September 1, 2010

Join us Friday, September 10 for Faculty Workshop Day

 

 

 

Blackboard Mobile Learn Now Available

 

Students with smart phones can now learn on the go using Blackboard’s mobile learn application. Students on the Sprint
network can access the application anywhere,
using Sprint’s 3G
coverage. Other students can access the application wherever Wi-Fi is
available.

OEL Pilots Web-based Course Evaluations

 

OEL and the School of Management have piloted CoursEval, a Web-based course evaluation system, and OEL plans to roll out the program—or a similar system— for all online and mixed-mode courses before the end of fall semester. 

 

Web-based course evaluation programs offer far better confidentiality and reporting options than the current Blackboard survey and provide easier access to

results for both faculty and department chairs. 

Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity in Online Education

 

Many students today have a hard time drawing the line between

collaboration and cheating.  Here are some tips from a list produced by the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (http://wcet.wiche.edu), the University of Texas TeleCampus and the Instructional Technology Council (ITC).

· Require students to engage with the academic integrity policy; for example, have them submit a statement of the policy in their own words.

· Be specific in how much collaboration is allowed on each
assignment.

· For assessments, use a test pool so that each student gets a slightly different version of the test.

· Change assignment topics each semester.

Tips from Blackboard Administrator, Nick Gaspar

 

· A great way to get students to read your syllabus and academic integrity statement
carefully is to ask them to use the “mark reviewed” feature. Enable this feature by setting the review status to “enabled.” Not sure how? Call our help desk at 810-237-6691 and an associate will walk you through it.

 

· One of the most common questions regarding the Blackboard 9 upgrade is, “where can I create a test, survey, or pool?” The easiest way to access this area is to select Course Tools from the left-hand toolbar, and the select Tests, Surveys, and Pools.

 

· Want to drop the lowest grade on an assignment?  This is possible within a weighted grade category in the Grade Center.  Click on Create Calculated Column>>Weighted
Column.  As you add your category, the pop-up screen will allow you to drop any number of high or low grades.

Online Enrollment Growth

 

2009-10 enrollments in online courses reached 11,582, an increase of 13.5 percent over the

previous year.  Most recently, spring
enrollments increased 28 percent and summer enrollments increased 14 percent.

 

 

Automatic CourseCompanion
Creation

Faculty no longer need to request Blackboard CourseCompanions because
CourseCompanions are now automatically
created each semester for all UM–Flint classes.  Faculty are not required to use them, but will at least have a useful tool for announcing
last-minute class cancellations and weather
emergencies.

 

Remember, phone support from the Online
earning Help Desk is available from 6 a.m. - 1 a.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. - 11 p.m. on Sundays.   If you have any questions about using or
developing your Blackboard CourseCompanion, call 810-237-6691 for assistance.

Respondus Lock-down Browser is Back

 

OEL is once again offering the Respondus lock-down browser for online exams.  Use of the program had been suspended until the company could make improvements in reliability and functions.   

Respondus lock-down browser features:

· Full-screen assessments cannot be minimized.

· Prevention of task switching or access of other
applications.

· Print screen and capturing functions are disabled.

· The copy-paste feature is disabled.

· Right-click menu options are disabled.

· Function keys are disabled.

· Assessments set-up for the Respondus lock-down browser cannot be accessed through other browsers.

· Students are not able to type URLs.

Faculty to Faculty Corner: Online Teaching

Strategies from Your Peers

 

Connie Creech, professor of nursing, offers the following tips for
getting students actively engaged in their learning.

 

Fun: Create a great first impression by launching your class with a fun activity or an icebreaker. “Having a little fun in the
beginning of the class lets students know that the course is going to be exciting, which gets them engaged right off the bat.”  ( Want a copy of our ice-breaker list?  Click on the Content Collection tab in Blackboard and select Institution Content>>Articles>>icebreakers.doc.)

Engagement: Create, Relate, and Donate

Create: Let your students express their creativity through a project that demands innovative thinking.

Relate: It’s all about real-world application. Give
students examples or chances to relate their work to real situations.

Donate: Help students use their work to give back to the community.

 

Creech notes that there is a direct correlation between the level of student engagement and the degree of student success in an online course.  Learn more in “Engaging Students in e-Learning: UM-Flint Faculty Share Their Online Successes,” found in the Blackboard Content Collection “Articles” folder.

 

Want to contribute an idea to that document or this newsletter?
Contact Zoë Lazar-Hale, zlazarha@umflint.edu (810)-237-6566.

Intensive Course Development Begins October 18

 

Want to be eligible for course development stipends of $675 per credit hour?  Enroll in OEL’s free, online training
program. 

 

· Blackboard Basics for Faculty—a two-week, self-paced course [a prerequisite for the Intensive Course
Development (ICD) session if you have no Blackboard experience].

· Faculty Intro to Online Teaching—a self-paced, quick primer (and prerequisite for the ICD session).

· Intensive Course Development—an instructor-led, hands-on online course that walks you step-by-step through the pedagogy and mechanics of online course development. You will master the components of the Blackboard system and create the core of an online course you intend to teach. 

 

These and other free courses comprise the Online Instructor Certificate program.  Learn more at http://www.umflint.edu/oel/OIC.htm.