Author: Shane Lanning (they/them)

Creating a Reflective Space in Canvas

March 1, 2023 by Shane Lanning (they/them)

Learn how to set up a dynamic reflective space for your learners through the creative use of built-in Canvas tools. Reflection has been a huge part of my learning, and I engage my students in some of that deep thought in my courses. I value reflection because it provides learners and instructors with the opportunity […]

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Teaching and Technology 2023

February 15, 2023 by Shane Lanning (they/them), Dan Jones

Learn more about the topics of the upcoming Teaching and Technology Summit and how to register for it. What does it mean to use technology effectively in the classroom? This is a question our team continually reflects on in our work. We want to support faculty in identifying and using technology with a deep pedagogical […]

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Less Worry, More Learning: How Ungrading Has Changed My Student Experience

January 25, 2023 by Shane Lanning (they/them)

Read about how ungrading in a graduate class changed the author’s experience and helped them center their own reasons for taking the course. The Teaching Innovation Team offered a summer book club for faculty in which we read Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead). In its literal sense, ungrading is […]

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How Changing Our Assumptions Can Impact Student Learning

December 14, 2022 by Shane Lanning (they/them)

It’s easy to unintentionally make assumptions about the background knowledge students bring with them to class. How can we check the assumptions we make, and how can we assist students who do have background knowledge gaps? In August 2022, I facilitated a workshop on implicit bias and course design. My overall goal was to engage […]

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Bringing the Future of Higher Education to the Here and Now

November 30, 2022 by Shane Lanning (they/them)

In a time of rapid change, these tactics can help higher education faculty “center the needs of the students” and “ensure equitable and inclusive experiences.” For the past few months, I have been thinking about the future of higher education. Recently, I have learned from books like the Great Upheaval and at conferences like OLC […]

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Leveraging User Personas for Course Design

November 9, 2022 by Shane Lanning (they/them)

Learn how a tool from user experience design can help inform student-centered and empathetic course design. User personas are a tool for user experience design to help make products with the specific users at the center. While I’m not advocating for a view of higher education that sees students as consumers and courses as products, […]

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Reframing the Collective Disdain for Group Work

October 19, 2022 by Shane Lanning (they/them)

With some work and intentionality, we can begin to chip away at the negative group work narrative and reframe it in a positive light. Who loves group work? No one apparently. Yet, we continue to push for its use in our classrooms as we all, teachers and students, grumble about our dissatisfaction with group projects. […]

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