The 5th Annual Innovation Showcase featured mini-presentations from online instructors showcasing strategies for effective online course development and delivery. Topics included student engagement, visuals, individualized instruction, collaboration, and online tutoring. Participants could win prizes including OTC gear, gift cards, and a workshop certificate. The event also featured a presentation on an exam preparation technique where students create the exam questions.

1. 5th Annual Innovation ShowcaseEngaging the Whole Learner

2. A series of mini-presentations from OTC Online instructors showcases how to engage the learner through effective online development and delivery strategies.

3. Topics include:student engagement

4. visuals for course content

5. individualized instruction

6. collaborative activities

7. tables for design

8. instructor voice

9. videos for instruction

10. online tutoring

11. fun exam techniquesYou could win… OTC gear

12. Amazon® and iTunes® gift cards

13. Dinner gift certificate

14. Two-week workshop with Sloan-C™: A Consortium of Institutions and Organizations Committed to Quality Online Instructionhttp://sloanconsortium.org/workshops/upcominghttp://sloanconsortium.org/workshops/testimonials

15. OTC GearOTC mug

16. OTC t-shirtiTunes® gift cardWinner will receive a $20 iTunes® gift card.

17. Amazon® gift card Winner will receive a $20 Amazon® gift card.

18. Dinner gift certificateWinner gets a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant of his or her choice.Gift CertificateTo: ????????? From: OTC Online $50.00 for dinner!

19. Sloan-C WorkshopA two-week course chosen by the winner with a retail value of up to $360.

20. To browse the Sloan-C website’s list of available workshops visit:http://sloanconsortium.org/ws_level2http://sloanconsortium.org/ws_level3

21. Upcoming level 2 workshops include:

24. Upcoming level 3 workshop:

26. Big Fun Ex*m PrepA Student-Centered Technique for Creating Ex*ms as a Learning ActivityA presentation by Larry Short

27. I have used this technique for several years and so I am writing it up in case it might be useful to anyone else. The basic principles are:Students make up a set of questions for possible inclusion on an ex*m

28. The questions are all posted in a Question Bank that class members can study to prepare for the ex*m.

29. I select the appropriate number of questions, clean them up a little, and enter them into a test in Blackboard.The basic advantages to the students are:They get practice in anticipating the kinds of questions that will show up on an ex*m. This skill is characteristic of students who routinely score high on ex*ms.

30. In order to make good questions the students must understand the material in greater depth.

31. Students know they have had a high-level of input into the ex*m, so it is not something they resent because it is ”being done to them.” They have some ownership of it. They are not alienated from the ex*m and this minimizes test anxiety.Testimonial from Kinsey Blakemore, Fall 2010Honestly, I wish all teachers would do their tests and assignments in a similar manner. I actually get to do some thinking! I felt confident and prepared for this exam, and I’m usually prone to test anxiety. My usual method for exam studying involved, I hate to say it, memorizing the textbook. However, this test was different. The assignments we did helped me a lot because I got the basic concepts of the chapters from doing them. Also, I loved creating questions for the exam because in doing so, I gained even more understanding of the material. I found that in order to create a good question about something, I really had to understand it first. It was also helpful to go through and answer my classmates’ questions. I got an idea of what I knew well, and what I needed more understanding of. I’m really enjoying this class and learning a lot. Thank you for not doing the typical “read the book and answer the questions” type of assignments!