Teaching Resources

Training for Online and Hybrid Teaching:

Other teaching skills:

 Other resources:

Training for online and hybrid teaching:

The Center for Online & Hybrid Learning and Instructional Technologies:

Workshops are free for all faculty teaching at Rutgers University.

Fundamentals of Designing and Teaching Online Courses: When challenged to create and deliver an online or hybrid version of a course, instructors face dozens of choices all of which will affect the outcomes of the course for both their students and themselves. This course is designed to provide a base of technical and pedagogical information to help instructors make sense of the scope and impact of their decisions when developing and teaching their own courses. We will be reviewing both the process of creating course materials from the introductory emails through the final reflection activities as well as strategies for effective facilitation of these kinds of courses. This course is designed for beginners and is applicable for all LMS-delivered courses.
 
Absorb, do, connect - Technologies to present, experience, and collaborate: This course, based on the Community of Inquiry framework, will utilize several approaches to enable participants to experience and explore technologies used for instruction and strategies for their effective integration. We will cover such topics as recording lectures and presentations, supporting student collaborative work, incorporation of multimedia, and establishing policies and practices to create a community of learners.
 
Assessment for online and hybrid courses: Assessment is one of the foundations for the support of modern educational institutions. With the shift to online and hybrid courses, many instructors are being asked to review what their course assessments need to accomplish to aid students in reaching their educational goals as well as aiding colleges and universities in reaching institutional goals. This course visits a wide range of assessment topics including perspectives on assessment practices as reflected in federal and state education policy, setting appropriate goals and methods for assessing those goals, direct and indirect assessment, and the creation of program assessments.
 
Accesibility and compliance in online education: This course introduces to online learning educators basic concepts, issues, approaches, strategies, beneficiaries, and resources with regard to the creation and delivery of online courses that are accessible to all students, including those with disabilities.
 

Online Course Design and Pedagogy: Discussion of instructional models, teaching practices, assessment strategies as well as an overview of technical tools widely used for online and hybrid courses. 

Incorporating Web 2.0 Tools: Overview of different interactive technologies to use with students in online and hybrid courses to improve acquisition and retention of new knowledge and skills. Review includes wikis, blogs, and podcasts as well as newer social media tools such as Twitter and Google Plus.

Strategies for Effective Threaded Discussions: Threaded discussions are one of the most frequently used tools for online and hybrid course activities. This workshop reviews some strategies for keeping threaded discussions engaging and lively while meeting the objectives of the course.

Class Live (Elluminate) Training: Presents an overview of Class Live (Elluminate), a web-based synchronous real-time online learning and collaboration suite of tools providing for one-way video, audio-conferencing, chat, whiteboard and application sharing.

Google Sites for Class Communication: Focusing on meeting the need for classes to integrate richer interactions with their material and participants, this workshop reviews a range of tools that Google Sites provide for collaborative efforts.

Intermediate Learning Studio (eCollege): Hands-on, specific assistance in building your course, both in terms of the techniques and sound pedagogical methods. Attendance at Overview session is not a required prerequisite but is strongly suggested. Registrants, however, must have secured an eCollege course management shell to develop in and bring with them content material (via laptop, flash drive, CD, etc.).

TAProject:tap

Founded in 1988, the Teaching Assistant Project (TAP) is a multi-tiered initiative designed to promote excellence in undergraduate and graduate education at Rutgers, New Brunswick, through the professional development of the graduate student teaching staff. TAP is, by necessity, a flexible endeavor, working to meet the changing needs of teaching assistants. The fundamental components upon which this project is built include the annual orientation, certificate programs and special issues seminars, web-based publications, and discipline-specific training.

Working in partnership with Rutgers Division of Continuing Studies, we are creating a third interdisciplinary course in college teaching that will examine and prepare graduate students to teach online and hybrid courses. In this course, students will have the opportunity to learn the theoretical, pedagogical, and practical issues involved in teaching online and hybrid courses. At the end of the course, students will have a class that they will be able to offer at other institutions or, should the opportunity arise, they may be able to offer the course through their own departments or the Rutgers Division of Continuing Studies. Students will be taught the various technological options available to them and will become acquainted with multiple software packages that support online and hybrid courses.

Most of this seminar, which is open to doctoral students only, will be conducted online, however, the class will meet in person three times during the semester in Scott Hall 103, CAC.

Special permission numbers become available in November.

For further information or to receive a special permission number, please contact the TA Project.

Office of Instructional & Research Technology:

The Office of Instructional and Research Technology provides coordination for use of information technology throughout the university community in support of instruction and research. As part of the Office of Information Technology, OIRT can meet with departments to review research and instructional IT services at Rutgers.

OIRT staff are available to work with individual instructors and researchers, as well as with departments and other units. Requests for information about OIRT services and activities are welcome. Please send them to the Associate Director, Gayle Stein.

Digital Classroom Services:

Digital Classroom Services creates and supports instructional technology in the Rutgers-New Brunswick general purpose classrooms. They provide presentation technology that support a wide range of pedagogic approaches. Their technology is designed to engage students through several methods, including computer-based presentation, high-definition film screening, and projection of camera-captured demonstrations. DCS technology is also designed to help instructors overcome the challenges of teaching large classes through technologies such as voice amplification and multiple screen projection. Whatever the teaching style, DCS strives to implement technology that makes the classroom experience exhilarating and personal.

  • Workshops: DCS holds workshops that are open to all members of the Rutgers community. Workshops include training sessions in which attendees get hands on experience using classroom technology. DCS also offers information sessions in which their staff demonstrates emerging pedagogic technologies, giving faculty a chance to learn about the latest trends and experience them first hand. Workshops typically last approximately half-hour, with time afterwards devoted to questions and hands-on assistance.

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Other resources:

Center for Teaching Advancement & Asessment Research:CTAAR

The Center for Teaching Advancement and Assessment Research supports teaching and learning through a variety of areas: pedagogy and faculty development, assessment programs, instructional technologies, classroom technologies, and faculty and staff information technologies.

Originally founded as the "Teaching Excellence Center" in 1992, the office was primarily responsible for the Student Instructional Rating Survey. The center's responsibilities expanded to include instructional technologies, staff training, and enhanced classroom support and in 2004 our name changed to the "Center for the Advancement of Teaching" (CAT) to reflect the broader responsibilties. In 2007, with the addition of university assessment programs, we changed the name to the "Center for Teaching Advancement and Assessment Research."

The Center for Teaching Advancement and Assessment Research and the TA Project offer a series of workshops designed to develop technological skills and enhance teaching. Certificates are awarded by the TA Project.

Attend at least four workshops and earn a certificate:

Register on line or view full calendar of all workshops.

Basic Web Design: The fundamentals of creating web pages, either for RCI web sites or for use in Sakai or other course web sites. Using the free "BlueGriffon" software, this workshop addresses how to create a simple site with multiple pages, links and images, and covers some basics of best web design practices.

Copyright Issues for Academic Research and Publication: The workshop will cover the basics of copyright including fair use, contract law as it applies to digital resources, use of copyrighted works in research and scholarly publications, copyright issues for dissertations and theses, copyright in one's own works, current copyright policies and practices at Rutgers, the current legal landscape in higher education, and open access scholarly communication. Topics include ownership of scholarly works, use of third party works, publication agreements, deposit agreements for digital repositories, and the Rutgers open access policy. This workshop will benefit graduate and undergraduate students writing theses and dissertations, faculty, and other researchers with questions on copyright relating to publication.

Copyright Issues for Teaching: The presentation will cover the basics of copyright law including fair use, contract law as it applies to digital resources, use of copyrighted works in classroom teaching and in online and hybrid courses, current copyright policies and practices at Rutgers, the copyright landscape in higher education, and open access teaching content. Topics include educational use of copyrighted works in all formats; distributing works through course management systems; posting works to faculty websites or online; use of works in e-reserve systems; copyright for student projects; other student uses of copyrighted material; showing films and streaming in the classroom and on campus; and videotaping in the classroom. The target audience for this workshop includes graduate teaching assistants and teaching faculty.

Creating eBooks for the Classroom: This workshop will look at several resources for creating ebooks from original materials or collections of course materials, and distributing the ebook "course packs" to students. We will discuss the formats needed to support Kindles, iPads, and other devices. Software covered will include Sigil, Calibre, and iBooks Author, with the primary focus on iBooks Author.

Creating Excel Spreadsheets for Grading: This workshop explores different methods of using Excel to calculate student grades. In addition to calculating weighted averages, we discuss methods of dropping the lowest grade, and assigning letter grades based on numeric average grades via a lookup table. Finally, we cover various dynamic means of assessing the performance of entire class by using charts and summation functions.

Creating PowerPoint Presentations forTeaching: This workshop provides a quick hands-on overview of PowerPoint; its structure, utilities, slide management features, animation, and design templates (with a number of tips and tricks).

Getting Started with RefWorks & Flow: RefWorks (free to members of the Rutgers community) is a web-based bibliography and database manager that allows users to create and administer their own personal bibliographic database. This hands-on workshop introduces RefWorks, and demonstrates how personal bibliographies can be created and managed. Two additional RefWorks tools, Write-N-Cite and RefGrab-It will also be demonstrated. Additional help will be available for persons logging into RefWorks for the first time.

Intro to MS Photo Story 3: This free and easy - Windows only - application enables users to create compelling digital stories using still photos. This hands on workshop will teach you how to choose the perfect image, add text, music and narration, and customize transitions by panning and zooming around images (the Ken Burns Effect).

Intro to Prezi: Prezi is a cloud-based presentation application (for both Mac and PC) that lets you organize and share ideas and information in a very dynamic way. You can lead your students (and audience) on a visual journey, collaborate in real time across time zones, and run your presentation from the cloud, desktop, iPad, or iPhone. In Intro to Prezi, you learn how to set up a free account, navigate the canvas, create frames, utilize templates, apply text, images and video, and use the Tool/Prezi Editor.

Intermediate Prezi: Expand on your basic Prezi skills. Learn how to import slides & content from PowerPoint, use fade tools for animation, add symbols and shapes, insert sound and web links, collaborate and share your Prezi, and incorporate slides and content from other Prezis.

Managing a Course Web Site (Sakai): Sakai is a web site for organizing class materials, discussions, assignments, grade reporting, and group work. This introduction covers the basic use of Sakai for the most common course tasks.

Online Grade Reporting and Communication: Discussion of acceptable practices for distributing student grades both online and in class, with a focus on how to use the FAS Gradebook for posting grades online. Also provides a look at the Sakai gradebook and the online roster web site, and some other resources for managing mailing lists and student communication.

Podcasting: How to create and do some simple editing of audio content using the free "Audacity" software, and how to distribute the files to students as a "podcast" using RSS ("Really Simple Syndication") or iTunes.

Using Media with PowerPoint Presentations: This workshop will explore the incorporation of audio and video into PowerPoint presentations for the PC. We will cover the different audio and video formats that are compatable with PowerPoint and available web resources for downloading free content.

Windows Movie Maker: This workshop provides a quick overview of the Windows Movie Maker application with an eye to ultimately integrating a movie into a PowerPoint presentation. Copyright-free video resources will be discussed, as well as simple filming tools, and audio and video formats supported by PowerPoint. Using Windows Movie Maker, we will import and edit various media types (audio, video, still images), clip films, apply and manipulate soundtracks, titles and credits, transitions and special effects.

TAProject:tap

Founded in 1988, the Teaching Assistant Project (TAP) is a multi-tiered initiative designed to promote excellence in undergraduate and graduate education at Rutgers, New Brunswick, through the professional development of the graduate student teaching staff. TAP is, by necessity, a flexible endeavor, working to meet the changing needs of teaching assistants. The fundamental components upon which this project is built include the annual orientation, certificate programs and special issues seminars, web-based publications, and discipline-specific training.

This professional development series will introduce graduate students to a wide variety of teaching methodologies. Several different workshops will be offered during the academic year, and students who attend at least four sessions will be eligible to receive a certificate indicating their commitment to teaching.

Register here.

Dealing with Difficult Students: This panel discussion will focus on dealing with difficult students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Experienced TAs will present strategies for addressing problems both in the classroom and one-on-one, dealing with students in crisis, and how to navigate and manage issues of academic integrity.

College and University Careers: Finding the Right Fit for You: This session will identify the multiple professional opportunities available in academe for doctoral students.

Interviewing for Positions in Academe: Issues to Consider This workshop will discuss the obvious and not-so-obvious issues that graduate students interested in an academic career should consider.

Using Media in the Classroom to Motivate Students in the Humanities and Social Sciences: This workshop will discuss the most productive ways of using media in humanities and social sciences classes.

Diversity in the Classroom: If not managed properly, diversity can lead to challenges that may impede the learning process. This panel will discuss theoretical perspectives on diversity in education, as well as ways to cultivate an open and inclusive learning environment where differences are acknowledged, celebrated and leveraged.

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Media Center Services:

The Media Center maintains the Libraries' collection of visual resources in New Brunswick, along with the audio recordings of the Laurie Performing Arts Library. Questions about access to media materials may be addressed by email to mediaser@rci.rutgers.edu.

  • Viewing and listening facilities: Viewing and listening facilities are provided in the Media Center for individuals and small groups; limited stations for course reserve viewing are also available in the Alexander and Kilmer libraries.

  • Circulation: Videos and DVDs not committed for booking or on reserve circulate to faculty, staff, and graduate students for 3 days; Performing Arts Library DVDs also circulate to undergraduates for 3 days. CDs, audio cassettes, discs, and tapes circulate to faculty, staff and graduate students for 14 days; CDs also circulate to undergraduates for 3 days. 16 and 8mm films do not circulate; they are available only with special permission. Slides, film loops, filmstrips, and kits circulate to faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduates for 14 days.

  • Clips from Analog Tapes or DVDs: The Libraries provide a DVD clipping service for instructors. Media Services staff will create a custom DVD of portions of audio and moving image works for instructors to place on Reserve for students. Instructors may then check the DVD out of library course Reserves to use in the classroom. The amount clipped should be reasonable and appropriate for the educational purpose, in accordance with fair use. The material clipped must be lawfully made and acquired. Because capturing and converting materials into digital files takes time, instructors should place requests as far in advance as possible. Instructors on the Camden and New Brunswick campuses can contact Rich Sandler, mediaser@rci.rutgers.edu, at the Media Center, Douglass Library, for this service. Instructors at Rutgers University-Newark should contact Mark Pappiani, papianni@andromeda.rutgers.edu, at Media and Digital Library Services, Dana Library.

  • Media Bookings: Faculty may book for classroom use or preview all Rutgers University Libraries media titles by using the Media Materials - Booking Form.

  • Media Reserves: Faculty may place on reserve videotapes and DVDs from the collection as well as their own personal copies for use by students in their scheduled classes. To place materials on reserve fill out the Media Center Reserve Request Form.

  • Streaming Media Clips for Reserves: The Libraries create and upload Streaming Media Clips for Reserves. Instructors may request that short sections of audio and moving image material be made available as streaming files through the Library Catalog's Reserves module. Use the Streaming Media Clips Service Request Form to request streaming media clips for Reserves on all campuses (Camden, New Brunswick, and Newark). Please include details of the sections of works needed-- timings, chapter numbers, and visual cues all help. The amount streamed should be reasonable and appropriate for the educational purpose, in accordance with fair use. Material digitized for streaming must be lawfully made and acquired. Special passwords will be created for each course and shared with you to give to your students to access streaming files. Because capturing and converting materials into digital files takes time, instructors should place requests as far in advance as possible. Streaming audio and visual files will be listed along with books, electronic files, and other reserve materials on your reserve course list in the Library Catalog. You can create a link from your Sakai course management page to library course reserves; see How to Link Your Library Reserves to Sakai. If you would like assistance with locating media titles or filling out the request form, please contact the Media Center in New Brunswick via email: mediaser@rci.rutgers.edu or tel. 848-932-5034.

  • Video Collections: The Media Center video collection includes 10,000 videotapes, 6,000 DVDs, 150 laserdiscs, and 1,100 16mm films. Materials have been selected to meet teaching and resource needs of all Rutgers schools, departments, and programs. New moving image materials are ordered regularly, and faculty users are invited to make recommendations for purchase by the contacting Jane Sloan, Media Librarian (jsloan@rulmail.rutgers.edu). Materials not owned by the libraries may also be requested for purchase via the Booking or Reserves forms. The collections are cataloged in the Library Catalog. Search help is available in How do I find video or audio information? Guides of selected titles to a broad range of subjects are available through the Media Collections Research Guide. 16 mm film at the Media Center.

  • Equipment Loan: The Media Center checks out the following audio-visual equipment :

    1 HD Flip Camera

    1 HD Camcorder (with tripod)

    7 Digital Voice Recorders

  • Video and Audio Editing facilities: A wide range of editing and composing software is available in the Sharon Fordham Multimedia Lab, located next to the Media Center.

Student Affairs Compliance:

The Office of Student Affairs Compliance (OSAC) provides information and resources to help you with questions and concerns about compliance with external laws, rules and regulations applicable to higher education and internal policies and procedures.

The Office of Student Affairs Compliance reports to the Vice President for Student Affairs and serves all three regional campuses of Rutgers (New Brunswick, Newark and Camden). The office's main functions include overseeing University compliance with disability, privacy and nondiscrimination laws as they apply to students. They are committed to supporting the University community as a resource and provider of education and training in order to best serve our students, community and the State of New Jersey.

Services provided to students include:

  • Investigating student complaints alleging possible violations of the University's Nondiscrimination Policy including complaints by students with disabilities;
  • Reviewing complaints relating to privacy of student records and student information;
  • Facilitating complaints of sexual harassment in accordance with Title IX;
  • Assistiing students with questions or concerns about University policies relating to student life and services.

Read more on bullying.

Read more on discrimination.

Academic integrity:

Principles of academic integrity require that every Rutgers University student:

  • properly acknowledge and cite all use of the ideas, results, or words of others
  • properly acknowledge all contributors to a given piece of work
  • make sure that all work submitted as his or her own in a course or other academic activity is produced without the aid of unsanctioned materials or unsanctioned collaboration
  • obtain all data or results by ethical means and report them accurately without suppressing any results inconsistent with his or her interpretation or conclusions
  • treat all other students in an ethical manner, respecting their integrity and right to pursue their educational goals without interference. This requires that a student neither facilitate academic dishonesty by others nor obstruct their academic progress
  • uphold the canons of the ethical or professional code of the profession for which he or she is preparing.

Adherence to these principles is necessary in order to insure that:

  • everyone is given proper credit for his or her ideas, words, results, and other scholarly accomplishments
  • all student work is fairly evaluated and no student has an inappropriate advantage over others
  • the academic and ethical development of all students is fostered
  • the reputation of the University for integrity in its teaching, research, and scholarship is maintained and enhanced.

Failure to uphold these principles of academic integrity threatens both the reputation of the University and the value of the degrees awarded to its students. Every member of the University community therefore bears a responsibility for ensuring that the highest standards of academic integrity are upheld.

  • Turnitin: Turnitin is an academic plagiarism detector, utilized by teachers and students to avoid plagiarism and ensure academic integrity. One advantage to online learning is the convenience of easy access to information and resources online. However, accessible information also increases the risk of students copying content from credible sources and not producing work that is their own. Turnitin is an effective tool you can use to manage and ensure your students' DropBox submissons are original and not plagiarized.

Office of Disability Studies:ods

The Office of Disability Services is dedicated to the philosophy that all Rutgers University students are assured equal opportunity, access and participation in the University’s courses, programs, activities, services and facilities. We recognize that diverse abilities are a source of strength, empowerment, and enrichment for the entire university community and we are committed to the elimination of physical, instructional, and attitudinal barriers by promoting awareness and understanding throughout the university community.

This section contains important information to help you work with the Office of Disabilities (ODS) in the management of a student's approved reasonable accommodations. 

You can help students find the services they need by including their recommended statement in your syllabus or other course materials. At the beginning of every semester, students should meet with you to provide you with their Letter of Accommodations. At that time, you can discuss with the student how you will be handling their exam accommodations, if applicable, and/or any other approved accommodations.

Also in this section you will find suggestions for working with students with disabilities, and finally, information for faculty and staff with disabilities.

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