Challenge
Keeping up with high standards of excellence
USC Annenberg is the Communication and Journalism department of the University of Southern California, providing education for thousands of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students every year. Located in the vibrant heart of Los Angeles, USC Annenberg is proud of its reputation for excellence in teaching. It embraces technology and provides state-of-the-art opportunities to ensure that students are ready for life outside of the classroom. “The hallmark of USC, and what makes us the number one communication school in the U.S., is the balance of different types of excellence,” says Julianna Kirschner, lecturer in communication and Brightspace fellow. “We have a strong academic focus, and exposure to teachers that still work in their industry. They provide perspective of their real-world experiences and help students learn how to turn theory into practice.”
To maintain its high standards of excellence, USC Annenberg is always looking to improve the student and staff experience. In particular, accessibility has become a major focus area.
“Accessibility is very important to me, and it has been one of the key pillars in my role as assistant dean,” says Carmen Lee, clinical professor of communication and assistant dean for excellence in teaching. “We wanted to explore the challenges and innovations related to making courses accessible for learners of all kinds.”
Solution
Piloting a new solution
USC formed a learning management system (LMS) assessment committee, and after an extensive review process, selected Brightspace as its new LMS in support of its accessible learning experiences. To support staff in their transition to Brightspace, USC Annenberg ran a semester-long pilot program, which involved running Brightspace alongside its existing LMS.
“We worked closely with our Brightspace team and their organizational change management experts, as well as having our own dedicated training and resources here at Annenberg,” says Lee. “This allowed us to provide as much support as possible to our faculty, and also continually get feedback from them about the pilot.”
“Being part of the pilot gave me a chance to rethink how students get their information and what kind of needs they may have,” says Kirschner. “My approach is always to start from the learning outcomes. What do I want them to be able to do or know by the end of this course, and what tools might be the best for accomplishing that? D2L Brightspace has made communicating those outcomes to my students a lot easier.”
The pilot program provided time and space to adjust for the faculty, and also for the students. “A common response I would hear after helping a colleague make a change was ‘Oh wow! That was so much easier than I thought.’” continues Kirschner. “When I walked students through how they can do various things in Brightspace, and they really took to it. Brightspace really matches the experience that they are used to with social media or e-commerce.”
Result
Unlocking creativity and accessibility for all
The feedback from the Brightspace pilot program from staff and students has been positive, with praise for ease of use, as well as improvements in time management thanks to the use of notifications with Intelligent Agents.
“The notifications have been really helpful in managing my courses,” notes Lee. “I don’t have to continually check in to make sure that students have done x or y, because the intelligent agents prompt them.”
Brightspace has also made it simpler to navigate teaching large classes. “I have some huge classes, with dozens of students working on group activities,” explains Kirschner. “The groups feature makes it a lot easier to navigate group assignments, as well as dividing the work between teaching assistants (TAs). It becomes a more even process. I also really like the quick eval feature where I can instantly see where we are in terms of grading. It makes all those tasks simpler.”
The transition to Brightspace is already sparking more consideration for accessibility and giving students more options to exercise their creativity. “This is a great opportunity to change out some of our older content and make it more accessible for learners with different needs,” says Lee. “And the tools built into the new platform make it easier for faculty to design content with accessibility in mind.”
“What I’ve learned over the years is that even if a student doesn’t require special accommodations, they may still benefit from course materials in alternative formats,” adds Kirschner. “Everyone learns differently—some people like watching videos, while others prefer reading a transcript. And I’ve noticed that in turn, the students are becoming more creative in the kind of work they submit. They can create a podcast or a video instead of a written assignment, because the Brightspace platform makes sharing those alternative formats easier.”
With USC Annenberg moving forward with Brightspace as its LMS of choice, the faculty is looking forward to continuing building on their initial success. “The transition has been really inspiring,” concludes Kirschner. “Seeing everyone, faculty and students, get so involved in the process, has really pushed me to shift my own approach in teaching, and made me even more appreciative of the different ways that people learn.”
Interviewees:
- Dr Carmen Lee, clinical professor of communication and assistant dean for excellence in teaching
- Julianna Kirschner, lecturer in communication and Brightspace fellow