UHD / Office of the Provost / Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence / Digital Tool: Panopto and Softchalk

Digital Tool: Panopto and Softchalk

Learning Continuity Alignment:

LC5 - Maintain Active Learning

Utilize active learning approaches that leverage digital learning tools.

QM6.2:

Course tools promote learner engagement and active learning.

Overview

Panopto and SoftChalk are examples of digital tools that help engage students and foster active learning. Panopto facilitates active learning by enabling the creation of video content for lectures, flipped classrooms, and student submissions. It also supports live streaming and offers accessibility features and analytics. On the other hand, SoftChalk empowers educators to design interactive lessons, quizzes, and personalized content, promoting student engagement and self-assessment. It facilitates collaboration among educators and integrates well with existing educational platforms, making it a versatile tool for creating dynamic, mobile-friendly learning materials.

Videos

Meghan Minard, Ph.D. | Lecturer, Biology
Faculty Demonstration

Strategies and Tips

Be transparent about the purpose of every assignment. Explain how they map to the course/module/content learning outcomes.
Keep a similar or consistent format each week but vary the types of activities to keep students engaged.
Utilize multiple short videos rather than fewer longer videos.
Utilize the module format in Canvas. Students can be required to complete certain activities or view a certain page in the module before being able to move forward.
Give students multiple attempts and utilize formative feedback to help them master the learning outcomes.
Give students choices on the types of activities in which they can engage.

Research

Learning becomes “active” when learners ask questions about the content, discuss, create, and investigate topics. Cornell University. (2022). Active Learning | Center for Teaching Innovation.
Many investigations have demonstrated increased student learning when the course involves active components Deslauriers, Louis & McCarty, Logan & Miller, Kelly & Callaghan, Kristina & Kestin, Greg. (2019).
Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Many studies have shown that transparency in instruction and assignments has significant benefits for undergraduate students, especially for low-income and minority students (for example, see TILT Higher Ed., 2016 and Winkelmes, 2016).
Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
TILT Higher Ed. (2016). Tilthighered.com. https://tilthighered.com/

Resources

Softchalk for many engaging activities that can be embedded in Canvas, with or without grading.
Quizlet for games and flashcards UHD help for Panopto quizzes
Zoom and Panopto for recording videos lectures.
Camtasia for video editing
Perusall for asynchronous discussions of manuscripts, textbooks, documents, videos, and more
VoiceThread for asynchronous discussions with video, audio, and drawing

Return to LC5 Strategies/Course Elements