InstructureCon 2022 Overview

On July 14, the FSCJ EdTech team attended InstructureCon 2022. This convention showcased the latest in Canvas and online learning. The conference was virtual this year, with live sessions that were also recorded so anyone could catch up on whatever they missed. We connected with other educators across the world through games and online discussion forums. We were inspired by the keynote speakers, creative inventor Simone Giertz and organizational psychologist Adam Grant. The following were some highlighted sessions we found helpful along with the avatars we created at the conference! …except for Thomas who forgot to save his :(

I enjoyed the session More than Busy Work–Utilizing Discussions for Transformative Education. Facilitators John Baker and Johnathan Ahlgren highlighted the three big weaknesses of typical discussion boards: 1. Questions do not facilitate discussion, 2. Faculty are uninvolved, and 3. Student-to-student discussion is superficial. They then reviewed strategies to combat these weaknesses, noting that “in order to improve the effectiveness of online discussion, we need to RETHINK how we design and implement.”

LMS administrator Thomas Lewis found the keynote from Adam Grant to be insightful. Regarding the methods of learning, Grant said, “If eight people are giving you suggestions, you know you have to rise to the occasion. When one person said they didn't like something, nobody else mentioned it, alright that might be idiosyncratic to them, I’m comfortable running with it. When five different people pointed out the same flaw in my argument, I've got to listen to that, that’s a bad argument.”

Assistant Director Educational Technology Brandi Bleak had a difficult time choosing just one session she enjoyed, but she ultimately decided the FSCJ community should know about EdTech Dialect: HyFlex Student Support. This session is directed towards instructors who are comfortable with the basics of Canvas, but want to see a quick review of how Canvas can support your students in a HyFlex modality. Within this session, the facilitator reviews a quick list of tips and must-do items in Canvas for your own efficiency and to improve a students’ engagement in your classes. Topics in this session include: Analyzing participation and grades, building the best flow or your course, and improving communications right within Canvas.

All presentations were recorded and are free to review. Explore for yourself!