Course Design

Preparing Teachers to Teach Online is Still Relevant and Imperative

As students across the country are returning to the classroom, we are reminded of the dire teacher crisis. According to the National Coalition on Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services, 98% of school districts report special education shortages. Teacher preparation programs and education professionals across the country are developing innovative solutions to increase the teacher workforce, including Teacher Residency Programs (see Washington Education Association) and the Paraprofessional to Teacher Pathway Programs (see the University of Kansas). And, while these programs are working to create additional teachers, many schools are still reportedly understaffed.

three individuals working around a computer

The Integration of AI Chatbots in Education for Preservice Teachers

Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in education are revolutionizing the preparation of pre-service teachers, transforming how they access learning and instructional resources. These educational assistants offer numerous benefits and opportunities, but practical implementation requires careful and critical evaluation. This blog explores the current use of AI chatbots in education, their benefits, and the need for critical assessment in their application.

Considerations for Syllabi in a Gen AI World

While it may seem like forever since ChatGPT and the related generative AI explosion began to revolutionize education, it has only been 20 months. That means this is only the second fall semester where faculty need to intentionally plan for its integration and the related redesign of their courses. Thus, it is important to explore resources to support the further integration of AI into preparation program syllabi.

Myths and Facts of “Hi-Flex” Course Design

On June 26th, 2024, CIDDL hosted a webinar to discuss the evolution and current state of “hi-flex” teaching, addressing common misconceptions and providing factual information. During the webinar, Martha Burtis, Director of Open CoLab Plymouth State University, and Bryan Mascio, Ed.D. Faculty-in-Residence, Power of Place Learning Communities: Educational Consultant emphasized the importance of pedagogy over modality and technology in the ‘Hi-Flex with an AI’ approach.

A student holds his head in his hands while listening to class on his laptop.

Lesson Planning in an Introduction to Special Education Classroom

Since the start of the semester, I have shared with my students that AI is a tool that will benefit both them and their students. AI cannot do the work for them, but it should not be ignored as a support. With that said, it is my job to model for them how to use tools, like AI, responsibly and in a manner that will support them in their future classroom jobs.

A Mosaic of Fajitas: CIDDL Cizzles with Chefs Nicole and Izzy Galante

Dr. Nicole Galante and her brother, Izzy Galante, have 50 years of combined educational experience and have created Mosaic for instructional design.

Accessibility Checker for Slides

Special education teachers and related service providers are tasked with developing and maintaining high-quality data to support student progress towards goals. This means that the burden of exploring options to collect high quality data is on educator preparation programs (EPPs) and personnel. Beyond teaching how to write legally defensible goals and maintain high-quality data sheets from them, EPPs must also provide pre-service teachers with the skills to create and/or find resources to assess the assigned goals. Boom Cards™ by Boom Learning are interactive task cards that can be used in the brick-and-mortar classroom and virtually to provide teachers and related service providers with meaningful feedback for progress towards goals.

Two people work together at a laptop computer. One points to something on the screen.

Boom-ing into Data Collection

UDL Implementation in Teacher Preparation Programs

UDL Implementation in Teacher Preparation Programs Author: Ashley Grays; info@ciddl.org CIDDL invited Dr. Stephanie Craig, and Ann Kaufman to discuss using UDL in Teacher Preparation Programs. Facilitated by Dr. Tara Courchaine, Chief Research & Development Officer at CAST, these two…

A university professor lectures in front of a higher education class.

Preparing for the Fall Semester: Aligning Instruction to Standards

This is post 4 of 9 in the series “Prepare for the Fall Semester” Preparing for the Fall Semester: What Do You Want to Share? Instructional and Assessment Technology to Prepare for Your Fall Semester Preparing Teachers for Standards-Based Lesson…

Tag: Course Design