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CIRT News is published
four times a year by the 
Center for Instruction and Research Technology at
the University of North 
Florida. To view past newsletters, current
events, and more, visit  

In This Issue
 



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 Spotlight: Lessons Learned in the Wonderful World of Online Instruction
Featured Faculty Member: Dr. Clarence Hines, Jazz Studies
►Listen

When Dr. Clarence Hines took over the MUM3701 Music Business course, it had been taught for more than 10 years in a face-to-face setting. Following the retirement of the course's previous instructor, Dr. Hines assumed the task of teaching the course because he wanted to provide a measure of stability for its future. 

 

Although initially filled with some trepidation, Dr. Hines was interested in transitioning the music business course online to allow broader access for music students. His initial uncertainty regarding online courses was based on concerns over whether the course would be seen as a legitimate option for students. Dr. Hines wondered whether the online course would be taken seriously.

 

It was at this point that Dr. Hines registered for CIRT's Teaching Online (TOL6100) seminar and began learning how to teach effectively in an online environment. While he first found the TOL experience to be challenging and intimidating-because he believed that adopting what instructors in other disciplines were doing online might prove difficult in a music course-he came to realize that the online "best practices" outlined in the TOL seminar were eminently doable. 

 

Dr. Hines admits that he had "hit a wall" in his own face-to-face teaching. Lecturing was stale and he wanted a new, more engaging way to connect with his students. TOL not only provided him with the needed tools to design and develop an online course, but also sparked his interest in trying out new strategies in his face-to-face courses. 

 

TOL not only provided him with 
the needed 
tools to design 
and develop an online course, but also sparked his interest in trying out new strategies in his face-to-face courses.

Dr. Hines has some clear advice for faculty who
are thinking about taking TOL and developing an online course: "They should take it." According to Dr. Hines, the TOL course is extremely helpful and ensures that faculty are fully-prepared to
teach online. 

 

For Dr. Hines, one area that he found especially useful in TOL was the information on assessments and rubrics. The lessons on assessment helped him to become more comfortable in using rubrics to align his assignments with objectives and in providing his students-both online and in person-with more effective feedback, thus improving learning. 


 
As a part of completing the TOL seminar, Dr. Hines was asked to submit his MUM3701 course for an internal Quality Matters (QM) review. 


As a result of the tools-for example, a course template-provided by CIRT in the course development process, preparing his course for the QM review process was "easy and straightforward." Dr. Hines felt that the entire review process was "fast and simple" and his course easily passed the internal QM review. 


After completing the internal QM review process, Dr. Hines opted to have his course reviewed through the Quality Matters National Review process. Despite the national review process' more in-depth and rigorous nature, the review of Dr. Hines' course was smooth and required very little of his time. Again, because Dr. Hines' course development was facilitated through the use of the CIRT course template and TOL best practices, the review process was quick and the course earned the Quality Matters national certification with only a couple of minor areas requiring attention. 

 

Dr. Hines has since gone on to complete multiple Quality Matters trainings and is a certified peer reviewer. He has already completed a course review for a colleague, which he says also passed easily because it had been developed following many of CIRT's TOL design principles and techniques. Dr. Hines is excited that he "was able to pass on things from his own review experience to his colleague," which is rewarding for both participants. Dr. Hines is currently pursuing a Master Online Teacher Certificate through the Illinois Online Network. 

 

Students are emailing, discussing, blogging. I didn't miss any of the interaction at all. I didn't pick up on any student feelings of isolation.


 
The biggest difference that Dr. Hines noticed between face-to-face and online instruction is that, as an instructor, he does not see the students every day; yet, the interaction is there. "Students are emailing, discussing, blogging. I didn't miss any of the interaction at all. I didn't pick up on any student feelings of isolation." One of the key challenges of online instruction is making sure that students are logging in and getting started on the work in the first few days of course delivery. 

 

As for his initial trepidations, it would seem that they were unfounded, as early results show nothing but enthusiasm for the online music business course. Course enrollment during the initial iteration was about 60 students (almost double the number of students in the face-to-face course), and it is expected to be much higher in future. As a result of the positive reaction to his course, coupled with his own ongoing training, Dr. Hines is now considering future online course development. 

  


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  Director's Message: Blended Learning
Deb Miller, Director

Blended Learning is an instructional model in which the instructor selects and combines classroom and online activities in a way that is intended to maximize the potential of each to help students achieve course learning objectives. Here's one definition that I like:

"...pedagogical approach that combines the effectiveness and socialization opportunities of the classroom with the technologically enhanced active learning possibilities of the online environment" (Dziuban, Hartman, & Moskal, 2004, p.3).



In this model, classroom time is typically reduced in order to accommodate the additional time students are expected to spend online preparing for class or practicing new concepts. By combining both modalities, faculty can harness the best of both environments to solve common pedagogical problems. When done well, Blended Learning has the potential to improve student learning outcomes by:
  • increasing student-student and student-instructor interaction,
  • motivating students to prepare for classroom activities,
  • engaging students more deeply with course content,
  • personalizing instruction,
  • improving feedback, and,
  • addressing multiple learning styles.

(Bauer, 2001; Brame, n.d.; Cameron, 2003; Garnham & Kaleta, 2002; King, 2002; Mangan, 2013; McCray, 2000).

 

The US Department of Education's meta-analysis of research on online learning found that blended learning is more effective than either classroom or online learning alone (Means, Toyama, Murphy, Bakia, & Jones, 2009).  

 

If you are interested in getting started with this approach, please consider participation in CIRT's new Blended Kickstarter workshop or BlendKit 2015. 


The Blended with a Purpose Kickstarter is an introductory workshop sponsored by CIRT to help faculty prepare a blended learning course.
The goal of this three-day seminar is to provide faculty with an opportunity to develop fluency in the instructional and technical strategies that support the design and delivery of blended courses. Please see the announcement in this newsletter, or CIRT's website for more information about the Blended Kickstarter. 
 


BlendKit
is an open, online course for those interested in blended learning course design, sponsored by the Educause Learning Initiative. BlendKit 2015 recently launched and provides training for developing blended learning courses through (1) a consideration of key issues related to blended learning and (2) practical step-by-step guidance in producing materials for a blended course (e.g., developing design documents, creating content pages, and receiving peer review feedback at one's own institution). This professional development opportunity is supported by a Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) grant. The format for the BlendKit course is a five-week Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). Registration is free and available on the program site. The course's resources also remain available year-round on UCF's BlendKit site. While this MOOC started in late February, registration remains open and the course runs through May.

 

I hope that you find these resources and opportunities helpful as you consider adding Blended Learning to your own instructional toolkit. If you're interested in discussing further, please drop me a line, or stop by my office - now in Building 10/1126. 


REFERENCES 

Bauer, W. (July/August 2001). Enriching the traditional music classroom through Internet-based technologies. The Technology SourceRetrieved from http://technologysource.org/article/ enriching_the_traditional_music_classroom_through_internetbased_technologies

Brame, C. (n.d.). Flipping the classroom. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved from 

http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/teaching-activities/flipping-the-classroom

Bruff, D. (2012). The flipped classroom FAQ. Retrieved from http://www.cirtl.net/node/7788

Dziuban, C. D., Hartman, J. L., & Moskal, P. D. (March 30, 2004). Blended learning. Educause Center for Applied Research, 2004(7). Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0407.pdf

Garnham, C., & Kaleta, R. (March 20, 2002). Introduction to hybrid courses. Teaching with Technology Today, 8(6). Retrieved from http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/articles/garnham.htm

Hill, C. (2013, August 26). The benefits of flipping your classroom. Faculty Focus. Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/the-benefits-of-flipping-your-classroom

King, K. P. (2002). Identifying success in online teacher education and professional development. Internet and Higher Education, 5 (3), 231-246.

Mangan, K. (2013, September 30). Inside the flipped classroom. The Chronicle. Retrieved from https://chronicle.com/article/Inside-the-Flipped-Classroom/141891/

McCray, G. E. (2000). The hybrid course: Merging on-line instruction and the traditional classroom. Information Technology and Management, 1, 307-327

Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2009). Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies. US Department of Education. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf



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  Clicker Lunch & Learn to Feature Distinguished Educator Dr. Tammy Goulet 
Dr. Tamar Goulet


Distinguished Educator Tammy Goulet discusses her 

research investigating the relationship between learning outcomes and student satisfaction in classes taught either by the lecture method or through the use of case studies. In 2010, Dr. Goulet was awarded a NSF grant to investigate the learning outcomes of her Class Generated Community Clicker Cases (CGCCC) approach. The CGCCC approach is an innovative way to integrate and capitalize on the strengths of both clickers and case studies. Clickers are electronic devices that convey student answers to a computer. Graphs of students' responses can be immediately displayed in class, making clickers powerful teaching tools.


This session includes a demonstration of how TurningPoint polling software can be used to poll in PowerPoint
, any other application, or to administer self-paced tests. Workshop participants experience firsthand the applications of clickers for: pre-and post-immediate assessment, quizzes, feedback, data gathering and audience polling of opinions. 


 

SESSION 

Tuesday, March 31

12:15 - 1:45 p.m.
Online Learning Laboratory
- 10/1102 

 

RSVP

 *Reservations are required for this event. 

Please visit our events page to reserve your spot!

Questions may be directed to Beauty Kolenc, Coordinator of Educational Media.

About Dr. Tammy Goulet

Dr. Tamar L. Goulet joined the University of Mississippi in 2001. She studies symbiotic systems, focusing on coral reefs. Dr. Goulet was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER grant to research the symbioses of Caribbean octocorals. In addition to symbiotic research, she conducts pedagogical research and promotes teaching innovation.  
 


article_four
Flag  Upcoming Events

 

QUALTRICS REPORTING TOOLS

Thursday, March 26, 2015

*Registration is required for this event.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to use Qualtrics' reporting tool to create, edit, and publish or export reports.

 

DIALOGUE ON DISTANCE LEARNING

Friday, March 27, 2015

Distance Learning is one of the critical topics in higher education today. In this forum, colleagues have a monthly dialogue on distance learning, discussing key issues, exploring good practices, and exchanging ideas on a variety of topics related to teaching and learning via distance learning.
 

SHARESTREAM FOR BLACKBOARD

Monday, March 30, 2015

ShareStream is the university's new Digital Asset Management system. It is an easy to use tool that allows instructors to upload and deliver audio and video to their students through Blackboard with a YouTube style interface. In this hands-on session, faculty learn how to set up ShareStream and use it to deliver media to students in a number of different ways. Faculty also learn how use ShareStream to collect and grade student media.

 

TURNING TECHNOLOGIES LUNCH & LEARN

Friday, March 31, 2015

*Registration is required for this event.

Distinguished Educator Tammy Goulet discusses her research investigating the relationship between learning outcomes and student satisfaction in classes taught either by the lecture method or through the use of case studies.  In 2010, Dr. Goulet was awarded a NSF grant to investigate the learning outcomes of her Class Generated Community Clicker Cases (CGCCC) approach.  The CGCCC approach is an innovative way to integrate and capitalize on the strengths of both clickers and case studies. 


ACQUIRING AND USING CIRT'S DL COURSE TEMPLATE

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

*Registration is required for this event.
This workshop presents the rationale behind using a course template to develop online courses and examples of implementation at UNF. In addition, best practices for using the course template and acquiring student feedback on the overall design and delivery of online courses built using the course template are addressed throughout.

 

BUILD YOUR FACULTY PROFILE

Friday, April 10, 2015

*Registration is required for this event.
This hands-on session is designed to assist faculty in creating a faculty profile, which includes their picture, contact information, areas of expertise, brief biography, and selected publications. The Faculty Bio website was developed to achieve several goals, including the development of an expertise database, and reaches both internal and external community members. In this session, faculty members who have not yet built a faculty profile get a brief demonstration of the system and have CIRT staff available for support as they build their profile.

 

LATE NITE LABS

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

*Registration is required for this event. 

This workshop provides an overview of Late Nite Labs. This includes an in-depth look at several immersive digital labs in Biology, Microbiology, Chemistry, and Physics.  Late Nite Labs provides a great option for blended/hybrid labs, pre-lab activities, and completely online labs. Lunch provided.
 

USING SURVEYS TO IMPROVE ONLINE COURSES

Friday, April 17, 2015

*Registration is required for this event. 

Creating surveys in a course can help provide valuable information to help both the student and instructor. This workshop explores how to enhance the educational experience for all involved by helping to better prepare curriculum, evaluate learning, and gather feedback. 
  

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR ONLINE IDENTITY: A SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE FOR FACULTY

Thursday, April 30, 2015

*Registration is required for this event. 

This workshop introduces faculty to the different social networks that can be leveraged for their academic and professional benefit. Gain insight and advice about why you should send that tweet, make that LinkedIn connection, keep an updated website portfolio/resume, tackle Facebook and start building your online presence with just a few clicks.

 

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article_five
  Blended With A Purpose: A Kickstarter For Designing & Delivering Blended Courses
Deb Miller, Director

 

In light of the commitment in UNF's Work Plan to increase the percentage of courses offered via online delivery, and the inclusion of hybrid and distance learning courses in the University's BOG performance funding metrics, CIRT strives to provide support and services that facilitate the continued expansion of these courses.

 

The Blended with a Purpose Kickstarter is an introductory workshop intended to help faculty prepare a blended learning course. Blended courses combine the best practices of online and face-to-face instruction into a mix of pedagogically appropriate classroom and online learning activities consistent with the objectives of the course.

 

The goal of this three-day seminar is to provide faculty with an opportunity to develop fluency in the instructional and technical strategies that support the design and delivery of blended courses.

 

CIRT invites UNF faculty who are interested in developing a blended course to apply for the Blended with a Purpose Kickstarter. Participants will engage in online and face-to-face activities to explore concepts, strategies, and tools related to blended learning. UNF faculty selected to participate, and who complete all activities and assignments, will receive a $1,000 stipend.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

All full-time faculty are invited to apply. Fifteen applications will be selected based upon the degree to which the application articulates how the course will benefit from the use of blended learning strategies. The Blended Learning Toolkit provides a good overview of blended learning and potential benefits that may be helpful in completing an application.

 

The selection process will attempt to identify participants who represent a broad range disciplines on campus. Preference will be given to participants who have not previously participated in CIRT's TOL6100 seminar.

 

KICKSTARTER ACTIVITIES

  • Online Preparation: Week of April 27
  • Face-to-Face Dates: May 6 - 8, 2015. (*Must be available from 10 am - 4 pm on these days.)
  •  Applications must be submitted online by April 3, 2015. 
  • Applicants will be notified by April 10. 

article_six
  Digital Thinking: 2015 NMC Horizon Report
Beauty Kolenc, Educational Media, The Creative Team
►Listen
 
The NMC Horizon Project was founded more than 13 years ago to research and report on emerging technology that will likely impact education. The annual Horizon Report provides insightful projections and guides educators in a technological world that never stops progressing. Published by the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), the 2015 Higher Education edition of the Horizon Report, released in February, identifies key trends and challenges that will impact the future of educational technology over the next five years. 


 

SHORT TERM
In the short-term (1-2 years), the NMC and ELI experts identified two key trends for higher education: increasing the use of Blended Learning, and redesigning learning spaces. 

 

In the section about Blended Learning, the Horizon Report discusses a positive shift in perception of online classes and their long-term potential. Successful blended learning initiatives require that instructors create quality, engaging content that stimulates students in both face-to-face and online environments, leveraging the appropriate tools to maximize learning in both arenas. CIRT will be offering a new seminar, "Blended with a Purpose," to provide Faculty with an opportunity to get acquainted with the different facets of Blended Learning. For more information about that, see the articles above or visit CIRT's website for more information.

 

To meaningfully redesign a learning space, educators must look at newer models of teaching that meet students in the world that they live in - the digital world. The Horizon Report explains that this includes a migration from traditional lecture-based teaching to a more project-based method with hands-on scenarios that replicate real-world environments and incorporates technology into the classroom. This approach more comprehensively prepares students for the futures that await them when they graduate.

 

Learning spaces must be looked at from a different perspective in order to effectively redesign 

them. Rather than a room full of desks in rows facing one direction, institutions are adopting learning spaces that foster student collaboration. Projectors, mobile furniture, writing surfaces on the walls and, of course, plenty of outlets for charging electronic devices, are key elements of a productive, redesigned learning space. 

 

In addition to the physical space, the Horizon Report reiterates the importance of integrating technology into the classroom. One useful way to do that is through the use of a handheld clicker system. Clickers are a common component of the "Flipped Classroom" pedagogy - a topic of past Horizon Reports. CIRT provides training and support for adoption of clicker integration into the classroom. To learn more about CIRT's clicker support, visit our webpage.


MID-TERM

A key trend in the mid-term (3-4 years) segment of this report is a growing focus on measuring learning. While the business sector has spent a lot of time devoted to the prediction of consumer behavior through data and analytics, the education sector is starting to adopt a new data-driven venture - "learner profiling," sometimes also known as "learner analytics."  According to the Horizon Report, through this process of gathering large amounts of information about student interactions in online learning activities, these results will allow for personalization of the learning experience and for performance assessment. "The goal is to build better pedagogies, empower students to take an active part in their learning, target at-risk student populations, and assess factors affecting completion and student success" (New Media Consortium, 2015). For further reading on measured learning and learning analytics, visit this Guardian article, titled "Learning Analytics Don't Just Measure Students' Progress - They Can Shape It."

 

LONG TERM
NMC and ELI experts agree that one of the biggest trends to impact higher education in the long-term (5+ years) will be the growth of collaboration between institutions. "Universities are increasingly competitive environments...the prevalence of consortia underscores a vision of institutions as belonging to part of a larger ecosystem" (New Media Consortium, 2015)


In the past, collaboration between universities in different states or different countries involved
a lot of work and time. Now, people around the globe can be reached easily at a moment's notice. This change in accessibility provides institutions with the opportunity to combine resources and 
collaborate together to reach a common goal. The Horizon Report explains that institutions around the world are joining forces in pursuit of "increasing accessibility, affordability and the quality of education on a global scale." This section of the report demonstrates how higher education entities must rely on each other through the development of mutually advantageous relationships to ensure long-term survival and continued relevance.

Full of interesting conclusions and recommendations for further reading, the entire HorizonReport is available to read online . The findings highlighted in this article serve as a conversation-starter and food for thought about how we approach different styles of learning, the integration of technology into those learning models and how educators can adapt to the global digital world. 


 

REFERENCES

Growing Focus on Measuring Learning. (2015). In The NMC horizon report 2015 higher education edition. New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2015-higher-education-edition/

Increasing Cross-Institution Collaboration. (2015). In The NMC horizon report 2015 higher education edition. New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2015-higher-education-edition/

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  Best Practices Online: The Three C's of Enjoying Online Learning: Communication, Collaboration & Compassion
LaTasha M. McPherson, Instructional Designer, Instructional Design Team
Listen

Pause for a moment and think about what brings you happiness. My family, music, faith, teaching, food and shopping are just a few examples of the many things that I enjoy in life. However, it's the connections, engagement and interaction with others that are the reasons behind why I enjoy these things. The same reasoning can be applied to finding enjoyment in teaching and learning online - the exchanges with others is what makes it satisfying. Let's talk about a few best practices that can help foster this enjoyment for both students and instructors: Communication, Collaboration and Compassion.



 

COMMUNICATION

Communicating effectively in online environments is the foundation of any online course. Students need the ability to communicate with their peers and their instructor in ways that are meaningful. In a face-to-face classroom it's very easy to recognize if a student does not comprehend what's being explained. In an online environment, you won't see the head nod of understanding or the blank stare of confusion. Fortunately, there are tools available to make that communication possible. The online environment can sometimes generate better communication with students, particularly among those who would normally be unwilling to speak up in a face-to-face classroom setting (Burton & Goldsmith, 2002). There's a level of anonymity in the online environment that helps students come out of their shells and interact without fear of reproach.

The online environment can sometimes generate better communication with students, particularly among those who would normally be unwilling to speak up in a face-to-face classroom setting.

 

Using the tools provided by the school are a first step to structuring a communication plan (Minnesota State College, 2015).  In creating a communication plan, you acknowledge what 
tools will be used to communicate. Email and phone calls are most likely used for reaching out. However, there are also tools available like chat and LMS communication tools such as Blackboard Collaborate, Virtual Rooms, Discussion Boards and Announcements to make interaction easier.  Whether the tool is synchronous or asynchronous, it is important to structure a protocol for students to communicate with you.  Responding in a timely manner is another aspect of effectiveness when communicating. When students are informed early-on about your response timeframes, it helps to alleviate tension and fear of being isolated or unrecognized.

 

COLLABORATION

Just as communication is the foundation of an enjoyable course, collaboration also plays a vital role. In the words of the 1624 John Donne  famous poem, "no man is an island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of a continent, a part of the main" ("John Donne," n.d.). 

 

Collaborating with peers is a practice that helps to provide real-world experience and keeps everyone connected to the subject matter. In my opinion, collaboration should be mandatory. At least one collaborative or group project should be captured in a course to provide the ability to share ideas in close quarters, stimulate new ideas and possibly reshape each other's thinking.

 

 

A few steps to making collaboration less worrisome for you and the student are:

  • Provide advance notice of collaborative assignments
  • Have students create a collaboration plan
  • Observe and monitor group participation (Kelly, 2011). 

Explaining collaborative assignments in the syllabus will provide advance notice of the collaborative work as well as create a learning object that gives precise instructions. You could also do this through a synchronous meeting in Blackboard Collaborate, written documentation or in a YouTube Video. This advanced notice prepares students to browse the tools available and begin thinking about how they can participate successfully and accomplish the assignment.

 

Students should also create a collaboration plan that includes the collaboration tools available, times to meet, and assignment of roles for completion of varied tasks, and deadlines for work completion. As the instructor, it is important to set up checkpoints to review the students' participation and the work or input necessary to complete the assignment.

 

COMPASSION

As with all technology, there is always a possibility that something will fail. There's also a chance that the user could be doing a task completely wrong and not realize it. Using the 

 

Internet, computers, and applications can sometimes be challenging and cause frustration when technology does not perform like it's supposed to. This is where the third "C" comes into play: good 'ole compassion. 

 

Not every student is tech savvy - and we don't expect them to be experts. Showing sympathy is the cornerstone to relieving the fear of failure. Showing compassion can even prompt students to become better learners over time. "Compassion requires that we be responsive and relevant," (Wolpow, Johnson, Hertel, & Kincaid, 2011, p.28). Every student, even in higher education, wants to know that we care about them. Showing empathy on a late assignment, disgruntled classmate, or family issue will help to draw that student into the bigger picture: succeeding in the course.

 

Facilitating a course online can bring freedom to both the instructor and the student. The ability to complete or grade assignments at your leisure in a location of your own choosing is liberating. That freedom gives you the opportunity to enjoy the things that we value outside of the classroom with a little more ease. If following the three C's - communication, collaboration and compassion - are followed with persistence, then a lasting enjoyable impression of learning and teaching online can be achieved.

 

REFERENCES

Burton, L. & Goldsmith, D. (2002). Students' experience in online courses: A study using asynchronous online focus groups. Retrieved from http://www.ctdlc.org/ResourceDocs/evaluation/StudentExperience.pdf 

John Donne. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved February 25, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Donne 

Kelly, R. (2011, September 16). Fostering collaboration in the online classroom. Faculty Focus. Retrieved from: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/fostering-collaboration-in-the-online-classroom/ 

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (2015). What makes a successful online learner. Retrieved from http://www.iseek.org/education/successonline.html 

Wolpow, R., Johnson, M., Hertel, R., & Kincaid, S. (2011, January). The heart of learning and teaching: Compassion, resiliency and academic success. Retrieved from http://www.k12.wa.us/compassionateschools/pubdocs/theheartoflearningandteaching.pdf

 


article_eight
Flag Blackboard News

Ross Bell, Assistant Director of Online Learning Support
Justin Lerman, Training Coordinator

 

With the approach of Summer and Fall course schedule availability, March 6th and April 1st respectively, it's time to begin thinking about requesting and setting up your course(s) in Blackboard. Blackboard course requests become available the Sunday after the University publishes the course schedule.  

 

Requesting new courses in Blackboard is a simple matter, but since so much time passes between course requests, it always helps to have a quick refresher. In an effort to take some of the stress out of preparing for a new semester, we have provided a list to help you get ready:

  • Request your course(s) from BbCAR in Blackboard. For more information on BbCAR course requests, visit our BbCAR - Course Requests knowledge base article.

  • If you have taught the course before, you can copy materials into the new course shell. There are several important steps to ensure a successful course copy. It is highly recommended that you first review our Course Copy Guide and, as always, contact us if you have questions.

  • After the course copy, you may need to go into your new course and change availability dates and/or due dates. We also recommend that you review your course Announcements to ensure that they pertain to the current semester's class.

  • If you are using Groups in your course, you will need to enroll the students into their groups, but we advise you to wait until the start of the semester to do so. If students drop your course, they are removed from any group assignments; however, students added to your course are not automatically added to a group. You can edit group enrollments at any time during the semester, if needed. For more information on Blackboard Groups, visit our Blackboard Groups knowledge base article.

  • Remember. CIRT is here for you, and our Online Learning Support team will gladly assist you at any point in this process and beyond! Reach us at [email protected] or call 620-3927.

GRADE TRANSFER TOOL 

All this discussion about upcoming semesters reminds us about the Submit Grades to myWings grade transfer tool in Blackboard. If you have not used the tool before, we encourage you to look into it as an easy means to transfer your Spring Blackboard grades directly into myWings.

 

For a full rundown of the tool and a step-by-step tutorial, visit the Registrar's Faculty/Staff Resources webpage and click on Guide to Transferring Grades to myWings.

 



BB GRADER APP

 

In January's edition of CIRT News, we drew your attention to the Bb Grader App, and now we want to hear from you! Now that we have had some time to further investigate the potential of the new mobile app, we've found that it is a great way to grade assignments in Blackboard.

 

Truthfully, it's a little disheartening that it's only able to grade assignments, but not tests, wikis, discussions, etc., and is currently only available for iOS. Although its capability is limited, this tool is still great for what it does.

 

For more information on the Bb Grader App visit our Bb Grader App knowledge base article.

    

 

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Flag New in CIRT: On-Demand Workshops

Did you know that CIRT offers several "on-demand"workshops? 
 

These workshops include: 

 Click here to sign up for one of these workshops.


 
 

FlagCIRT Staff Update:
 
Congratulations to Ross Bell! He has been promoted to Assistant Director of Online Learning Support. 

 

CIRT also welcomes Tina Stanton, Distance Learning Program Assistant. 

 

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Flag Let's Get Social

We want to stay connected with you! Friend us on Facebook or follow us on TwitterStay on top of the latest news, pick up tips to make your teaching and learning more successful, view fun photos from CIRT events, and more. Let's get social!

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This is a publication of the
at the University of North Florida.

Deb Miller, Editor

Please direct any suggestions, comments, or questions to [email protected]