• Technology in higher education can be a double-edged sword, with the potential for transforming learning but sometimes at an unexpectedly high cost.
• Different perspectives from technology practitioners and stakeholders help us better understand our pursuit of technologies that can transform teaching and learning from passive to active engagement.
• Adopting targeted technology strategies, to explain or change perceptions through effective communications with constituencies, can help institutions not just grow, but thrive.

Read the full article here

The LTDC Communications Committee is working on updating the LTDC Blog and would like your input. If you have specific ideas on what content you would like to see, or features you would like added please let us know.  We greatly value your input.

Lorna

I am learning the ropes and will be relying on the support and expertise from all the LTDC friends, especially during these budget tight years. Please do not hesitate to let me know of your ideas and suggestions. Together, we can accomplish worthwhile initiatives, make our work visible, and share our expertise in effectively incorporating technology in teaching and learning in these exciting years ahead.

Lorna

Members present: Jim Jorstad, Karen Ryan, Penny Ralston-Berg, and Pat Fellows. Carol Turner had a meeting conflict.

The question we addressed during the meeting was: “How do we explain to the world what the LTDC does?” We also talked about how to share our success stories more effectively.

• On the campuses they don’t know who we are, so how can we address this issue?
o Communications with Provosts as to what we are doing
o Emails to instructors, administrators, IT staff
o Utilize our D2L Portals
o Have a link or even a small banner or widget on the campus website at various times during the year re. the LTDC
o Newsletters – possibly created in HTML and emailed to instructors and others as mentioned above
o Print information
o Bi-Yearly communication of what the LTDC is doing

• How can we be more visible with UW System groups?
o Create a closer tie with OPID on our campuses and as a whole group
o Be more visible at the UW System Joint Meetings (ITMS, EMTC, CUWL, CWCW, etc.)
 Possible poster session at a reception after dinner at Green Lake?

• How can the LTDC members share what is happening on their respective campuses in more depth and detail?
o Passport to Technology – UW LaCrosse conference for faculty in January
o An online conference for UW System instructors, instructional designers, support staff
o Follow UW Madison’s Academic Technology model of WLW sessions one Friday a month
 Offer our own two weeks later at the same time….
 Have some of our instructors participate in Madison’s program (a UW Colleges faculty member has done this)

Action Steps for February meeting:
• Jim – work on how to better keep Provosts informed
• Penny – Create a Wiki for the Communications Committee
• Pat – Talk to UW System Joint Conference chair to begin plans for stronger LTDC presence
• Karen – Create a Template for LTDC’s and OPID to use on campus to promote the campus LTDC’s.
• Pat and Carol (?) – talk about how the LTDC can partner with Carol’s department to provide more visibility of what instructors across the state are doing that is innovative.

Next meeting: 2nd week of February, 2008

Fall 2007 LTDC Meeting
UW-River Falls
Minutes by Carole Turner

October 11th
Podcasting Seminar

Session was streamed and sent via Video over IP.
Planning Committee included:

Tanya Joosten, UW-Milwaukee – tjoosten@uwm.edu
Amy Mangrich, UW Milwaukee – amangric@uwm.edu
Mary Mielke (LTDC rep), UW-Stevens Point – Mary.Mielke@uwsp.edu
Jan Cheetham, UW-Madison – cheetham@doit.wisc.edu
Ron Cramer, UW-Madison – rjcramer@wisc.edu
Erika Romenesko, UW-Madison – eromenesko@doit.wisc.edu
Jim Jorstad, LTDC Executive Chair, UW-La Crosse- jorstad.jame@uwlax.edu

Agenda
Location: Wind River Room, University Center
8:30-9:00am – Registration and LTDC Business

9:00-9:15am – Welcome & Opening (Jim Jorstad)
- Introduction of the topic
- “What is podcasting?” brief definition, handout
- Roll-call of the distant audiences

9:15-10:15am – Uses of Podcasting: Faculty Demos (Amy Mangrich) (Jim Jorstad will be a backup)

This session will contain 4-6 faculty demonstrations that will be delivered by a pre-recording, video conference, or live in River Falls. The categories of use to be demonstrated include:

1.) Content dissemination (recorded outside the classroom, video lab demo, pre-recorded lecture, audio w/ still image demo, audio summaries or introductions)
2.) Student creation of podcasts — Field Recording tool (recording field notes, interviews, audio data, environmental sounds, music or language recordings)
3.) Study support tool (audio and/or video flash cards demo, remedial work, review of content)
4.) Classroom recording tool (recorded inside the classroom, recording of group discussion or activity, large lecture recording, screen capture with live mic)

10:15-10:30am – BREAK

10:30-11:30am – Campus and Faculty Experiences with Podcasting (Structured Discussion) (Mary Mielke facilitates)

This session will contain a “sharing” of experiences amongst campuses. The following questions that we hope to discuss should be distributed to each campus prior to the session, so that faculty and staff have time to develop ideas and note their experiences. Specifically, we hope to learn about each campuses value of podcasting discovered, the challenges that had to be overcome, and outcomes revealed through the implementation.

Value of podcasting
• What is the instructional value of podcasting? Why implement it into your course design?
• Was it effective or not? Why?
• What was the most effective uses of podcasting? Best Practices!
• What didn’t work? Overcoming Challenges
• What were challenges and obstacles you had to overcome? (student support, course design, technology)
• What additional faculty develop and/or support would be useful?
• What advice would you give colleagues implementing podcasting?
• What are your current challenges?
• How does your campus manage accessibility issues?
• What have you learned about the impact of podcasting? (research findings, student feedback, best practices)
• What makes a good podcast? (content, design)
• What make podcasting successful?
• What’s next: What are your plans for the upcoming semester?
• How did podcasting impact your class (student learning, performance, engagement)?

11:30-12:30 – Best Practices for Producing Academic Podcasts (Jim Jorstad facilitates)
Length: 5-20 minutes per depending on # of participants
Focus is on support and development of podcasts. Select campuses will share success stories and/or resources for supporting podcasting instructors and/or teaching instructors about how to produce their own podcasts. The goals for the presentations are to cover the following issues:
• Effective training programs, processes or materials for faculty
• Recipes for creating successful and cost-effective podcasts — this could include hardware, software, setup, and budget information.
• Best approaches to explain RSS and the value of subscription to faculty and students
• Solutions for students to create and deliver their own podcasts
• Recommended hardware and software
• Solutions for students to create and deliver their own podcasts

Presentations:

Ericka L. Romenesko, UW-Madison
Madison’s Engage Awards Program

Patricia Fellows- UW-Colleges
“Cousecasting” Application

Amy Mangrich- UW-Milwaukee
RSS Feeds, Faculty Support, and More

12:30-1:30 – Lunch
Location: Falls Room, University Center
Topic Tables – An opportunity to pick up from the earlier discussion on different topics surrounding podcasting.

Topics include:
Challenges of Programmatic Approaches – For those who are interested in implementing campus or large-scale podcasting programs.
Two tables of Podcasting Pedagogy – Further discussion of the instructional value of podcasting.
Two tables of Podcast TechTalk – Best technical practices for making podcasts. Hardware, software recommendations.

October 12th, Friday

Business Session
1. Action: Have the LTDC Communications Group work on posting the podcasting resources. Communicator Convener is Pat Fellows (in November)
2. Action: Invite group to LTDC. Nancy Chick, etc (LTDC Curricular Redesign Grant) on wikis. Have them present to LTDC.
3. Action: Make this a goal for the year to investigate Quality Matters.
Small Group: Annemarie, Lorna, Mary, Donna, Cheryl, and Karen. Lorna is the convener in mid-November.
They will report out to the large group in a couple of months.
4. Action: Small group to plan a LTDC retreat: someone from Madison, Rich Berg, Penny Ralston-Berg. Madison rep will be a convener. Cheryl Diermyer can do a section on Marcus Buckingham.
5. Everyone post their reports on the blog. Turner make the category “campus reports” first.

Comments about Podcasting session yesterday:
Enjoyed the faculty portion, esp. the student responses and how they benefited from podcasts.
Faculty examples, web sites, and other resources are valuable.
iTunesU: several campuses using it, and will continue to use it. (Oshkosh, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee)
Oshkosh has a public face. UW-Milwaukee has units going to the iTunesU. Madison has just courses through D2L, going toward public face. Whitewater interested in a public face, building it up now.
UC-Berkeley streaming their videos through YouTube.

LTDC: Have a place to store these resources, easy for faculty to access.
Possibly have a link in Minds@UW, or blog, or wiki.

Librarians group is saying that all system schools can have library course pages through D2L (it’s almost a mandate).

Wikis
The wiki (WikiSpaces) that Ron Cramer set up for the podcasting working group was extremely useful! Thanks, Ron!!

Action: Invite group to LTDC. Nancy Chick, etc (LTDC Curricular Redesign Grant) on wikis. Have them present to LTDC.

LTDC groups on each campus using wikis for workflow, dissemination, resources.

Having a LTDC wiki that is open will be helpful to LTDE reps and others at each institution (instead of email, which is closed).

Technology Cadre Program (TLC)
UW-River Falls
The mission of the TLC since 1999 has been to support an educational environment where technology is an integral part of the teaching and learning process. TLC provides just-in-time teaching, learning, and technology support.
Student leaders work through the steering committee to assist faculty and students. TLC Students train other students on software that faculty want to use. TLC Students keep tracks of requests through Footprints, a task management software.
Cadre Program helped over 1,000 students and many more in labs, and from many departments. Faculty part of the training sometimes.
TLC students get training through meetings, demos, and project teams, and by learning individually.
Karen Ryan is more of an interface between faculty and students, talks with faculty about instructional design. Students pick it up or have that pedagogical background if they are Education majors.

TLC students not hired on their geek skills, but the development of communication and leadership skills.
Faculty alumni comment on the value is in taking risks.
(There are also help desk students helping faculty too.)

UW-River Falls Funding:
IT Services Review (external review) this last year – complete look at the operation. Review says faculty need more pedagogical support.
Will have a Title 3 funded Center for Teaching and Learning. Hire an instructional designer. TLC gets some of those funds and other grant funds.

Alan Foley, UW System Report

1. Curriculum Redesign Grant
Propose to get out RFP soon, before EDUCAUSE. Still due in early spring. Talk with individuals on campuses is most helpful. Alan will notify LTDC when the provosts are notified. There is another list (grant officers) to notify. Grant officers can contact Alan Foley directly.
Alan’s to-do: LTDC will get a cc: when the Provosts are notified.

We need to make some connections between Provosts, grant officers, faculty, and LTDC reps.

2. State budget: no way of knowing what will happen with Curriculum Redesign funds.

3. Disable right click in D2L. Students can right click and print their quiz data. D2L can’t fix. Will fix in 8.2.2. We expressed our concern with this change in functionality, lack of notification regarding the issue, and overall quality assurance process that should have identified this issue.

Best practices and techniques to make D2L more secure coming in the next 2 weeks.

Lorna is spearheading a solution, to lock down the browser. Expensive.

4. University Minnesota has an Open Source Portfolio tool. Up to v5.1. (Different than OSP project that is part of Sakai.) Minnesota’s is a stand-alone program, separate from CMS. Integrated through PeopleSoft. Student has this portfolio “for life.”
There is no licensing fees, will be storage costs.
UW-System going to investigate running a centralized portfolio software (University of Minnesota’s open source portfolio tool (possibly through DoIT, Alan said that Doug Flee was the initial contact). UW Stevens Point and others could do a pilot first.
Need to find out costs and how to pay for it. No lack of interest. Get some collaborative programs using it. Maybe have a pilot in spring.
Campus Technology has an article about Epsilon (portfolio software ties to social software).
Portfolio use has a direct impact on student learning! Keep building cases on how many students will benefit and how they will benefit. A good way to keep in touch with alumni.
Superior interested in Teaching Portfolios.
Madison interested in portfolios for L&S and Engineering First Year Interest Groups, and from Student Advisors.
Pat Fellows wants to know if anyone is doing anything with technology and tenure review, any homegrown applications, portfolio software?

5. Alan will get out the composite results from the last spring UW System survey on D2L and other learning Tools in the next six weeks. A summary will be helpful in knowing the satisfaction levels, etc.

6. UW Task Force met twice, will meet in November, very diverse and busy group. Diverse members. LTDC reps are Andy, Lorna, and Pat. Nothing to report. Still working on scope and info gathering.

Quality Matters QM
What about a UWS license? It’s a yearly license. Share the costs with interested campuses.
Need to get faculty buy-in of course.
Need accountability with online learning.
Could we write some separate conference grants, invite our faculty in workshops, then could be faculty buy-in. could we use our small LTDC grants for this? Need something to bring it together.
Some of the training is online.
Nicole Marcisz Learning Innovations took the training. QM doesn’t practice their philosophy. The accessibility portion was weak.
AnnMarie Johnson is going to take the QM training.
Lorna took this 3 week workshop 2 years ago, and discussion among the group was useful. Found it useful. Rubric a good guide for her workshops.
Sloan Consortium, membership, there is a free workshop for members.
Action: Make this a goal for the year. Investigate Quality Matters.
Small Group: AnnMarie, Lorna, Mary, Donna, Cheryl, and Karen.
Report out in a couple of months.

LTDC Retreat
Action: Small group to plan a LTDC retreat: “someone” from Madison, Rich Berg, Penny Ralston-Berg.
Reflections on what we do, take some time out from our busy schedules. Leading from where you are (Marcus Buckingham philosophy) – what is a leader.
Using what you have to do your job.
Using the retreat for a way to support each other.
Not all about technology.

Rosemary Lehman, Rich Berg published a book! Atwood Publishing Web site: 147 Practical Tips for Synchronous and Blended Technology Teaching and Learning. Component web site and blog.

Learning Innovations, Penny R-B- second life multi-user virtual environment, extension,
UW-EX, ICS, Rich- extend LMS, Breeze 500-1000 virtual licenses

UW-Stout- Margy- new faculty and staff, 42 participants, laptops 2 weeks, photographer
retiring, not replacing him
Colleges- Pat Fellows, ready to launch iTunes, Course casting- home grown, can lock down or
have open access, 6 campuses, library course pages tied into, integrated into D2L, rubrics,
UW-Milwaukee, Bob K- things going well, D2L, clicker, new person-ID person for 3-year grant,
2 faculty brown bags, podcasting and clicker
UW-Stevens Point, – Mary M.-clickers, gotten away from selling to leasing, telephone office (cell)
UW-Whitewater- Lorna- on vacation
UW-Superior-Lisa- new center for excellence and learning, advisory meeting, Provost
assessment workshops, rubrics in assessments, content mapping tool, wikis
UW-Madison Carole Tuner-, Learn at UW, centralized help desk, consultations, customized road
shows, D2L, grants applications, Madison, ELI proposals
UW-La Crosse-Jim J.- looking to fill our Sr. Video Producer Position, continuing with classroom
design, currently conducting a survey on technology development areas on LTDC
campuses- members are encouraged to submit their survey info, Jim will share results

LTDC individuals going to EDUCAUSE: Pat Fellows, Sharon McCarragher, Carole Turner, Alan Foley, Jim Jorstad- hope to convene a meeting place or time.

Meeting concluded 2:45pm

- Selection/Election of president elect and secretary
- Finalize Podcasting expectations and workshop
- Finalize fall conference agenda
- Discuss and finalize logistical needs to be forwarded to Karen Ryan
- Additional items
- Selection/Election of president elect and secretary

Election of Secretary and President Elect

Secretary – Carole Turner
Pres-Elect – Pat Fellows

- Finalize Podcasting expectations and workshop, Finalize fall conference agenda

Podcasting agenda
Day One, October 11th

Balance the length of the podcasting session with the LTDC business

Do the walk-through late in the day.

Start at 9am, welcome by Provost, Karen, JJ

Have a podcasting handout and go right into the podcasting session
Podcasting session is three hours, plus one 15 minute break and one hour lunch (table topics). Podcasting committee can plan the time accordingly.
9:15am- start the podcasting session
includes short break 10:30am-10:45am
Make the move at lunch at 12:30-1:30pm, do podcasting topic tables or something. that the podcasting committee decides.
1:30pm short break
2pm Quality Matters
4pm Walk through, tour of River Falls

Dinner

Perhaps LTDC Executive Committee meets after dinner, or the next morning.

October 12th

Day Two
Start at 8:30am.
Topics: Update on System topics, Budget, Curricular Redesign, LTDC Tech Grants, 1 hour campus updates and sharing (Send documents beforehand).
JJ work with Karen on her topics (1/2 Hour or so) and the agenda for Day Two

Finalize fall conference agenda

Send out reminder: Make accommodations ahead of time. Please send out campus reports ahead of time. Post campus reports to the blog. (Carole to send out)

Registration, Karen should send something out about registration and dietary needs. (JJ to talk to KR)

Additional items

Blog, Faculty request.
Faculty has project where they buy publications for STEM, for schools. Has different faculty placed at higher educations? Want to share projects with LTDC. JJ post to blog.