A tool developed by two members of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford community to help students navigate online classes has been made available to all Pitt students and faculty members through the university’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

The online student toolkit is a two-hour online class that teaches students how to use software critical for the university’s Flex@Pitt education model, which allows students to attend class either online or in person during the pandemic.

Dr. Emily Williams, vice president and dean of academic affairs at Pitt-Bradford, and Bernie Picklo, academic technology integrator, conceived of the toolkit as a way to prepare students to use the technologies required for them to succeed in their academics. During the coronavirus pandemic, more students have attended classes online, making the toolkit especially useful.

To encourage students to use the course, Williams offered a drawing for a Chromebook laptop computer for the first 50 students who completed it.

Some faculty assigned the toolkit course, which was created by Picklo. Students received a digital certificate upon completion that they could share with faculty who had assigned it.

Students who took the class also participated in a survey rating its effectiveness. Of those surveyed, nearly three-quarters said that the course provided guidance on how to become competent at using educational technologies and more than half agreed that the course developed their abilities in that area.

After taking the class, more than half of those surveyed said they were extremely comfortable with using the technologies required to be a good student, and nearly all students said they learned something from the class.

One respondent wrote, “Honestly, one of this course’s strengths was showing me how little I actually knew about these sites.”

Now students on all five Pitt campuses can use the toolkit.

“I am so excited about all Pitt students having access to the Pitt-Bradford and Pitt-Titusville Canvas and Technology Toolkit,” Williams said.

“I am glad that the Center for Teaching and Learning in Pittsburgh is able to take our summer-long and intensive work on this toolkit and effectively adapt it for student use at all the Pitt campuses. The Pitt-Bradford Academic Affairs staff will continue to use vision and innovation to support our students at Pitt-Bradford and Pitt-Titusville.”