Educators

Student-Centered Approaches to Teaching and Technology

 A common technology toolkit for students will enable instructors to enhance learning through active assessments and project-based learning.  All who teach at the university will not only have opportunities for professional development in digital pedagogy, but also for community building with other instructors interested in educational strategies that leverage digital tools. 

What is Digital Flagship Educators?

Digital Flagship Educators is the instructor-facing component of Digital Flagship’s broader initiative, striving to establish a connected and supported community of practice among those who teach at Ohio State. Within the program, there will be event-based opportunities for instructors to adopt new technology and teaching strategies through focusing on meaningful technology literacy development. This will also include course design centered around active learning strategies and assessment models. 

Educator Program Pillars

Cohort

Digital Flagship Educators cohorts are offered annually and provide devices, professional learning, and expert support for instructors interested in more robust integrations of technology into the courses. Our cohort model is designed to offer both support and freedom for instructors. We begin with coaching groups through device literacy and student experience, then offer more hands-on work sessions to implement ideas into coursework.

Course Design

The opportunity for innovative projects and streamlined classroom solutions are available with the introduction of a common technology. As instructors work through these possibilities, we provide support and connect them with others in their field for expertise beyond our own.

Grant Opportunities

We know making changes can incur costs that don’t neatly fall into budget categories. Grants for instructors are often geared toward major outcomes or research projects may not cover what is needed to enhance course materials or bump the student experience into a higher level of engagement. Our grants to support teaching needs are for amounts between $500 and $3,000 and the application process is short and simple. Grant opportunities are available to any instructor who completes an Educators' Cohort. 

Community Events

We will offer community events to support the sharing of ideas, challenges and instructional models. We will work to foster a transparent conversation that supports the creative educators and innovators at Ohio State as well as the many organizations that support them. 

Awards & Recognition 

We want to ensure you are acknowledged for your work: the risks taken, testing conducted, outcomes measured, approaches revised, and students engaged over the course of the term. Our awards and recognition program is a means of noting across academic areas that instructors have prioritized their teaching and proven themselves as exemplary members of our community.

A man using a laptop outside.

Centralized Course Core: Students First & the Teaching Expectation

Digital Flagship prioritizes consistent student learning experiences throughout courses and strategic development of workforce readiness in our students. Our evaluation of student experiences, as well as the LMS data use, has revealed three simple items that must be present in Carmen to set students down the path to success:

  1. All assignments and required activities have active due dates
  2. All student grades are posted to the grade book
  3. The course syllabus is posted in a clear, user-friendly location.

These three items will serve as the baseline for Digital Flagship Educators activity participation.

Learn More

Cohorts

This recurring component of the larger Digital Flagship Educators program is an opportunity for instructors and graduate students teaching general education courses to enrich their lessons with technology.

2018 Cohort Details

two women work on iPads one showing the other something on a screen

FAQs

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How will faculty and staff benefit from this initiative?

Faculty and staff will have the opportunity to incorporate more interactive learning opportunities and collaborative tools in teaching, research and other programs with the assurance that all students will have a common toolset to participate.

Digital Flagship Educators is the instructor-facing component of Digital Flagship’s broader initiative, striving to establish a connected and supported community of practice among those who teach at Ohio State.

In addition, the entire Ohio State community will have access to Swift coding courses, workshops and resources. The iOS design lab will be available for all to explore ideas that may further enhance teaching and learning.

The Digital Flagship initiative will be coordinated through the Office of Distance Education and eLearning, in partnership with the University Institute for Teaching and Learning and the Corporate Engagement Office. Together they will provide a comprehensive eLearning toolset, mobile-ready classrooms, pedagogical support for teaching and learning with technology, and assistance with economic development opportunities.

What should I do if I find an iPad?

If you find an iPad, please contact the IT Service Desk (614-688-4357) to determine if it is a Digital Flagship device and receive return instructions.

Which version of Explain Everything should I download?

We recommend that all departments, faculty and staff members download the free version of Explain Everything available in the app store.

Over the next year, the pricing structure of Explain Everything will change as they update their service to a cloud-based model. The current one-time purchase app will be phased out, and in its place, the free app will offer a subscription-based model to access 'premium' features. The free app will continue to offer full functionality with limits on some features; for example, video recording length and the number of saved projects. 

As these changes occur we will continue to evaluate our support of this app as part of the Digital Flagship student technology package. 

Please contact digitalflagship@osu.edu with additional questions about the changes coming to the app. 

 

What are the overall teaching goals of Digital Flagship?

The broad goal of Digital Flagship is to support students in developing digital literacy and workforce readiness to help them succeed at Ohio State and beyond. Thus, we want to lead instructors in creating engaging, active, adaptive courses that prioritize student-centered approaches and digital pedagogy.

Will instructors be receiving iPads?

Currently, only incoming first-year undergraduate students will be receiving the technology suite. Opportunities for instructors interested in working with iPad can be found through the Digital Flagship Educators program. 

While the devices are an exciting part of this initiative we encourage instructors to think instead about the basic steps they can take to make courses more digitally accessible to all students. Three basic actions we suggest in Carmen are; utilizing the grade book feature, uploading a syllabus to the 'syllabus' section and adding all assignment due dates.

 

Will I be required to change my course to accommodate iPads?

No. While the addition of devices provides a powerful new tool to be employed in the classroom, this will be entirely at the discretion of the instructor.

Because the technology is a tool the instructor may choose to use at their discretion, course curriculum does not need to be redesigned to center around the iPads. Rather, as the course design is acclimated to each semester’s schedule, logistics, and emerging needs, technology can be incorporated when opportunities are presented for improved learning experiences and skill development. Instructors are likely to find that they cultivate their own best practices for their curriculum and subject area as they continue to teach and refine their courses.

More information can be found in this guide.

I'm an academic advisor, how will I be supported?

We are working with members of the advising community from across campuses and colleges to schedule trainings and information sessions that will best equip you to answer student questions and take full advantage of this initiative.

Email Tara Koger.13 if interested in advisor opportunities.