Alternate Types of Assignments with Technology

We created short videos in which we report on four unique types of assignment. In each video, we explain the necessary technology and resources, describe how we crafted effective assignments, and demonstrate the techniques we used. See below for a summary of each video.

Twitter Chats

This video includes an introduction to using Twitter chats as a way to engage students in course content. Viewers will learn about the prep required for professors before, during, and after the chat(i.e., assignment description, question development, and grading rubric).

Virtual Museum

This video introduces the Virtual Museum project, where groups of students use the ArtStor database to produce and present their own virtual art galleries to the class as a supplement for predominantly text-based syllabi. The video includes a walk-through of how to access ArtStor, build an image-group, and download the gallery to PowerPoint for presentation, and concludes with a conversation among the first group of SMU undergraduates to complete a Virtual Museum gallery.

Flipgrid

This video describes the benefits of using Flipgrid, a video-sharing platform, for students to reflect on course content.In addition, the video shows an example of a Flipgrid assignment submitted by a student and provides tips for how to incorporate your own Flipgrid assignments into Canvas.

Podcasts

This video discusses ways of using podcasting in the classroom to foster fun and productive scholarly interactions and connections among our students, in particular in online and hybrid formats when we may never all be in the same physical space. Podcasts allow students to engage in detailed analytical work in a modern medium, but they can also provide a safe space for students to voice concerns and opinions about key issues including mental health and diversity. The video provides a guide to creating podcast assignments including a rubric, technological guidance, and assignment instructions.