Voice Tools are no longer supported by Blackboard Learn

The Technology and Learning Program (TLP) and Distributed Learning Technologies (DLT) want to inform our Chico State faculty about a couple important changes that will affect you and your students’ workflow this semester, 2016.

Blackboard Learn is constantly working to upgrade their system and in this case to remove Java related tools, Mostly this is a GOOD Thing. But Voice Tools are no long going to be available for use.

This includes:

• Voice Authoring
• Voice Board
• Voice Email
• Voice Podcaster
• Voice Presentation

Blackboard will not support these tools past August 31, 2016 which is the official end of life. Most of the use cases here may be covered by Kaltura or Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. Please contact TLP for a consultation with one of our talented Instructional Designers (ITCs) for assistance.

Exemplary Online Instruction with QOLT instrument now

CSU Chico Exemplary Online Instruction Program for 2016

Exemplary Online Instruction (EOI) awards are CSU, Chico’s way to locally recognize instructors who have met the criteria outlined in the CSU instrument, Quality Online Learning and Teaching (QOLT). This instrument replaced Chico’s own Rubric for Online Instruction two years ago. We still recognize exemplary online instructors through this method, found online here.

For those new to the QOLT instrument, visit this website, which will introduce you to the CSU QOLT program.

To nominate a course for Exemplary Online Instruction recognition at Chico State:

1. Submit a QOLT Self-Assessment:
   Laura Sederberg by email or in person before July 1, 2016. Self-Assessment link — complete the online self-assessment, and request a copy to be sent to you via email. Forward that email to Laura Sederberg.)
2. Faculty will be asked to do a one-hour course presentation to our local Chico State Peer Review Committee, to be conducted before September 1, 2016.
3. Recognition:
   This will take place at the Annual CELT Conference October 8-9, 2016. Recipients will receive a Poster, a Certificate and letter from the committee signed by the Provost.

Questions can be directed toward Laura Sederberg, Chair of the EOI Peer Review Committee, or contact Chico’s Faculty Development Center.

Academy e-Learning Cohort 8 applications due Feb. 12

If you are at all interested to join your fellow colleagues in attending the Academy e-Learning institute this coming June, I urge you to visit the website today, www.csuchico.edu/academy. You will find an introduction, invitation, and are able to fill out the application.

If you have questions and want to ask for advice as you fill it out, feel free to drop in to Sylvester’s this Friday, Feb. 12 from 12-1:00pm where we will have folks from the AeL Advisory Committee available to talk with you.

After seven successful years with AeL, we are really good at getting to the heart of your needs in what to do and how to do it, to redesign your course. Faculty mentors, as well a technical experts and instructional designers will attend and help you through this fun and creative process.

Laura Sederberg, Manager of the Technology and Learning Program.

TLP is now under Faculty Affairs with Faculty Development

Organizationally, the Technology and Learning Program (TLP) is moving under the leadership of AVP Wenshu Lee, and working closely with the newly developed unit of Faculty Development. TLP reports to Wenshu Lee, Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs. The Interim Director of Faculty Development is Chico Professor, Zach Justus.

This move is a welcomed transition to working more closely with the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT). We have worked together over the last 15 years, but it was from more disparate organizations. With all of us working closely with Chico’s faculty, and influencing and supporting Academy e-Learning over the last 7 years, it was a natural reorganization to make. We are happy to let you know about this change, and although we still reside in the basement of Meriam Library plans are underway to move us all into a more centralized location together. More about what all this means later, as time allows the transition to occur.

One thing we want to offer to faculty is a more flexible schedule for consultations with our Instructional Designers and more opportunities for workshops on weekends or later into the evening as your needs dictate. Please let us know how we can better serve you and our 21st century students.

Laura Sederberg, Manager of TLP

Bb Learn will be down Thurs., July 16, 2015 for upgrade to Kaltura

Bb Learn will be down on Thursday, July 16, 2015 – 5:00AM to 8:00AM.

 

Bb Learn and sharing video with Kaltura

 

The Kaltura Application Framework (KAF) is an extensible, feature rich, UI based configurable framework that streamlines the integration of Kaltura’s rich media capabilities into different publishing applications. The framework is constructed of modules that provide a packaged workflow and functionalities that can be easily embedded in another application as an iFrame, instead of integrating directly with the Kaltura APIs. The framework can decrease the integration time with your application dramatically and allow you to always get up to date new functionality by decoupling the added features from the integration itself. The embedded iFrames are all based on a responsive design to ensure that the integrated pages are displayed properly on any given area.

Benefits include

• Staying current with the vendors development and release cycle
• Small feature changes mitigating impacts to the functional use experience
• Enhanced web-cam upload functionality
• Improved interface with Blackboard Learn
• Additional features and functionality include:
  • Video editing
  • Presentation integration
• Precursor to additional feature sets delivered via new continuous development model

 

Window of downtime for this upgrade: Thursday, July 16, 2015, 5:00AM to 8:00AM.

 

Exemplary Online Instruction Award applications are due May 15, 2015

Exemplary Online Instruction application period is OPEN!

Please see http://www.csuchico.edu/eoi/ for details. Our annual Exemplary Online Instruction (EOI) award application period is open, and we have a newly revised website. We are using the QOLT instrument from the CSU Quality Assurance (QA) Program, rather than our previous used instrument the Rubric for Online Instruction (ROI). The CSU is offering a QOLT award recognition program for the top few courses in the CSU. Chico offers the Exemplary Online Instruction Award locally on our own campus.

Please feel free to contact QA Coordinator, Ben Seipel; or CELT Director, Kate McCarthy; or TLP manager, Laura Sederberg who are all involved with this program.

The deadline for applications is May 15, 2015. Thanks for your participation!

Academy e-Learning Applications still open

The deadline for applications to this summer’s Academy e-Learning institute has been extended to Monday, March 9, 2015. 

The application process is straightforward, the stipend is significant, and the program is suitable for face-to-face, hybrid, or fully online course redesign. Details are here, and we are happy to answer any questions you may have. This year’s theme is on “Creativity.”

For AeL Cohort 7, our work will center on (re)designing courses that rekindle our own creativity, joy, and passion for teaching while developing diverse, relevant, engaging learning opportunities and experiences that help students:

• Spark divergent thinking and risk-taking to ignite new ideas and innovative approaches;

• Develop skills and abilities to adapt to problems and opportunities that have not yet been imagined;

• Burn through creative blocks, such as writer’s block, that stifle exploration, discovery, and expression; and

• Embrace imagination and difference to foster a creative spirit and lifelong love of learning.

• We will explore instructional strategies and technologies that help us realize our goals, with an emphasis on creative approaches to teaching and assessment, and on student knowledge-creation and expression through storytelling, game making, meaningful play, collaborative media work, experiential learning, model building, design thinking, applied imagination, and invention.

Please consider joining us. The website with application is here:  www.csuchico.edu/academy/.

Lynda.com is here!

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Might we suggest adding Lynda.com to your syllabus?

As plans begin for the fall semester the Technology & Learning Program (TLP) wants to remind you that you, and all your students, have unlimited access to Lynda.com, an online library of high-quality, instructional videos on the latest software tools and skills.

Below see some sample verbiage that you might use:

Online Technology Tutorials: Lynda.com is a CSU-provided online library of high-quality instructional videos produced by recognized industry experts. It provides training on a wide range of software, computing, and professional skills. This is an excellent resource to use if you are unfamiliar with the programs or software features needed for your classes.

To begin using the Lynda.com Online Training Library, simply activate your profile by clicking on this link: http://www.csuchico.edu/lynda.

Quick introductory video for how-to-use Lynda.com tutorials, http://www.lynda.com/Business-tutorials/How-use-lyndacom/77683-2.html.

Lynda.com has been an excellent resource for many of our sister CSU campuses and we hope that you discover that it can be a useful tool for you as well. Professors, please feel free to contact TLP with questions about Lynda.com. We can help you find the right tutorial(s) to supplement your courses.

Sincerely,

The Technology and Learning Program

Backward Design – Course Development Workshop 11-13-13

Backward Design–Course Development Workshop

Wednesday, November 13, 5:30-7 pm in MLIB, STUDIO A

How do we design a course so that we know for sure that we will know that the students know what we want them to know? If that sounds confusing, you are in the right place. Presenters Sarah Anderson and Sara Cooper (ILLC) will share strategies showcased at the June 2013 Institute for Teaching and Learning in Long Beach.

Join us in MLIB Studio A on Wednesday, November 13th, from 5:30-7 pm. Bring your laptop and have in mind a Spring 2014 course you want to work on.

Not Your Grandmother’s Composition Class

Recently two Chico State writing instructors participated in an online conversation about teaching jumbo sections of Freshmen Composition that include innovative ways to teach and learn. On October 11th, Academy eLearning alumna and mentor, Kim Jaxon, and CSU Chico’s Writing Across the Curriculum Coordinator, Chris Fosen, were guests on the National Writing Program radio show. During the conversation they explained how course redesign can work to accommodate a large number of students without losing the effectiveness of instruction.

This insightful 60-minute conversation details the steps they have taken to ensure that students are experiencing engaging class time with both professors and student mentors despite the jumbo scenario.

Click here to listen to the conversation.