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FREE ACCESS TO
Distance Education Report,
Online Classroom &
The Teaching Professor
The University of North Texas has a Group Online Subscription allowing campus members free access to
Distance Education Report, Online Classroom & The Teaching Professor from Magna Publications.
These electronic newsletters provide the information faculty, deans, chairs, and other academic decision-makers use for effective leadership within their colleges or departments as they support the institution's mission of teaching and scholarship.
Go to www.magnapubs.com/group
and select the correct publication. If logging in from a campus computer, you will not need to enter a password.
If you wish to access these publications from off campus or if you would like to receive an email message each time a new issue is posted, you will need to register and enter a campus voucher code and pin number. Please email amberb@unt.edu to obtain this information.
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Need Help?
CLEAR Faculty Helpdesk
New Recommended Java Version for Blackboard!
Faculty users of Blackboard Vista & Blackboard Learn 9.1 receive technical support from the CLEAR Faculty Helpdesk (also known as the Blackboard Faculty Helpdesk).
Report a problem with Blackboard Active and Resolved Outages (Calendar) Check status of open cases you have placed Email: clearhelp@unt.edu Phone: 940-369-7394 In person: Chilton 112C
Support Hours for
Summer 2012
| | Mon - Thu | 8am - 9pm | | Fri | 8am - 5pm | | Sat | 11am - 3pm
| | Sun | Closed |
We offer training in various emerging technologies in classroom, online, and individual sessions. We also support and provide technical assistance with the following technologies: - Blackboard Learn 9.1
- Respondus
- Turnitin/GradeMark
- Wimba Live Classroom and Voice Tools
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Greetings!
Things are heating up this summer with training opportunities galore. Are you ready for the Blackboard Migration? Do you have questions and require the help of your Instructional Consultant? Let CLEAR support your efforts as an instructor. Whether online or in the classroom, we're here to advance the quality of instruction at UNT. |
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The Blackboard Learn Boot Camp is a workshop introducing instructors to designing your courses for online delivery. This hands-on workshop is targeted for instructors new to Blackboard Learn and/or those interested in learning more about quality course design. Topics will cover best practices for course design as well as the basics of Blackboard Learn.
WHEN: Session #0002 - June 22: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Session #0005 - July 23: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Session #0003 - July 31: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Session #0004 - August 8: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Session #0006 - August 14: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Session #0007 - August 22: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided Where: Chilton 245 WORKSHOP INFORMATION: *Course Code: UO12BC *Title: "Bb: Blackboard Learn Boot Camp" *Seating limited to 15 per session 
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CLEAR Summer Coffee Breaks:
Blackboard Learn 9.1 Open Lab
CLEAR will be offering open lab support sessions for faculty, staff and teaching/graduate assistants to drop-in and get assistance with their Blackboard Learn 9.1 Courses.
You may clean up your courses, get Blackboard Learn assistance, or just have a dedicated place to work on your course - all while having a CLEAR Instructional Consultant on hand! It's ok to come late or leave early. Bring your work, your laptop and your favorite coffee mug. Ask specific questions. Get help with any aspect of Bb Learn and work on your class with an IC at the ready. Some familiarity with Bb Learn is recommended.
Bb Learn open labs are designed for faculty, staff, and teaching/graduate assistants who have attended training but need some extra help working in their course. Coffee will be available at all sessions.
WHERE: Chilton 112K WHEN: Friday afternoons, 1-4 p.m. through August 31, 2012
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Blackboard Innovative Teaching Series
Who should attend?
All faculty members are invited to join, regardless of your technical know-how or experience using Blackboard or other learning management solutions. These webinars are designed to share innovative practices - content that is applicable to faculty of all levels and disciplines. See the schedule and register for the BITS series below. Please note that space is limited for this webinar series.
Session: What is My Role in the Online Classroom? Ways to Engage and Interact with Your Online Students
This session will focus on your role as the instructor and the teaching techniques that will stimulate a student's curiosity and encourage active learning.
- Time & Date: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET, Monday, June 25, 2012
- Presenter: Katherine Dowdell, Des Moines Area Community College
Session: Why and How to Best Use Rubrics in Blackboard Learn 9.1
This session will explore the pros and cons of using Rubrics, how Rubrics employ Chickering and Gamson's Seven Principles of Good Teaching Practice, and how the use of Rubrics will benefit your students.
- Time & Date: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET, Tuesday, July 24, 2012
- Presenter: Katherine C. Riley, BS, Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes Jewish College
We hope that you will take advantage of this faculty webinar series to enhance your training on pedagogy that promotes both educator efficiency and improved learning outcomes in an online or blended delivery. Please note that space is limited.
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The PLAGIARISM SPECTRUM
Plagiarism is often viewed as a black-and-white issue, though instructors who have dealt with the issue in the classroom know better. Recently, Turnitin classified the most common types of plagiarism into 10 categories and asked our community of instructors to share with us how problematic and how often the different types of plagiarism occur.
 Check out the full infographic for illustrative examples of each type of plagiarism. From the infographic link, you can also download the full study. The full study dives deeper into the results and implications, sharing tips for educators and administrators on how to best address the types through academic integrity policies, honor codes, and interventions in the classroom.
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Did you know Blackboard Vista is going away at the end of the fall 2012 semester (say good-bye) and being replaced with the new Blackboard Learn?
CLEAR is providing three resources to help you transition smoothly to Blackboard Learn.
#1 Visit the Blackboard Learn 9.1 Migration website. Here you can find out about Blackboard Learn, new tools to enhance your courses, and sign-up for upcoming training.
#2 Summer "Bootcamp Training" is available! We are adding new sessions all the time to keep up with demand.
#3 The Blackboard Learn Migration Central organization has been created in Blackboard Learn for you. Go to the "Organizations" tab to access the course! From there, you will be able to:
- Ask questions about Bb Learn
- Access self-paced lessons covering tools offered in Bb Learn
- Discuss with CLEAR staff and other instructors concerning best practices in Bb Learn
Were you not able to find information you needed in Migration Central? Let CLEAR know! A feedback button in the lower right hand corner of the Migration Central home page is available to report back to CLEAR any topics that you couldn't find!
If you need any assistance accessing any of these resources, contact:
CLEAR Faculty Helpdesk:
Chilton Hall 112C
(940) 369-7394
clearhelp@unt.edu
Lauri Morrow
Instructional Consultant
Center for Learning Enhancement, Assessment, and Redesign
University of North Texas
1155 Union Circle #310889
Denton, TX 76203-5017
Office: 940-369-8175
Fax: 940-369-7619
CLEAR
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 NextGen Boot Camp coming this August!
NextGen faculty will begin their redesign process on August 15, 2012 with the NextGen boot camp -- a three day event designed to jump start the course redesign efforts of the 2012-2013 NextGen faculty. CLEAR team members and other UNT colleagues will walk the NextGen faculty through the entire process of course redesign - giving ample time for those "what if" questions that are so crucial in redesigning - not just face-lifting - a college course. At the completion of the event, NextGen faculty will have the general components in place for the Fall session and will be ready to begin their adventure in redesigning their course to interact with the 21st century.
WHERE: Willis Library Lunch will be provided Interested in knowing more about NextGen?
Contact Shana Luster, NextGen Program Manager, for more details!
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Congratulations and Bon Voyage to Sapora!
 | | We're missing Super Sapora already! |
The UNTVN team would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Sapora Bradley on her acceptance to Pepperdine University, for work on her PhD. We would also like to thank Sapora for her 4 years of dedicated service to our team as our Assistant Video Conference Manager. During her time with our team she has helped us continue to grow and provide the outstanding customer service that our users have come to rely on. To many across the UNT System, Sapora is the first contact and she has developed a reputation of being quick witted and fast to provide solutions to problems or issues by contacting the correct personnel to handle the situation. When an appropriate solution cannot be found in a timely manner Sapora is eager to help find alternative solutions even if it means she will have to go to another location to take care of getting things ready for our users. We know that Sapora will continue to thrive at Pepperdine as she continues her studies and we wish her nothing but the best. In this case Pepperdine's gain is truly a loss for UNT and the UNT System. For information regarding her farewell reception, please contact Brenda K. Ritz at x7877 or ritz@unt.edu.
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Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program
(GSTEP)
The Application period for the UNT Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program is now open. For UNT graduate students who are currently TA's or TF's or are interested in teaching in their future, this program will provide valuable experience. In line with the UNT strategic goal to "provide the best undergraduate educational experience in Texas" and as a practical demonstration of UNT's commitment to undergraduate teaching, the Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program (G*STEP) is designed to prepare graduate students for college/university level teaching, regardless of discipline or major. Interested students may find more information at http://tsgs.unt.edu/GSTEP.
Upon completion of G*STEP, participants will be able to effectively teach or support those who teach a university course; i.e. articulate their role and resources, organize and explain materials, establish and maintain an effective learning environment, and promote self-regulated learning. Graduate students who, have completed at least one year of a UNT doctoral or Master's degree program, and are interested in gaining teaching experience and knowledge are eligible to apply. The only cost to students is the time investment (approximately 15 hours per month), passion, the purchase of a book and a minimal fee for an electronic portfolio. Participants must complete all components of the program within 1 year.
G*STEP students can expect to:
* Participate in 8 online teaching effectiveness workshops (offered year round during scheduled weeks)
* Develop a teaching philosophy and teaching portfolio
* Work with an experienced teaching mentor and a network of peer mentors
* Participate in reflection and problem solving with a cohort of participants working as a community of practice
* Develop and implement 2 classroom teaching practicum experiences
* Obtain university recognition for completion of the program
* Receive a letter of reference regarding their participation for future use
* Provide input to further program development
The G*STEP pilot program was launched in January 2012. A total of 65 students applied for the 20 slots in the pilot program. During this pilot phase we worked with two mentors and three instructional designers, all working 10 hours per week, supervised and coached by Dr. Nancy Fire, Faculty Development Specialist from CLEAR. An advisory committee representing the Provost's office, Toulouse Graduate School, CLEAR, Undergraduate Studies and the Department of Higher Education provide support. To date, we have established many of the core components of G*STEP and are preparing for 80 new participants in the program in Fall, 2012.
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UNT Teaching Excellence Seminar
The Important Role of Teaching Assistants, Teaching Fellows, and Adjunct Faculty for Student Success at UNT - August 23, 2012
UNT has a strong commitment to undergraduate education. We know that quality undergraduate education requires quality instructors. As a way to provide our new teaching assistants, teaching fellows, adjunct and new faculty access to best practices in teaching and supportive resources, UNT is offering a one-day seminar on August 23, 2012 at the Gateway Center that will provide an experiential learning opportunity for these new instructors.
Purpose of the seminar The purpose of this one-day seminar is to provide participants an opportunity to explore effective teaching practices, issues that arise when working with students, and resources that can assist students. In addition to sharing ideas with one another, seminar participants will have the opportunity to hear UNT faculty from over 20 departments describe effective teaching practices using examples from their own classrooms.
Developing strategies to maximize student interaction and engagement
By interacting with colleagues and participating in activities, participants will experience both successful practices and challenges related to providing quality educational experiences for UNT students. They will discuss interacting with students both during and outside of class and ways to help facilitate exploration of ideas and engagement with content.
Registration will open soon
We look forward to meeting new TA's, TF's and Adjunct Faculty on August 23. Advance registration is required. No walk-in registration will be allowed.
Please contact Mark Maxwell or Dr. Nancy Fire
for more information.
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Outcome-Based-Assessment Workshops
by Dr. Ron Carriveau for AY 2012-2013 Coming this August, CLEAR will be offering 50 minute workshops by Dr. Ron Carriveau that provide everything needed to develop measurable student learning outcomes and outcome based assessments. It is not necessary to take the workshops in the order shown below, but it is highly recommended that workshop 1 be taken first. Each workshop is limited to 10 participants and will be offered more than once in a semester. The information offered in these workshops covers the same assessment information received by NextGen Faculty Fellows which ensures their courses qualify as a NextGen course. (For more information on NextGen courses offered at UNT, contact NextGen Course Redesign project manager Shana Luster .) The text for the workshops is Connecting The Dots: Developing Student Learning Outcomes and Outcome Based Assessments (2011, R.S. Carriveau), which is not required but is highly recommended. Workshop participants can purchase the book at a reduced price. - Developing Measurable Student Learning Outcomes
This workshop focuses on how to begin the outcome based process, the application of a three-level SLO model, guidelines for writing measurable SLOs, writing higher level thinking SLOs, and question templates for writing outcomes and test items. - Developing Your Assessment Plan
This workshop focuses on developing an outcome-item reference map, an overall assessment plan, and test blueprints. - Writing Multiple-Choice Test Items
This workshop is on writing outcome based multiple-choice test items, including guidelines for writing the item stem and the item options (answer choices), and developing a test-item bank. - Writing Constructed Response Test Items and Scoring Rubrics
This workshop covers guidelines for writing different types of constructed response test items with a focus on extended responses, types of rubrics (holistic and analytic), developing analytic rubric proficiency descriptors, and setting rubric score cut points. - Using Multiple-Choice items to Measure Critical Thinking
This workshop covers the rationale, advantages, and limitations of measuring critical thinking skills with MC items, and provides guidelines for developing a critical thinking item set, examples of higher order thinking items, and an example of a MC critical thinking test that is not course content specific. - Reporting Results with the Three-Level Model
This workshop shows how to calculate a direct measure of student attainment of learning outcomes (without the use of grades) using results from MC and constructed response tests, and how to report attainment at three outcome levels and then linking to program and institutional levels, all with an emphasis on the importance of test item validity.
Advance Registration is required to attend these workshops. Please contact Mark Maxwell to register. Workshop topics and times will be posted here within the event section of the CLEAR website.
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CLEAR Spreading the Message Across
Texas and the Nation!
CLEAR has been hard at work ensuring that leaders and colleagues across the nation are aware of the work done at The University of North Texas in the field of Assessment, Learning Excellence, and Course Redesign.
Dr. Mike Simmons, Senior Associate Director:
Dr. Mike Simmons and Dr. Brenda McCoy (PACS/BAAS) were invited, feature speakers at the American Democracy Project's (ADP) annual meeting. Their topic: "Next Generation Civic Engagement" focused upon designing engaging courses using UNT's NextGen course redesign in Dr. McCoy's civic engagement course as the example. ADP is an initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). McCoy and Simmons also participated in the AASCU national teleconference on course redesign in April.
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Sloan-C Perspectives in Quality Online Education
The University of North Texas is a premium member of
Sloan-C College Pass.
To request free enrollment in an online workshop by Sloan-C, please contact Amber Bryant with the name and date of the workshop selected.
Learn about the Online Teaching Certificate Program.
See the Full 2012 Sloan-C Workshop Schedule
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Workshop Date
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Workshop Title
| June 20, 2012 - June 29, 2012
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| June 20, 2012 - June 29, 2012
| Atten-Shun! How to Better Serve Military Students
| June 20, 2012 - June 29, 2012
| New Workload Management Strategies Needed for Online Education
| June 20, 2012 - June 29, 2012
| Using Advanced Podcasting and Other Web 2.0 Multimedia in Your Curriculum
| June 20, 2012 - June 29, 2012
| Interact and Engage: Simple Recipes for Better Social Media Experiences
| June 20, 2012 - July 6, 2012
| Master Asynchronous Tools for the Blended Classroom
| June 20, 2012 - June 29, 2012
| Introduction to Mobile App/Game Development
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Take the next step -- contact CLEAR today!
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