Back-To-School Workshops

At the beginning of the fall and spring semesters, we offer a variety of tech trainings and pedagogy workshops to help instructors prepare for the new semester. Below you’ll find descriptions and links to register for sessions we’re offering this August. At the bottom of the page are links to recordings from prior sessions.

We begin Back-to-School workshops the week of August 12, offering sessions on Zoom while many instructors are still off campus. The week of August 19, all sessions will be offered on campus in the CTE’s Innovation Lab (O’Neill 250). Lunch will be served Monday, August 19 - Wednesday, August 21 starting at 11:30.

Canvas Basics (on Zoom)

Monday, August 12, 10:00-11:30

Canvas is an online learning management system that can serve as a central hub for your course. It can be an important tool for communicating with your students about course structure and requirements, and sharing course materials including syllabi, readings, and other media. During this workshop, we will introduce instructors to the Canvas platform and essential features such as Announcements, Files, Modules, Pages, and Discussions. The session will include substantial hands-on practice.

Register for Canvas Basics

 Canvas Assignments and Grading (on Zoom)

Monday, August 12, 1:00-2:30

This session provides an overview of the Assignments tool in Canvas, including the new integration of Google tools such as docs and slides. We will review how to create and modify assignments and how to accept student submissions. The session will also provide guidance on how to account for learning accommodations, such as extra time to complete tests or assignments, in the Canvas Assignments tool. We will go on to review how grading works in Canvas, and provide guidance on how to ensure students see the comments made on their submissions. The session will include optional hands-on practice. 

Please note that we offer separate workshops on Canvas Quizzes and Online Discussion Tools. For those wanting to work with rubrics, a separate consultation can be arranged.

Register for Canvas Assignments and Grading

Using Co-Pilot (AI) for Teaching (on Zoom)

Tuesday, August 13, 10:00-11:30

BC recently announced the adoption of CoPilot, a GenAI tool that provides a data-protected environment within the BC community. In this workshop, attendees will learn to incorporate CoPilot into their teaching, understand its unique features compared to other AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, and receive guidance on promoting responsible use among students. They will also get hands-on experience with CoPilot AI, exploring its potential for student use and assignment evaluation.

Register for Using Co-Pilot (AI) for Teaching

Canvas Quizzes (on Zoom)

Tuesday, August 13, 1:00-2:30

Canvas offers both Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes, two tools for assessment which will co-exist for the foreseeable future. This workshop will begin with an overview of both systems and criteria instructors might consult in choosing between them. Facilitators will show how to create Quizzes with a variety of question types, and how to organize and grade them. We will also discuss how to account for learning accommodations, such as extra time to complete tests or assignments, in the Canvas Quiz Tool. Depending on interest, we will review options for remote proctoring.

Register for Canvas Quizzes

Drop-In Session #1 (hybrid)

Friday, August 16, 10:00-12:00

Working out the specifics for an assignment, class session, or course policies? Questions about Canvas or other BC supported technologies for teaching? Come by O’Neill 250 or join us on Zoom, and CTE staff will meet with you on a first come, first served basis. Please indicate when registering whether you plan to attend in person or remotely. You are welcome to participate in the other format if you change your mind, but having projected numbers is useful for our planning.

Register for Drop-In Session #1

Poll Everywhere (on campus)

Monday, August 19, 10:00-11:30

This session will provide an overview of the Poll Everywhere platform, a free, web-based tool for creating interactive activities and polls for students. We will cover creating and presenting activities in Poll Everywhere, registering students and preparing them to participate, as well as viewing student responses and exporting grades from Poll Everywhere to Canvas. We will demonstrate how the tool can be used for low-stakes quizzing and to increase class engagement. The session will include hands-on practice.

Register for Poll Everywhere

Drop-In Session #2 (hybrid)

Monday, August 19, 1:00-3:00

Working out the specifics for an assignment, class session, or course policies? Questions about Canvas or other BC supported technologies for teaching? Come by O’Neill 250 or join us on Zoom, and CTE staff will meet with you on a first come, first served basis. Please indicate when registering whether you plan to attend in person or remotely. You are welcome to participate in the other format if you change your mind, but having projected numbers is useful for our planning.

Register for Drop-In Session #2

Cultivating Trust in an Election Year (on campus)

Tuesday, August 20, 10:00-11:30

As we enter into the final months of another fraught election cycle, we’ll all be making choices about how (and how much) we choose to engage the election in our courses. Some will lean into discussions of the issues, others will focus on student well-being in the face of violent political rhetoric, but in all cases, working from a foundation of trust will be necessary to create the kind of learning environments that our students need. In this session, we’ll spend some time unpacking the particular stakes for building classroom trust and community during an election year and consider some ways you might go about doing that in your particular teaching context.

Register for Cultivating Trust in an Election Year

Ethics of AI in Teaching and Learning (on campus)

Tuesday, August 20, 1:00-2:30

This workshop is designed to equip you and your students with a framework for understanding how to address the various ethical concerns with AI use for teaching and learning. Participants will be provided with discussion prompts and activity examples to consider for use in their courses on topics related to bias, privacy, and equity.

Register for Ethics of AI in Teaching and Learning

Designing Discussions for Deeper Learning (on campus)

Wednesday, August 21, 10:00-11:30

Whether you’re faced with a sea of silent students or trying to get a runaway conversation back on topic, leading a meaningful discussion can be one of the most challenging -- and enjoyable -- parts of our work as instructors. In this session, we’ll unpack the role discussions play in student learning and review strategies to help you and your students prepare for more productive classroom conversations.

Register for Designing Discussions for Deeper Learning

Leveraging Online Discussion Tools (on campus)

Wednesday, August 21, 1:00-2:30

This workshop will provide an overview of Canvas Discussions, including new options for engagement with enhanced threading features and anonymity, and Perusall which allows for exchanges centered around annotation of texts. We’ll explore the structure and features of each tool, and consider how instructors have used them to promote discussion for different purposes.

Register for Leveraging Online Discussion Tools

Drop-In Session #3 (hybrid)

Thursday, August 22, 10:00-12:00

Working out the specifics for an assignment, class session, or course policies? Questions about Canvas or other BC supported technologies for teaching? Come by O’Neill 250 or join us on Zoom, and CTE staff will meet with you on a first come, first served basis. Please indicate when registering whether you plan to attend in person or remotely. You are welcome to participate in the other format if you change your mind, but having projected numbers is useful for our planning.

Register for Drop-In Session #3

Drop-In Session #4 (hybrid)

Thursday, August 22, 1:00-3:00

Working out the specifics for an assignment, class session, or course policies? Questions about Canvas or other BC supported technologies for teaching? Come by O’Neill 250 or join us on Zoom, and CTE staff will meet with you on a first come, first served basis. Please indicate when registering whether you plan to attend in person or remotely. You are welcome to participate in the other format if you change your mind, but having projected numbers is useful for our planning.

Register for Drop-In Session #4

Past Session Recordings

Click the links below to see recordings from previous tech trainings:

Accommodation Requests

The Center for Teaching Excellence is committed to providing equal access to its events and programs. Individuals with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations or who have questions about physical access may contact centerforteaching@bc.edu.

Past Back-to-School Workshops

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