More Tools for Teaching

Supplemental Tools to Support Teaching

In general, the built-in Canvas tools work quite well across all modalities, providing a solid foundation for content delivery, assessment, and basic discussion. Sometimes, though, the Canvas features may not meet your needs, particularly when you want to increase visual collaboration, facilitate dynamic multimedia discussions, or conduct quick, highly customizable assessments.

Using external tools allows you to enrich the learning experience and overcome specific limitations. Below we've listed several tools that may help create a more dynamic experience in your classes.

Lucid (Whiteboard)

We are pleased to announce that Lucid Whiteboard (part of the Lucid Education Suite), is now available directly in your Canvas courses.

This visual collaboration tool is perfect for:

• Real-Time & Asynchronous Collaboration: You can embed Lucid in a Canvas Module page to facilitate dynamic group projects and brainstorming sessions..

• Engaging Assignments: You can create individual assignments where each student gets their own whiteboard to submit mind maps annotate readings.

• Visualizing Complex Ideas: The Lucid canvas is infinite and can be used for concept mapping, process diagramming, or visual note-taking, helping students better grasp abstract concepts.

Get Started in Three Easy Steps

1. Access Lucid: Open any Canvas course and click the Lucid (Whiteboard) button in the course navigation menu. It's FREE!
2. Set Up Account: Follow the prompts to set up your free account using your LIM College credentials.
3. Learn More: Visit the dedicated Lucid Training Labs page for higher education to find guides, tutorials, and use-case examples.

Microsoft Forms

Microsoft forms is part of MS365 and is free to use for all LIM faculty. it's a great tool to use for formative assessments. You can:

• create quick quizzes or exit tickets that include real-time data analysis
• gather student feedback on course activities or assignments
• quickly assess student knowledge gaps.

You can also use Microsoft forms into your MS Stream videos!

MS Forms is straightforward to use and can be set to be anonymous or to collect student names. Results are visual, shown through charts and word clouds, which can be shared with students. They are also generated in an Excel spreadsheet. If you need help setting up your first form, please book an appointment with our team.

Padlet

Padlet is another 3rd party tool that we use at LIM College to create a bit of variety in student engagement. Padlet was designed as visual pinboard, like the educational version of Pinterest, but it also offers the ability to create timelines, maps, and grids. You can see different types of Padlets by clicking on the examples below. If you would like to use Padlet in your course, please reach out the Office of Learning Innovation.

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VoiceThread

VoiceThread is a dynamic presentation tool. It allows faculty members to create lectures using webcam videos, slide decks, images, and more. Once the presentation has been created, students can post audio, video, and text comments directly in the lecture presentation. Additionally, faculty can create VoiceThread assignments in which students take control and design and present. This is especially helpful in asynchronous courses where content and assignments are heavily text based. Click on the VoiceThread below to view a brief presentation. (For the demo below, you will not be able to enter your own audio, video, text comments.)

If you have questions about how to integrate VoiceThread into your courses, please visit the VoiceThread How-To page. Contact the Office of Learning Innovation if you need additional support.