In this course, students will examine how technology mediates and influences teaching and learning in and across formal and informal contexts. Students will engage in a series of technology-related design challenges to build confidence, knowledge, and skills in designing and using technologies for teaching and learning. Students will explore the theoretical, societal, and practical issues related to using new technologies in informal and formal educational settings. And, students will discover how to enrich and advance teaching and learning with digital tools, digital media, and emerging technologies.

This course will introduce students to the basics of video production, including pre-production (e.g., script writing, storyboarding), recording video (e.g., composition, equipment, digital tools, lighting, audio), and post-production (e.g., editing). Through project-based activities, students will learn how to apply their knowledge of multimedia design principles and learning theories to the development of interactive and accessible videos that enhance teaching and learning.

This course will introduce students to the basics of designing educational websites, such as online courses, digital portfolios, and online learning modules. Through interactive projects, students will learn how to create well-designed, accessible, easy to navigate websites that facilitate learning. Topics covered in the course include: html/java programming, user interface design, multimedia production, visual design, digital accessibility, writing for the web, copyright and creative commons, and usability testing. The course will feature multiple authentic learning web design projects, such as the development of digital portfolios as well as modules for an open online course.

A makerspace revolution is here. K-12 schools and libraries are dedicating physical spaces as maker places and equipping them with 3D printers and other tools; administrators are urging those spaces and tools to be used for learning; students are wondering what they can create in these new settings. But what is a makerspace? And, how does Making (aka the design of physical or digital artifacts) fit into informal and formal educational settings? In this course, you will engage in a series of interactive, hands-on making activities with low-tech and high-tech tools to examine the theoretical, practical, and societal issues related to Making and Makerspaces in education.

This course is a programming class that will focus on teaching educators how to program in Java. While we learn how to program, we will design, play, tinker, and explore, as we create programs in Java and Javascript.

This course is designed to introduce students to ways of using learning technology to enable creativity in the classroom or any learning environment. It takes both a theoretical and a practical approach to creativity. Therefore, students will read creativity theories, read and review empirical studies of creativity, create curriculum for learning environments, as well as work to expand their own creativity. Importantly, the course also includes a focus on questions of social justice as they are related to opportunities to be producers (creators) of media, as opposed to just consumers, as well as the relationship of creativity to participation in democratic societies and the societal and economic forces that impede creative classrooms. This emphasis focuses especially on issues related to minoritized and marginalized communities.

In this course, students will explore a variety of digital tools and apps that can enhance teaching and learning. Students will discover how to find digital tools and apps by cultivating a digitally enhanced professional learning network. They will learn how to evaluate digital tools and apps in order to make an informed decision about which tools to use in educational settings and how to use tools and apps to improve learning experiences for all students. By the end of the course, students will be able to employ digital tools and apps to create transformative learning experiences for informal, formal, K-12, and higher education settings.

This project-based course focuses on the theoretical and practical issues related to designing digital media (e.g. videos, animations, podcasts, infographics) and environments (e.g. interactive websites, online courses) for teaching and learning. In this course, we will explore the ADDIE Model of Instructional Design, learning theories, multimedia design principles, and effective pedagogical strategies and apply this knowledge to the design of educational digital media.

During an era when fake news goes viral, social media algorithms shape our perceptions, clickbait personality tests are used to collect private data, media files can be manipulated by anyone, and bots and artificial intelligence influence how information spreads on social media sites, teachers and learners must be able to critically examine the power structures that shape how digital media is designed, shared, and consumed. In this course, students will analyze, create, and remix digital media and examine the recent developments, research, and theoretical frameworks in digital media learning. 

Please see the new directions on How to Enroll in Online Classes. This is a summary:

1. (New students - start here) Create a student record. (You should not need to do this step if you took a course in the previous semester) Go to spire.umass.edu. On the right hand menu prior to logging in, under Apply/References, click on Non-Degree Enrollment Application and fill out the form there. You will receive an email with your NetID and password (this may take several days to process.) New students move to # 2 below.
2. (Returning students - start here) Create an enrollment appointment. Once you have received your NetID and password you can create an enrollment appointment by logging in to SPIRE (spire.umass.edu) with the NetID and password you received. Once logged in, navigate to the tile Manage Classes > Enrollment Appointments > UWW (or Univ+) Enrollment Appointments and follow the instructions. (It can take up to one day for SPIRE to recognize your NetID, so if you do not see these navigation options try the next day.) You will need to complete this step most semesters. 
3. Register for classes. The enrollment appointment should be available immediately. Register for the class by logging in to SPIRE (spire.umass.edu) and navigate to the tile Manage Classes > Add, Drop & Edit Classes > Class Search > Add & Enroll. Make sure to add "Univ+" class, not "University".

Questions about how to register? Contact UMass University Without Walls at regoff@uww.umass.edu, 413-545-3653 or 800-922-8211.