Category Archives: Announcements & News

Announcements and news on technologies

Apply for the LTC’s Adaptive Learning Project Focused on Student Success and Retention

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Looking for a way to increase student success in your course? Cerego is an adaptive learning platform that adjusts to an individual’s strengths and weaknesses by honing in on the specific concepts that each individual student needs. With Cerego, instructors can create content through the use of multiple choice and true/false questions, flashcards, fill – in- the – blank passages, and interactive figures. Students are able to track their individual progress over time and instructors can identify where improvements can be made at the individual and class level.

Cerego on a mobile device

The UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center is interested in supporting up to five instructors for the 2019-2020 academic year with stipends of $2,000 to use Cerego to provide a personalized, adaptive learning solution to increase success for all students. The LTC is particularly looking to work with instructors in courses with high “D,” “F,” “Withdraw,” or “Incomplete” (DFWI) rates to increase student success and improve retention rates in courses that show large equity gaps related to underrepresented minorities (URM), Pell-eligible, or first generation student populations.

To view the full call for applications, visit this post.

To apply, please complete this form by April 14th, 2019.

If you have any questions about this project, please contact the Learning Technology Center. 

Cerego for Student Success

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The Learning Technology Center (LTC) is sponsoring a project that will support five instructors in their exploration of Cerego’s adaptive learning platform. With the use of Cerego, the goal is to reduce DFWI rates – particularly for underrepresented minority (URM) students in their courses. If this is something you are interested in joining, keep
reading!

Cerego Logo

What is Adaptive Learning?

Adaptive learning offers an individualized learning experience for students. Instructors are able to customize their course for students through activities and assessments. This system continually adapts content and assessments based on a student’s performance. Students are able to gain feedback as well as additional learning material in order to gain a full understanding of course material.

Cerego, an Adaptive Learning Platform:

Cerego is an adaptive learning platform that instructors can use to actively engage their students and assess their learning throughout the course of the semester. With Cerego, instructors can create content for students to work through at their individual learning level. Knowledge is tested through the use of multiple choice and true/false questions, flashcards, fill – in- the – blank passages, and interactive figures. Cerego adapts to an individual’s strengths and weaknesses by honing in on the specific concepts that each individual student needs more practice with and then practice is distributed over time. This process can help remove the pressure of learning by providing content that is
customized to individual students’ needs and notifying students when they should return to refresh their knowledge. Students are able to track their individual progress over time and instructors can track their students’ progress as well, allowing instructors to identify where improvements can be made at the individual and class level.

Cerego can help instructors to:
· Support and encourage students
· Reinforce students’ persistence
· Provide students with feelings of “instructor presence” within the course
· Figure out where students are falling short and determine what instructors and         students can do to turn it around

Purpose of this Project:

Participants in this project will use Cerego to provide a personalized, adaptive learning solution to increase success for all students, particularly those in courses with high DFWI rates. More specifically, Cerego will be implemented to increase student success and improve retention rates in courses that show large equity gaps related to URM, Pell-eligible, or first generation student populations. Cerego will be used by instructors in a course that they offer both fall and spring semester to help support and encourage students to be persistent in their learning and to provide reinforcement, as a solution to mending the equity gap.

Please review the requirements for participation in this project:


Summer 2019

  • Attend faculty development sessions with LTC staff (dates TBD).

Fall 2019

  • Conduct at least one course using adaptive learning.
  • Complete early semester check in with LTC staff.
  • Support the LTC in administering an end-of-semester (IRB approved) survey about the course to students.

Winterim 2020

  • Complete one enhancement to the course that will be used in Spring 2020.

Spring 2020

  • Conduct one course using adaptive learning, with the enhancement discussed, and check in with LTC staff.
  • Support the LTC in administering an end-of-semester (IRB approved) survey about the course to students.
  • Complete a presentation on how Cerego facilitated instructor-student interactions as well as students’ outcomes in the course, at an LTC event. 

Interested? Apply here.

If you have any questions about these sessions, please reach out to the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference Proposals Open through March 8th

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CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference 2019. There is still time to submit applications! Proposals will be considered through Friday, March 8th.

This special forum hosted by the LEARN Center and the LTC showcases the wide variety of ways we are all transforming the lives of our students through teaching and learning. The Conference will be held Wednesday, May 22, 2019 on the UW-Whitewater campus. Concurrent presentation sessions will consist of 45 minute presentations with 30 minutes to discuss their topic and 15 minutes for questions and answers.

We encourage proposals in the following themes:

  • Student Engagement
  • Integrating Teaching and Technology
  • Civil Discourse and Diversity
  • High Impact Practices
  • Something Else

    To submit a presentation proposal or learn more about this year’s Celebrating Teaching and Learning conference visit: Conference Website
    http://blogs.uww.edu/ctl/

Adaptive Learning using Cerego

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Adaptive learning offers a way to structure student learning activities and assessments. In adaptive learning, content and/or assessments continuously adapt based on how a student performs, providing feedback and additional learning material so the student can better understand, and master, the course material.

Cerego Logo

With Cerego, instructors can create content for students to learn course material through the use of various options including multiple choice and true/false questions, flashcards, fill-in-the-blank passages, and interactive figures. Based on the students’ correct and incorrect responses, the Cerego platform determines what individual students need to study next. If you think you might be interested in using adaptive learning in your course over the next academic year, please consider attending the LTC’s spring adaptive learning information session to find out if adaptive learning using Cerego might be a good fit for you, your students, and your course! 

Thursday, March 7th, 2019 at 12:00 pm

If you have any questions about the information session, or adaptive learning more generally, please feel free to contact the UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center.

GoReact Lunch and Learn

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Join us for a working lunch on March 12th from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm to learn more about GoReact, a web based video coaching, and skill development resource. This meeting will allow you to see how GoReact can be implemented in your program, see effective practices, share a meal together, and meet fellow educators. We will be discussing how video coaching and feedback can enhance your program.

Sign up for this event on the UW-W Sign Up Tool

If you have any questions about the “Lunch and Learn,” or any other LTC events, feel free to contact the UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center.

Spring 2019 “Teaching with Webex Teams Bootcamp”

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The LTC’s Spring 2019 “Teaching with Webex Teams Bootcamp” takes place on a series of Thursday afternoons in April (4/4, 4/11, 4/18) from 3:30 pm to 4:15 pm at the UW-Whitewater campus.

Any instructor interested in using Webex Teams is welcome. Registrations are encouraged. You do not need to attend all sessions, but the second and third sessions build upon the information provided in the first session.

Webex Teams

Thursday, April 4, 2019: Why Should I Use Webex Teams?

This first session introduces participants to Cisco Webex Teams, and why instructors and students might benefit from incorporating it. Participants will be introduced to the concepts of “Teams” and “Spaces.” Facilitators will provide examples to help participants understand what Webex Teams is (and is not), how Webex Teams works, and the purpose in using Webex Teams.

Thursday, April 11, 2019: How Do I Use Webex Teams?

This second session provides participants with a hands-on technical training with Cisco Webex Teams. Participants will practice creating “Teams” and “Spaces,” as well using Webex Teams to communicate and collaborate with others.

Thursday, April 18, 2019: Now What Do I Do With Webex Teams?

This third, and final, session provides participants with a forum to discuss potential applications of Webex Teams in their teaching. Facilitators will provide participants with “best practices” for using Webex Teams based on recent pilots at UW-Whitewater.

Please note: The LTC does not provide a stipend for attending the “Teaching with Webex Teams Bootcamp.” However, if you complete all three sessions, you will receive a digital badge. 

If you have any questions about the “Teaching with Webex Teams Bootcamp,” or any other LTC training or workshop, feel free to contact the UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center.

Interested in Poll Everywhere?

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Are you interested in using a new tool to facilitate student engagement in your Spring 2019 course? “Poll Everywhere” is a live polling tool that allows students to submit answers, in real-time,  to closed or open-ended prompts that instructors create. Students can respond using the Poll Everywhere website, the mobile app, or even through text messages. 

Introducing Poll Everywhere YouTube Video

If you are interested in learning more about using Poll Everywhere in your course, consider registering for the workshop on Friday, February 8th, at 8:30 am. You will need to enter your UWW Net-ID and password to register.

If you have any questions about Poll Everywhere or any other learning technology, please feel free to contact the UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center.

Call for Proposals: Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference 2019

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Celebrating Teaching and Learning

As a member of the UW-Whitewater community, you are invited to submit a session proposal for the campus event Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference 2019.  This special forum hosted by the LEARN Center and the LTC showcases the wide variety of ways we are all transforming the lives of our students through teaching and learning.  The Conference will be held Wednesday, May 22, 2019 on the UW-Whitewater campus.

Proposals are due February 22, 2019.

Presentations — Concurrent Presentation Sessions will consist of 45 minute presentations with presenters having 30 minutes to discuss their topic and 15 minutes for questions and answers.

We encourage proposals in the following themes:

Student Engagement: Topics may include learner engagement strategies, discussing different ways of supporting students in courses, incorporating active learning strategies, or other engaging teaching activities.

Integrating Teaching and Technology: Topics may include lessons learned from Canvas,  integrating emerging technology into teaching, managing mobile devices or apps, ePortfolio, or preparing students for 21st century skills (e.g., evaluating information, being a digital collaborator).

Civil Discourse and Diversity: Topics may include effective discussions, cultural navigation skills advocacy, relationship building, and a campus culture of belonging.

High Impact Practices: Topics may include showcasing high impact practices, community based learning, undergraduate research, first year experiences, or LEAP projects.

Something Else: Have an idea that doesn’t fit into the themes above? That’s okay! Submit your idea using the “Something Else” theme!

To submit a presentation proposal or learn more about this years Celebrating Teaching and Learning conference visit: Conference Website

Winterim 2019 Poll Everywhere Workshop

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Are you interested in using a new tool to facilitate student engagement in your Spring 2019 course? “Poll Everywhere” is a live polling tool that allows students to submit answers, in real-time,  to closed or open-ended prompts that instructors create. Students can respond using the Poll Everywhere website, the mobile app, or even through text messages. 

If you are interested in learning more about using Poll Everywhere in your course, consider registering for the Winterim 2019 Workshop at 12:00 pm on Tuesday January 8th.

If you have any questions about Poll Everywhere or any other learning technology, feel free to contact the UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center.

LTDC Virtual Showcase 2019 Call for Proposals

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The education session proposal deadline for the 2019 UW System Learning Technology Development Council Virtual Showcase (https://www.wisconsin.edu/learning-tech/events-conf/ltdc-virtual-showcase-2019/) has been extended to December 21, 2018.

The UW System’s annual LTDC Virtual Showcase will be held on April 2nd and 3rd, 2019. The theme for this year’s showcase is Building the New: Innovate, Integrate, Motivate.  We want to hear your tips, tricks, and tales from the trenches as it relates to teaching, learning, and technology.

LTDC Virtual Showcase April 2-3 CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Please consider submitting an education session proposal (https://uwex.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eP9Str1A4qJz2hn). It’s a great way to present at a national conference without having to leave your campus or department. Presentations during concurrent sessions will be 45 minutes: 30 minutes for presentations and 15 minutes for questions and answers. All sessions will be given via a web conferencing tool. Sessions will be recorded and available for archive viewing. The LTDC highly encourages collaboration, use of appropriate and acceptable technologies, multiple institutions, and multiple discipline proposals.

Proposals will be selected and placed into one of the conferences tracks. The tracks are:

  • Digital Learning Environment – What have you learned about the DLE that you’d like to share? Discovered interesting features that everyone should know about? 
  • Teaching & Learning – Have you used technology to prepare instructors to teach or to assist students with learning? What train-the-trainer opportunities have you created?  
  • Technology and Other Resources – Have you created a wonderful set of resources for faculty and students?  What new tool have you discovered that you want to share?
  • Student Engagement – What are you doing to promote student engagement in your classes? How are your students connecting with each other and you?
  • Library and Digital Media – How have you incorporated media or leveraged the library into your classroom? Let’s hear about your LibGuides, user guides, knowledge bases, and instructional videos.
  •  Open Educational Resources – What type of Open Educational Resources have you discovered in the public domain or introduced with an open license?