Digital Learning Resources

Interaction & Engagement

Interaction, Engagement, & Content Strategies

Strategies For Optimizing Engagement 

Interaction and engagement opportunities are critical for delivering an optimal student experience. The following provide strategies for mitigating procrastination, enhancing online engagement, and employing active learning within the digital learning environment. Also included are associated resources such as crafting effective objectives/outcomes and establishing a semester prep checklist.

Preparing Your Semester for Success

The following checklist provides a comprehensive set of key items to ensure a successful semester, as well as a consolidated list of tutorials, workshops, and digital learning resources, categorized by "course," "student," and "instructor" preparation.

Content Tools

Canvas Commons

Canvas Commons provides shared content and templates to use within your Canvas Course.

Microsoft Tools

USF's Microsoft 365 account gives us access to tools for creating content for our courses.

Use Teams to record and share your live classroom-based session.

Kaltura (Limited to Online Courses - AD or PD)

Kaltura is a comprehensive media hosting platform designed to empower instructors in creating, storing, and presenting multimedia content. It provides a secure environment equipped with a suite of robust features, including advanced analytics, video organization tools such as chapters and playlists, and video / screen recording tools. Additionally, Kaltura’s video-quizzing tools enable instructors to embed graded questions directly into videos, which automatically populate the Canvas gradebook. If you are new to Kalura, we recommend taking our fully online, self-paced "Enhance Your Course with Kaltura workshop, or visit our tutorials library for a quick reference guide. Kaltura is limited to fully online courses (AD or PD).  

Audio and Video Production

Here are some useful apps and strategies for recording video for your courses.

Interaction & Engagement Tools

Bookings

Lucid

Padlet

Padlet is an online platform that features customizable virtual boards for sharing and collaborating on content like text, images, videos, and links. It can be used for teamwork, brainstorming, and educational activities, offering real-time collaboration and easy sharing options. Users can control privacy settings for their boards, making it versatile for various uses.

Perusall (Limited to fully online courses - AD or PD).  

Perusall is a platform allowing students and faculty to annotate readings with text, links, and embedded content. Perusall is limited to fully online courses (AD or PD).

Starting in Spring 2026, only Perusall 1.3 is available. If you previously used Perusall 1.1, you will need to upgrade to Perusall 1.3 using the below guide. 

Transitioning to Perusall Version 1.3 for Spring 2026

The workshop will walk you through the process of converting your Spring 2026 and/or future courses from Perusall 1.1 to 1.3. This Perusall 1.3 upgrade will enhance Canvas integration and improve grading functionality.

Workshop Times:

  • Jan 5, 2026 - Monday - 2pm - 3pm
  • Jan 6, 2026 - Tuesday - 2pm - 3pm
  • Jan 8, 2026 - Thursday - 2pm - 3pm
  • Jan 12, 2026 - Monday - 2pm - 3pm
  • Jan 13, 2026 - Tuesday - 2pm - 3pm
  • Jan 15, 2026 - Tuesday - 2pm - 3pm 

Join the workshop via Teams at this link.

Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere is powerful polling tool enabling you to infuse a higher level of engagement into your live Teams sessions and/or your Canvas course. It offers a variety of activities including word clouds, interactive images, standard surveys, and live game-based competitions.