February 2021

Dr. Melissa Mullen Davis

1.   What innovative practice did you incorporate into your classroom? 

  

I added permanent, custom widgets to the top of the D2L course homepage to communicate zoom links and access information to my Chemistry classes.

 

2.   When did you implement the new practice into your classroom?  


I started using the widgets for Zoom links in Fall 2020 while teaching an Intro Chemistry course with multiple synchronous lab sections that each had a different instructor.  Students could easily link to each instructor's virtual lab or my office hours from the D2L homepage.  

  

3.   Did the students willingly accept the use of the new practice? What were the reactions of the students? 

 

Students liked having the Zoom links permanently at the top of the D2L course page so they did not have to search for a link before each lab, class, or office hours.

 

4.   How has the use of the new practice positively affected the classroom learning environment? 


Providing easy access to the links has improved student access to meetings.  It improved communication, decreased student email inquiries about how to access meetings, and decreased student frustration. 

  

5.   How has the use of the new practice affected student engagement in the classroom and the level of participation? 

 

 Students can feel frustrated or frazzled when they are unable to find information they need to access a course.  Removing the potential frustration can improve student outlook which leads to a more ideal learning mindset.  

  

6.   What challenges did you encounter when you were implementing the new practice? 


 I found the process straightforward but determining the ideal D2L layout for the course and the permanent widgets can take some trial and error.

  

7.   How did attending Camp IDEA or a CAE Professional Development session contribute to your learning and use of the innovative practice? 

  

Attending the Project Pedagogy CAE program over winter session helped me consider all of the different ways to communicate information to my students.  I have tried to make sure my communication this semester is effective and efficient to save time for me and my students.