February 2016  Faculty News & Training



In June 2016, Turning Technologies will be retiring TurningPoint 5,
UNT's centrally supported clicker technology, and transitioning users to TurningPoint Cloud. Given the fact that it has been several years since UNT evaluated classroom response technology, faculty were contacted to explore classroom response systems and make a recommendation for a classroom response systems that best meets the needs of the campus community.

The university will be making a decision on a replacement by April 1, 2016 so that students have plenty of notice for what materials they may need to purchase for the Fall 2016 semester and faculty have adequate time for training.       
 
TO LEARN ABOUT THE RESULTS, PLEASE VISIT: 
You may also view recordings of the products in
consideration at the links below:
 

Poll Everywhere
- View Recording
TurningPoint Cloud - View Recording
UPCOMING TRAINING
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Blackboard Open Labs of Spring 2016
Friday Afternoon   1:00pm - 4:00pm  (beginning January 22, 2016)
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.
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 to Promote).

See their complete catalog/programs:  


   
*NEW*
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
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
INFORMATION ON CLEAR INITIATIVES
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 FACULTY HELPDESK
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Support line: (940) 369-7394
Support Email:  clearhelp@unt.edu
Blackboard Faculty Helpdesk Support Hours for Spring 2016

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