June 2015  Faculty News & Training

 

Outstanding Online Course Awards 2015
Extended until 6/22/2015! 

 

Every year CLEAR (Center for Learning Enhancement, Assessment, and Redesign) awards select UNT faculty for designing/teaching outstanding online courses.  We are once again extending the opportunity to acknowledge exceptional online pedagogy.  If you, or a faculty member you know designed or taught an online course in 2014 that you think is worthy of consideration for this award, please fill out the attached nomination packet and send it back to CLEAR by end of day June 22, 2015. Nominations should be sent via email to [email protected].

  

Designers/Teachers whose courses are deemed "Outstanding" or "Exemplary" will be notified mid-June. Award presentations will take place during the "Salute to Faculty Excellence Reception Dinner",  October 2, 2015.

  

In addition to the nomination packet included in this email, you'll find CLEAR's Review Form with rubrics attached. Instructional consultants at CLEAR will use this rubric to evaluate course nominations. If you're unsure about what constitutes a quality online course, feel free to reference the rubric as a guide for making your decision. 

 

Awards will include:

  

  • $1500 and a trophy given to the recipient who will also be identified as the winner of the "Outstanding" Online Teacher & Course Award at UNT eCampus.com
  • $1000 and a trophy given to one or two others selected from the nominee pool for "Exemplary" Course Designer or "Exemplary" Course Instructor. 
  • All winners will be recognized on a perpetual award plaque displayed in the Center for Learning Enhancement, Assessment, and Redesign.

2015 Nomination Packet

CLEAR Review Rubrics

  

We want to thank all of our online teachers who strive to make learning at UNT an exceptional experience. We look forward to receiving your nominations soon!

  

Sam Gist

Instructional Consultant

940.369.7829

 [email protected]

UPCOMING CHANGES TO CLEAR FACULTY HELPDESK
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Support line: (940) 369-7394
Support Email:  [email protected]
Summer Hours

The Blackboard Faculty Helpdesk will be adjusting its support hours for the Summer semesters beginning Tuesday, May 26th to the following schedule:

Monday - Friday  8:00am - 5:00pm
Closed Saturday
Closed Sunday 

 

UPCOMING TRAINING
Blackboard Open Lab
ONGOING
FRIDAYS  1:00pm - 4:00pm 
Chilton 112K (UNT - Denton Campus / Faculty) 

No Registration Required!  Feel free to come by our open labs every Friday from 1pm-4pm to receive some one-on-one Blackboard assistance from our instructional support team.

For faculty or teaching assistants who are new to Blackboard Learn, we recommend scheduling an appointment with an instructional consultant ( http://clear.unt.edu/consulting).

Check out our self-help guides and tips on the Blackboard Faculty Support Site or view our training sessions on the CLEAR calendar ( Blackboard Open Labs Dates ).
CLEAR Course Design Institute 2015
Dates:  June 15-18, 2015      
Times:  9:00am - 4:00pm 
Location:  Willis Library Forum 
  
Are you interested in designing or redesigning a course? Do you need a space with support, tools, and resources to design and develop your course? Then, make sure to put CLEAR's Course Design Institute on your calender. CLEAR CDI will involve a week of face-to-face interaction preceded by online modules in the TREE program. You must apply to attend and financial support is available.

Click here to see the different ways you can participate and apply.  
 
Teaching Excellence Seminar -- Fall 2015

August 20, 2015
7:30 am - 12:00 pm
Gateway Center Ballroom

The Teaching Excellence Seminar is held at the beginning of every long semester and is intended to educate and inform new instructors on UNT policies and best practices in teaching and learning.  The seminar is mandatory for all new TAs and TFs, and all other UNT instructors are encouraged to attend.


INFORMATION ON CLEAR INITIATIVES
TII Logo

Transformative Instruction Initiative 

 
The Transformative Instruction Initiative (TII) grant is a partial course redesign program similar to the NextGen Course Redesign Grant Program . TII provides support for faculty to enrich their courses through innovative course design. However, unlike NextGen which requires a two-year long commitment and complete course redesign, TII is a way for faculty to get their feet wet designing or redesigning a portion of a course without the long-term commitment of NextGen. During the summer, TII participants attend the CLEAR Course Design Institute with NextGen participants and work on their partial course (re)designs. They then implement their newly designed courses during the following Fall or Spring semester.

Bower, Beverly

EDHE 6080: Leadership in the Community College

Carey, Chandra

RHAB 5710: Rehabilitation in a Multicultural Society

Izen, Corneila

EDSP 3210: Educational Aspects of Exceptional Learners

Revelle, Carol

EDRE 4840: Linguistically Diverse Learners

Royce, George

EDAD 6110: Advanced Theory & Research in Administration

Sharma, Rachita

RHAB 5740

Stockdale, Nancy

HIST 4263

NextGen Course Redesign Grant Program
Faculty Fellows for 2015
http://clear.unt.edu/NextGen

NextGen is a teaching grant and program that provides faculty with the financial support and training to design or redesign their courses into engaging, student-centered learning environments. NextGen courses are built upon a foundation of student learning outcomes that align with instruction and assessment. The infusion of effective and engaging instruction energizes teaching and learning in NextGen courses and includes a mix of instructional strategies and best practices such as collaborative learning, online interactivity, and the transformation of how course content is delivered. Guidelines and best practices for developing high quality assessments give NextGen instructors a way to determine the degree to which students are learning and communicate student learning data to students as well as administrators.  

   

Darensbourg, BrandiRHAB 3100Disability & Society
Jain, PankajANTH 3700People & Cultures of South Asia
Ledgerwood, DonnaMGMT 3860Human Resource Management
Wang, XinSLIS 5000/INFO 5000Information and Knowledge Professions
White, MelodyBCIS 3610Basic Information Systems
Yuan, XiaohuiCSCE 4010Social Issues in Computing
 
CLEAR Initiative:  Learning Catalytics --
Engaging and Interacting

CLEAR is working with Pearson as part of our ongoing exploration of increased student engagement.  We are partners with faculty in Biology, Anthropology, BCIS, Political Science and Math to test a classroom engagement tool called Learning Catalytics (https://learningcatalytics.com/). This tool allows faculty and students to interact in a variety of ways using student devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.  Participating faculty with the help of CLEAR and Pearson, will develop scenarios and implement the tool in a variety of class sizes and settings.    

Teaching Resources for Engaged Educators (TREE)

 

Want to maximize your impact on student learning?  Do you look for ways to connect with other committed educators?  Are you looking for ways to document your efforts to improve your teaching?  If so, the Teaching Resources for Engaged Educators (TREE) initiative, developed by CLEAR, is for you.  TREE leverages online training modules focused on 10 important teaching proficiencies (e.g., engaged learning, assessment, course design) that allow you to move at your own pace through three levels of proficiency (introductory, intermediate, and advanced). The TREE program will appear in your list of Blackboard courses and is available for everyone who teaches at UNT.  To participate, simply select the course and then the modules you would like to complete.  You will receive badges for completing each module and a Certificate of Teaching Distinction when successfully completing all three levels of a proficiency.  For more information, please refer to the CLEAR website:  http: clear.unt.edu/tree.
GSTEP will be accepting applicants for the Fall 2015 semester in late Summer
 

The Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program (GSTEP), provided by CLEAR with support from the Office of the Provost, is a free program for graduate students at the University of North Texas with the goal of preparing graduate students for teaching roles in higher education by equipping them with teaching skills, knowledge about teaching strategies, and peer support.  Upon completion of the program, students will receive a GSTEP certificate of completion and a letter of recommendation for future employment.

 

GSTEP had 92 participants enrolled in Stage 1: Introduction to Teaching for Spring 2015.  Stage 1 participants collectively completed 171 online TREE training modules on topics such as supporting engaged learning; seminars focused on developing professional peer mentor networks and utilizing Team Based Learning strategies in the classroom.  Thirty-eight participants enrolled in Stage 2: Developing Your Teaching Skills.  Stage 2 participants collectively completed 37 in-depth training modules and conducted classroom observation and teaching practicum experiences with UNT faculty.  They also developed teaching demonstrations for a micro-teaching workshop in which they gave and received peer feedback.  Learn more about GSTEP and how your graduate students can enroll at http://clear.unt.edu/gstep.
COLLABORATION SPOTLIGHT

Illuminate Good Ideas

CLEAR supports the SGA initiative known as the Illuminate Good Ideas campaign, with the intent of identifying then prioritizing good ideas for improving teaching and learning experiences at UNT.  President Smatresk has provided funding to pilot this initiative.  CLEAR is the administrative home, but the committee is led by students (2 undergraduates and 2 graduates).  Drs. Kimi King and Lee Hughes are serving as faculty representatives and Patrick Pluscht serves as the staff representative from Academic Affairs.  The ideation campaign launched April 1st and ideas are being submitted, commented on, and voted up or down.  We encourage you to login and review the ideas and comments.    

 

Login with your EUID and password at http://illuminate.unt.edu.

 
RECENT AWARDS & ACTIVITIES
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CLEAR Presentations

Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education.  Annual Conference "Gobbledygook: how to talk about assessment with faculty, administrators, students, and staff", Dr. Mike Simmons.  June 2, 2015. Lexington, KY.
 
ExamSoft Assessment Conference.  "If you can you should?  How far we can go with assessment", Dr. Mike Simmons.  June 3, 2015.  Lexington, KY
Faculty/Staff Group Subscriptions offered by CLEAR
Teaching Professor
FREE ACCESS
The Teaching Professor &
Online Classroom

CLEAR provides Free Access (through a group subscription) to Magna Commons, 20 Minute Mentor Commons, Distance Education Report, Online Classroom,Online Classroom and The Teaching Professor.  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 fulfill their institution's mission of teaching and scholarship. 

  
To subscribe, go to www.magnapubs.com/group to view our active subscription.  There is no need to create an account or log in when accessing the subscription on campus.  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  Amber Bryant to obtain this information.   

FREE ACCESS
Online Learning Consortium

CLEAR provides Free Access (through a group subscription) to Online Learning Consortium (formerly Sloan-C) http://onlinelearningconsortium.org.  

 

The University of North Texas is a member of the Online Learning Consortium.  As a member, you will receive OLC's workshop, conference and publications discounts, research, and interaction with other members.  To receive account set-up and login instructions, please contact  Amber Bryant at [email protected].

 

Membership includes workshop membership pricing.  Visit http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/institute/workshops/2014/upcoming-by-date for the list of 2014 workshops. Additional workshops are added throughout the year, so please make sure to check the schedule often. The member price for a workshop is $169. Non-member pricing is $269. If you and your faculty have set up your accounts or affiliated your existing accounts properly, you will automatically see the member price.

 

 OLC Membership Resources include:

  • Webinars
  • Conference Discounts  
  • Publications Discounts  
  • Website Resources 
  • Monthly Newsletter