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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  

Visit CIRT online at:




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 Using Classroom Recording and Surveys to Promote Reflection in Pre-Service Teachers
Featured Faculty Member: Karen Patterson, Exceptional, Deaf, and Interpreter Education

Dr. Karen Patterson, chair of Exceptional, Deaf, and Interpreter Education, teaches a classroom management for exceptional learners course in which students develop a personal philosophy of classroom management and use strategies that promote a safe classroom environment.

 

This past summer, Patterson had the opportunity to teach the course in a classroom that supported lecture capture, and she used that technology to both capture her own instruction and to provide students with an opportunity to complete a structured reflection of their presentation and classroom management style.

UNF currently has three Distance Learning classrooms with specialized videoconferencing technologies. Use of these rooms is prioritized for synchronous DL courses, but they may also be used by classes recording lectures/content for use in a future DL course, according to scheduling priority. 
 
During Patterson's course, students make three presentations: 
  1. Review of a journal article related to teaching style,
  2. Group presentation of a classroom management theory, and 
  3. Presentation of a classroom management plan. 

After each presentation, the students had access to the
recording of their presentation and received a link with directions to view the video prior to completion of a self-rating and reflection survey. Facilitated reflection via video analysis has previously been found to be an effective tool for analyzing one's own teaching, as it allows one to reflect on their teaching style from an external perspective and to focus attention on specific characteristics (Tripp & Rich, 2012).

Patterson used Qualtrics, the University's survey tool, to deliver the reflection instruments to each student following each presentation. The survey was set up as a single instrument with up to three collection points for each student, so that she could review students' reported self-efficacy over the course of the semester and identify growth. Qualtrics allows for multiple survey completions by a single individual, and the use of a unique identifier provides the ability to compare those submissions by individual over time.
 
Student feedback indicated that viewing the recording of their presentations allowed them to notice behaviors they would not have otherwise, such as posture, hand placement, eye contact, and voice projection. Several students also commented on the audience's interest, noting that they were too nervous to appreciate that interest while delivering the presentation. Some students reported in the final reflection that they were able to see improvement in themselves in presentation/teaching skills over time. 

Student feedback indicated that viewing the recording of their presentations allowed them to notice behaviors they would not have otherwise, such as posture, hand placement, eye contact, and voice projection.


Patterson reported that lecture capture provides students a rare and unique opportunity to observe their own behaviors and interactions that are unedited and unbiased.  Although students could clearly benefit from instructor and peer feedback, more importantly, they could review the lectures, evaluate, and determine conclusions based on the context.  The overall assistance from CIRT coupled with the daily support of the CCEC Broadcast Technologists contributed significantly to the success of the course delivery.  In their own words, students expressed the following feedback about their experience:
  • "The use of technology to present projects to our peers and the use of technology to go back and reflect how effectively we relayed that information was a great aspect. As future educators, I believe self-reflection and self-critique are two ways to be effective in our future classrooms. Whether we notice that we speak too softly or too loudly during presentations, we could not have known to make the adjustments without being able to go back and watch ourselves.  A second benefit of having a lecture recorded was being able to go back and watch class discussions. It was easy to go back and take notes that I may have missed or comments that my peers made that were helpful."
     
  • "Recording each class session was beneficial for many reasons. First, it allowed for me and my peers to review our introduction, individual research, group, and classroom management plan presentations. It was unique to see myself present from a different perspective. While presenting, I usually have an idea of how I am doing and what I need to change, but watching the recording allowed for me to analyze my presentation skills from a different perspective."
     
  • "During presentations everyone was able to display any charts and/or pictures at any time. Thanks to the great technology staff running the recording studio, no one had to worry about transitioning from PowerPoint to a chart or vice versa. I believe that the technology available improved the overall experience and quality of this class."
     
  • "I think that using the recordings help with self reflection that I don't usually get to have since I haven't seen myself speak publicly before. I liked that we are able to keep the videos for future use if we wanted, and I thought it was a good tool to use for grading opportunities."
     
  • "Though watching yourself is an unnerving and awkward experience, it offers great insight into any behaviors that you might otherwise be unaware of. It also has the benefit of allowing for personal critique versus critique from a peer or professor."

Additionally, because the instructor's teaching and interaction were available for review and critique, Patterson could also reflect on whether or not she was actually practicing the same behaviors expected of students. It was a powerful learning experience for everyone involved.
If you are interested in learning more about the classrooms on campus that are capable of recording class sessions, or about using Qualtrics as a tool for student reflection, please contact us.



REFERENCES:
Tripp, T., & Rich, P. (2012). Using video to analyze one's own teaching. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(4), 678-704.

 

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 Director's Message: Annual Reports and New Initiatives
Deb Miller, Director

There are so many exciting things going on this fall, I hardly
know where to begin. We have a tremendous number of scheduled events available on topics from creating a professional online identity to developing a blended course, in addition to our regular Blackboard and Qualtrics sessions. The Online Learning Lab recently opened in Building 10, and provides a state-of-the-art facility for online content creation and professional development. Also, now that the dust has settled on the Blackboard upgrade, there are some wonderful new features available that faculty have been requesting, including SafeAssign integration and delegated grading.

I am also excited about two new initiatives shaping up on campus: a Digital Humanities Initiative to promote collaboration on interdisciplinary projects that employ technology in Humanities and Fine Arts research, and an Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative to increase awareness of resources that are available with low-cost, open, "free" access to improve textbook affordability. Look for more information on both of these projects in the November issue of CIRT News.

Finally, I am very pleased to present CIRT's 2015 Annual Report. It has been a number of years since we've produced a formal annual report, and I invite you to review our achievements, planned initiatives, activity data, and strategic goals for this academic year.


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 UNFIS 2015: Student Engagement in Blended Learning Models 
Save the Date: November 6, 2015


We are pleased to announce that registration is open for UNF's 3rd annual Academic Technology Innovation Symposium. UNFIS will be held on Friday, November 6, 2015 in the Student Union. 
 

This event highlights innovative practices by UNF faculty and provides a forum for discussion on current use, and potential for academic technology to support teaching, learning, and research. 

The keynote, Student Engagement in Blended Learning Models, will be given by Dr. Gardner Campbell, Vice Provost for Learning Innovation and Student Success at Virginia Commonwealth University. His work focuses on advancing learning innovation and the strategic use of digital technologies. More information about Dr. Gardner Campbell is available on the symposium website



Seating is limited, so register early!


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 Upcoming Events
Friday, September 18, 2015
*Registration is required for this event.
This session will provide an overview of the new technologies for online content creation located in the Online Learning Laboratory, from touch screen projectors to interactive TVs. You won't leave this hands on session empty handed as we also explore how online content can aid in engaging students with course content.
 
Wednesday, September 23, 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.
 
Friday, September 25, 2015
*Registration is required for this event.
This class introduces the basic functions of the University's online survey application, Qualtrics. Participants learn how to create, edit, format, publish, and share surveys. Creation of several question types is covered, including matrix and conditional branching questions. Participants learn how to export survey data and display reports. This course is prerequisite to Creating and Managing Online Surveys, Level 2.
 
Thursday, October 1, 2015
*Registration is required for this event.
This class covers the advanced functions of the University's online survey application, Qualtrics. Participants learn how to use the library feature to save surveys and questions for reuse and about survey distribution methods, including customized email links, panels, and inclusion in social media sites. These methods provide more efficient communication to the survey participants. Participants learn how to modify the available reports and export survey results into PowerPoint and MS Word. Creating and Managing Online Surveys, Level 1 is prerequisite to this class.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
*Registration is required for this event.
This workshop explores strategies that instructors can use with Blackboard tools to consult with students virtually. Specifically, we cover the use of 'Collaborate' and 'Chat' tools for holding online office hours and other student consultations. Best practices for using those tools are addressed.
 
Friday, October 16, 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.
 
Thursday, October 22, 2015
*Registration is required for this event. 
Qualtrics Offline Surveys is a new application available for iOS and Android that allows for the administration of surveys on mobile devices without an Internet connection. This class teaches participants how to setup the Qualtrics Offline Survey app on iOS and Android devices, collect responses and then upload the data back into Qualtrics when you have an Internet connection.
 
Friday, November 6, 2015
*Registration is required for this event. 
The Academic Technology Innovation Symposium highlights innovative practices by UNF faculty and offers a forum for interactive learning and thought-provoking discussion on current use and the potential for academic technology to support teaching, learning, and research.
  
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
*Registration is required for this event. 
This presentation focuses on defining accessibility and universal design for learning in online instruction and presents strategies instructors can use  to promote accessibility for all students. Topics covered include best practices for course design and document formatting, using multiple means of expression, representation and engagement, and successfully incorporating accessible media into online courses.

Thursday, November 12, 2015
*Registration is required for this event. 
In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to use Qualtrics' new report tool to create, edit, and publish or export reports.


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 Digital Thinking: Introducing 3D Scanning @ CIRT 
Donatella Schianomoriello, 


Since the Fall of 2013, CIRT has offered 3D printing services to faculty. If you have stopped by the CIRT lab and taken a gander around the various shelves, you may have seen some of the objects we have created and printed. CIRT recently added 3D scanning to our 3D service capabilities. We are able to scan a variety of objects in many shapes, textures, and sizes. When 3D scanning is coupled with 3D printing, customization and recreation becomes a more manageable possibility for research and classroom activities.

This may sound a bit like Star Trek at this point, so let's back up and talk  about the basics of 3D scanning. 3D scanning is a method of collecting graphic and surface data--imagine a photo with texture that you can rotate to see all of its sides. When this data is assembled together in a mesh or model, it recreates a 3-dimensional, digital representation of the physical object on a computer screen. These digital models can later be 3D printed individually or in identical sets. 

Modifications can be made to 3D scans and models if a unique item or design is required.
CIRT uses the DAVID-SLS2 scanner. This particular model was chosen because it offers a wide range of functionality and fine detail without being too costly or cumbersome. With this system and its accompanying software, we are able to generate comparable results to exponentially pricier models. The DAVID scanner projects calculated patterns and colors onto an object. The projector is synchronized with a camera that captures images of the object with added depth and texture. The computer then analyzes and represents this data as a 3D model. Pretty neat, if you ask me!

Thus far, we have 3D scanned and printed a homo sapiens skull model and Florida oyster shells for biology research projects. Both scans produced finished objects with great detail. Recreating artifacts or objects for class sets and research, redesigning existing items with new or customized features, and sharing 3D representations of these examples across Blackboard are just a handful of the options available via 3D scanning and printing.

If you have an idea or questions about 3D scanning and would like to schedule an appointment to discuss available options, please visit the CIRT Lab in Building 1, Suite 1801, e-mail [email protected], or give us a call at (904) 620-3927.


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 Best Practices Online: Peer Assessment 
Rozy Parlette, Instructional Designer

The common mission of most universities is to produce graduates that are lifelong learners with the ability to monitor their own development and assess their learning. Metacognition is the process of "thinking about thinking." Building metacognitive skills is essential to students, as these skills assist them in recognizing and controlling their intellectual achievement.

Metacognition allows people to take charge of their own learning. It involves awareness of how they learn, an evaluation of their learning needs, generating strategies to meet these needs, and then implementing the strategies (Hacker, 2009). Peer assessment is an authentic tool that is used to evaluate student learning while contributing to the growth of critical thinking and metacognitive skills. By utilizing this instructional tool in courses, instructors give students the opportunity to consider the attributes of quality work as they appraise the work of their classmates. 

As students construct knowledge and produce artifacts to showcase their learning, constructive feedback can serve as a guide to help them develop an improved end product. Peer assessment is a reflective mechanism that, when done well, can lift the level of student performance. 

Peer assessment provides benefits to the receiving student as well as the student providing the feedback. Students generally experience peer assessment as a non-threatening process that benefits their learning by providing suggestions from their peers about how to improve their work and by helping them understand the criteria that will be used for the summative assessment of their work (Wood & Kurzel, 2008). 

As students construct knowledge and produce artifacts to showcase their learning, constructive feedback can serve as a guide to help them develop an improved end product.
The benefits of incorporating peer assessment into an online course are numerous. Student learning is improved as they take increased ownership of their education. Furthermore, when students know that their peers will review their work, it can empower them to take responsibility for, and manage, their own learning. The practice of critically evaluating another person's work employs numerous higher-order thinking skills. In addition, students are better able to assess their own work, and ascertain what they don't know, when they can see and consider the array of methods made evident to them during peer assessment. The ability to assess one's own work is a valuable skill that can be used throughout life. 

Strategies for including peer assessment in your course:
  • When including peer assessment in your course, it's important to make clear to your students why you are using peer assessment and how it will impact their learning. By stating a purpose for incorporating the tool, you add relevance to the assignment, which will increase student motivation.
     
  • When developing activities that will be used for peer assessment, instructors should establish detailed and precise criteria and standards for how student work will be evaluated. Similar to developing a rubric, peer assessment criteria should use specific language that gives students consistent benchmarks for which to assess the qualities of their peers' work.
     
  • It is good instructional practice to make peer assessments anonymous. Anonymity allows students to feel comfortable about giving an honest review of the work of their peers.
     
  • Instructors should allow students to practice using peer assessment on a structured low-stakes assignment prior to it being used to measure high-stakes summative assessments. This will accustom students to exposing their work to more public scrutiny, giving them safe opportunities to improve their performance using informal feedback while developing their competence as assessors (Lutze-Mann, 2015).
     
  • Before employing peer assessment in courses, instructors need to make sure that their students have abundant knowledge and are sufficiently equipped to make educated decisions about the work of their peers.
     
  • Breakdown more complicated assignments into several smaller chunks to be assessed individually and then allow students to revise their work based on commentary from their peers. This assists in supporting the importance of peer assessment as part of a greater knowledge development system.
A Peer and Self Assessment tool is available in Blackboard Learn. This tool allows students to review and assess work submitted by themselves and/or their classmates. To begin the process of using the Peer and Self Assessment tool, the instructor will need to develop the assessment; this includes developing the questions that the students will answer as a part of completing the assignment. These questions are also used during the peer assessment phase when students evaluate the work of their classmates. Instructors develop specific criteria that correspond to each question. The students will use these criteria to assign points to and provide feedback of their colleagues' assignments. Instructors have the option to allow students to self-assess their work as well. Once the assessment process has begun, the instructor can review submissions, student evaluations, and the results. When the evaluation timeframe has concluded, the instructor can send the results to the grade center. 
 
Students will engage with two different activities while completing the peer assessment. First they will complete the assignment by answering each question that the instructor developed using the provided criteria.  They will then evaluate the work of their peers by analyzing their work, assigning a score, and providing relevant feedback.
 
There are many advantages to using peer assessment in an online course. It's a tool that can have a substantial impact on student learning and development. Peer assessment encourages participation and interactivity between students while increasing motivation through active learning. If you are interested in using peer and self assessment in your course, please contact CIRT for assistance.
 
 
REFERENCES
Hacker, Douglas J., John Dunlosky and Arthur C. Graesser (Eds.). (2009) Handbook of Metacognition in Education.
 
Lutze-Mann, L. (2015, March 30). Student Peer Assessment. Retrieved August 19, 2015, from https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/printpdf/544
 
Wood, D. & Kurzel, F. (2008). Engaging students in reflective practice through a process of formative peer review and peer assessment. In ATN Assessment Conference 2008: Engaging students in assessment. Retrieved August 19, 2015, from http://www.ojs.unisa.edu.au/index.php/atna/article/download/376/252



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 Blackboard News
Ross Bell, Assistant Director of Online Learning Support


With the August Blackboard maintenance complete, we would like to introduce some exciting new features, and mention a few functionality changes that you will experience in your fall Blackboard course(s).


STUDENT PREVIEW
With the Student Preview feature, instructors can see and interact with courses exactly as students do. An instructor can easily transition in and out of a system-managed preview account that is automatically enrolled in any course as a student without using a separate log in.
Read more about this feature here.
 
SAFEASSIGN INTEGRATION WITH ASSIGNMENT TOOL
SafeAssign is now integrated into Blackboard Learn Assignments as an option and most assignment features are available with the SafeAssign option, including multiple attempts, rubric grading, anonymous grading, delegated grading, and group assignments.

DATE MANAGEMENT
Date Management is a new tool in Blackboard Learn that allows instructors to automatically "shift" content and tool dates in a course in a highly efficient way after copying from a previous term. After the system makes this shift, the instructor is able to see all the dates in a single view, and validate or tweak, which greatly streamlines the process. 


NEW AND FIXED FUNCTIONALITY
  • Google Mashup tools have been fixed. New and existing YouTube, Flickr, and SlideShare content can now be made available in a course.
     
  • The Spellchecker functionality has been improved in the textbox editors.
     
  • Improvements have been made to the Test creation and deployment options.
     
  • Improved copy and paste functionality is now available when copying MS Office content into Blackboard.
 
For more information on the any of these features visit our Blackboard New Features knowledgebase article.


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 Accessing Student Blackboard Activity Data

Occasionally, questions arise about a student's activity in a Blackboard course. These questions are often related to assignment submission or test attempts. The information below is provided to assist you as an instructor in directing those requests. 

INFORMATION FOR FACULTY
Faculty, including chairs and deans, who have questions about student work or records of activity in a Blackboard course should contact CIRT. The Bb Team (CIRT & ITS Enterprise Systems) can assist with reviewing the student's course activity and other data to help the faculty member interpret the information and provide a definitive response. If a student requests access to records of his or her activity in Blackboard, ITS will redirect that student back to the instructor.
 

INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS 

Students who are seeking information about their activity in Blackboard related to grades or coursework should contact their instructor, who can then contact CIRT to obtain information about the student's activity in the course. If the student and instructor can't come to a resolution, the department chair may also be consulted.


Students can be referred to One Stop Student Services as a starting point on any appeal process. One Stop will provide students with instructions on which path to take to properly appeal an academic issue. 

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 CIRT Online Learning Lab: Open for Business

After many months of planning, we are excited to announce that the Online Learning Lab (OLL) is open! Located in Building 10, Room 1102, the OLL provides a state-of-the-art facility to support online learning and faculty development. The design of the room allows faculty to easily create high-quality online materials that combine audio or video elements with content. The OLL has the capability to record video and audio of a lecture and any annotations made on a touchscreen TV. If you prefer to use an interactive projector with a whiteboard, we also have that capability in this new space. Once the lecture is recorded, the video can easily be posted in your Blackboard course. 

The OLL also provides an environment that promotes collaborative learning. The room is equipped with mobile furniture and technology that support collaboration while making learning a more interactive process. For example, the OLL's tables and chairs are easily rearrangeable, allowing participants to gather in small groups at a moment's notice. Areas for collaboration are scattered around the perimeter of the room, making small group discussions intimate and engaging. During workshops, technologies such as Crestron's AirMedia, provide the capability for anyone with a mobile device or laptop to easily share content wirelessly to the TVs or projector in the room. 

A teleconference cart is positioned in the room, offering the ability to hold small group meetings with remote participants in an immersive collaborative environment. The cart supports content sharing and high definition video connectivity.
 
We invite you to drop in or make an appointment to visit the OLL and gain hands-on experience with its technologies. To learn more about the Online Learning Laboratory or to schedule an appointment in the OLL, visit our webpage.

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 New in CIRT: Faces & Equipment


STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please join us in welcoming our newest Instructional Designer, Rozy Parlette, to the CIRT team. 

We offer congratulations to Taylor Kennedy on his promotion to Coordinator of Online Learning Support. 

We also have several new student assistants. You can see all of the smiling faces on our People page.



NEW GADGETS AND LAB COMPUTERS
This summer, CIRT purchased several new equipment items, including a Swivl - a video robotic platform that can be used with existing mobile devices for easy classroom capture or presentation recording. The system includes "markers" which function as wireless microphones and as a remote control for content in the Swivl app (available for iOS and Android). The markers also allow the Swivl robotic base to follow the speaker during video recording to facilitate the creation of a video with time-synchronized slides and presenter video.
 
New high-quality digital cameras and lightweight PC laptops are also available for check out. For more information, visit the Equipment page. 


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

Deb Miller, Editor

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