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Week of March 2, 2026
A RAFT assignment (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) invites students to demonstrate learning through perspective-taking and purposeful communication rather than traditional essays alone. By asking students to adopt a specific role, write for a defined audience, choose a format, and address a focused topic, you deepen critical thinking and make learning more authentic and applied. Try offering a few RAFT options aligned to your course outcomes to increase engagement while still assessing the same core skills and concepts.
Chemistry Example:
- Role: Environmental chemist
- Audience: City council members
- Format: Policy brief
- Topic: Explaining the chemical impact of road salt on local water systems and recommending evidence-based alternatives
This approach asks students not just to explain chemical reactions, but to translate scientific concepts into clear, real-world communication—strengthening both content mastery and professional skills.
Additional Resources: lirvin.net/RAFTassignshandout.pdf
Week of February 23, 2026
Using SensusAccess in Brightspace makes course materials more accessible by letting students convert documents into formats that work best for their learning needs—like audio, e-text, braille, or MP3—without extra work from you. Embedding or linking to SensusAccess within your course empowers learners to choose how they engage with content, supporting diverse reading preferences and accessibility requirements. See the Chatham guide for directions on adding and using SensusAccess in Brightspace to make your course more inclusive. Article - SensusAccess
Week of February 16, 2026
Using NameCoach in Brightspace helps build a more inclusive classroom by allowing students to share and hear the correct pronunciation of their names, showing respect for identity and fostering a sense of belonging. When faculty add NameCoach to their course, students can record their names in their own voice and include their pronouns, making participation and community building easier from day one. Learn how to set it up and use it in Brightspace - Article - NameCoach
Week of February 9, 2026
Using live captions during instruction makes your teaching more accessible by supporting students who are deaf or hard of hearing, English language learners, and others who benefit from both reading and hearing content. Captions also help everyone stay focused, clarify complex terminology in real time, and provide a written reference that reinforces learning. Visit the documentation to learn how to enable live captions on Mac and PC, making your next class more inclusive and effective. (Article - Live Captions on a PC and Mac)
Week of February 2, 2026
H5P helps students learn by doing—instead of just watching or reading, they can interact with videos, flashcards, timelines, and other activities that build practice and self-checks right into the lesson. To add H5P to your Brightspace course, create your activity at chatham.h5p.com, then in Brightspace open a page/assignment/discussion and use Insert Stuff to embed the H5P content directly where students will engage with it. This is a great way to break content into smaller chunks, check understanding in the moment, and keep students actively involved throughout the week.
Article - H5P
Week of January 26, 2026
LinkedIn Learning offers thousands of expert-led, self-paced courses that you can easily integrate into your Brightspace course. LinkedIn Learning can enrich your curriculum and support student skill development. Using LinkedIn Learning in Brightspace lets you add full courses or individual videos that align with your learning goals, making content visible right where your students are already working. Visit the Chatham LinkedIn Learning knowledge base article for step-by-step instructions on adding this content to your Brightspace courses - Article - Add LinkedIn Learning to yo...
Week of January 19, 2026
Padlet is a simple and flexible way to boost engagement by allowing students to share ideas, collaborate, and reflect in real-time—whether you’re teaching in-person or online. To get started, visit https://padlet.com/chathamuniversity and click "Log in with Microsoft." Then, sign in using your Chatham email address and password. Try it for a quick discussion board, brainstorming wall, or exit ticket and see how easily it brings every student’s voice into the learning space.
Week of January 12, 2026
Here’s a quick Brightspace tip you can do in under a minute: set a student’s accommodation at the course level, so it automatically applies to all quizzes in that course (e.g., extended time).
How to do it Article - Adding Accommodations to Br...
Why it helps
- You set it once and it propagates to every quiz in the course—no need to edit each quiz individually.
- It reduces setup errors and ensures consistency for the student.
Notes
- Assignments don’t inherit quiz-style accommodations. If you need extended deadlines or alternate windows for assignments, use Special Access on the individual assignment.