Group work in Canvas is a very common task near the start of the term, and it takes just a few steps to set up collaborative assignments in your Canvas course.
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The Zoom Whiteboard function can be used both synchronously and asynchronously for increased collaboration in your course. It’s great to get started early so that students can use it throughout the term.
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Meet Grackle: A new accessibility tool for Google Workspace |
PSU faculty now have access to Grackle, an accessibility checker for Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets. As you prepare materials to share with students, Grackle can help you spot common issues and work through suggested fixes right where you’re editing.
Ready to try it? Follow our getting-started guide for PSU instructors to install Grackle and check your first file.
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Are your course images accessible? Here's how to find out. |
Before sharing a Canvas page, handout, or slide deck this week, take a look at the images it contains. Could a student follow the lesson without seeing them?
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Start with images that carry information.
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Focus on the visuals students need to understand a concept or complete an activity.
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Describe what matters in context.
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Write alt text that conveys what students should take from the image in this lesson. You don’t need to list every visible detail.
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Mark purely decorative images as decorative. |
If an image adds no information, students using screen readers can skip it.
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There's still time to join the PSU faculty book club! Fall is the perfect time to relax with a good book and join meaningful conversations with colleagues. Each participant will receive a complimentary copy of the book before the first meeting.
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| Meets September 9-December 4, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
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Join a conversation about workload, well-being, and academic culture.
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| Meets September 9-December 4, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
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Explore reading, attention, and learning in a digital world.
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| Talking Community-Engaged Learning: A Faculty Discussion Group
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Wednesday, October 14, 12:45 PM - 1:45 PM
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| Technology Test Kitchen for PSU Faculty
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Thursday, October 15, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
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| Wednesday, October 21, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
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| PSU's Community Partner Breakfast
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Thursday, October 22, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
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Reading Community-Engaged Learning |
Wednesday, October 28, 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
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The Office of Academic Innovation
Portland State University
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