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Lightboard Workshop

by | Feb 11, 2026 | Blog, Educational Technology, Teaching with Technology

Woman writing on a light board.

Lightboards let you face your students while you teach—writing, drawing, and explaining in real time. They function like transparent whiteboards, allowing you to stay visually connected to students in both live, in-person and pre-recorded settings. In this workshop, faculty will learn how to use lightboards to create clear, engaging instructional content for problem-solving, demonstrations, and concept walkthroughs. No prior video experience required. The workshop will be held Thursday, Feb 19, 12:30-1:30 PM, in-person in Hunter Library 166. Please register below.

Click Here to Register

Back due to popular demand: AI Forum

by | Jan 9, 2026 | AI, Blog, Classroom, Educational Technology, Faculty Development Workshop

Using Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Teaching & Learning

Tuesday, January 27 | 3:30 – 5:00 pm
Hunter Library 156 (CFC) or via Zoom

You’re invited to an open forum for faculty across disciplines to share ideas, challenges, and best practices focused on uses of AI in the classroom. The forum will be structured into two parts. Part 1: Faculty will share ideas regarding how they are using generative AI for teaching innovation and to ease course administration burdens. Part 2: Faculty will share ideas for setting and maintaining clear expectations regarding ethical and responsible student use of AI and the impacts of AI on student learning processes. We will also reflect on how faculty and students can set competency-based learning goals that emphasize distinctive human skills. Come ready to share your ideas and to learn from and be inspired by others.

Register for "Using AI to Enhance Teaching & Learning"

Opportunities to Learn about Artificial Intelligence

by | Nov 4, 2025 | AI, Blog, Classroom, Educational Technology, Faculty Development Workshop, Help Your Students, Learn, Pedagogy, Student Engagement, Teaching and Learning

AI in the WCU Classroom

Join colleagues for an open discussion on using AI in teaching and learning on Tuesday, Nov 18, 3:30-5:00 pm. This two-part program will include sharing strategies for integrating generative AI into instruction and course management, as well as approaches for setting clear expectations around ethical student use. We’ll also consider how to design learning goals that emphasize key human skills. For more information and to register, read the blog post.

UNC System Pilot: Student AI Literacy

The UNC System Office is piloting a new AI Foundational Skills program, developed collaboratively by faculty, librarians, and instructional designers across the System, in Spring 2026 to strengthen student AI literacy and workforce readiness. This collaborative initiative gives students practical AI experience and critical evaluation skills while connecting them with industry perspectives. We’re seeking faculty to integrate the training into their courses and provide feedback, which will help refine the program. Faculty will receive a stipend. Interested? Complete this interest form to receive more information. Questions? Contact Dr. Heather McCullough, Director, Learning Technology and Open Education, hamccullough@northcarolina.edu

Using Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Teaching & Learning

by | Oct 29, 2025 | AI, Blog, Classroom, Educational Technology, Faculty Development Workshop

Tuesday, November 18 | 3:30 – 5:00 pm in Hunter Library 156 (CFC)

You’re invited to an open forum for faculty across disciplines to share ideas, challenges, and best practices focused on uses of AI in the classroom. The forum will be structured into two parts. Part 1: Faculty will share ideas regarding how they are using generative AI for teaching innovation and to ease course administration burdens. Part 2: Faculty will share ideas for setting and maintaining clear expectations regarding ethical and responsible student use of AI and the impacts of AI on student learning processes. We will also reflect on how faculty and students can set competency-based learning goals that emphasize distinctive human skills. Come ready to share your ideas and to learn from and be inspired by others.

Register for "Using AI to Enhance Teaching & Learning"

Microlearning Made Simple: What It Is and How to Do It

by | Sep 30, 2025 | Blog, CFC Insider, Educational Technology, Online Learning, Pedagogy, Student Engagement, Teaching and Learning

Microlearning is a pedagogy that works well in both in-person and online courses. While definitions of microlearning vary, there is at least some consensus on the benefits and how to approach it. At its core, microlearning delivers content in short, small chunks that can be accessed on demand. Other benefits include reduced cognitive load for students, better knowledge retention, improved learning outcomes, and student engagement. 

Here are some tips for incorporating microlearning into your classes: 

  1. Focus on one objective or concept. Determine the goal so you can structure the lesson and select the best medium given your objective. 
  2. Use one medium (videos are the most common) with multiple learning elements. Examples of learning elements include visuals, audio, quizzes, slideshows, PDFs, and links. PowerPoint is a nice medium because you can include video, visuals, and link out to PDFs and quizzes. 
  3. Keep it short and focused. Research indicates 30 seconds to up to 15 minutes, and if you are using video, bear in mind that videos longer than 9 minutes results in a drop in viewer attention. 
  4. Make it interactive. Enhance videos by embedding 1–2 quiz questions directly into them (for example, you can do this directly in Panopto), or by using slides that prompt students to guess an answer, then click to reveal the correct response on the following slide. 

It’s fun to explore ways to integrate microlearning into courses. For in-person classes, one effective approach is to assign a microlearning module as homework before class. This helps students prepare for an active learning experience when the class meets. In online courses, microlearning can be used as either standalone modules or be embedded within larger units.

If you’d like to explore microlearning further, consider stopping by the CFC to chat or schedule a consultation with one of our educational developers. 

References 

Balasundaram, S., Mathew, J., & Nair. S. (2024). Microlearning and learning performance in higher education: A post-test control group study. Journal of Learning for Development 11(1), 1-14.

Denojean-Mairet, M., López-Pernas, S., Agbo, F. J., & Tedre, M. (2024). A literature review on the integration of microlearning and social media. Smart Learning Environments, 11(1), 46.

Kohnke, L. (2021). Optimizing microlearning for mobile learning. In Corbeil, J.R., B.H. Khan, & M.E. Corbeil (Eds.), Microlearning in the digital age [pre-print]. Routledge.

NC State Teaching Resources (n.d.). Micro-learning with digital tools. Available at: https://teaching-resources.delta.ncsu.edu/micro-learning-with-digital-tools/ 

Thillainadesan, J., Le Couteur, D. G., Haq, I., & Wilkinson, T. J. (2022). When I say… microlearning. Medical education, 56(8), 791–792.

Call for Applications: E-Learning Faculty Fellow

by | Mar 31, 2025 | AI, Blog, Educational Technology, Pedagogy, Professional Development

Apply to become an E-Learning Faculty Fellow

Coulter Faculty Commons is seeking applications and nominations for an E-Learning Faculty Fellow for the 2025-2026 academic year. The selected fellow will promote pedagogically driven uses of Canvas and champion innovative teaching and learning tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), for both online and in-person courses. 

  • Faculty Fellows work an average of 2-4 hours per week during fall and spring semesters. 
  • The faculty selected for this position will receive a $1,000 stipend each academic semester. 

Key responsibilities:

  • Collaborate with educational developers and campus partners to promote tech-forward teaching practices. 
  • Provide workshops and create resources to support faculty in leveraging Canvas and other educational technology to enhance course design, student engagement, and pedagogy. 
  • Explore cutting-edge tools to enhance teaching and learning, including AI. 
  • Support the assessment of e-learning programming within the CFC. 

Ideal candidates will have:

  • Strong collaboration and communication skills. 
  • A passion for supporting faculty in using technology to enrich student learning. 
  • Expertise in Canvas and instructional technology from a pedagogical perspective. 
  • Experience with assessment and data-informed decision-making. 

 

Application Deadline:

Applications will be accepted from all full-time tenured, tenure-track, and full-time fixed-term faculty members. The application deadline is Tuesday, May 13.  

Contact Scott Seagle at seaglej@wcu.edu for questions.