Blackboard has announced a webinar series to help faculty transition to remote teaching. Click here to sign up for the options described below or access this link: https://go.blackboard.com/Instructor-webinar-series.
Who are these webinars for?
This webinar series is designed for Instructors who are just getting started with teaching using Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate, as well as those who have started to transition to deliver instruction remotely and are looking to make some improvements.
About the webinar series
Many of you had to quickly transition to remote teaching in response to growing concerns on the spread of the coronavirus. The journey to teaching remotely is a process, and we want to ensure you have the tools you need to be successful for both you and your students.
Whether you are brand new to teaching online or looking to make some improvements to what you have started, we designed a set of webinars from basic topics to advanced. We added more topics to help you as you prepare for your next semester.
Getting Started with Blackboard Learn Original Course Experience - Do I have Learn Original?
This webinar is designed to provide you easy step-by-step instructions on how to upload course content, create discussion boards for students to communicate, and provide an overview on the types of online assessments available in Blackboard Learn’s ORIGINAL course experience.
Getting Started with Blackboard Learn Ultra Course Experience - Do I have Learn Ultra?
This webinar is designed to provide you easy step-by-step instructions on how to upload course content, create discussion boards for students to communicate, and provide an overview on the types of online assessments available in Blackboard Learn’s ULTRA course experience.
Getting Started with Blackboard Collaborate
Moving from in-classroom instruction to the virtual classroom does not have to be difficult or stressful. Blackboard Collaborate Ultra is a web-based communication tool that allows you to continue to engage with your students in real time or even to record sessions for students to watch at a later time. In this 30-minute session, we will review the Collaborate interface and tools that support engaging teaching online.
Getting Started with Bb Annotate: Inline Assignment Grading in Blackboard Learn
Blackboard Learn’s inline assignment grading functionality, currently delivered through a technology called New Box View, will be replaced over the next few months with a new tool called Bb Annotate. Created in partnership with clients around the globe, Bb Annotate will offer a more robust feature set to provide customizable feedback to learners, including a sidebar summary view, freehand drawing tools, various color selections, and much more. Join this webinar to see a demonstration of the new tool and get your questions answered by Blackboard experts.
OFFICE HOURS: Ask the Experts About Blackboard Learn and Collaborate
Have a question on how to do something in Blackboard Learn or Blackboard Collaborate? Join this live Office Hours session where Blackboard experts will be on hand to answer questions, demonstrate workflows and provide guidance on teaching remotely.
Intermediate/Advanced Topics
Assessment & Assignments in Blackboard Learn (Original Course Experience)
This intermediate session will provide a deeper dive into setting up assessments, utilizing different types of assessments and creating gradable assignments within a Blackboard Learn Original experience course.
Guide to Building Mobile Content (Original & Ultra Course Experiences)
Many students prefer to consume course content on their mobile phone. This webinar is designed to provide you with basic fundamentals for preparing online course content for mobile delivery. Additionally, we will review Blackboard mobile apps and provide you with a helpful worksheet on mobile content development.
Improving Student Engagement (Original Course Experience)
In the new world of social distancing and limited interaction with others, instructors and students may be missing some accustomed modes of interpersonal communication in courses. Join a team of Blackboard experts who understand first-hand the demands of a fully online teaching environment—we are eager to help you discover how utilizing tools within Blackboard Learn can encourage meaningful engagement among students and between your students and you! Effectively use discussion boards, engage students with interactive lectures and quizzes and challenge them to collaborate together in teams and then present their work back to the larger class. Blackboard’s team of academic professionals have plenty of ideas to share with you and are eager to support you as you consider different ways to promote communication, get your students involved, and to keep them engaged in online classes.
Setting up the Gradebook (Original Course Experience)
As you prepare (or continue) to deliver instruction remotely this summer, empower yourself to do so with maximum efficiency by understanding Blackboard Learn’s powerful Grade Center. The Grade Center is more than just a location to record students' grades--it is an interactive tool that allows faculty to filter, sort, and access data , calculate grades, and monitor student progress. Join this session to learn the basics of efficiently managing your students’ work and grades.
Grading Workflows for Discussions, Assessment & Assignments (Original Course Experience)
Let’s face it – grading is possibly one of the least ‘fun’ parts of teaching. However, now that you’ve created assessments, assignments, and quizzes in Blackboard Learn, the grading process can be easier than ever. In Blackboard, instructors can provide feedback, post grades, and check the originality of student work with ease. Discover how much easier it can be to grade papers when you can annotate right within the online course. You can even provide audio feedback to the student, helping them understand areas of the paper that may need some attention. Want to set up a quiz to be automatically graded? You can do that too! Join us in this informative session on how to use Blackboard’s course tools to make your online teaching experience more efficient, more engaged and less time consuming!
Collaborate Ultra - Beyond the Basics
This webinar will help you move beyond the basics of Blackboard Collaborate and provide an overview of specific use cases and features that will facilitate synchronous interaction with your students. Some features include using breakout rooms, sharing content through your camera, polling, and other features that will help you engage your learners and empower student success.
Click here to register for any of the sessions.
Session Dates
Getting Started with Blackboard Learn Original Course Experience - Do I have Learn Original?
Getting Started with Blackboard Learn Ultra Course Experience - Do I have Learn Ultra?
Getting Started with Blackboard Collaborate
Getting Started with Bb Annotate: Inline Assignment Grading in Blackboard Learn
OFFICE HOURS: Ask the Experts about Blackboard Learn & Collaborate
Assessment & Assignments in Blackboard Learn (Original Course Experience)
Guide to Building Mobile Content (Original & Ultra Course Experiences)
Improving Student Engagement (Original Course Experience)
Setting up the Gradebook (Original Course Experience)
Grading Workflows for Discussions, Assessment & Assignments (Original Course Experience)
Collaborate Ultra - Beyond the Basics
Click here to register for any of these sessions or access the following link: https://go.blackboard.com/Instructor-webinar-series.
Looking for recordings?
Click here to watch past webinar sessions.
Visit the VoiceThread Workshop Archive: https://voicethread.com/workshop-categories/workshop-archive
Sample Workshop Recordings include:
or attend these upcoming live workshops:
When: September 22, 2020 7:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Register here: https://voicethread.com/workshops/voicethread-advanced-skills-10/
In this workshop, participants will learn about more advanced VoiceThread features. We will demonstrate how to integrate Google Drive content via our Media Sources, how to change language displays, adjust playback settings and more. Portions of the workshop will be hands-on.When: September 29, 2020 1:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Register here: https://voicethread.com/workshops/humanize-your-online-course-with-voicethread-7/
| LockDown Browser is a custom browser that prevents digital cheating during an online exam. Respondus Monitor is a companion application for LockDown Browser that deters cheating when students take online exams in non-proctored environments. Students use their own computers with a standard webcam to record assessment sessions. |
This comprehensive training webinar is intended for instructors who plan to use LockDown Browser and/or Respondus Monitor with online exams. The session provides a detailed demonstration of both applications, including enhancements that make Respondus Monitor even more effective and easy to use. Click on one of the dates/times provided below to register for a webinar or visit https://web.respondus.com/webinars/ to register:
NEW - Quality Matters Fall Workshops
We are excited to announce that we have added a new set of Quality Matters workshops starting the week of September 14, targeted at providing just-in-time support for faculty teaching this fall. Topics include active learning strategies, assessment, accessibility, and increasing engagement. Please encourage faculty to register now to secure their spot.
There is no cost for any USM faculty or staff member to attend these workshops, but each workshop does have a 30-person limit, so we encourage you to promote these as soon as possible. We will be monitoring registrations as will add additional sessions if we see high demand.
Week of August 24 | ||
Wednesday August 26, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Creating Accessible Word Docs |
Thursday, August 27, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Providing Accessible Web Content |
Week of September 14 | ||
Tuesday, September 15, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Rethinking Assessments for Application & Engagement |
Tuesday, September 15, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Connecting LOs & Assessments |
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Active Learning Strategies |
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Increasing Learning Engagement with Web 2.0 Tools |
Thursday, September 17, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Helping Learners Track Their Progress |
Thursday, September 17, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Creating Rubrics |
Week of September 21 | ||
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Captioning Videos |
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Rethinking Assessments for Application & Engagement |
Wednesday, September 23, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Connecting LOs & Assessments |
Wednesday, September 23, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Active Learning Strategies |
Thursday, September 24, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Increasing Learning Engagement with Web 2.0 Tools |
Thursday, September 24, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Helping Learners Track Their Progress |
Week of September 28 | ||
Tuesday, September 29, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Creating Rubrics |
Tuesday, September 29, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Captioning Videos |
Wednesday, September 30, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Rethinking Assessments for Application & Engagement |
Wednesday, September 30, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Connecting LOs & Assessments |
Thursday, October 1, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Active Learning Strategies |
Thursday, October 1, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Increasing Learning Engagement with Web 2.0 Tools |
2-Step Instructions for Self-Registering for USM OnTrack QM Workshops
Today's talk is The power of believing that you can improve by Carol Dweck. Carol Dweck researches “growth mindset” — the idea that we can grow our brain's capacity to learn and to solve problems. In this talk, she describes two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not solved it yet? A great introduction to this influential field.
Does your course offer students multiple ways to consume content, complete activities, and demonstrate learning? Accessible course content is good content, as the saying goes, but how can you offer multiple modalities that meet the needs of diverse learners?
The framework to support this practice is Universal Design for Learning (UDL). At its core, UDL is about providing all learners with experiences that include multiple ways to engage, represent, and express. It is about intentional and proactive steps faculty take to create an accessible course for everyone.
These steps often begin with identifying one more option for students, what Tobin and Behling (2018) call a +1 strategy. Ultimately, what is one more way students can engage with content, complete an activity, or show what they know?
You can develop a +1 strategy by considering these questions:
Where do students tend to ask lots of questions?
Where do students often get things wrong on quizzes or tests?
Where do you almost always need to re-teach or explain things in a different way?
The answers can help you develop the framework for meaningful enhancements each semester. You can develop a +1 strategy by starting where you are. You may focus on enhancing course content options first, then expand learning activities or assessments.
Some +1 ideas for expanding content choices beyond reading text include:
Chunk content into smaller videos, with captions (and transcripts if possible)
Offer podcasts for those who are auditory learners
Create evergreen content; that is, it can be repurposed from one semester to another
Some +1 ideas for offering students multiple ways to demonstrate knowledge or proficiency include:
Journaling or blogging
Creating a video
Creating a multimedia presentation
Writing a paper
As you create a +1 strategy, consider Blackboard Ally -- a tool that provides alternative formats students can download in order to access course information in a format they need or want. Students who are prone to eye strain might prefer to download an HTML or ePub format of text for easier reading on a mobile device, or because they want options to copy, paste, search, or highlight passages of text. Students who are auditory learners find listening more helpful than reading and can download an audio format of text. Other alternative formats include electronic braille and BeeLine Reader.
Alternative formats aren't just for a select group of students: They benefit everyone in your quest to design accessible course content.
As always, if you have any questions, please consider the following options:
Academic Continuity | Keep On Teaching | Student Technology Resources
Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups
Request a consult with instructional technology staff
Now available to the campus community and beyond, PIVOT Solo contains lessons on five key topics including course organization, active learning, community building, assessment, and supporting students. PIVOT Solo is designed to be a flexible, self-directed experience, allowing faculty to determine what knowledge they want to refresh or enhance. It is important to note that completion of any or all of PIVOT Solo will not result in eligibility for the professional development stipend that accompanies participation in PIVOT Live and PIVOT+.
The recordings from the PIVOT Live 5 hour webinar series are also available; these are the recordings of the live sessions that can be viewed in their entirety to meet the requirements of the Hrabowski stipend for adjunct faculty.
Additionally, faculty can access recordings of previous training sessions on a number of instructional technologies topics and tools in our recording archives including Blackboard, Collaborate, Panopto, and VoiceThread.
Finally, faculty may want to take advantage of the Course Workload Estimator, which will assist in determining how long it may take a student to complete various course activities, and the many other resources we've provided on the site to help support their online course development and delivery.
Check out this new professional development resource today!
Upcoming Quality Matters Workshops
USM OnTrack has pre-purchased a pool of online teaching professional development workshops from Quality Matters on beginning to advanced topics, including designing for learner engagement, flipping the online course, setting expectations with students, active learning strategies, accessibility, and online assessment. There is no cost for any USM faculty or staff member to attend these workshops, but each workshop does have a 30-person limit, so we encourage you to promote these as soon as possible. We will be monitoring registrations as will add additional sessions if we see high demand.
Below are the workshop titles for the final two weeks, along with registration information. NOTE: We have added a number of additional sessions for high-demand topics; please encourage faculty to come back to our web page to see if a session that was previously full is now available.
Week of August 17 | ||
Monday, August 17, 2020 (NEW!) | 9:00-11:00 | Rethinking Assessments for Application and Engagement |
Monday, August 17, 2020 (NEW!) | 1:00-3:00 | Rethinking Assessments for Application and Engagement |
Tuesday, August 18, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Flipped Approach for Synchronous Online |
Tuesday, August 18, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Setting Expectations and Learner Support: Helping Learners be Successful |
Wednesday, August 19, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Communicating New Policies for Online Courses |
Wednesday, August 19, 2020 (NEW!) | 1:00-3:00 | Creating Discussion Board Rubrics |
Thursday, August 20, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Creating Discussion Board Rubrics |
Week of August 24 | ||
Wednesday August 26, 2020 | 1:00-3:00 | Creating Accessible Word Docs |
Thursday, August 27, 2020 | 9:00-11:00 | Providing Accessible Web Content |
2-Step Instructions for Self-Registering for USM OnTrack QM Workshops
Today's talk is In uncertain times, think like a mother by Yifat Susskind. There's a simple and powerful way to confront the world's most pressing crises, says women's rights activist Yifat Susskind: think like a mother. As she puts it: "When you think like a mother, you prioritize the needs of the many, not the whims of the few." Follow along as she shares moving stories of people around the world who embody this mindset -- and shows how it can also help you see beyond suffering and act to build a better world.