​This video is a part of a series, Stories of Web Users, How People with Disabilities Use the Web dedicated to highlighting the people that we work to adapt the web for created by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) (2025).

Go to directly to the story on the W3C WAI website to find in depth analysis of how this student manages his disability through web technology. There you will learn more about the specific barriers seen in this video, learn more about the assistive technologies and adaptive strategies used, and learn about the specific accessibility principles that align with making content more accessible for students like Stefan. ​

Success Stories
​Based on my doctoral research, A descriptive phenomenological study of group dynamics in team-based gamified courses, I identified a list of descriptive titles that describe the general psychological phenomenological experience of students in team-based gamified courses:

1. Initial Sense of Apprehension and Uncertainty
2. Felt Motivating Intrigue with Unconventional Class Format
3. Felt a Sense of Engagement and Presence
4. Sense of Belongingness
5. Sense of Liberation
6. Sense of Playful Learning
7. Experienced Motivating Excitement about Assignments
8. Felt a Sense of Accomplishment
9. Destigmatization of Failure
10. Improvement in Knowledge Acquisition and Recall
11. Interacted and Engaged with Teammates Outside of Class

The group dynamics in a team-based learning environment were hallmarked by a collective experience in which the students co-created a playful learning space and classroom community through highly-interactive and intersubjective relationships. Students described co-creating meaningful experiences with other students in their teams beyond information processing. Through empathetic experiences with one another, the community-college students became part of a “we” and described navigating gamified courses together as one, intersubjective entity. ​

​Dr. Keziah Tinkle-Williams, an award-winning instructor, creative technologist, and researcher, has taught English Composition, Humanities, and African American Studies at CGCC since 2011. We appreciate Keziah for sharing her expertise and practical applications in gamified pedagogy. Her exploration of concepts like the "sense of belongingness" and the "de-stigmatization of failure" highlights the social and emotional benefits of gamified learning, often extending beyond academic outcomes. These insights underscore the transformative power of this approach, making the learning experience both memorable and meaningful for students.

Kahoot! For Lectures, not Just Games

Kahoots aren’t just games. They are also presentation tools. Kahoot allows for the addition of different types of slides, in addition to being able to use a variety of interactive features. The ability to incorporate questionnaires, thought clouds, polls, and open-ended discussion prompts allows students to participate in a low-stakes way. These replies can also be saved by Kahoot, allowing for the review and grading of answers, monitoring participation, and using analytics to determine “sticky points” for students. 
​Kahoots can also be used to demonstrate topics or concepts. For example, in my environmental / sustainability courses, we discuss the topic of biodiversity naivety. This concept is the idea that even though we live in an area we know less about the diversity than we realize. I use a Kahoot (provided below) to let students test how well they know local plants and animals. Consistently students overestimate their knowledge of the Sonoran Desert and the Kahoot serves as a demonstration on how even though we feel we know an area, we really might not. 
Example Kahoot Lecture: 

• Instructor View of Biodiversity Naivety Lecture Student View of Biodiversity Naivety Lecture (Game Pin 007825545) (starts an asynchronous game)

Kahoot! Games for Topic Wrap-up

Kahoot! games as topic wrap ups allow for students to test out their knowledge of what they just learned in a format that is lower stress than a formal quiz, test, or other assignment. It can provide instant feedback for students in both synchronous (in-person or online) and asynchronous courses. In these types of Kahoots it is possible to have students enter their name at the start of the Kahoot, allowing their scores to be recorded if desired by the instructor.
Kahoot games also allow for different formats. I have found that my classes love to compete as their lab groups, which gives them opportunities to discuss topics with others at their table before contributing as a team. This has served to prompt many different types of discussions and further cement core course topics. 
Example Wrap-Up:

• Instructor View of Geologic Time Wrap-Up
• Student View of Geologic Time Wrap-Up (Game Pin 004672969) (starts an asynchronous game)

Kahoot! Lab Quizzes / Virtual Lab Practicals

As we expand courses into different modalities it can be difficult to test or provide practice for identification of anatomy, lab tools, or other practical identification. Kahoots’ “pin drop” or “pin answer” feature serves as an option to have students identify components in an image. 
Single Question Example Lab Practical:

• Instructor View for Leaf Anatomy Practice
• Student View for Leaf Anatomy (Game Pin 003948537)(starts an asynchronous game)

Kahoot! Reports

Kahoot! Reports is a paid feature that serves as an analytics tool. Each kahoot played (either synchronously or asynchronous) can have a kahoot report. The reports show how well an entire class did, the questions that gave students the most difficulty, and the ability to see the scores of individual students. This 2-minute video provides the basic report uses:

Overall Benefits 

• High participation and interaction to encourage active learning.
• Students enjoy Kahoots. They are low-stress but give instant feedback. 
• Many students have played Kahoots before, so it is a familiar, comfortable activity. Almost all of my students have played Kahoot.
• They can be set up to either be individual or group-based. 
• Can be linked into Google Slides, genial.ly lectures, or Canvas using generated QR codes, game pins, URLs, and live play sessions.
• Usable in any modality. Online options can be set with or without deadlines.
• Easy-to-use templates and design tools.
• Can be freely shared among instructors using public or link-only settings.
• Options exist to allow students to replay Kahoots for review.

A Couple of Drawbacks

• Many features require paid accounts, some of which can be expensive. 
• Some useful features, such as directly embedding into Canvas or lectures, must be set up through a college account, rather than an individual subscription.

How do I actually use AI Tutor Pro for my course?

I utilize AI Tutor Pro as a low-stakes (2-point) assignment. Students are provided with the following instructions:

1. Complete the guided notes or chapter review provided on Canvas and save the completed file.

2. Go to AI Tutor Pro​

3.. Click the link to "CHECK" your knowledge, that looks like this:

6. Be sure to click the "Upload" button after you choose the file- this should turn the file into text into the text box below.​

7. Check the Summary button and Choose your level. Recommended Undergraduate or Professional.

8. Now hit the "Start" button.

9. Answer at least 10 questions from the AI Tutor as best and as thoroughly as you can.​

10. After you've answered at least 10 questions, then you can click the copy button in the top right corner, it should look like this:

Answering 10 questions is the minimum, answering more will help you better learn the material.

11. Now return to this assignment and paste the text of the chat you copied from step 10 into this assignment. 

Note: AI Tutor Pro may ask you if you're done after 6 questions or so, just ask it to keep giving you more questions.​

Note: You can guide the tutor to quiz you on the topics you'd like by just responding to it with a prompt such as this: I am confident with that particular question, could you ask me about (insert topic).

Scenario 1: Communicating Honors Program RequirementsYou want to inform your fellow faculty members about critical deadlines and requirements for working with honors students, including submitting honors contracts, grading projects, and attending co-curricular events. To make this information more digestible, you decide to create an infographic by following these steps:​

1) Choose a Template:

• Log in to Canva and search for "infographic templates."
• Select a clean, professional-looking template that fits your needs for organizing and highlighting key points.

2) Customize the Layout:

• Add your main topic at the top (e.g., "CGCC Honors Faculty – What Should You Know?").
• Create sections highlighting each major component (e.g., Honors Contracts, Honors Projects, Co-Curriculars, New Grant Opportunities).

3) Add Visual Elements:

• Use icons and color-coding to differentiate sections.
• Include relevant email addresses or deadlines in clear, bold fonts.

4) Share with Faculty:

• Once your infographic is complete, download it as a PNG or PDF and share it via email or Canvas. You can also print copies for distribution during meetings or post them on bulletin boards.

Scenario 2: Promoting a New Program or Initiative
​Imagine you're tasked with promoting a new college-wide initiative, such as a faculty development program or a student success initiative. Instead of sending a lengthy email with dense text, you follow these steps to create a visually engaging infographic highlighting the key points:

1) Select a Template:

• Log in to Canva and choose a pre-made template that aligns with the theme of your message. Canva offers templates for various topics, from educational outreach to professional development.

2) Customize the Content:

• Break down the information into digestible sections, such as the program's goals, critical deadlines, and the steps involved. Use bold, clear headers (like in the example you shared) to help organize the content.
• Use relevant visuals, such as icons, charts, or illustrations, to make the information stand out and keep the reader’s attention.

3) Add Key Links and Contact Information:

• Use Canva’s text tools to add links, deadlines, or contact details in clear, easy-to-read fonts.
• For example, add a call-to-action at the bottom: “Sign up by October 15th @ www.examplelink.com"

4) Distribrute the Infographic:

• Once your design is complete, download it as a PDF or PNG and distribute it through email or Canvas or post it on bulletin boards across campus. You could also present it during faculty meetings.

In this 9:39-minute tutorial, you’ll learn how to make an infographic poster. 

This 2:36-minute video shows how to use infographics in the classroom.

​Canva is a versatile and user-friendly tool that simplifies the creation of visually appealing infographics. Whether you’re summarizing course material, promoting a new initiative, or simplifying complex information, infographics help make content more accessible and memorable for students and faculty.

What Exactly Is Genial.ly?
Genial.ly is an interactive image creator that allows for creating diagrams, presentations, infographics, and gamified content. These images can be downloaded as micro-websites for offline use or embedded directly into Canvas or other learning tools such as Nearpod. Most features and tools are free, with purchasable options to gain access to additional templates. The free options are usable by educators and students, allowing them to be incorporated into assignments.

My Favorite Games
For online classes:

• Tower Defense - Correct answers let players upgrade weaponry or resilience to fend off invaders.

For the long run:

• Tower of Doom - Correct answers and some strategies will help players defend themselves from the evil forces that plague the tower.

For quick, live activity:

• Battle Royale - A one-versus-one ultra fast-paced battle where accuracy and speed will lead to only one champion.

For collaboration:

• Blook Rush - Players answer questions to take characters from other teams or defend their characters from being taken.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a transformative tool. Faculty members across educational institutions are not only recognizing its potential but actively discovering methods to seamlessly integrate generative AI into their teaching methodologies. The following exploration unveils ways faculty members can harness the power of generative AI through enhanced engagement, personalized learning, and the reimagining of traditional instructional paradigms.
Faculty can benefit from using generative AI, such as Google Bard, Bing Chat, MagicSchool.ai, or ChatGPT, in their classrooms to enhance the learning experience and engage students in new and exciting ways.

Here are some specific ways you can utilize generative AI:

Cross-Disciplinary Approach: Incorporate AI discussions in various disciplines, allowing students from different fields to explore AI's relevance and impact on their specific domains.

Writing Assistance: Integrate generative AI language models as writing assistants, enabling students to receive real-time feedback on their essays, reports, and assignments for grammar, coherence, and clarity.

Language Learning Support: Utilize AI language models to assist students in language learning courses by engaging them in conversational practice, pronunciation exercises, and language comprehension activities.

Collaborative Storytelling: Engage students in collaborative storytelling exercises, where they work with generative AI tools to co-create narratives or develop fictional worlds for creative writing classes.

Explore Ethics and Bias: Engage students in conversations about AI ethics and biases issues. Examine how AI algorithms can perpetuate biases and discuss ways to mitigate these problems.

Art and Music Creation: Introduce AI-generated art and music projects, enabling students to explore the intersection of technology and creative expression.

STEM Projects and Data Analysis: Encourage students to apply generative AI for data analysis in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics projects, allowing them to explore large datasets and draw meaningful insights.

Remember to provide proper guidance and support to students when using generative AI technologies in the classroom.

Digital Boards:
Padlet is where students can post notes, images, and videos. You can set up a Padlet board for students to introduce themselves with pictures, short videos, or text.

Jamboard is an interactive tool from Google. You can set up a virtual Jamboard and have students contribute their ideas or answers to icebreaker questions in a collaborative way.

Step 6. Tables were told to have their answers ready and be the first to call out bingo. After I heard “bingo” I went to check if the table had the correct answers. For this class, I gave out candy to the winning table. 

​Step 7. After we declared the winners, I then asked tables what squares were more challenging for us to all go over as a class (even if we did not get to that square).
This process took about 25-30 minutes of the class for review. After each call, I waited to see when table talk quieted and then we kept drawing squares until we got bingo. 

I hope you give this a try and your class finds some fun in it!
- Alisa