L&I 200 and Hutchins Library

This guide provides faculty with quick-start resources for integrating free, accessible digital tools into their teaching. Whether you're looking to increase student engagement, develop digital literacy skills, or explore new modes of assessment, these tools offer practical ways to enhance learning across disciplines.

Each page in this toolkit includes:

• An overview of what the tool does and why it matters pedagogically
• Step-by-step setup instructions
• Sample assignment ideas across disciplines
• Grading rubrics and best practices
• Troubleshooting tips and technical requirements
• Links to additional resources and support

Online Annotation with Hypothes.is

Create collaborative reading experiences where students annotate, discuss, and engage with course texts in real-time. Perfect for close reading, pre-class preparation, and building interpretive communities.

Best for: Courses in Any Discipline

Podcasting with Audacity

Enable students to create audio essays, oral histories, interviews, and podcasts. Develops communication skills while offering alternative modes of expression and assessment.

Best for: Communications, History, Languages, Creative Writing, Sociology

E-Literature and Games with Twine

Build interactive, branching narratives and text-based games. Students explore nonlinear storytelling, decision-making, and computational thinking through creative writing.

Best for: Creative Writing, Computer Science, Education

Mapping with StoryMapJS

Create interactive maps that tell stories through place. Students combine geographic data with multimedia content to explore spatial relationships and location-based narratives.

Best for: History, Geography, Environmental Studies, Anthropology, Area Studies, Art History

Digital Publications and Media with Canva

Design professional-quality infographics, posters, presentations, and visual media. Develops visual literacy and design thinking while producing polished, shareable content.

Best for: Courses in Any Discipline

Interactive Timelines with TimelineJS

Create multimedia timelines that visualize chronology and historical sequences. Students develop temporal reasoning while integrating primary sources and contextual information.

Best for: History, English, Science (discovery timelines), Art History

Develop 21st-Century Skills

Students gain practical experience with digital tools they'll encounter in professional contexts while building transferable skills in research, communication, and critical thinking.

Increase Student Engagement

Interactive, creative assignments often lead to deeper investment in course material. Digital projects can make abstract concepts tangible and encourage students to take ownership of their learning.

Support Diverse Learners

Multiple modes of expression (visual, audio, interactive) allow students to demonstrate learning in ways that align with their strengths and interests.

Create Authentic Audiences

When students publish work that can be shared beyond the classroom, they often take greater care with research, writing, and design. Digital tools make student work public-facing and portfolio-ready.

Foster Collaboration

Many digital tools enable real-time collaboration, peer review, and collective knowledge-building that mirrors professional and scholarly practices.

Start Small

You don't need to redesign your entire course. Try incorporating one tool into a single assignment and see how it goes. Many faculty begin with a low-stakes assignment worth 10-15% of the grade.

Model Expectations

Create a sample project or annotate alongside your students to show what quality work looks like. This demystifies the technology and clarifies your expectations.

Build in Time for Troubleshooting

Dedicate class time or office hours for technical support, especially the first time you use a tool. Consider creating a peer support system where tech-savvy students can help classmates.

Focus on Pedagogy, Not Technology

Choose tools that serve your learning objectives, not the other way around. The best digital assignments align with course goals and enhance (rather than distract from) student learning.

Assess What Matters

Develop clear rubrics that balance content/thinking with technical execution. Most faculty weight content more heavily (60-70%) than technical polish (30-40%).