Conferences

Alexa, Play “Customer Service Training”

Date

October 20, 2020

Links

Presentation Materials (Co-presenter with Bryan Wanzer)

Program Website

Abstract

Traditional phone call training (sales, support, etc.) is either web-based or done in-person. In-person training such as classroom-based courses or role playing requires heavy involvement of people other than the learner, and is therefore not scalable. Web-based training doesn’t adequately provide a real-world situation. In both cases, learning effectiveness is difficult to measure because assessments are either weak or not given at all. What if there were a way to provide a real-world scenario where a learner can practice calls without needing a partner? And what if robust analytics were automatically captured to better understand where learners are struggling?

Voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa seem to be ubiquitous. We call on these devices to play music, turn on lights, set alarms, and even tell us whether we need an umbrella for the day. But have you ever considered how they might be used for learning? In this session you’ll learn about educational use cases for the Alexa platform, focusing on a proof of concept to train technical support agents. You’ll learn about how we built our Alexa skill, why you should consider developing one, and how to get started building your own using a simple web platform called Voiceflow. Specifically, we will cover how to get Alexa to speak, collect user input, and connect to external applications. You will see how a connection to a learning record store can provide detailed learning analytics for how the learner is interacting with the Alexa skill. You’ll leave this session with a broader appreciation for the learning opportunities available through voice assistants, as well as the power that learning analytics can provide to your organization.

In this session, you will learn:
Specific use cases where an Alexa skill can be useful
How to build an Alexa skill that speaks, collects user input, and incorporates basic logic
How to connect your Alexa skill to external applications such as an LRS
How a learning record store can help you collect detailed learning analytics
How you can play your Alexa skill on your own Echo device

Technology discussed:
Alexa, Voiceflow, Watershed Learning Record Store, Alexa Developer Console


Digital Collaboration Tools

Date

March 13, 2017

Links

Presentation Materials (Co-presenter with Priscilla M. Hockin Brown)

Program Website

Abstract

In this session, we will cover digital collaboration tools that you can use in your class, whether face-to-face, blended, or fully online. This session will cover tools that get your students in the same online space, by either collaborating in real-time or not. Applications for student group work will also be covered.


Finding the Gaps In Your Course: What to Look For and How We Can Help

Date

March 13, 2017

Links

Presentation Materials (Co-presenter with John Obenchain)

Program Website

Abstract

Think your course has what it takes to earn a Quality Matters certification? This session will show you how to use the Quality Matters rubric, as well as common-sense suggestions, to help improve your course. We will also discuss the RU Custom Review. Available to all faculty members, this is a service that not only reviews your course, but also provides recommendations for improvement. Finally, we will highlight some courses have been improved via the aforementioned review process.


How Biochemistry online students learned by creating claymation and rap videos (and other stories about online course development)

Date

November 17, 2016

Links

Presentation Materials (Co-presenter with Dr. Kyle Murphy)

Program Website

Abstract

This session outlines a semester-long course development process involving a partnership between a Biochemistry professor and an Instructional Designer. Dr. Kyle Murphy and Ismael Lara will provide a general overview with particular emphasis on engagement and academic integrity. Topics to be discussed include self-guided learning, peer group interactions, and approaches to integrating student creativity into the course.


Reshaping Your Course with an Instructional Designer

Date

May 17, 2016

Links

Presentation (Co-presenter with Sharla Sava, Ph.D.)

Program website

Abstract

Join members of the OIRT instructional design team for an overview of the stages involved in reshaping your course from the traditional lecture into an active learning format.  We will be using a sample course in the humanities as our case study.  This workshop will walk you through the process of partnering with an instructional designer to brainstorm, plan, build and implement your active learning course.  Attendees will have the opportunity to actively engage with the design process and will leave the session with practical starting points and information about where to find further Rutgers resources and support.


Adapting online teaching methods for the face-to-face classroom

Date

March 23, 2016

Links

NJEDge Poster Session List

Poster

Abstract

The presentation will focus on my experience teaching a face-to-face course, “Object-Oriented Programming.” As an Instructional Designer who is also a certified Quality Matters Peer Reviewer, I will discuss strategies for engaging students during class, and also demonstrate how I organized the course using our Learning Management System.


Introductory biochemistry: The art of biochemistry in the digital age.

Date

March 23, 2016

Links

Presentation (Co-presenter with Kyle Murphy, Ph.D.)

NJEDge Faculty Showcase 2016

Abstract

We will be presenting a powerpoint demonstration of how we are able to use our LMS, Sakai, to present self-guiding learning modules, foster a sense of community by engaging in forum posts between peer groups and host low stakes quizzes. We will also be showing how we utilize another self-guided learning tool from Pearson called Mastering Chemistry to help students learn concepts. Finally we will display an example of how students are creating art to teach concepts in biochemistry.


Quality Matters: What is it and why does it matter?

Date

December 4, 2015

Links

Presentation

Office of Instructional & Research Technology Showcase

Abstract

In this session, we will discuss what Quality Matters is, how it applies to your online course, and how you can get started with it. Whether you are teaching your first fully online or hybrid course, or have taught several online courses before, you are sure to take away some concrete tips that will help enhance the quality of your course.

Quality Matters (QM) is a nationally recognized, faculty-centered, peer review process that is designed to certify the quality of online and blended courses.