As a member of the UW-Whitewater community, you are invited to submit a session proposal for the campus event 2020 Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference, “2020 Vision for Student Success.” 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. The Conference will be held Wednesday, May 20, 2020 on the UW-Whitewater campus. It is sponsored by the LEARN Center, the Learning Technology Center, and the Office of Academic Assessment.
The Learning Technology Center (LTC) has been supporting instructors in using adaptive and personalized learning platforms as part of a pilot project since 2018. If you are interested in adaptive and personalized learning, please consider joining us this Friday for a discussion that will include experiences of instructors in the current pilot project.
Registration is suggested, but not required. You can register at the following link (please note that you need to sign in with your UWW credentials to register):
If you are interested but unable to attend in person, please register and then email us at icit-techpilots@uww.edu, and we will get you set up to attend virtually.
If you have any additional questions about these adaptive and personalized learning sessions, or other LTC events, please contact the Learning Technology Center.
During the spring 2020 semester, the Learning Technology Center is supporting a small group of instructors in piloting Linkedin Learning. As a part of that project, pilot instructors will be presenting on how they incorporate Linkedin Learning into their course design and facilitation.
Linkedin Learning
There are three sessions. Each session focuses on a different use.
On Saturday, January 18, Instructure will deploy the latest release to the Canvas environment. The highlights of this release are listed below. The full release notes are also available.
Commons Favorites Direct Import: Instructors can copy individual course items that have been favorited in Canvas Commons. Using this feature, they can be copied directly into the intended location..
Please note that “New Quizzes” is still in Beta and UW-Whitewater recommends the use of the standard quizzing tool.
Responsive Layout: Canvas provides a more responsive experience for content scrolling according to web accessibility initiative guidelines.
UW-Whitewater Updates
D2L Retirement is progressing. All information you would like to keep must be exported out of D2L before June 1st, 2020. Whether it’s an old for-credit based course, or an ongoing course – make sure all material is backed up. Once our access is removed, we will not have any way to obtain this data. For more information check out the Desire2Learn Retirement Planning post.
The 2020 Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference will be held on May 20th, 2020 on the UW-Whitewater Campus. This year’s conference will be the “2020 Vision for Student Success” focusing on the following themes:
The Cisco/Presidio Teaching with Technology Innovator Honorarium is a recognition that will be bestowed upon an instructor who displays an outstanding commitment to leveraging learning technologies to solve common teaching challenges related to creating rich learning experiences to increase student success. Applications are due by February 25, 2020.
The official UW-Whitewater App is available to download. Instructors may find the App useful for communication with students, to see upcoming campus events, and to help students connect with resources.
As an instructor, authorize the UW-Whitewater App to interact with your Canvas account. This will allow your students to get assignment due date notifications inside of the app. You can also leverage the app to help communicate with your students regarding upcoming events, or help them connect to campus resources. You will only need to do this ONCE and it will apply to all of your current and future courses. Authorize right now, it takes less than 5 minutes!
The LTC welcomed Melissa Smiley as the new Assistant Director of Campus and Learning Technology in November of 2019. Melissa’s responsibilities include: identifying audience technology adoption and tracking their proficiency, developing systemic evaluation methods and training workshops in areas of need, assisting with strategic planning and partnerships, and finally, guiding the LTC staff and supporting ongoing growth.
Melissa, her husband (Dave), and their 5 children (Molly (14), Elizabeth (12), Catherine (11), Laney (7) and Luke (7)) live in the town of Ottawa, WI. They are joined by an elderly dog named Willow, who despite being fed by Melissa, favors Dave.
We are thrilled to have Melissa join our team, please take some time to welcome her the next time you see her!
Weekly Email Updates
Did you know that you can get a weekly email update about what’s going on in the LTC? Every Monday morning, you will get an email that contains a summary of the latest items from our blog. To signup for these updates, just fill out the form below!
Streaming.uww.edu (Vbrick Rev) Planned Outage – February 8th
On Saturday, February 8th 2020 between 9 AM and 5 PM VBrick Rev (http://streaming.uww.edu) will be unavailable for scheduled maintenance. During this outage, we will be deploying the latest version of VBrick Rev. Additional details are located here: Streaming.uww.edu (Vbrick Rev) Planned Outage – February 8th.
Workshops and Hands-on Training Opportunities
We have a number of workshops scheduled for the coming semester. Whether you are looking for Online Course Development Tools, wondering how you can utilize LinkedIn Learning in your courses or just looking for some training on the Google Suite, be sure to checkout the event signup at http://go.uww.edu/ltc-workshop-signup.
Collaboration Tools
Webex Teams is a collaboration tool designed for continuous teamwork with video meetings, group messaging, file sharing and white boarding. Get started at: https://www.uww.edu/icit/services/webex-teams
The Cisco Webex Education Connector is available for use in Canvas! The Webex Connector allows you to interact with Webex Meetings and Webex Teams directly from your Canvas course. It can be accessed by clicking on “Cisco Webex” in the course navigation menu. Get started at: https://spaces.uww.edu/x/74I3AQ
Google Apps are web-based tools available to all UW-Whitewater users. They allow you to create, share and access documents from any internet-connected computer, tablet, or mobile device. Get started at: https://www.uww.edu/icit/services/google
Custom Consulting & Training
Custom Consulting and Training Services are aimed at helping departments find software solutions to meet their needs. Small-group training sessions can be customized to cover topics relevant to your team and available schedule.
Contact the Learning Technology Center for additional information!
Don’t forget to Visit Us
Are you still with us? If so – great, you made it to the end! 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 available 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!
Dealing with the unexpected inside the classroom is part of teaching, but what happens when the unexpected prevents everyone from even gathering? Certainly any number of things could force you to cancel class, but what can you do to help students continue to progress while they wait out the latest winter storm?
Don’t fear, the LTC is here!
Here are just a few of the tools you can use to enable learning from almost anywhere:
Canvas
Every semester, all courses are automatically setup and created in Canvas. As an instructor, it’s up to you to Publish the course before the students are able to see it. Once the course is published, you are able to send out News Announcements, post Assignments, and start up Discussion Forums all with a few clicks. The best part is that Canvas Support is available 24/7/365 to help you get up and running!
Webex Meetings
With Webex Meetings, you have the ability to schedule and create a web based meeting where you can use both audio and video to communicate with your students. To make things even easier, this is also integrated directly into every Canvas course on campus. Click on the “Cisco Webex” link in your course to get started. All you and your students need to connect is an internet connected device.
If you are already using Webex Teams with your class, it’s a great tool to use for last minute and unexpected situations. Webex Teams allows for communication using an app that students can download onto their computer, mobile devices or access using the web browser. You can use teams to group message, share files and even schedule Webex Meetings right from the application.
Video is also a great way you can deliver a lecture to your students virtually, from anywhere. We have created a guide that explains the available tools and recommend uses.
The next time you find yourself in an unexpected situation that might impact your class, remember there are a number of great tools and resources out there. You can always reach out to the Learning Technology Center if you have any questions!
The Cisco/Presidio Teaching with Technology Innovator Honorarium is a recognition that will be bestowed upon an instructor who displays an outstanding commitment to leveraging learning technologies to solve common teaching challenges related to creating rich learning experiences to increase student success.
Eligibility and Expectations
There is an open call for applicants for this recognition. Any individual who applies must have taught at least six credits for the past year to be eligible. If selected to be the Teaching with Technology Innovator, the individual will receive a $2000 honorarium and must agree to:
Attend the Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference (May 20, 2020), where they will be recognized at the lunch;
Have their name and picture highlighted in a Learning Technology Center blog post and in ConnectIT (an Instructional, Communication, and Information Technology newsletter);
Have their name and photograph displayed in the Learning Technology Center; and
Partner with the Learning Technology Center to highlight their work during the Fall 2020 and/or Spring 2021 semester.
Please note: this honorarium counts toward the 20% base salary overload maximum.
Submission of Application Materials
Application packages must include a: Personal reflection (1-2 pages) that includes the applicant’s teaching philosophy and the role technology plays in it, specifically discussing how they have demonstrated the innovative and effective use of learning technologies to create rich learning experiences for students that work to increase retention and success.
Portfolio of 3-5 items that serve as evidence of their teaching philosophy and the role technology plays in it, as well as ways their use of technology contributes to student learning and success. Possible items include, but are not limited to: Sample course materials (e.g., relevant course syllabi, assignment handouts, feedback from students, etc.).
Letters of support from students, colleagues, or leadership.
Course evaluation data.
Evidence of student impact (e.g., grades, learning, etc.) after trying a technology intervention.
Examples of how the instructor contributes to their college, campus community, and beyond related to teaching and learning with technology.
Application packages will be reviewed by a committee comprised of Learning Technology Center (LTC) Staff and members of the LTC Advisory Group (which is comprised of 1-2 instructors from each college) after the deadline.
About the Sponsors
This award is sponsored by Presidio and Cisco Systems in conjunction with UWW’s Division of Instructional, Communication, and Information Technology (ICIT) and ICIT’s Learning Technology Center (LTC). Presidio and Cisco are proud of their work with institutions of higher education to inspire learning and connect campuses to enhance student outcomes. ICIT and the LTC are dedicated to working with instructors to understand teaching challenges, explore solutions, implement strategies, and evaluate their effectiveness.
Questions?
If you have questions, please reach out to the Learning Technology Center (LTC@uww.edu).
COMPLETE: Sunday 4:30 PM – The upgrade is complete and videos are once again viewable. Thank you for your patience during the extended upgrade outage.
Update: Saturday 7:15 PM – Due to unforeseen circumstances, the outage window has been extended until 8 PM on Sunday, February 9th. We are aware of the impact this may have on your course work. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
Update: Saturday 3 PM – The planned outage is taking longer than expected and we’ll be extending the outage window until 8 PM. We’ll update this message once the maintenance is complete.
On Saturday, February 8th 2020 between 9 AM and 5 PM VBrick Rev (http://streaming.uww.edu) will be unavailable for scheduled maintenance. During this outage, we will be deploying the latest version of VBrick Rev.
Videos hosted on Rev will be unavailable during this outage. Please plan your assignments and classwork accordingly.
How do I know if my video is hosted on VBrick Rev (streaming.uww.edu)?
Take a look at the two examples below. Note the differences in the bottom player control bar and the play button.
On Saturday, January 18, Instructure will deploy the latest release to the Canvas environment. The highlights of this release are listed below. The full release notes are also available.
Direct Share Course-Level Features: Instructors can copy individual course items to another course and share individual items with other users.
Personal Pronoun feature description: Users can select pronouns to associate with their account in Canvas. The initial set of options will be: He/His, She/Hers, They/Theirs.
Postable Submission Comments: Assignments with the “Manual” Posting Policy will now be able to have Comments posted for students to see before entering a grade.
New Quizzes – Answer Shuffling: Instructors using the “New Quizzes” tool will now be able to shuffle answers on multiple choice, multiple answer, and matching quiz questions.
Please note that “New Quizzes” is still in Beta and UW-Whitewater recommends the use of the standard quizzing tool.
Rich Content Editor Update: Instructors can start using the Rich Content Editor update early by enabling it in their settings area. Instructure plans to make the updates on by default in a future update.
UW-Whitewater Updates
Winterim 2020 grades are due 4:00pm, Tuesday January 21.Directions for eGrading are available for instructors who wish to use this process.
Remember to Publish your courses. Spring 2020 courses start Tuesday January 21. It is important to remember that students will be unable to enter the course, and instructors will be unable to us the Inbox to message students until the course is published.
Since 2018, the Learning Technology Center has been exploring adaptive and personalized learning. The LTC would like to invite any UW-Whitewater faculty, staff, or student interested in adaptive and personalized learning to discuss the state of adaptive and personalized learning on campus.
Come join the discussion on adaptive and personalized learning!
These are open discussions. Registration is suggested but not required. There are two meetings this spring 2020 semester. Please feel free to attend either or both:
Remote attendance for these meetings is possible as well (please just contact icit-techpilots@uww.edu after registering to receive a Webex link to join virtually). If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact the Learning Technology Center.
