Category Archives: Announcements & News

Announcements and news on technologies

Desire2Learn 10.7 Upgrade – What Happened This Summer?

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There was an upgrade to Desire2Learn on Thursday, June 15th and if you weren’t teaching you may have missed it. D2L received a handful of new features, and fixed a slew of outstanding issues.  We are excited to share all of these with you.

This post will highlight a few items we believe are the most impactful, but a more complete “What’s New?“ document is available here: https://spaces.uww.edu/x/TwF5

Additional Functionality for Creating Group Discussions
When creating a new Discussion Topic, there is now a “Topic Type” option.  This adds the ability to create a Group or Section topic that is available to everyone, but only allows students to see threads created by users in their same group or section.

Updated Quiz Question Authoring ExperienceNew quiz expereance
A visual redesign of the Quizzes tool to improve the usability of creating and editing Multiple Choice, True/False, Short Answer, and Long Answer questions. Instructors are able to opt out of the new change individually.

Turnitin / GradeMark Enhancements
Dates are now correctly set in the Turnitin side to avoid the “Error communicating with Turnitin” error.
When you copy Turnitin-enabled folders into another course, you can now enable all folders at once.

If you have any questions or concerns about this upgrade, please contact UW-W D2L Support.

Desire2Learn 10.7 Upgrade – June 14th/15th

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There is an upgrade to Desire2Learn scheduled to start at 9:30pm on Wednesday, June 14th and be completed by 10:30am on Thursday, June 15th.  During this time, you will not be able to access Desire2Learn.  Please plan your summer course work accordingly.  We are in the process of creating a “What’s New?“ document and will make it available in the coming weeks.  We do not foresee any more changes with this update.

If you have any questions or concerns about this upgrade, please contact UW-W D2L Support.

Spring 2017 Updates from the Learning Technology Center

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Over the last year, the Learning Technology Center has been hard at work refining our mission.  The full mission statement can be found on our website: http://www.uww.edu/icit/ltc/ltc-mission-statement

WE BELIEVE in integrating pedagogy and technology to assist instructors in developing effective learning experiences.

WE SUPPORT instructors in their pursuit of excellence in teaching and student learning.

WE INNOVATE with instructors by initiating emerging technology exploration projects that investigate learning technology trends in higher education.

WE CONNECT people on campus and beyond who have the same interests and are doing the same things to create community among instructors.

WE PARTNER collaborate, and communicate with colleges, programs, departments, instructors, and tech-liaisons to understand and meet university instructional needs.

WE LEAD learning technology initiatives and extend expertise to campus wide initiatives.

The UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center (LTC) is here and ready to help you! Our team of experts have a wide range of skills to tackle all of your instructional course related needs.

New LTC Website

Along with the updated mission statement, we also revamped our website to better align with the new mission.

webbyThe LTC Team. Do you want to know who makes up the LTC and some fun facts about them?  Put a face to that name and check out our new LTC Team page.

Quality Services. The list of service offerings on campus may be overwhelming at times.  We put together a simple list of our supported services all in one place, with links to easily view more information about them.

Timely Assistance.  We may not be here 24/7, but we do have resources that are available at all hours of the night.

Emerging Technology Exploration Projects.  We are always looking for the next best thing, and watching trends to see what’s on the horizon.  See what we are up to this semester!

Creating Community.  No one likes to sit around alone, in the dark, struggling on their own.  Our goal is to create communities and enable users to work together to collaborate on new approaches and ideas.

Cutting Edge Programming.  Things change every day, so we do our best to offer workshops and events to keep everyone up to speed on the current education technology and trends.

Head on over to the site ( http://ltc.uww.edu ) and check it out.  Feedback is always welcome!

LTC Staffing

degenWe are happy to welcome Shane Degen into the LTC family.  Shane was hired back in October of 2016 in the role of Learning Management System Admin and Student Advocate (aka D2L Admin).  Shane is a UW-Whitewater Alum and has extensive experience with online education and D2L.  Welcome Shane!

The LTC is actively recruiting for a new Learning Technology Specialist Position.  This position will allow us to further our exploration of emerging technology and also provide additional support related to pedagogy and instructional technology.  More information on the position is available at: https://my.uww.edu/employment/jobs/LTC12782.html

The LTC is also hiring for the Technology Promotion and Adoption Specialist Position.  This position will work with departments to understand technology needs and promote technology adoption to meet those needs. More information on this position is available at: https://my.uww.edu/employment/jobs/12680.html

Weekly Email Updates

figure3_4Did you know that you can get a weekly email update about what’s going on in the LTC? Every Monday morning, you’ll get an email that contains a summary of the latest items from our blog. To sign up for these updates, just fill out the form below!

Spring Book Group

The LTC will be holding a book group this spring.  Motivating and Retaining Online Students is a research-based book which provides effective online strategies that help minimize student dropout, increase student retention, and support student learning.  This group will include an opportunity to interact with one of the authors, allowing participants the chance to learn from her experience.

Meeting Time: Tuesdays 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Meeting Dates: January 31, February 14, February 28, March 24, March 28 & April 11

Register at: https://my.uww.edu/signup/Registration/Details/14953

Upcoming Events

Check your calendars and save the date!  We have a number of events coming up this semester that you won’t want to miss!

  • Celebrating Teaching and Learning: Strategies that Transform Educational Experiences and Enhance Student Success. Save the date:  Thursday, May 18 from 8:30am-4:30pm. This special forum is meant to showcase the wide variety of ways we are all transforming the lives of our students through teaching and learning.  It will include break-out presentations, discussions, and a keynote address.
  • Summer 2017 Institute for Online/Blended. This highly interactive workshop demonstrates teaching best practices using a variety of teaching methods and technology tools.  The structure of this course not only allows you to explore new teaching and course design methods, but it also enables you to participate in activities that provide you with experience in being an online “student.” Applications will be available in early February.
  • Discussion Basics. This LEARN/LTC workshop series is focused on how instructors might most effectively utilize discussion in our courses (both face-to-face and online).  The first session (2/16) is on discussion basics – core principles and purpose of discussions as well as sharing strategies and tips for more effective discussions.  The next sessions will focus on difficult discussions (3/8) and discussions conducted in D2L (4/13).- a collaboration with the Learn Center.

LTDC Virtual Showcase – Save the Date

2017SaveTheDate3c-1Save the Date! The UW System Learning Technology Development Council (LTDC) Showcase 2017 will be held virtually April 4-5, 2017.  This year’s theme is Humanizing Learning.

This virtual conference offers an opportunity for sharing your successes and challenges in teaching with technology. This conference will provide you with the opportunity to virtually connect with other practitioners and requires neither travel expense nor a significant time commitment.

Watch our blog for updates once the showcase schedule is released!

Course Repository

icit-ltc-course-repoStarting with the Spring 2017 semester, we launched a new storage offering called Course Repository – aka Course Repo.  Course Repo is designed to offer classwork specific storage on a per semester basis.  Specialty course storage by request is also available.

The idea behind this storage offering is to offer an easy way for a course to collaborate that has unique file storage needs which cannot be met by other existing storage solutions.

Course Repo is a replacement for some old storage offerings which some of you may have known as student storage or class storage.

Documentation and training materials are available on the website: Course Repo.

If you are interested in having a repo setup for your spring 2017 courses, contact the Learning Technology Center to schedule a consultation and we’ll make sure it’s the right solution for you!

Turnitin Dropbox Dates

Since the D2L Upgrade last summer, we have been made aware of an ongoing issue that is impacting how Turnitin works inside of the Dropbox.

Some users may be receiving a message reading “Error communicating with Turnitin.  Try to resubmit the file.  If this issue persists, contact your administrator”.

tii-logoIf you are seeing this error message, please make sure that you have both a start date AND end date set on your Dropbox in Desire2Learn.  Once you have set the start and end date, the issue should be resolved and you can resubmit the file.

Desire2Learn is working on a solution to this problem, however at this time we don’t have any information on when it will be released.  Until then, hang tight and remember to set a start and end date on your dropbox!

More information on this issue is available at: Turnitin Date Management within D2L.

Respondus Lockdown Browser Update

CaptureWe have deployed an additional enhancement to the Respondus Lockdown Browser for the Spring semester.  In previous versions, students needed to open the Lockdown Browser separately, login, and browse to the quiz.  Now, there is an easy way!

In any browser, the students will see a “Launch LockDown Browser” button on configured quizzes.  When they click the button, the Lockdown Browser will launch, and students will automatically be logged in and taken directly to the quiz in D2L.  This helps improve the user experience for the student.  If LockDown Browser is not installed, a message will be displayed telling them to download it from the above link.

Student facing documentation has been updated to reflect the change.  These documents can be found at: LockDown Browser: Getting Started (Students).

Exploration: New Technologies

shutterstock_382942804We have been exploring a number of cool technologies and have some new things for you to try out!

  • Pattern. A few UW-Whitewater classes are testing a tool called Pattern in the spring semester of 2017.  Pattern is a tool to help students track and measure your learning patterns, providing analytics and insights to become better learners.  The tool allows users to track how they spend time in and out of the classroom, and provides a personalized visualization of their data.
  • Desire2Learn Intelligent Agents. The Intelligent Agents tool allows instructors to have D2L email students who meet Release Conditions in their course.
  • Desire2Learn Awards Tool. The Awards tool allows instructors to provide students with non-grade incentive to meet short term goals through the creation and distribution of awards.

Need Desire2Learn Help?

We are here to help you with all your Desire2Learn (D2L) course needs! The best way to request support is by using our online support form which is located at http://d2l.uww.edu/contact

shutterstock_110236751

We do our best to respond to all support requests within 1 business day of receiving them. We do monitor the box on evenings and weekends for critical issues on a best effort basis.

Don’t forget to request for spring semester courses! Course creation must be completed every semester, and it is a manual process on our end. Courses created by 3pm on business days are typically available the next day. Request for your courses at http://my.uww.edu/d2lrequest

Don’t forget to Visit Us

Are you still with us? If so – great, you made it to the end!  Did you know the LTC employs a former kids train conductor, a guitarist, a first time college grad in the family, an Eagle Scout, a former EMT and a brewmaster?  If you didn’t then you haven’t explored the website enough.  Go look at it now! http://ltc.uww.edu Be sure to stop by the LTC throughout the semester to visit. As a reminder, we are located in McGraw Hall, Suite 120 and are around between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM weekdays. We can also be reached at ltc@uww.edu or 262.472.1004. We’ll always be willing to help, and have plenty of treats on hand for your sweet tooth. Have a great semester!

Request for Participation: Learning Analytics Tool Chest

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Request for Instructor Participation: Spring 2017

Emerging Technology Exploration Project- Learning Analytics Tool Chest

1-pattern-screensExploration Purpose

The UW-Whitewater (UWW) Learning Technology Center (LTC) is participating in the UW System Learning Analytics Tool Chest Exploration Project for the Spring 2017 semester. Learning analytic software allows students, instructors, advisors, and administrators insight into specific avenues that can influence student success in a course. The current exploration focuses on student and instructor use of learning analytic tools.

The UW System Learning Analytics Tool Chest Exploration Project features the Learning Analytics Tool Chest (LATC). The LATC consists of different learning analytic tools including the Analytics & Recommendations Plug-In (A&R), Study Pattern (Pattern), and the Workflow Visualization System (WVS). As part of the project, the UWW LTC is seeking 10 instructors to implement at least one of these LATC tools into a Spring 2017 semester course. Participating instructors will receive LATC training, and assistance with technical issues that arise while working with the LATC tools. Details on the specific LATC tools are provided in the snapshot below.

LATC Tool Snapshot

  • Analytics & Recommendations Plug-In (A&R)
    • The A&R provides a visual index of student task completion and performance in D2L. Students and instructors can track student participation and performance in course activities and assessments. Instructors can view and compare student performance within the class, as well as compare current student performance with data from previous courses to assist in identifying “at risk” students. For students, the A&R provides comparison metrics to high performing students, and provides students with recommendations for achieving higher grades.
  • Workflow Visualization System (WVS)
    • The WVS allows instructors to create diagrams of learning activities, lesson plans, and/or chapters/units within the D2L course shell. By keeping track of student progress throughout the course, instructors can gain insight into whether students worked through the course materials and activities in the manner that the instructor designed them, or whether certain elements of the course could benefit from re-tooling and/or re-design.
  • Study Pattern (Pattern)
    • Unlike the A&R and WVS, Pattern does not require D2L, or any LMS, integration. Pattern is a “stand alone” software program accessible via mobile devices (Android, iOS), and/or a web-based application (i.e., “app”). For students, Pattern keeps record of time spent on studying/learning activities, as well as how productive the studying/learning sessions were perceived to be. Instructors can then access class breakdowns of the activities (ex. writing), and time spent.

Want to learn more about these tools? Check out these resources:

Exploration Participation Expectations

By participating in this exploration, instructors agree to develop a plan to integrate one LATC tool into at least one Spring 2017 course, utilize the tool in the course, and provide information on their experience throughout the process. Below is a breakdown of what will be expected of instructors by semester:

Fall 2016

  • Develop and submit a project proposal describing how you plan to integrate at least one of the LATC tool(s) into at least one Spring 2017 course.
  • If selected, work with LTC staff to set up LATC tool(s) for at least one Spring 2017 course.
  • Participate in educational offerings provided by the LTC and/or UW System regarding learning analytics and the LATC (dates: TBD).

Spring 2017

  • Utilize LATC tool(s) in at least one course.
  • Assist students in use of LATC tool(s), if necessary for the tool you are using.
  • Participate in periodic focus groups, interview sessions, and/or surveys facilitated by the LTC and the UW System. These activities will focus on assessing ease of use, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction with the selected LATC tool.
  • Have students complete an online survey (administered by the LTC and/or the UW System) providing feedback on LATC tool(s) used in the course.

Summer/Fall 2017

  • Provide information on experience implementing LATC tool(s)  through personal testimonial, video interview, and/or speaking at LTC event.

If all components are completed, instructors can expect to receive $1000 for their participation in the LATC Pilot. This exploration project will be limited to 10 instructors and is contingent on the UW System offering these tools for use by the campuses.

How Do I Apply?

To express your interest in being included in this emerging technology exploration project, please complete the Qualtrics submission form here by Sunday, October 9:

http://uwwhitewater.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6A2kplSpdJ5Tm1D

Questions will collect information relative to:

  • The Spring 2017 course where you will be using the LATC tool; and
  • The LATC project you are proposing (i.e., goal for using the tool,how you plan on using the tool, how you plan on implementing it in your course, and how you would determine if the tool was successful in meeting your goal).

If you have any questions about this exploration project, please contact the Learning Technology Center (ltc@uww.edu).

TurningPoint Cloud Update

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shutterstock_110236751Here is a quick overview of some discoveries and workarounds that we have found with TurningPoint Cloud.

ResponseWare Test Licenses Available – Process Change Required.  We have a small number of test licenses and can assign a single license to your account.  If you have a test license, you will need to adjust your ResponseWare Session when you are polling in the classroom.  In the Session Options, you will need to check the “Require Participant Accounts” option.  Additional details available at: https://spaces.uww.edu/x/hIAV

When you obtain the participant list, the first name and last name fields are switched for users that do not have an active license.  This issue is under active investigation by Turning Technologies and we hope to have a resolution soon.

Participant lists are now locked when they are retrieved from D2L.  If students incorrectly input their device ID, they must update it on the clicker registration site.  Once that is complete, you can “update” the participant list to retrieve the additional information.

TurningPoint Cloud Icon is now available on the desktop in classrooms.  TurningPoint Cloud is installed on all classroom machines.  Initially, the icon was not available on the desktop but we have resolved this issue and the shortcut should again appear on the desktop like previous versions.

My student purchased a license but is still not showing in the participant list, what’s going on?  We have noticed a number of students are buying a license directly from the Turning Technologies Dashboard, but are not clicking on the link in D2L.  Make sure your students are clicking on the link through D2L.  This links the students D2L account to the Turning Technologies account and should resolve the issue.

As of 9/16/2016, no students have taken advantage of the rebate.  Please remind your students that they can get a $15 back by filling out the rebate form. The form is located at: https://rebates.turningtechnologies.com/  Rebate code: Ruww15

If you have any additional questions or concerns regarding TurningPoint cloud, please contact Elaina Barr or Aaron Axelsen at 262.472.1004 or ltc@uww.edu.

 

Registration Open: 2016 Winter Institute for Online/Blended Teaching

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DSC_3940The Learning Technology Center is pleased to announce that registration is open for the winter session of Institute for Online/Blended Teaching.

This highly interactive workshop demonstrates teaching best practices using a variety of teaching methods and technology tools.  The structure of this course not only allows you to explore new teaching and course design methods, but it also enables you to participate in activities that provide you with experience in being an online “student.”

By the conclusion of the institute, participants develop a D2L learning module which includes pedagogically-appropriate assessments, discussions, and additional learning materials. This module will be created with the assistance of instructional designers and feedback from colleagues. Additionally, participants become proficient in using web conferencing, creating high-quality video in an on-campus media studio, and using web-based tools to encourage student academic integrity.

Objectives:

  1. Develop a D2L-based module for the online or blended course you will be teaching
  2. Demonstrate pedagogically-sound course design in the D2L course module
  3. Demonstrate proficiency in utilizing the following instructional technologies:
    1. D2L Learning Management System
      1. D2L Dropbox
      2. D2L Quizzes
      3. D2L Discussions
    2. D2L Rubrics
    3. D2L Grade Center
    4. Turnitin Suite
    5. Respondus LockDown Browser
    6. WebEx
    7. On-campus recording studios
  4. Investigate and evaluate various approaches to ensuring online course quality
  5. Evaluate techniques to provide effective feedback in the online environment
  6. Describe and demonstrate approaches to building community online

Dates for the 2016 Winter Institute:

  • December 2: Face-to-Face meeting, 1:00-4:00 pm
  • December 9: WebEx, 1:00-3:00 pm
  • January 6: Face-to-Face meeting, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
  • February 10: WebEx, 1:00-3:00 pm
  • March 10: Face-to-face, 1:00-4:00 pm

All faculty and academic staff who will be teaching at UW-Whitewater during the 2016-2017 academic year are eligible to apply to attend. However, the workshop will be limited to 15 participants. Applications are due Monday, November 7, 2016.

Link to Application:  2016 Winter Institute Application

If you have questions about this, or any other LTC resources, feel free to contact us:  ltc@uww.edu

Community of Practice for Online/Blended Education

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DSC_3940All University of Wisconsin-Whitewater faculty and staff are invited to participate in a campus-wide community of practice for online and blended education.

The Community of Practice for Online and Blended Education began in the spring of 2015, thanks to a grant from OPID.  Its purpose is to serve as a campus-wide forum to develop, share, and document best practices in teaching online and blended (hybrid) courses at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  In addition, it provides a support network for those teaching with technology.

The purpose of our meetings is to build community and meet others who are excited about teaching in the online and/or blended format.

Fall Meetings:

Thursday October 13, 2016
2:00-3:30 pm, UC259a
Signup:  https://my.uww.edu/signup/Registration/Details/14848

In this session, Stephanie Douglas and Jodi Galvan will share the materials they created for an Online Bootcamp for General Learners, as part of a LEAP project.  Galvan and Douglas piloted these resources in courses in Spring 2015 and surveyed their students for feedback.

The students responded positively, and stated that they helped them to understand if online learning is a good fit for them, reduced fear and anxiety, and gave them time management skills to help them succeed.  Given the success of the project, most of these materials were integrated into the UW-Whitewater Starter Course template.

Thursday December 1, 2016
2:00-3:30 pm, UC259a
Signup:  https://my.uww.edu/signup/Registration/Details/14849

In this session, the recipients of the Community of Practice project grant will share the results of their projects.  Two projects were funded:  the development of an accessibility template for the ECE4U program, and the creation of assessment videos.

If you have questions about this please contact the Learning Technology Center at ltc@uww.edu or 262.472.1004.

Transitioning to TurningPoint Cloud

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Turning Technologies will be offering a series of complimentary webinars to help acclimate current users to their newest software, TurningPoint Cloud. Learn how to build presentations that measures user understanding and tracks their progress. Get started using the student response system and more effectively engage your students.

turningpoint_cloud_logo_200w

The topics included are “Transitioning to TurningPoint Cloud” and “PowerPoint Polling for New Users”.

Tuesday, September 20th, 11:00 am

Wednesday, September 21st, 1:00 pm

Thursday, September 22nd, 1:00 pm

If you have any questions about these events, or anything else related to TurningPoint please contact the Learning Technology Center at ltc@uww.edu or 262.472.1004.

Academic Innovation Coordinator Position

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The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is seeking an energetic, organized, and innovative faculty or instructional academic staff member to act as the
coordinator for academic innovation at UW-W during the 2016-2017 academic year.

Interested faculty and instructional academic staff should apply by Sept. 19, 2016. For more information, view:  http://www.uww.edu/acadaff/provost/academic-affairs-news

Starter Course, Fall 2016

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DSC_3956The Learning Technology Center is pleased to share an updated D2L Starter Course for faculty and staff.

The Starter Course is a template, pre-loaded with important campus policies, teaching resources, and module outlines.  It can be copied into your course and edited to meet your teaching needs.  While it was designed for the needs of online instructors, it is useful for any modality.

The Fall 2016 Starter Course includes updated policy links, sample discussions, rubrics, quizzes and dropboxes, a layout to make use of content folders, and resources for student support.  These student support resources come from the LEAP project of Jodi Galvan and Stephanie Douglas.

Galvan and Douglas piloted these resources in courses and surveyed their students for feedback.  The students responded positively, and stated that they helped them to understand if online learning is a good fit for them, reduced fear and anxiety, and gave them time management skills to help them succeed.

Here are some quotes from their students:

Help them determine if online learning is a fit for them

“This was my first time as an online learner. I think it was a good experience for me to see the difference in workload, interactions with classmates and the professor, and being independent.” —College of Arts and Communication, Journalism, sophomore

“I learned about the traits that many successful online learners have. I thought it was interesting that there are common learning habits between people who do well with online learning because I didn’t think about how it could be difficult for different types of learners.”–College of Business and Economics, Accounting, junior

Reducing fear and anxiety

Has resources for all students learning with technology (e.g., D2L) by:

“The modules helped alleviate the small fears I had that I would possibly struggle in a new learning environment.” —College of Education and Professional Studies, Special Education, graduate student

“The modules took care of the few worries I had, and they made me feel more prepared for a course like this. Up until I went through them, my anxiety level was growing because I had no clue what I was doing.” — College of Business and Economics, Information Technology, sophomore

Giving them time management skills to help them succeed

“One of the big things that I learned from the online tutorials was time management. It’s so hard being a college student and working, so you have to make sure that you’re balancing those things out. What really helped me was putting reminders in my phone.” —College of Letters and Science, Biology, senior

“One of the modules that I found most enlightening was the one called “Time Management Tools”. This offered three different ways of making my life easier that I have never heard of before.” —College of Education and Professional Studies, English/Spanish, senior

To access the Starter Course, follow the directions on this site:  How to Register for the D2L Starter Course