The Course Design Institute (CDI) is a collaboration between IDEAS and UMass Flex. Faculty participate in a week-long intensive course focused on creating and designing a new or reinvigorated online course. Cohort 4, composed of 19 faculty members from across campus, completed the latest CDI in May 2025.
EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit that aims to advance higher education through the use of information technology, conducted a study, which summarizes current sentiments and experiences related to the current student experience with a focus on technology use and how institutions can adapt to meet students needs and enhance learning experiences. In our second article on the report, we analyze the trends in Gen AI use in Higher Education and issues with Accessibility.
EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit that aims to advance higher education through the use of information technology, conducted a study, which summarizes current sentiments and experiences related to the current student experience with a focus on technology use and how institutions can adapt to meet students needs and enhance learning experiences. Based on the findings, we share key trends on these topics.
Canvas Studio is a powerful multimedia tool built into Canvas that streamlines the way educators and students interact with video content. It supports content organization and protection, enabling educators to manage their multimedia resources efficiently and safeguard their intellectual property. Instructional Designers Sadaf Rathod and Kevin McKenna provide some ideas on how leveraging Canvas Studio can enhance student engagement and comprehension, making it an invaluable tool for modern teaching practices.
This spring, the IDEAS team at UMass Amherst successfully facilitated a new cohort of the Essentials of Online Teaching course. The program brought together 12 instructors from across campus to strengthen their ability to design and deliver engaging, inclusive, and high-quality online courses.
Student engagement can be tricky whether you're in a traditional face-to-face class or teaching online. It is one of the most pressing challenges in online learning. Even with physical presence, many instructors struggle to create meaningful interactions and encourage active participation. So, how can learners stay engaged?
“Creative Commons licenses give everyone from individual creators to large institutions a standardized way to grant the public permission to use their creative work under copyright law. From the reuser’s perspective, the presence of a Creative Commons license on a copyrighted work answers the question, What can I do with this work?”- Creative Commons