Tech Snacks are short, focused professional development sessions covering instructional technology, pedagogical techniques, online learning, and more—delivered in 30-minute chunks. You can download PDF handouts from this year's Tech Snacks sessions below.

You can view an archive of our weekly Tech Snacks handouts on the Tech Snacks Archive Page!

Fall 2025

End of Semester Check-in

December 5, 2025 — This was a general faculty check-in to reflect on the semester, discuss concerns, celebrate successes, and have fun together.

There was no handout this week.

Post-Literacy?

November 21, 2025 — Are we entering a post-literate age? Stories from professors about students’ lack of interest in reading and difficulty engaging in tasks that demand sustained attention, worrisome data about declining reading habits, and that sense that maybe we should just look at our phones for a second even while reading this paragraph… All these things point toward something larger going on with humans and technology, including the written word and the digital technologies transforming and displacing it. What does teaching look like in an era of so-called post-literacy? Is there a different lens through which to view the transformations societies and education are undergoing that both better captures what we’re experiencing and offers something more useful than a narrative of decline? We'll talk about the current situation before taking a look at Walter Ong’s notion of “secondary orality,” which might be a useful concept for teaching today.

Click here for a PDF of this handout.

Accessibility

November 14, 2025 — Upcoming Department of Justice requirements will lead to a new standard for Web Content Accessibility at public institutions, including universities. While the new changes to accessibility standards can seem overwhelming, implementing these new standards will be a positive for teaching and learning. We had a conversation about these Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, some examples of how to make documents and course content accessible, and a look at tools that will help ensure compliance.

Click here for a PDF of this handout.

Codes Against Academy

October 31st, 2025 — For a fun way to learn about AI ethics in education, we played the card game "Codes AgAInst Academy." This game was brought to our attention by Scott Guyant, and the deck provides unique scenarios and reactions about the use of AI in schools by students, teachers, and administrators. Participants assessed the ethics of these scenarios and talked about principles that should be used to guide the incorporation of AI into education.

There was no handout this week.

Trivia with Dr. Donoven

October 24th, 2025 — Mid-semester is always a great time to take a break from routine and enjoy some trivia! Dr. Donoven had a fun take on different types of Trivia that always keep the room engaged. 

There was no handout this week.

Meet the New Recruiting Team

October 3rd, 2025 — With a new recruiting team at Northern, it’s a great time to meet them and ask any questions about recruiting in general, how to connect with high schools, and what the teams’ approach is to getting students in our doors. With downward enrollment trends occurring nationally in higher education, and at Northern, we’ll cover some unique ways to approach students in Montana and other parts of the nation. 

Click here for a PDF of this handout.

Dual Enrollment with Roger Antisdel and Chuck Terry

September 19th, 2025 — Over 100 students partner with MSU-Northern to participate in the Dual Enrollment program. There are different forms of dual enrollment, and lots of potential benefits to the student, your program, and to MSU-Northern. Additionally, there’s a recruitment aspect to Dual Enrollment that some faculty are involved in currently, and other faculty might want to know more about.

Click here for a PDF of this handout.

Get to Know Yuja Video

September 12th, 2025 — While we’ve covered a little bit of Canvas’ video tool Yuja, now is a good time to refresh how it works and how to help with student engagement in the classroom. Faculty can use YuJa Video to create, manage, and edit videos within their Canvas courses, whether doing live sessions or recording for later.

Click here for a PDF of this handout.

Killing Me Softly with Canvas: The Laura Gomez Edition

September 5th, 2025 — With Canvas being live for its second semester, now is a good time to refresh instructors on some general Canvas tips and reminders as courses are being built. We’ve gotten plenty of feedback from instructors and students on what works best for both in Canvas, so most of this information is based on that selective feedback.

Click here for a PDF of this handout.

Start of Semester Faculty Check-In

August 29th, 2025 — This was a general faculty check-in and information session on what programming OTLE will be offering during the Fall 2025 Semester.

There was no handout this week.