August 2015  Faculty News & Training

  
"The Secret Lives of Faculty" Pecha Kucha Session and Breakfast 
A Salute to Faculty Teaching Excellence 

                             Date/Time:   Monday, September 28, 2015
                             7:45 am - 9:15 am:   Full Breakfast & Gathering
                             8:15 am - 9:30 am:   Pecha Kucha Presentations 
                             Location:   Gateway Center Ballroom

To kick-off our 2015 Salute to Faculty Excellence Week, brave UNT faculty members will present Pecha Kucha sessions on the theme "The Secret Lives of Faculty".  Pecha Kucha is Japanese for "chit-chat" and describes a presentation format using 20 slides which advance automatically in 20 second intervals.  This will be the second year we've used this format for the event and the feedback from last year's attendees indicated the program was "funspiring" - both fun and inspiring.  To view the recordings from last year's Pecha Kucha, visit http://clear.unt.edu/2014sfew.  Don't miss out this year!

UPCOMING TRAINING
Blackboard Learn icon
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 ).
Interactive Webinar
Teaching at UNT: Introduction to Resources

Date:  August 25, 2015
Time:  12:30pm - 1:00pm
Site:    GoToMeeting link


Register Here: 
Join CLEAR (Center for Learning Enhancement, Assessment and Redesign) for an interactive webinar "Teaching at UNT: Introduction to Resources" on Tuesday, August 25th at 12:30.  This half-hour webinar will give faculty a quick tour of the various resources available for supporting teaching at UNT. The webinar will also include time for questions and answers.  CLEAR will host a faculty resources webinar every month.  The event will be recorded and available for viewing at a later time for those who cannot participate live. 
See clear.unt.edu for more information or contact Dr. Mike Simmons or Dr. Nancy Fire.  Here is the meeting link information:https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/242568805.  Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.  Dial +1 (408) 650-3123, Access Code: 242-568-805.  Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting.  Meeting ID: 242-568-805
This event will be recorded and available for viewing at a later time.
Please contact Dr. Mike Simmons or Dr. Nancy Fire with your questions.
Blackboard Learn icon
FACE-TO-FACE Sessions
Blackboard Learn:  Grade Center

Date:  Wednesday, August 27, 2015
Time:  9:30am - 11:00am
Site:    Chilton 245


Register Here: 

The key functions of the Grade Center will be covered in the class. By the end of the session, instructors should be able to:

  1. Record grade data.
  2. Calculate the Totals and Weighted Totals column.
  3. Monitor student progress.
  4. Organize the Grade Center. 
    90 minutes
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FACE-TO-FACE Sessions
Blackboard Learn:  Bootcamp

Date:  Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Time:  9:00am - Noon
Site:    Chilton 245


Register Here: 

The Blackboard Learn Bootcamp is a face-to-face workshop introducing instructors to the Blackboard Learn tools.  This hands-on workshop is targeted for instructors new to Blackboard Learn.  By the end of the session, instructors should be able to:

  1. Create assignments using the Assignment Tool.
  2. Create assessments using the Assessment Tool.
  3. Create discussions using the Discussion Tool.
  4. Place content in the Blackboard course.
  5. Decide which Communication Tools to use and when. 
    90 minutes
Blackboard Learn icon
FACE-TO-FACE Sessions
Blackboard Learn:  Grade Center

Date:  Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Time:  2:00pm - 3:30pm
Site:    Chilton 245


Register Here: 

The key functions of the Grade Center will be covered in the class. By the end of the session, instructors should be able to:

  1. Record grade data.
  2. Calculate the Totals and Weighted Totals column.
  3. Monitor student progress.
  4. Organize the Grade Center. 
    90 minutes
Blackboard Learn icon
WEBINAR Session
Blackboard Learn:  Retention Techniques and Tools

Date:  Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Time:  12:00pm - 1:00pm
Site:    Chilton 245


Register Here: 

Retention is a hot topic in education right now!  This webinar will introduce you to tools in Blackboard that will assist you in identifying, monitoring, and connecting with students who may be struggling.  Additionally, we will discuss helpful techniques for implementing retention strategies in your course.

1 hour

Faculty/Staff Group Subscriptions offered by CLEAR
FREE ACCESS
20 Minute Mentor Commons has provided a listing of programs with links and descriptions:

Here are some programs which might prove interesting and helpful from 20 Minute Mentor Commons (you may view information on all 4 programs below under "4 Programs for New Faculty).

 
 
 
 
See their complete catalog/programs:  
   
*NEW THIS MONTH*
Certificates of Completion are now available with all programs in 20-Minute Mentor Commons. Users can print them for verification of watching a program.
 
Please email  Amber Bryant
to obtain the campus voucher code and pin number if using an off campus machine.     
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 Amber.Bryant@unt.edu.

 

Membership includes workshop membership pricing.  Visit http://onlinelearningconsortium.org/learn/workshops/ for the list of 2015 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
FALL 2015 STUDENT UPLOADS IN BLACKBOARD
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Don't Forget These Important Tasks Regarding
Fall 2015 Blackboard Courses

 

Students registered for the Fall 2015 semesters are being uploaded to Blackboard Learn at http://learn.unt.edu. Regular student uploads will run every hour until November 3rd. If a student has trouble accessing your course, please have them contact the UIT Helpdesk at  helpdesk@unt.edu or (940) 565-2324. Also, your Blackboard course title now indicates the Fall 2015 session your course is being offered. You should see either a 1 for the regular academic session, 8W1 for the AOP 1st  session, or 8W2 for the AOP 2nd session listed after the semester (i.e. Fall 2015 1, Fall 2015 8W1, or Fall 2015 8W2).

Don't forget these important tasks:

¨  Copy Content - Copy your content over from a previous semester or create it from scratch.

¨  Clean up - Get rid of any old announcements, assignments, tests, discussion forums, or content you won't need this semester.  Delete unnecessary grade columns, too!

¨  Update - Update all of your existing content  (incl. syllabus and calendar), announcements, assignments, and tests  and create new release dates and due dates. Check out the Date Management tool to make this easier!

¨  Make Course Available - Be sure to make your course available to students on OR before the first day of the semester. Remember that Qwickly (a tool located on the Teaching Support tab in Learn) can speed up this process!!

*Note* Changing your course's availability does not mean students can immediately access the course or content; the restriction dates control when the students can access the course.
Students will not be able to access their classes until the fall semester begins unless you specifically requested a different opening date. Please email clearhelp@unt.edu if you have questions, want to combine your sections, or wish to verify access restriction dates.
INFORMATION ON CLEAR INITIATIVES
GSTEP is now accepting applicants for Fall 2015
 
The Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Program (GSTEP) is a program for graduate students at the University of North Texas. The program, provided by the Center for Learning Enhancement, Assessment, and Redesign (CLEAR) with support from the Office of the Provost, is offered at no cost to the participants.

The goal of the program is to prepare graduate students for teaching roles in higher education by equipping them with teaching skills, knowledge about teaching strategies, and peer support. Activities include classroom teaching experiences, online training modules, and peer mentoring. Upon completion of the program, participants receive a letter of recommendation to accompany materials for interviews for future faculty positions.
Why should graduate students participate?
* Improve your teaching skills
* Jump start your teaching career
* Empower your career as future faculty member
We are now accepting applicants for the Fall 2015 GSTEP Program. The application deadline is Friday, August 28th, 2015.   Click here to apply now!
Learn more about GSTEP and how your graduate students can enroll at
http://clear.unt.edu/gstep.
 
Outstanding Online Course Awards 2015  

 
2015 Outstanding Online Teacher & Course Award
Dr. Stephen Garretson
Family, School and Community

 
2015 Exemplary Online Teacher & Course Designer Award
Dr. Royce George
Theories of Organizational Development and Reform

 
Award presentations will take place during the  "Salute to Faculty Excellence Reception Dinner", October 2, 2015. 

October 2, 2015
6:30 p.m. Reception
7:00 p.m. Dinner & Awards Ceremony
Club Level, Apogee Stadium
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.
CLEAR COLLABORATION WITH THE SGA

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
CLEAR Presentations
Brenda Ritz accepting for CLEAR.

CLEAR FACULTY HELPDESK
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Support line: (940) 369-7394
Support Email:  clearhelp@unt.edu
Blackboard Faculty Helpdesk Support Hours for Fall 2015

Monday - Thursday  8:00am - 9:00pm 
Friday - 8:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday - 11:00am - 3:00pm
Closed Sunday