D2L Training Scheduled for January 18

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

The Learning Technology Center is pleased to invite faculty and instructional staff to “D2L Day” that will be held on Friday, January 18, 2013 from 9:00 AM to 3:45 PM in Hyland 3101.

It’s a full day D2L Winterim Workshop with breakout sessions on D2L tools, such as quizzes, discussions, plagiarism detection, and rubrics. These will include a variety of hands-on “How To” sessions, tips, best practices, and new strategies to effectively use D2L in your classroom. View the full-day schedule here: Winterim D2L Workshop Schedule

Participants may now register for the all-day workshop or for individual sessions using the signup tool. The workshops are listed under “iCIT-LTC Training.”

“The Flipped Classroom” – Call for Proposals and Save the Date

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

While not an entirely a new concept, there has been increased interest in what’s called the “Flipped Classroom.” Typically, “flipping” is considered to be the practice of using video segments to disseminate content-rich lessons outside of the classroom, thereby allowing classroom time to be used for interaction and hands-on activities. However, the flipped classroom model can take many forms and may also involve a wide variety of technologies and methodologies. Join your UW-Whitewater colleagues as we consider what it means (and does not mean) to “flip” a classroom and discuss the potential benefits and pitfalls of this practice. Particular emphasis will be on exploring methods for using “flipping” techniques to enhance student learning and engagement.

If you have used “flipping” techniques in your own teaching, please share your experiences and ideas with your colleagues – even if you have just experimented! We welcome presentation proposals that include best practices (based upon successes or failures), lesson samples, demonstrations, techniques, lesson evaluations, and/or Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research results.

This event is sponsored by the Learning Technology Center (LTC), the LEARN Center, and the College of Education and Professional Studies. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

If you are interested in registering for this workshop as a presenter, please contact Renee Pfeifer-Luckett, Director, Learning Technology Center to discuss your proposal topic (pfeiferr@uww.edu). Full details on the Call For Proposals can be accessed from the following link: http://geturl.uww.edu/1i3

Snackable Series: Promoting In-Class Interactivity (Part 2)

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

The Learning Technology Center (LTC) is pleased to invite faculty and instructional staff to attend the next free session in the Snackable Series “Solving Teaching Challenges One Byte at a Time.” In the “Snackable Series” sessions, a specific learning technology is spotlighted. The next session will be held November 28 and 29, 2012 and focuses on promoting in-class interactivity.

In this series learn how a variety of technology tools can be used to increase course content retention. Tools showcased include student response system (i.e., “clickers”), PowerPoint activities such as Jeopardy, and StudyMate learning activities and games. This session focuses on strategies for leveraging these technologies to promote interaction in your class and increase engagement.

The dates, times, and location for this Snackable are as follows:

Wednesday, November 28, 2012: Noon – 1 p.m.
Thursday, November 29, 2012: 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

Register online today for this “Snackable Series” session – seating is limited: http://signup.uww.edu

Call for Proposals: OPID 2013 Spring Conference

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

UW System Office of Professional and Instructional Development (OPID) seeks proposals from UW System faculty, instructional academic staff, and students with faculty/staff sponsorship for presentations to be given at their 2013 Spring Conference titled “The Value of Inquiry into Student Learning in the 21st Century.” The conference will be held April 18-19, 2013 at the Madison Concourse Hotel. Presentation formats will include papers, panels, workshops, and poster sessions. UW-Whitewater faculty and staff are invited to join more than 200 UW System faculty and staff specializing in a wide variety of disciplines will gather together to share “their experience, knowledge, practice, and scholarship with colleagues.”

New this year to the conference is the session track “Leveraging Technology in Teaching and Learning.” The conference includes the following five session tracks/topics:

Scholarly Inquiry into student learning: perspectives, practices, and results
Inclusive pedagogy
Innovative practices in Online Teaching
Leveraging technology in teaching and learning
High Impact Practices: Research that links the effectiveness of student learning and high impact practices.

Presentation proposals are due by November 29, 2012 and should be submitted online via the online proposal submission system. Confirmations for accepted proposals will be sent in mid-December 2012. Questions regarding proposals or the conference may be directed to OPID via e-mail.

Register today for “iPad Uses in the Classroom”

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

Have you considered incorporating iPads into your teaching? Would you like to learn more about how other instructors have leveraged iPads in their teaching? If so, please join us for a webinar on September 27. Topics include classroom and project use of iPads, as well as the logistics of buying and setting up an account. Case studies on how iPads were used in Math instruction and Digital Storytelling will also be discussed.

Bring your lunch and join us for the webinar iPad Uses in the Classroom on Thursday, September 27, at 12:00pm-1:30pm in UC 261. Register through my.uww.edu/signup.

Jointly sponsored by Andersen Library and the Learning Technology Center, this webinar will explore examples of successful iPad integration as well as offer suggestions on technical issues. (iPad image from flickr.com Some rights reserved by sucelloleiloes.)

Message from LEARN@UW on D2L Performance

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

Faculty, Staff and Students:

On behalf of our Learn@UW Executive Committee, I/we want you to know that we are taking steps now to improve the performance of Desire2Learn (D2L) systems at all UW campuses.

We are aware that many of you have experienced slow or delayed responses in D2L over the past few days. After D2L was upgraded to version 10 this summer, we noticed some occasional performance issues. Immediately, Learn@UW technical staff (the entity at UW-Madison’s Division of Information Technology that manages the D2L System) and D2L staff began working on solutions to improve performance. Later, Microsoft experts were engaged to help solve the problem. Numerous patches to the system have been applied. However, these efforts have yielded only temporary success, and the root cause of these performance problems has not yet been identified. This is not uncommon in a complex environment like ours, but it is still very, very frustrating.

We will not tolerate this level of performance. While technical experts continue around the clock to resolve the issues, the Learn@UW Executive Committee is exploring alternatives. We are consulting with top D2L executives to determine what assistance D2L can provide beyond finding the problem and what viable alternatives exist.

We are confident that we are receiving the best attention possible from both vendors. Top leadership at UW System, Learn@UW Utility and Desire2Learn are engaged in this process.

As we work through this we ask for your continued patience, and we will continue to keep you posted on our efforts to restore the level of performance that faculty, staff, and students deserve.

Thank you.
Chris Clements, Chair
Learn@UW Exec Committee

Lorna Wong
Director, Learning Technology Development
University of Wisconsin System Administration

D2L “Starter Course v2.2″ Available

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

Streamline your D2L course development process by using templates and resources provided in the D2L “Starter Course.” Developed as a means to give instructors access to a number of useful templates and other resources, the Starter Course allows instructors to copy D2L components into their course and then modify for their own use. In addition, many of the resources and templates now also help courses meet Quality Matters standards for online and blended courses. Now in version 2.2, the course has been reformatted in the new D2L page design and content has been updated. Examples of “Starter Course” components include the following items:

Time-saving templates: easy to edit electronic D2L rubrics, activities, assignments, topic overviews, discussion starters, and more.
Student resources: useful information on Turnitin Suite (plagiarism and GradeMark), “clickers” (student response devices), D2L assistance, technology help, and standard university policies.
Quizzes: help students prepare to use LockDown Browser, to find out “Are You Ready for Online?”, and to learn helpful tips and success strategies.
A mid-course student evaluation survey: gauge whether the course is meeting your (and your students’) expectations.

To access and register for the D2L Starter Course, login to D2L and click on the Register for Starter Course button under the Instructor Resources widget. Then, click on the Register button to complete the process. Once you have registered, you will see the course appear within your “instructor tab” in the folder titled “OTHER-Courses With no Semester.”

Please remember that “Starter Course” resources are used by instructors across campus. Please only copy items (do not edit any of the items) found in the original D2L Starter course! Thank you!

D2L ePortfolio Showcase Event at UW Madison – June 22

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

Whether you are new to the topic of ePortfolio or an advanced user, please join your colleagues for a one day event focusing on the use of the D2L ePortfolio (eP)! All UW-System faculty and instructional support staff are invited to attend an eP showcase to be held at UW-Madison’s Union South where faculty and staff will share their experiences and best practices in leveraging the D2L ePortfolio tool.

The keynote speaker for this event, Dr. Trent Batson, Executive Director of AAEEBL, will discuss “Deep Learning and ePortfolios.” Also joining the showcase is Angus Chan, the Director of D2L’s eP and Learning Object Repository development group. Angus will discuss D2L ePortfolio 4.0 new features, and he will also lead a “listening session” with attendees to learn about suggested changes and enhancements to eP that UW System users would like to request.

The program will also include subject-matter roundtables and panel sessions on various eP implementation topics. The Showcase will provide excellent networking, sharing, and collaborative opportunities to engage with members of the University of Wisconsin D2L eP community.

Please visit the following page to learn more about the showcase presenters and topics: http://geturl.uww.edu/1e1

Space is limited. To secure a spot for the event, please register prior to June 8, 2012, at http://geturl.uww.edu/1e0

Please contact the LTC (ltc@uww.edu) if you have questions about the eP Showcase!

Reminder: Clicker Registration for Summer

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

If you plan to use student response system (aka “clickers”) technology in your summer course, please contact the LTC to register. Classes using clickers must be added to the Clicker Registration application so that your students can register their clickers and you can retrieve a class participant list for use in TurningPoint.

If you have courses you would like added to the Clicker Registration application, please provide the LTC with your course name and number. If you have multiple sections, please also specify if you prefer to have your course sections combined or separate.

UW-Whitewater also offers ResponseWare, an “app” that allows students to use their smartphones, laptops, and other Internet-connected devices rather than a clicker keypad. The reduced cost for students to use an app versus purchasing a clicker keypad can be significant. If you are interested in using ResponseWare in addition to using clickers, but you do not yet have a ResponseWare account, please contact the LTC for setup.

Instructor Resources D2L “Course” Retired

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

The D2L-based “Instructor Resources Course,” a course originally designed to provide instructors with D2L content templates and other standard course materials, has been retired and will no longer be available beginning June 1, 2012.

Over the years the majority of the content in the course had become outdated, and the organization of instructional technology resources has evolved.

Relevant content from the course has been re-tooled and moved to other resource areas including the “D2L Starter Course” and the LTC Instructional Resources wiki (see https://wiki.uww.edu/dept/instructional/). The “D2L Starter Course“ provides a D2L course template for use in online course development, and the wiki is an online repository of instructional technology best practice examples, and other resources. For more information about the “D2L Starter Course” please contact Karen Skibba (skibbak@uww.edu).

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Instructor Resources course and/or its retirement, please contact UW-W D2L Support.