In the event of heavy snow or other emergency when classes cannot meet, UMBC faculty can choose from several tools and technologies to support teaching and learning. Online delivery methods offer many good alternative for supporting missed classroom time. 

Blackboard Learn supports three core components: 

• With Content Management, faculty can upload course materials & handouts; post presentations, share links & resources. Faculty can also embed YouTube videos or record with a webcam to embed video anywhere in the course.
• Faculty can also support Communication, Collaboration and other Student Engagement. Continue course discussions in Blackboard, send email, post announcements, or manage small group activities.
• With Assessment and Grade Management tools, faculty can distribute & collect assignments, grade electronically, deliver tests, and maintain a gradebook -- all in one central location.

Faculty may wish to use more than just Blackboard on a snow day. Other tools available include: 

To learn more about using TechSmith Relay:

• visit our TechSmith Relay FAQ page

• open anRT ticket for any technical issues

• view the schedule of training workshops on theDoIT group page

• contact the Instructional Technology Team with any questions or concerns

Are you looking for a way to increase your Microsoft office skills and add an industry certification credential to your resume?   If so, consider using SkillSoft as your e-Learning partner to prepare for Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certifications in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access. As a UMBC employee, your access is free for all SkillSoft certification prep courses and materials, including live mentors, study mode prep, and testprep exams. (Skillsoft may not cover all exams required for any given certification.  Check on specific certification requirements from the certifying organization.)  After you have completed all required coursework, you can pay and sit for the exam at a certified testing center in your area.

For more information about the Microsoft Office Specialist certification coursework, open the attached flyer below.

Visit the SkillSoft website for more information about certification coursework that SkillSoft provides.  Click on the ‘Certification Matrix’ link at the bottom of the homepage for a full list of certification preparation courses offered.

To schedule a customized department presentation about using SkillSoft for professional development, contact Jill Weinknecht Wardell at ext. 5-1442 or jwardell@umbc.edu.

• myUMBC Group Content (News, Events, Discussions, Media, and Spotlights) can be included from multiple myUMBC Groups
• myUMBC Group News, Events, Discussions, and Media can be shown on more than one page, and can use the "Full Page" layout
• New widgets to show myUMBC Group Content as a simple list or as a slideshow
• Tag filtering can be used to control what myUMBC Group Content is shown
• Campus Directory listings can be shown on more than one page to allow for multiple department listings
• Advanced Campus Directory listing options to create custom directory pages

A rubric is an assessment tool that identifies key criteria of assignments (i.e. essays, journals, discussion boards). Rubrics can help students organize their efforts to meet the requirements of an activity, and instructors can use them to clarify student performance. When a rubric is applied to a graded item in Blackboard, an instructor can use it to easily grade student work through the inline grading feature.

To learn more about using Rubrics in Blackboard:

• visit our Rubric FAQ page

• open an RT ticket  for any technical issues

• view the schedule of training workshops on the DoIT group page

• contact the Instructional Technology Team with any questions or concerns