• Faculty Can Now Log Into my.umbc.edu/go/bbnew. | More Info
  
  NOTE: This link will be active through 12/28. On 12/29, myUMBC and blackboard.umbc.edu will be used to access our new Blackboard system.
  
  
• Winter and Spring 2015 Course Shells Were Created on 12/2
• Course content from AY12-13 and AY13-14 has been migrated
• New Features In Blackboard for Winter and Spring 2015
• FYI: DoIT Has Created Printable How-to Instructions for Logging In
  

• January 14 Hybrid Course Design Workshop Open to All Faculty
  
• Winter Technology Training Available for UMBC Faculty
• Online Learning Consortium Offers Free Faculty Training
• Bb SafeAssign Integration Improves for WT2015
• Bb Achievements to Support Competency-Based Learning

• UMBC Establishes Adobe Campus Site Licenses
• Easy & Efficient: Electronic Time Sheets are Live
• UMBC Achieves InCommon Bronze Certification
• Classroom Support of VHS Players to Cease as of June 1, 2017
• DoIT Organizational Leadership Changes
  

DoIT Update is a selection of campus IT news and events emailed 3-4 times a year, typically around the start and end of each Fall and Spring semester. For more information, visit doit.umbc.edu. For IT help, we recommend 1) consulting the FAQs, 2) submitting an RT ticket, or 3) contacting the Technology Support Center located on the Library’s first floor or call 410.455.3838. See also doit.umbc.edu/support/tips.

• Grade Center
• Adaptive Release
• Collaborate
• TechSmith Relay

1. Orientation (5 minutes): A quick overview of what the tool does. If all you want is a demo, come early.
2. Recommendations (10 minutes): 1-2 tips based on our observations from providing faculty support, as well identification of effective practices  and practitioners.
3. Q & A (40 minutes): This is your time. What do you want to know? What's a problem you'd like to solve or a new opportunity you'd like to explore?

• January 7: ENG 025 
  
• January 28: Virtual Session
• February 4: ENG 025 
  
• February 11: Virtual Session
• February 18: ENG 025 
  
• February 25: Virtual Session
• March 4: ENG 025

Please note that these are not formal Blackboard training classes. Additional dates and times may be added as demand warrants.

1:  What is Yik Yak?

Yik Yak is a mobile app that anyone can download and use to post anonymous observations. If you are familiar with Twitter or Facebook, Yik Yak is another social media platform -- without any boundaries or identity affiliation. Participants can upvote what they like, or downvote what they do not like; they can also reply to “yaks” anonymously. Yik Yak utilizes the built-in GPS tracking in mobile technology to filter “yaks” to the user’s location within a 5-mile radius wherever the app is opened. Participants can also “peek” into other Yik Yak communities across the nation.

2: How do students access the app?

Anyone can download Yik Yak from the App Store on iOS devices or the Google Play store on Android devices. It is not available at this time for traditional desktops or laptops. It is a free application with no  requirement for the user to provide personal information.

3: How is the app used?

Yik Yak is used for anonymous posting to share thoughts and opinions on any topic.  This app has become widely popular on college campuses where students are posting opinions about everything from campus events to political issues.

4: How is this app impacting academic integrity on college campuses?

Since this app has become widely popular at college campuses across the country, some students are beginning to post information about assessments and other activities that occur in their courses.

5: How can I prevent the misuse of Yik Yak in my course(s)?    

• Remind students of UMBC’s Honor Code

• Require students to put away their electronic devices during high stakes assessments

• Offer multiple versions of quizzes, exams, etc.
  

• Consider long-form question(s) instead of multiple choice to encourage the application of critical thinking

• Use Yik Yak as a teaching tool.

Example:  Ask an open-ended question in class, and have students post their responses anonymously via Yik Yak. Then have students vote for the response they think best answers the question. Display results on the LCD screen.  

Faculty should not feel obligated to install Yik Yak on their own devices to monitor the stream during exam sessions, but this is also an option. Another option suggested by Stony Brook University (2014) is to display the Yik Yak feed via projector; in doing so, you may discourage some students from using the app.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us as instructionaltechnology@umbc.edu. We look forward to seeing you at the sessions!

We want to give you as much notice as possible about our plan to cease classroom support of VHS players on June 1, 2017. This plan was created with the input from the UMBC Classroom Committee, the AOK Library, and DoIT using the information gathered from the campus-wide VHS Usage Survey distributed in March of 2014.

Since the summer of 2012 both new and renewed technology-rich learning spaces have not included a VHS player. Our current pool of devices is beginning to fail and we are finding it difficult to purchase replacement equipment. Increasingly we see challenges with the quality of existing VHS tapes as they age. Campus usage and library circulation data confirms the decline in the use of VHS media. In addition, many of our VHS tapes do not meet the requirements for accessibility of instructional materials. For instance, do the VHS resources that you use now include closed captioning?

DoIT will continue to have a limited number of VHS players available for delivery from AV Services throughout the transition. The AOK Library will continue to provide VHS viewing stations and a screening room after June, 2017.If you currently own VHS tapes that you use for instruction, you should begin to develop a strategy for migrating that material to a digital or online format. Staff in DoIT and the Library will be glad to assist if you have questions regarding the transition from VHS tapes to updated media formats.

To help, we recommend the following:

 Many VHS tapes used for instruction are now available online by subscription or purchased as DVD material. DoIT is working with the Library to investigate options for streaming media.

 Bookmark clips and desired content in your browser.

We hope that by giving you as much advance warning as possible we can begin working with groups to make an orderly transition before VHS tapes are impossible to support and this impacts your instruction.

Please visit our FAQ page at https://wiki.umbc.edu/display/faq/Classroom+VHS+Player+Retirement

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.