Learning Portal News

Learning Portal News: October 2024

by Emma Richter Ryan on 2024-10-08T14:52:43-04:00 | 0 Comments

What’s New

The new academic year brings exciting new updates to The Learning Portal, featuring fresh content and resources you won’t want to miss!

Designing Research Assignments that Enhance Student Research Skills

We're introducing a brand-new Faculty Toolkit module adapted from Designing Research Assignments that Enhance Student Research Skills by Kathleen Oakey from Sheridan College, an OER handbook that supports research assignment design at post-secondary institutions in Ontario. This module is a comprehensive resource for educators looking to create meaningful, engaging, and effective research tasks. We know that designing effective research assignments can be challenging, especially when students view research as tedious and difficult, focused solely on fulfilling requirements. However, by adjusting assignment design, educators can shift students' perspectives, encouraging them to see research as an exploratory, creative process that builds critical thinking and lifelong learning skills. In the new module, you’ll find various videos, activities, and examples that can be adapted by faculty for their own course materials, providing practical strategies to make research assignments both engaging and impactful.

Generative AI & The Learning Portal

As a reminder, The Learning Portal already offers a range of resources on generative AI, covering its uses, particularly when it comes to research and citation, academic integrity, and evaluating content for misinformation. Check out these helpful resources:

Academic Integrity- opens in a new window
A page featuring definitions and case studies on Generative AI, and unauthorized content generation.
How to Research- opens in a new window
Our Fake News page features a section on generative AI and its role in spreading misinformation, with resources and tips for identifying and countering it.
How to Cite- opens in a new window
Our Citation Examples page includes guidelines for formatting citations for AI-generated content, with clear examples in both MLA and APA styles for images and text.

Building on this foundation, we’re excited to announce that we are currently developing fresh generative AI content specifically tailored for both students and faculty. This new material will focus on navigating generative AI in educational contexts, including practical guidelines, specific college policy insights, and ways to leverage AI responsibly in research and learning. Stay tuned for these upcoming updates!

Thank you for being part of our community. We're committed to continuously enhancing your experience and providing valuable resources to support your journey. Explore, learn, and grow with us!

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