My name is Dr. Michael Paskevicius and I am your instructor for EDCI 335/565. EDCI 335/565 is a course that explores the Research and Practice of Learning Design in technology-mediated contexts. This course is offered from the Faculty of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the Educational Technology area. This particular offering is cross-listed, meaning it includes learners from both EDCI 335 and EDCI 565 combining undergraduate and graduate students together to learn about learning design collectively.

I have two things I would appreciate you do before we meet. The two tasks together should take less than 10 minutes to complete.

  1. We will be using an instant messaging system to stay connected throughout the term both in class and beyond. It is called Mattermost (similar to the Slack messaging application) and will allow us to connect collectively, in small groups, or one-to-one via text. This service is hosted in BC and specifically available for educational institutions. Please either use your first name & last name (e.g.: michaelpaskevicius) or use your UVic Netlink ID (e.g.: mpaskevi) when you create your Mattermost user name. The invitation link will be emailed to you in the first week of January.
  2. We will be using the Hypothes.is social annotation tool to engage with the readings in our course. With this tool, you can highlight, make comments, pose questions, etc. directly on individual sections within the readings. As well, you can respond and engage in discussion with each other based on the annotations and we will use these artefacts to drive discussion and debate. This service is not hosted in BC, so if you choose to use a pseudonym, that is ok. If you are willing, using the same username for both Mattermost and Hypothes.is will help me identify you. An invite link will be emailed to you in the first week of January.

I want you to know that you can always contact me if you have questions or concerns, I will reply as quickly as possible. Mattermost will be the quickest way to get a response.

I look forward to meeting with you each Tuesday at 6pm starting on January 9. The syllabus will be provided and reviewed during our first meeting.

Photo above by alleksana from Pexels