Need help? Simply put, that’s what the Center for Teaching, Learning and Design is here for. The CTLD is the one-stop shop for all teaching and learning needs. Staying up to date on various instructional techniques, theories, tools, technology and best practices is an important aspect of being an effective educator. 

Looking for help setting up a course before the start of the semester? Wondering how to develop a sense of community through instruction? Want to learn how to copy a course over to a new Sandbox? The CTLD has you covered for all of this and more. 

The CTLD staff and Ready website are available to help answer those questions and more. They offer live support in person and online, with instructional-design support specialists who are ready to answer any pedagogical and technical questions. 

Drop-in support

The CTLD’s live drop-in support is available to help with any questions you might have about using Canvas, Teams, YuJa or other software that might be used for online teaching. One of the instructional-design support specialists will help resolve the issue or bring someone in from another department who can help with any outside issues.  

  • Drop-in support is available from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday through Friday (school holidays excepted). 
  • Drop-in support can be accessed online via Teams or in person in the Central Classroom Building, Room 220. Virtual drop-in support meetings can be accessed at ready.msudenver.edu/immediate-support. 
  • Be prepared to bring a laptop or share a screen with the CTLD staff so they can see the issue to best assist you.  
  • The CTLD covers a wide range of basic to advanced teaching and learning topics. However, for basic technical support (such as help resetting passwords, computer issues or trouble logging into Canvas), support can be found through Information Technology Services. 
  • Support offerings go beyond just technical “how-to” types of topics, and the CTLD is happy to help with specific pedagogical strategies and best practices as well. 
  • If you are unsure what kind of help you need, contacting the CTLD can be an excellent first step. Its staff is available to help provide clarity and can find resources you may not even be aware of.  

Ready website

The Ready website is a huge collection of tutorials, FAQs and Spotlight articles for all sorts of online-teaching systems and strategies. Most of the content is centered on the software MSU Denver instructors use most, such as Canvas, Teams and YuJa. 

  • When you arrive at Ready, you’ll have some options along the top of the page for where you want to go, such as tutorials, FAQs, Spotlights and drop-in support. 
  • You can search for a keyword or phrase by clicking the magnifying-glass icon in the top right-hand corner. For example, you could type in “delete a module” to find any content related to that topic. 
  • You can browse the CTLD’s collection of tutorials by clicking Tutorials at the top of the page and then choosing one of the categories the tutorials are organized into. For example, the Ready, Set, Go tutorials include introductory content that will get you familiar with the basic tools for online teaching. 
  • FAQs include some common issues instructors run into and potential solutions. You can check here if you have a simple question that wouldn’t need a tutorial made to answer it. 
  • Canvas Spotlights are more in-depth looks at online-learning techniques than the tutorials. They are published in MSU Denver’s Early Bird newsletter, and you can find a repository of them on Ready. If you want a deep dive into a topic, take a look at the Spotlights. 

Rapid Ready Trainings

Rapid Ready Trainings are live in-depth training sessions for instructors looking for a solid foundation of knowledge on a particular subject. These trainings are offered online and in person at a variety of times to fit your schedule. 

  • Rapid Ready Trainings are usually about an hour long and explore a particular topic in detail, such as the Canvas Gradebook or setting up a Team for a synchronous online class. 
  • Sign up for a training at the CTLD’s Events page. There are options for in-person at CN105 and online via Teams. 
  • The trainings cover an introduction and explanation of the topic, a live demo of how to implement it in online teaching and a period for instructors to ask more questions or try it out for themselves. 

For complete written step-by-step instructions, visit the CTLD Ready Spotlight page.

Additional support and offerings are available on the main CTLD website.