Dr. Lisa M. Wisniewski
Digital tools are a part of the educational experience in higher education. This list includes items such as learning management systems, online tools, and digital textbooks. While there are many tools that exist, it can be overwhelming for instructors to incorporate all these tools in an effective pedagogical strategy. This presentation will review a digital lecture series titled Community Conversations @ Goodwin University that is being used in classrooms as teaching tools. The topic areas of focus for the series are humanities and social sciences based. The lectures are provided by leading experts in the fields of sociology, political science, and history. The topics are grounded in current events and incorporate the areas of government, work, the environment, language, and globalization. The lectures are being incorporated into entry level courses in English and Sociology to provide a connection between learning and digital tools. The framework of this design is Universal Design for Learning, a framework focused on meeting the needs of all learners. The presentation will highlight 3 key areas. The first is how the Universal Design for Learning framework and the Community Conversations @ Goodwin University lecture series are maximizing student outcomes while teaching digital literacy. The second is how to include a discussion about information literacy and critical thinking skills. The third is how instructors can develop their own educational content for the classroom.
