The Digital Education and Innovation team is committed to student success, and supports instructors to address the challenges of today, including digital accessibility compliance and the use of Generative AI in the learning environment. Check out a curated selection of initiatives that the Digital Education and Innovation team is currently working on.
Centering First-Generation Students: Collaboration with the First-Gen Institute (MPACT Project)
The Digital Education and Innovation team collaborated with the First-Generation Institute to create faculty professional development and resources centering first-generation (FG) college student success and belonging. First-generation (FG) students, those whose parents or primary caregivers do not possess a 4-year college degree, comprise over a quarter of the UMN undergraduate student population. Historically, colleges and universities have attempted to meet the needs of FG students by addressing their perceived deficits, rather than dismantling the institutional barriers these students face. Higher education features implicit norms and unspoken rules, a hidden curriculum, that shape student life—expectations for learning, faculty-student interactions, accessing services, and self-advocacy. Revealing this hidden curriculum can open pathways for FG student success. The partnership has resulted in instructional resources that promote asset-based understandings of FG students through teaching practice and course design. Project funding was provided through the MPACT 2025 Grant sponsored by the Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) to advance the previous systemwide strategic plan. Below are featured resources developed through this partnership:
- Revealing the Hidden Curriculum: Navigating the Unwritten Rules of the College Experience
- Assessment Strategies and Tools: Centering the Student Experience
- Grounding Assumptions: Building Our Classroom Culture Together
- Setting the Tone: Expected Behaviors and Respectful Participation in Learning Spaces
- The Check: A Guide to Course Design
- Orienting Students to Your Course
GenAI
Generative AI, or GenAI, is a form of artificial intelligence that can create new, original content. This content could be in any format including text, images, audio, and video. GenAI use has potential to enhance or disrupt teaching practice and student learning.
The Digital Education and Innovation team is committed to staying current with how GenAI can be used for teaching and learning. We investigate the challenges and opportunities of GenAI and continue to develop resources and professional development for those who are interested in learning more.
View GenAI Resources.
Digital Accessibility
Digital accessibility involves creating web and media content that everyone can use, regardless of their abilities. Digital accessibility includes practices such as appropriate use of colors, descriptive text in links, logical document structure, and alternative text for images, among others. There is a Department of Justice requirement that all University websites, Canvas course materials, and other digital content (such as Word documents, slide presentations, videos, and images) produced by the University meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Level 2.1 AA by April 2027. Instructors have a legal and ethical duty to ensure their courses are accessible to all students. By embracing digital accessibility, we can enhance student engagement, reduce learning barriers, and streamline the teaching process.
The Digital Education and Innovation team has gathered resources to help you meet accessibility guidelines.
EduBytes
EduBytes is a regular newsletter that comes out once a month most months during the year. Each edition features a spotlight on a new technology tool, process, guideline, or piece of news that may be particularly relevant to instructors in CEHD. Editions can also include upcoming events and training, relevant links and resources for a certain time of year, and other tips and tricks that can improve teaching, organization, and even recreation and leisure time.
Visit the EduBytes Archive.