Call for Proposals: USM Gamification Symposium Explore how games boost engagement & enhance learning
Do you have a story you’d like to share about gamifying a course? Would you like to immerse others in some aspect of game playing? Have you tried gamifying a course and want to share what didn’t work and what would work better? Is there research on gamification – or learning – or design – that you’d like others to consider? 

New Designs for Learning: Games and Gamification symposium invites interested groups and individuals to propose sessions for its September 29th event at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. 

Participants include instructional designers, faculty, and academic leaders from across the University System of Maryland who are interested in exploring how games and gamification can reinvigorate courses, boost student engagement, and enhance student learning.

Three types of sessions are being offered:
  • Hands-on workshops (75 minutes)
  • Course showcase (60 minutes)
  • 360 Talk (6-minutes, 4-5 talks per 45-minute session)
To learn more about each of these sessions, please download and review the document attached to this announcement.

Deadlines and Notifications

Proposals must be submitted by August 22, 2016. Applicants will be notified about acceptances approximately one week after the submission deadline. Selection will be based on how well the proposal connects to the Symposium themes, communicates its focus and intent, and contributes to building a well-rounded program.

For More Information

Questions may be directed to Nancy O’Neill, Associate Director of the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, at noneill@usmd.edu.

Registration for the event will begin in late August. Sign up to be notified.

New Designs for Learning: Games and Gamification symposium is cosponsored by the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, University System of Maryland, with generous support from the Ford Fund for the Future of Learning
]]> Do you have a story you’d like to share about gamifying a course? Would you like to immerse others in some aspect of game playing? Have you tried gamifying a course and want to share what didn’t... http://my.umbc.edu/groups/instructional-technology/posts/61245 Document https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/attachments/1c5f3025f1cf5ed0089906d67a8febbd/6ab33c8b/news/000/061/245/b5e2cbde919747030eea9e4fcf8f36b8/Games and Gamification CFP.pdf?1469814758 https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/61245/guest@my.umbc.edu/ae7a386ae43245752c9a59894440eff0/api/pixel call-for-proposals cfp gamification symposium usm Instructional Technology https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/instructional-technology https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xsmall.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/original.png?1446126703 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xxlarge.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xlarge.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/large.png?1446126703 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/medium.png?1446126703 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/small.png?1446126703 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xsmall.png?1446126703 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xxsmall.png?1446126703 Instructional Technology https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/061/245/30208cc69c8470f67c3a02bdeaa4b6f4/xxlarge.jpg?1469814014 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/061/245/30208cc69c8470f67c3a02bdeaa4b6f4/xlarge.jpg?1469814014 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/061/245/30208cc69c8470f67c3a02bdeaa4b6f4/large.jpg?1469814014 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/061/245/30208cc69c8470f67c3a02bdeaa4b6f4/medium.jpg?1469814014 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/061/245/30208cc69c8470f67c3a02bdeaa4b6f4/small.jpg?1469814014 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/061/245/30208cc69c8470f67c3a02bdeaa4b6f4/xsmall.jpg?1469814014 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/061/245/30208cc69c8470f67c3a02bdeaa4b6f4/xxsmall.jpg?1469814014 2 3 true Fri, 29 Jul 2016 13:52:38 -0400 Mon, 01 Aug 2016 14:59:08 -0400 DoIT Lends a Helping Hand With Community Service Outreach at the Therapeutic & Recreational Riding Center
Earlier this summer, members from the Instructional Technology team devoted their time with community outreach at the Therapeutic & Recreational Riding Center (TRRC). The center provides physical and occupational therapy services to children and adults with a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. 

Led by Dr. Sherri Braxton-Lieber, Director for Instructional Technology, the team was tasked with landscaping, which included pulling weeds and freeing up some hidden rose bushes. Braxton-Lieber also works at the TRRC and has supported it for over 10 years.

“The center provides great services and reaches many families…”


The area that had been overrun by weeds. They were prickly and very hard to get out, requiring the team to use gloves. 


“The center provides great services and reaches many families, but has no budget for most of the ground maintenance and landscaping activities.” said Braxton-Lieber. 

Brad Boyle, Instructional Technology Specialist, was just one of the several team members helping out. He described the experience as fun, and that it was a nice way to bond with coworkers. “I have done work like this before, and it is nice to be able to help out a place that serves others.” said Boyle.

“To have any type of positive impact is the most important part of it for me.”


Community service such as this helps the center out greatly. Rather than having regular volunteers focus on the landscaping, it frees them up to serve the people who come to the TRRC to the best of their abilities. 

“I see serving others in any way as an important part of my life,” said Boyle. “To have any type of positive impact is the most important part of it for me.”

This type of community outreach creates a much different experience than most are used to. Instead of being in an office setting, the Instructional Technology team was outside working together, with each member taking on a different section of weeds, which worked out well to clear them out in an efficient manner. 


“... Even the smallest change makes a huge impact!”


After dealing with those prickly weeds, the area is now clear and mulch was placed to control the return of the weeds.

Holly Owens, Instructional Technology Specialist, said “It’s important to me as a member of the UMBC community to reach out and be involved, even the smallest change makes a huge impact!” Owens had previously only done yard work at her home prior to volunteering at the TRRC and encourages others to go out and make a difference. 

“I think the most fulfilling thing about this is experience is knowing that we made a difference and were able to help others.” said Owens. 

Mariann Hawken, Instructional Technology Specialist, is no stranger to this type of community outreach. On a regular basis, she volunteers for her son’s bowling league, which provides a team experience with free equipment and coaching for disabled players. That same team experience was also present at the TRRC. Hawken said, "It was a nice experience to volunteer, especially as a team."

“Working together ensured we were able to get the job done and it gave our team a chance to do something that required a different kind of collaboration and cooperation.” said Hawken. 

"...they should find something they have interest and passion for and give their time." 


Braxton-Lieber would love to have this type of service at the TRRC become a yearly commitment but also wants more DoIT employees to get involved anywhere. “There are so many nonprofits in Maryland that need the support,” said Braxton-Lieber. “They should find something they have interest in and passion for and give their time.”

In a letter to the team, Dr. Helen Tuel, Founding Director at the TRRC, thanked the team for the amount of work they did around the center. Tuel said “Thank you for believing in the work we do and for giving the children in our care hopeful futures full of possibilities with much potential and brimming with success.”

From left to right: Sherri Braxton-Lieber, Mariann Hawken, Brad Boyle, Indigo (Sherri’s Horse) and Holly Owens.

If you want to learn more about the TRRC or volunteer to help out, you can contact Sherri Braxton-Lieber at sblieber@umbc.edu

You can also contact Dr. Helen Tuel at info@trrcmd.org


]]> Earlier this summer, members from the Instructional Technology team devoted their time with community outreach at the Therapeutic & Recreational Riding Center (TRRC). The center provides... http://www.trrcmd.org Photo https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/attachments/080c99877fc378dfafb4ef0794847545/6ab33c8b/news/000/060/973/ecb1be291b099432237e456f3aed9f12/Weeds.jpeg?1468331679 https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/60973/guest@my.umbc.edu/2d6990d5ccda3d2b4f6b3b2be0b16a93/api/pixel community instructional service team technology trrc Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doit https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/original.JPG?1727453227 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/large.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/medium.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/small.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxsmall.png?1727453227 Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/973/146ff1b077e7729999ed0b299a2fe639/xxlarge.jpg?1468331267 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/973/146ff1b077e7729999ed0b299a2fe639/xlarge.jpg?1468331267 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/973/146ff1b077e7729999ed0b299a2fe639/large.jpg?1468331267 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/973/146ff1b077e7729999ed0b299a2fe639/medium.jpg?1468331267 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/973/146ff1b077e7729999ed0b299a2fe639/small.jpg?1468331267 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/973/146ff1b077e7729999ed0b299a2fe639/xsmall.jpg?1468331267 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/973/146ff1b077e7729999ed0b299a2fe639/xxsmall.jpg?1468331267 9 0 true Tue, 19 Jul 2016 11:20:51 -0400 Setting New Technology Standards in Existing Seminar Rooms How AV services can upgrade your seminar room technology
In the Information Technology and Engineering Building (ITE), room 325B was just a simple conference room. Equipped with just a projector and a single VGA cable for input, the connectivity options were severely limited. A tall audio visual (AV) rack in the corner of the room housed all sorts of outdated inputs, from VHS to DVD. The room was just not equipped to match the technological needs of today, but AV services changed all that by working with the CSEE department to meet their needs.

What ITE 325B used to look like. In the corner of the room was a large AV rack with lots of outdated technology and overhead was a loud projector that dimly displayed presentations. 

“After over 125 installs, what works best is second nature.”


Jack Malone, lead technician for DoIT’s AV Services is no stranger to the process of upgrading rooms. His job involves speccing equipment, finding resources, and even installing these upgrades into the rooms. Malone knows what works best with varying rooms, such as ITE 325B. “After over 125 installs, what works best is second nature.” said Malone. “Rooms, for the most part, organize themselves. In this case [for ITE 325B], and rooms like it, our decision is already made as to where to locate our equipment.” 

Once determining where the new equipment is going to go, it’s just a matter of what the room needs. Malone doesn't work alone in figuring out what a room needs, and instead collaborates with another AV Specialist named Danielle Brown.

“...We plan based on the needs of the department…”


Brown is also no stranger to AV upgrades. After being a full time AV Specialist for 2 years, she's equipped over 50 spaces with AV upgrades and installs. She wrote the proposal for the project and designed the system in ITE 325B with help from Malone. In addition to that, she got quotes on equipment and selected which vendors to use based on who gave her the best price. 

“Like any install we do, we plan based on the needs of the department and what they ultimately want to use the space for.” said Brown.

For ITE 325B, the main focus of the department was presentations and conferences. The room was actually equipped to handle that, which helped Brown and Malone quite a bit. “In this case, some of those components were already installed,” said Brown. “so we were able to retain some parts of the existing system and incorporate them into the upgrade to save time and money.”

Before AV Services stepped in, the room was just equipped with a dim projector along with a VGA input. Now, the room features a 90 inch HD television with easily accessible HDMI input, allowing for bright and crisp presentations. Older devices that connect to the TV have their signal upscaled thanks to a newly built in scaler, which helps with image clarity.  

A before and after comparison in the AV rack changes. Gone are the VHS inputs and other older technology. Instead, the new, much shorter and more compact AV housing holds a blu Ray player, a built in scaler that up converts any non HDMI signal to 1080p, and controls mounted on the top of the housing for quick and easy access. 

“Elegant infrastructure gets oohs and ahhhs.” 


AV Services strives for elegance when they upgrade your room. Malone reflects this with elegant hardware like the built in scaler which allows to convert any source to 1080p, preventing the need to configure your display settings before you project your screen on the TV. “To me, elegant infrastructure gets oohs and ahhs and it blends into the environment.” said Malone. 

What most departments aren't aware of that this type of work can be done in-house rather than contracting these jobs outside of UMBC which is why AV Services wants to spread the word that they are happy to consult with departments to build, design, and install systems. The cost to the department is the equipment provided to them. “At the very least, we can work with them to come up with a low-budget solution. If they decide not to pursue there is no money wasted on labor or consulting costs.” said Brown. 

“We would love to hear from any department interested in making changes…”


Not every room will be like ITE 325B and AV Services understands that. If they are frequently performing maintenance on a departmental space or have a lot of break-fix tickets coming in from a space, they will contact the department to help them improve the system so they have something that works more reliably.

There are no set packages to request for your room and AV Services works directly with the department to determine their needs at a cost that saves both time and money. “We would love to hear from any department interested in making changes to their instructional technology.” said Brown. 

If your department has a space they are looking to upgrade, you can submit an RT ticket to the Classroom Technology queue. In addition, you can call and set up a meeting with the AV Services team. 

The renovated ITE 325B conference room. Equipped with a 90” HDTV and support for HDMI input. A distinct advantage of the TV compared to the typical projector is a brighter, more detailed image.

You can contact Danielle Brown through her email at danib1@umbc.edu



]]> In the Information Technology and Engineering Building (ITE), room 325B was just a simple conference room. Equipped with just a projector and a single VGA cable for input, the connectivity options... Photo https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/attachments/147fdf2f39fc8d12d52045efb6789cd9/6ab33c8b/news/000/060/898/20134e6c229321b9ca3f9e25c05c5293/Old Setup with Projector and Screen.jpg?1467820186 https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/60898/guest@my.umbc.edu/6d167c720108ebc9fd858054cb65cb03/api/pixel av department doit seminar services technology Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doit https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/original.JPG?1727453227 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/large.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/medium.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/small.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxsmall.png?1727453227 Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/898/0580ec5e5cfb452cea8ef68d13f85f59/xxlarge.jpg?1467820052 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/898/0580ec5e5cfb452cea8ef68d13f85f59/xlarge.jpg?1467820052 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/898/0580ec5e5cfb452cea8ef68d13f85f59/large.jpg?1467820052 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/898/0580ec5e5cfb452cea8ef68d13f85f59/medium.jpg?1467820052 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/898/0580ec5e5cfb452cea8ef68d13f85f59/small.jpg?1467820052 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/898/0580ec5e5cfb452cea8ef68d13f85f59/xsmall.jpg?1467820052 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/898/0580ec5e5cfb452cea8ef68d13f85f59/xxsmall.jpg?1467820052 6 0 true Mon, 11 Jul 2016 07:00:50 -0400 Blackboard Offers Free Virtual Conference July 12-14 Follow BbWorld via live streaming sessions & recordings Once a year Blackboard hosts the BbWorld conference over several days for faculty, students, administrators, instructional technology specialists, training professionals, developers, and system administrators. In 2016, the conference is in Las Vegas, Nevada, from July 12-14.

This year, Blackboard again sponsors BbWorld Live, a free virtual event with in-depth sessions and single-day tracks focused on key issues in higher education, K-12, and corporate & government training. Between every session, Blackboard will host interactive Q&A with speakers, facilitate live-chats in the discussion forum, take polls, and give away a few prizes.

Sample sessions for the higher education track include:
  • Rocket session: great teaching in a world of connected students
    • Love a TED talk? Rocket sessions are 7-minute power chats. Topics include engaging students via text message; integrating video into courses; social presence in online learning; and more.
  • Superheros collaborate! Teaching virtual teamwork
    • A once-feared online capstone class has been transformed into an epic adventure for students with online collaboration tools.
  • Virtual Keynote: Dr. Howard Gardner, Harvard Graduate School of Education
  • A response to the challenge of digital accessibility
    • What does it mean to create “accessible course documents”? Follow a step-by-step protocol for creating accessible content and discuss recent trends in accessibility.
  • Making sense of the new world of digital credentialing
    • More than five years have passed since the inception of the open badges experiment, and in that time the concept of digital badges has moved steadily into the general consciousness. Learn more about the many opportunities and challenges. 
Participants may choose to sign up for a single day or the whole event. During the BbWorld conference, follow social media via Twitter hashtag #BbWorld16, or network with other Blackboard users.
]]> Once a year Blackboard hosts the BbWorld conference over several days for faculty, students, administrators, instructional technology specialists, training professionals, developers, and system... https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/60899/guest@my.umbc.edu/3a55d349ee9b8e747ee7ccdbf43ab6ad/api/pixel bbworld bbworld-live blackboard conferences Instructional Technology https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/instructional-technology https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xsmall.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/original.png?1446126703 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xxlarge.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xlarge.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/large.png?1446126703 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/medium.png?1446126703 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/small.png?1446126703 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xsmall.png?1446126703 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xxsmall.png?1446126703 Instructional Technology https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/899/2672292548089c65c6648b3f200fcd7f/xxlarge.jpg?1467822333 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/899/2672292548089c65c6648b3f200fcd7f/xlarge.jpg?1467822333 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/899/2672292548089c65c6648b3f200fcd7f/large.jpg?1467822333 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/899/2672292548089c65c6648b3f200fcd7f/medium.jpg?1467822333 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/899/2672292548089c65c6648b3f200fcd7f/small.jpg?1467822333 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/899/2672292548089c65c6648b3f200fcd7f/xsmall.jpg?1467822333 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/899/2672292548089c65c6648b3f200fcd7f/xxsmall.jpg?1467822333 2 0 true Fri, 08 Jul 2016 09:25:41 -0400 Fri, 08 Jul 2016 09:25:55 -0400 Save the Date: 9/29 USM Gamification Symposium Explore how games boost engagement & enhance learning
Join instructional designers, faculty, and academic leaders from across the University System of Maryland in exploring how games and gamification can reinvigorate courses, boost student engagement, and enhance student learning. 

The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation at the University System of Maryland are pleased to cosponsor a working symposium entitled “New Designs for Learning: Games and Gamification,” on Thursday, September 29, 2016 at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.

The Symposium promises to be a forum where participants can explore what is meant by gamification and game design thinking, discover the research behind the movement to gamify learning, and test out ways to gamify their own content and approaches to course design. The keynote address and a featured workshop will be offered by Dr. Karl Kapp, an Instructional Technology Graduate Professor at Bloomsburg University. Dr. Kapp is a national speaker, consultant, and author of numerous books, including The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education (2012). 

Registration will open in late August: Sign up to get notified. Questions may be directed to Nancy O’Neill, Associate Director of the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, at noneill@usmd.edu. Please share this announcement and the attached flyer with interested colleagues.

Image credit: Freepik

]]> Join instructional designers, faculty, and academic leaders from across the University System of Maryland in exploring how games and gamification can reinvigorate courses, boost student... http://my.umbc.edu/groups/instructional-technology/posts/60895 Flyer https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/attachments/03a0909f4d81a405fe3c9432d34b595a/6ab33c8b/news/000/060/895/f0c4ee14830138b69a028fdb37aae2a6/GamesandGamificationFlyer.pdf?1467810830 https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/60895/guest@my.umbc.edu/3a5ece14a55efe95498efde833b534e8/api/pixel gamification save-the-date symposium usm Instructional Technology https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/instructional-technology https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xsmall.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/original.png?1446126703 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xxlarge.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xlarge.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/large.png?1446126703 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/medium.png?1446126703 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/small.png?1446126703 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xsmall.png?1446126703 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xxsmall.png?1446126703 Instructional Technology https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/895/be091795c6243ad74450cbc227947866/xxlarge.jpg?1467810694 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/895/be091795c6243ad74450cbc227947866/xlarge.jpg?1467810694 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/895/be091795c6243ad74450cbc227947866/large.jpg?1467810694 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/895/be091795c6243ad74450cbc227947866/medium.jpg?1467810694 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/895/be091795c6243ad74450cbc227947866/small.jpg?1467810694 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/895/be091795c6243ad74450cbc227947866/xsmall.jpg?1467810694 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/895/be091795c6243ad74450cbc227947866/xxsmall.jpg?1467810694 5 0 true Wed, 06 Jul 2016 09:47:07 -0400 Wed, 06 Jul 2016 10:24:58 -0400 Maintenance Downtime this Sunday Morning June 26th This Sunday, June 26th we will be conducting system patching for several critical core systems as part of our ongoing commitment to security. The downtime will start at 6:30am and several services will be operational by 8:00am but others will not be available until later in the day as listed. 

Systems affected by this outage:

  • the RT system (6:30-8:00am)
  • REX Reporting (6:30-8:00am)
  • Active Directory Departmental Shares - I Drive (6:30am - 11:30am)
  • AFS Home Directories (6:30am - 11:30am)
  • Cyrus (Mail will still be delivered but will not be accessible) (6:30am - 11:30am)

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. 

Thank you, 

Damian
]]> This Sunday, June 26th we will be conducting system patching for several critical core systems as part of our ongoing commitment to security. The downtime will start at 6:30am and several services... https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/60726/guest@my.umbc.edu/e5e113b1a9bb94d2e007b9fdbac1041c/api/pixel Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doit https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/original.JPG?1727453227 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/large.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/medium.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/small.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxsmall.png?1727453227 Division of Information Technology (DoIT) 0 0 true Tue, 21 Jun 2016 17:23:40 -0400 UMBC Now Has a 100 Gb Connection & Faster Netflix Loading Enjoy more streaming on a faster network connection
DoIT would like to announce that UMBC now features a 100 gigabit connection speeds available on campus. In addition, there is now a Netflix node installed in the Data Center on the ground floor of the Engineering Building. 

The Netflix node is a server that holds the video content that is streamed to your device. When streaming a show or movie from Netflix, your data is typically streamed from nodes deployed across the country and world. Traditionally, Netflix tries to have your stream come from a node that is closest to you, delivering the best possible streaming experience. 

This is all possible thanks to the Netflix Open Connect program and Norwin Malmberg, Chief of Network Technology at Maryland Research and Education Network (MDREN). The Netflix Open Connect program partners with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide Netflix customers the highest quality viewing experience possible by localizing substantial amounts of traffic. 

MDREN acts as an ISP and provides advanced network services to multiple University System of Maryland (USM) schools, private colleges, and community colleges throughout the state. Malmberg contacted Netflix and was able to  get membership into the Open Connect program, thanks to MDREN consuming sufficient Netflix bandwidth throughout all the varied partner campuses and organizations to qualify for a node.

UMBC volunteered to partner with MDREN and host the node on our campus to provide the best possible service to not only our student, but students throughout the state. 

"High speed connections and low network delay..."


Mike Petry, General Associate for DoIT, helped install the node on campus on April 25th, 2016. Petry said, “The benefits to UMBC and the other USM campuses is having a node with high speed connections and low network delay that is able to serve up content to campus connected users.”


A network map that shows how UMBC is connected to the MDREN network. The streaming is outbound from the node toward the customer watching a stream. The node is physically on campus, but should be viewed as being on the MDREN network. You can view the bits per second here and hover over each path.   


“Netflix knows what content is on which servers and will direct a server that does have it to start streaming it to you.” 


Users won't have to do anything on their part and instead just stream Netflix on their device as they normally would, as the server selection for delivering your stream is done behind the scenes by Netflix software. “For instance, you may requests a movie that isn't on the server on campus.” Petry said, “Netflix knows what content is on which servers and will direct a server that does have it to start streaming it to you. The win for them is to have the most popular content as close as possible to avoid long network paths.”


Happy streaming.
]]> DoIT would like to announce that UMBC now features a 100 gigabit connection speeds available on campus. In addition, there is now a Netflix node installed in the Data Center on the ground floor of... Image https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/attachments/d19b59b2e7bca97565bf7d1e10e52507/6ab33c8b/news/000/060/005/de487db7a08250a136f966ead11da262/Traffic Map.png?1462656567 https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/60005/guest@my.umbc.edu/a65a6fae2442e370af99b37572ed707a/api/pixel internet mdren netflix node usm Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doit https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/original.JPG?1727453227 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/large.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/medium.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/small.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxsmall.png?1727453227 Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/005/498b40dc293b99f641e822f74cfdc35b/xxlarge.jpg?1465332175 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/005/498b40dc293b99f641e822f74cfdc35b/xlarge.jpg?1465332175 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/005/498b40dc293b99f641e822f74cfdc35b/large.jpg?1465332175 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/005/498b40dc293b99f641e822f74cfdc35b/medium.jpg?1465332175 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/005/498b40dc293b99f641e822f74cfdc35b/small.jpg?1465332175 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/005/498b40dc293b99f641e822f74cfdc35b/xsmall.jpg?1465332175 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/005/498b40dc293b99f641e822f74cfdc35b/xxsmall.jpg?1465332175 35 2 true Wed, 08 Jun 2016 07:55:50 -0400 Wed, 08 Jun 2016 07:59:10 -0400 Quarterly Patching Friday June 3rd and Saturday June 4th
As part of our ongoing commitment to security, the Unix Infrastructure group will be conducting its quarterly system patching on Friday June 3rd and Saturday June 4th.  While many of the systems will be patched without any service disruption, there are several systems which require the downtime of key services.  The schedule below outlines which key services will be offline and for how long. 

Friday June 3rd (work will begin at 5:00pm and conclude by 11:00pm, most systems will only be down a small portion of this time):

  • RT will be down from 5pm to 7pm

  • The new web hosting environment will be down (pages will be available but any database calls will not work)

  • Student mySQL databases will be offline

    •

  • Access to Cyrus and UMBC Webmail (accounts not migrated to UMBC Gmail)

    • All mail will be queued up and delivered after the server is patched

    • Expected to be unreachable from 6pm to 8pm

  • All HFS (user) servers will be offline

  • Userpages will be unavailable

  • License5 will be down (autodesk, cadence, idl, schrodinger, xilinx, mathematica)

  • Perseus will be unavailable


Saturday June 4th (work will begin at 9:00am and conclude by 11:00am with the systems only being down a portion of that time)

  • myUMBC lite page will be up resulting in reduced myUMBC functionality
  • Wiki will be unavailable
  • The sites (wordpress) web hosting environment will be unreachable

]]> As part of our ongoing commitment to security, the Unix Infrastructure group will be conducting its quarterly system patching on Friday June 3rd and Saturday June 4th.  While many of the systems... https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/60402/guest@my.umbc.edu/96ea72380eee55a3dc78d73b45139c7d/api/pixel Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doit https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/original.JPG?1727453227 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/large.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/medium.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/small.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxsmall.png?1727453227 Division of Information Technology (DoIT) 0 0 true Fri, 27 May 2016 16:22:39 -0400 Clicker License Codes to be Emailed to UMBC Students License codes will be sent out to students starting May 23

As the campus begins the migration to TurningPoint Cloud this summer, students who purchased and registered their clickers on Blackboard prior to March 1, 2016  will receive Turning Account license codes via their UMBC email. Students will use these license codes to create their Turning Accounts and register clicker information on Blackboard.

License codes will be sent out to students starting the week of May 23. The length of a student's license subscription is based upon the student’s enrollment status during the Spring 2016 semester (e.g., freshman, sophomore etc). Please see below for more information.

Enrollment Status/Year

Subscription Length

Freshman

3 years

Sophomore

2 years

Juniors

1 year

Non-graduating Seniors/

Graduate Students

8 months

Once students receive their license codes, they will need to log into Blackboard to create a Turning Account and register their clicker information.

The updated clicker registration link will be available in Blackboard starting on May 26.

Students who have not previously purchased and/or registered a clicker on Blackboard will be able to buy a clicker bundle from the UMBC Bookstore.

If you have any questions or concerns, please visit our Clicker FAQ page and/or contact Holly Owens at holly3@umbc.edu.

]]> As the campus begins the migration to TurningPoint Cloud this summer, students who purchased and registered their clickers on Blackboard prior to March 1, 2016  will receive Turning Account... https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/60252/guest@my.umbc.edu/0f7a55ebcb84e6cc3bf14ccaa68ad730/api/pixel clickers cloud turningpoint Instructional Technology https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/instructional-technology https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xsmall.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/original.png?1446126703 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xxlarge.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xlarge.png?1446126703 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/large.png?1446126703 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/medium.png?1446126703 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/small.png?1446126703 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xsmall.png?1446126703 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/164/dec3b026b81ee6d890a8f82f75c94a2e/xxsmall.png?1446126703 Instructional Technology https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/252/0c699e07f34a3a283bc0be89d8c4eef1/xxlarge.jpg?1463673257 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/252/0c699e07f34a3a283bc0be89d8c4eef1/xlarge.jpg?1463673257 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/252/0c699e07f34a3a283bc0be89d8c4eef1/large.jpg?1463673257 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/252/0c699e07f34a3a283bc0be89d8c4eef1/medium.jpg?1463673257 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/252/0c699e07f34a3a283bc0be89d8c4eef1/small.jpg?1463673257 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/252/0c699e07f34a3a283bc0be89d8c4eef1/xsmall.jpg?1463673257 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/252/0c699e07f34a3a283bc0be89d8c4eef1/xxsmall.jpg?1463673257 5 0 true Fri, 20 May 2016 12:28:09 -0400 Mon, 23 May 2016 13:43:29 -0400 Windows 10 Free Upgrade for Personal Machines Ends July 29th Upgrade for free otherwise pay $120 license for home version
DoIT would like the UMBC community to know that Microsoft's deadline for a free upgrade to Windows 10 is ending on July 29th, 2016. If you are running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and do not take advantage of this offer, the upgrade will cost $119 after.

Please note that this recommendation applies to students, faculty, and staff personal machines. In Summer 2016, all DoIT controlled computer labs will be upgraded to Windows 10 Education. DoIT does officially support Windows 10 and will be happy to upgrade faculty and staff UMBC owned machines as requested. Windows 10 also has support for Eduroam & MATLAB. 

Bryan Roper, Executive Demo Lead for Microsoft, gave 10 reasons why you should upgrade. Roper mentioned that Windows 10 has the highest customer satisfaction rate of any version of Windows ever. 

By upgrading now, you can get live tiles that display tidbits of information without the need to open an app. There are also more games and apps on Windows 10 such as Minecraft, Netflix, and Adobe Photoshop Express. The security of Windows 10 is also improved, and if your device supports a fingerprint reader you can sign into it using Windows Hello

Windows 10 screenshot. Here you can see the live tiles in action, along with a familiar Windows UI. 

The other advantage of upgrading now is you will get all future Windows 10 updates for free. This includes the upcoming summer update titled Anniversary Update which includes improvements to Cortana, Microsoft’s digital personal assistant similar to Apple’s Siri.

You can check out some guides on upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10, or how to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. 

Thumbnail image is from Microsoft's Windows 10 page. 
]]> DoIT would like the UMBC community to know that Microsoft's deadline for a free upgrade to Windows 10 is ending on July 29th, 2016. If you are running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and do not take... https://youtu.be/wVo9Vdpk23g Image https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/attachments/55584f7d3636a889c415b06651462189/6ab33c8c/news/000/060/003/16e8bca67b4df1dc99055f27569eb72b/IMG_0014.JPG?1462655586 https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/60003/guest@my.umbc.edu/140382423ccfcdfc4f4c275a6d25af51/api/pixel microsoft upgrade windows10 Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doit https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/original.JPG?1727453227 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xlarge.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/large.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/medium.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/small.png?1727453227 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xsmall.png?1727453227 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/021/d27760c5de12c74b73faec8d0e631acf/xxsmall.png?1727453227 Division of Information Technology (DoIT) https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/003/f779c0f150df20b0df5c7f815dba69b4/xxlarge.jpg?1462986803 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/003/f779c0f150df20b0df5c7f815dba69b4/xlarge.jpg?1462986803 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/003/f779c0f150df20b0df5c7f815dba69b4/large.jpg?1462986803 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/003/f779c0f150df20b0df5c7f815dba69b4/medium.jpg?1462986803 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/003/f779c0f150df20b0df5c7f815dba69b4/small.jpg?1462986803 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/003/f779c0f150df20b0df5c7f815dba69b4/xsmall.jpg?1462986803 https://assets3-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/060/003/f779c0f150df20b0df5c7f815dba69b4/xxsmall.jpg?1462986803 15 2 true Wed, 11 May 2016 13:27:56 -0400