Today's UM3D podcast episode is perfect for anyone looking to improve student engagement and enhance their learning experience in online learning environments. We'll be exploring five key areas that can transform how you present content to your students and enhance their learning experience. Aligning content with learning objectives using consistent module structure, chunking content, creating multimedia, and promoting accessibility.

Host Lavonnie Perry Claybon explores effective course design strategies with Instructional Designer Trish Lange. Key takeaways include using backward design to align content with learning objectives, implementing consistent module structures through the UM3D M50 course design template, and "chunking" content to reduce cognitive load. Trish discusses how proper multimedia integration enhances student engagement, recommending short, captioned videos with embedded analytics. The conversation emphasizes accessibility features like Canvas's Accessibility Checker, with Trish's primary recommendation being the creation of clear module overviews and to-do lists to improve student navigation and learning outcomes.

Resources

• UM3D Course Design Page: UM3D Course Design

• M50 Course Planning Sheet: https://www.memphis.edu/um3d/pdfs/course_planning_sheet_2022.docx

• Gold Standard Checklist: https://www.memphis.edu/um3d/pdfs/goldhandout2023.pdf

• Cognitive Load Theory: https://www.teachthought.com/learning/cognitive-load-theory-definition-teachers/

• YouTube Canvas Studio: Canvas Studio Tutorials

In this episode of the UM3D Podcast, host Trish Lange sits down with Dr. Sarah Marshall, instructional designer with UM3D and former K–12 special education teacher, to unpack the basics of pedagogy. Together, they explore how faculty can strengthen their teaching through clear course goals, explicit learning objectives, aligned assignments, and effective assessments. From backward design to practical tools like the course planning sheet, this conversation highlights simple steps instructors can take to redesign courses, improve student engagement, and ensure their assessments truly measure what matters. Whether you’re teaching online or in-person, this episode offers actionable insights to support thoughtful and effective course design.

For more resources, visit the UM3D website:

https://memphis.edu/um3d

UM3D Course Planning Sheet:

A structured tool for developing course goals, learning objectives, content, and assessments.

https://www.memphis.edu/um3d/pdfs/um3dcourseplanner2025.docx

Backward Design Framework:

Resource on aligning outcomes, assessments, and learning activities.

https://tll.mit.edu/teaching-resources/course-design/backward-design/

AI in Assessment Design:

Guidance on how to rethink assignments in light of emerging technologies.

https://www.memphis.edu/um3d/resources/genairesources.php

In this episode of the UM3D Podcast, host Trish Lange sits down with Dr. Will Duffy, Associate Director of the Institute for Intelligent Systems and faculty member in the Department of English at the University of Memphis. Together, they explore how generative AI is reshaping the teaching of writing, not just through tools, but through mindsets, pedagogies, and design thinking.

Dr. Duffy shares insights from his graduate seminar, “Teaching Writing with AI,” which encouraged experimentation and collaborative learning. He reflects on AI’s parallels with past literacy crises and emphasizes the unique role humanities scholars can play in framing our cultural understanding of intelligence, ethics, and communication.

Listeners will also get a preview of the AI for All minor and Dr. Duffy’s upcoming course Skills and Techniques for Applied AI, which aims to equip students across disciplines to become ethical, creative, and reflective users of AI in professional contexts.

Topics Include

• Rethinking writing pedagogy through collaborative learning and generative AI

• Ethical and rhetorical frameworks for understanding and using AI in the classroom

• Designing applied AI courses that prepare students to lead in diverse professional contexts

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

University of Memphis Institute for Intelligent Systems

• https://www.memphis.edu/iis Dr. Duffy serves as Associate Director. Learn more about interdisciplinary research in cognition, AI, and education.

AI for All Minor – University of Memphis

• https://www.memphis.edu/ai-minor A new interdisciplinary program featuring core courses in AI literacy and applied AI, open to students from all majors.

Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick

• https://www.ethanmollick.com/co-intelligence Recommended by Dr. Duffy as a practical, accessible guide to understanding and applying generative AI.

UM3D

• https://www.memphis.edu/um3d UM3D supports online course development, instructional technologies, and faculty training at the University of Memphis.

In this episode of the UM3D Podcast, host Trish Lange sits down with Professor Kim Marks, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis. Together, they explore how the university’s longest-running distance education program is navigating the evolving landscape of generative AI.

Professor Marks shares practical insights on how her department is thoughtfully integrating AI into the curriculum—without sacrificing foundational writing and critical thinking skills.

Topics include:

• AI literacy and ethical classroom integration

• Why generative AI checkers don’t work—and what does

• Faculty development strategies using “train-the-trainer” models

• How to balance fear and innovation in the age of generative AI

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

The University of Memphis Department of Journalism and Strategic Media. Learn more about the department's programs, faculty, and digital innovation initiatives: https://www.memphis.edu/jrsm

Sample AI Syllabus Statements from Journalism & Strategic Media. Read, use, or modify the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media syllabus policy on AI use, as discussed in the episode: https://www.memphis.edu/um3d/resources/genaisyllabus.php

UM3D. UM3D supports online course development, instructional technologies, and faculty training at the University of Memphis. https://www.memphis.edu/um3d

AI for Education. Train-the-trainer program mentioned by Professor Marks. Offers free resources, professional development courses, and AI literacy tools for K–12 and higher ed. https://www.aiforeducation.io