Planning for Flexibility: Overview of Blended Design and Scheduling (6/24/20)

Posted on by

The Learning Technology Center’s summer Flexible Blended Faculty Development Workshop Series begins this Wednesday (6/24/20), with an overview on blended design and scheduling. Below is the description for the session:

This session introduces ways to think about how you schedule your course activities for different options of mixing face-to-face and online delivery. We will discuss scheduling possibilities and scaffolding of activities and assignments in a way that allows you to incorporate benefits of blended teaching and learning. Facilitators will overview different approaches to creating online learning activities. Participants will work through current course schedules and activities to identify specific activities that could leverage online components. Options for giving students flexibility to choose online or face-to-face sessions will be explored.

If you are interested, please register for the session, so that you can receive the Webex Meeting link, and the link to enroll in the summer workshop series Canvas course. You will need to log in with your UWW credentials in order to register.

We hope that you will consider attending. If you have any questions about this workshop series, please contact icit-techpilots@uww.edu.

Summer Flexible Blended Faculty Development Workshop Series

Posted on by

This summer the Learning Technology Center is hosting a Flexible Blended Faculty Development Workshop Series. Definitions of blended learning vary but generally represent a structure that mixes online components into face-to-face teaching and learning, without being fully online (EDUCAUSE, 2020). This series builds from the context of providing online and face-to-face options to students (rather than the more traditional replacing some face-to-face class sessions with online class sessions) and planning toward moving components online later in the fall, following Thanksgiving break.

The series is divided into three categories, Planning for Flexibility, Blending Face-to-Face and Online Assessment, and The Blended Class. These sessions do not focus on specific learning technologies (other Learning Technology Center workshops do) but instead focus on technology-mediated activity design and development to help you plan for the next academic year.

UW-Whitewater faculty and instructors, with Learning Technology Center staff will facilitate these sessions. This summer workshop series also has a connected LTC Summer Blended Faculty Development Series Canvas course, with a variety of resources, which you will receive access to after you register for a session.

Planning for Flexibility Sessions

The Planning for Flexibility sessions aim to assist instructors with thinking through how they might modify their fall 2020 courses in a way that incorporates blended learning principles.

Overview of Blended Design and Scheduling (Wednesday June 24th, 9:00 am)

Using Technology for Learning in the Physical and Online Classroom (Tuesday June 30th, 9:00 am)

Designing Student Small Group Activities (Tuesday July 7th, 9:00 am)

Blending Face-to-Face and Online Assessment Sessions

The Blending Face-to-Face and Online Assessment sessions seek to assist instructors with creating online activities applicable across course delivery formats. The selected topics reflect findings from the ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2019 (Gierdowski, 2019), where students rated assignments, exams/quizzes, and peer reviews as top online activities.

Assignment Options (Wednesday July 8th, 9:00 am)

Exams & Quizzes (Tuesday July 21st, 9:00 am)

Peer Review of Student Work (Friday July 24th, 9:00 am)

The Blended Class Sessions

The Blended Class sessions explore possible methods to transition face-to-face components that might be most challenging to you, and your students, in moving online. These topics arise from areas that students rated most highly for face-to-face delivery in the ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2019 (Gierdowski, 2019).

Options for Instructor Presentation of Content (Tuesday August 4th, 9:00 am)

Student Presentations (Wednesday August 5th, 9:00 am)

Student-Student Interaction (Friday, August 7th, 9:00 am)

References

EDUCAUSE (2020). Blended learning. https://library.educause.edu/topics/teaching-and-learning/blended-learning

Gierdowski, D. C. (2019, October). ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2019. Research report. Louisville, CO: ECAR. https://library.educause.edu/resources/2019/10/2019-study-of-undergraduate-students-and-information-technology

For more specific information on these sessions, please click on the sign up tool links above (you will need to login). For any additional questions, please contact icit-techpilots@uww.edu

Canvas Workshops – Summer 2020

Posted on by

During the Summer of 2020, the LTC will be offering opportunities to make simple changes to your courses to improve the canvas exerance for you and your students, and to dig deeper into Canvas features.  For self guided assistance, please view the Canvas Service Page.

What Students Want in Canvas 
There are many good ways to set up a course. This training will focus on making a series of small, easy, and optional, shifts from your current course design to a setup backed by feedback from student panels conducted right here at UW-Whitewater. We will focus on

  • Matching your Assignments and Grades area to your course syllabus
  • Reorganizing Modules to a chronological layout
  • Getting assignments and tasks populated to student calendars
  • Utilizing the description area of Quizzes and Assignments

The goal is not to change how you teach, just how students view the course.

Date/TimeLocationRegister
Thursday, May 28th
1:00pm – 2:00pm		WebexRegistration
Tuesday, June 2nd
11:00am – Noon		WebexRegistration
Wednesday, June 10th
10:00am – 11:00am		WebexRegistration
Thursday, June 25th
3:00pm – 4:00pm		WebexRegistration
Tuesday, July 7th
10:00am – 11:00am		WebexRegistration

Canvas Deep Dives (1 Hour)
We will focus on a single tool, and dive deep into various options and use cases for how that tool works.

  • Groups: This training will discuss what the tool is, how it differs from what we are use to in D2L, when it should be used, and when it shouldn’t be used.
  • Webex Tools: Webex is usable through Canvas, but does take some initial setup there.  If you are interested in using Webex for your classes, this is the workshop for you.
  • Content: This training will walk through embedding video content, linking to other course content, and utilizing the student “to-do” list.
  • Rubrics: This training will start with the general creation of rubrics, then expand to specific use cases of instructors attending the session.
Event NameDate/TimeLocationRegister
GroupsWednesday, June 3rd
1:00pm – 2:00pm		WebexRegistration
Webex ToolsWednesday, June 3rd
3:00pm – 4:00pm		WebexRegistration
ContentThursday, June 4th
1:00pm – 2:00pm		WebexRegistration
RubricsThursday, June 4th
3:00pm – 4:00pm		WebexRegistration
GroupsMonday, June 15th
11:00am – Noon		WebexRegistration
Webex ToolsTuesday, June 16th
11:00am – Noon		WebexRegistration
ContentMonday, June 29th
1:00pm – 2:00pm		WebexRegistration
RubricsTuesday, June 30th
1:00pm – 2:00pm		WebexRegistration

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

Canvas Update (05/16/2020)

Posted on by


On Saturday, May 16, 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.

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.

If you have any questions or concerns about the service pack updates, please contact UW-W Canvas Support.

2020 Cisco/Presidio Teaching with Technology Honorarium Recipient: Dr. Eric Loepp

Posted on by

The UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center is proud to award the inaugural Cisco/Presidio Teaching the Technology Honorarium to Dr. Eric Loepp, Assistant Professor in the Political Science department. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Loepp on this honor!

The Cisco/Presidio Teaching with Technology Innovator Honorarium is a recognition 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.

Dr. Loepp joined the Political Science department in 2015; additionally, he has actively been involved in campus learning technology initiatives (e.g., Active Learning Academy), participated in multiple learning technology pilots (e.g., Webex Teams, PollEverywhere), and co-facilitates the Institute for Online and Blended Teaching at UW-W. Dr. Loepp’s teaching philosophy “emphasizes the development of students as analytical critics of and participants in the American political system. This approach relies on a tripartite teaching model: students in my classes develop (1) technical proficiency in the material (2) an appreciation of political processes and how political systems work; and (3) a basic understanding of the rights and responsibilities of democratic citizenship.”

Dr. Loepp incorporates technology into his teaching philosophy because of the deep learning benefits he observes students experience from these enhancements, “A natural outgrowth of improved collaboration and communication is the breakdown of traditional notions of learning as an exclusively individualistic enterprise. Indeed, the capacity for Webex Teams to turn groups of students into communities of learners is one of its most powerful contributions to my classroom.” Additionally, Dr. Loepp found a profound, positive correlation between the integration of technology and attitudinal perspectives towards communication, collaboration, and group work. Dr. Loepp’s dedication to integrating technology, in parallel with his teaching philosophy, garnered student support for more widespread use of campus-supported technologies in the classroom and enhanced his face-to-face teaching.

“A natural outgrowth of improved collaboration and communication is the breakdown of traditional notions of learning as an exclusively individualistic enterprise. Indeed, the capacity for Webex Teams to turn groups of students into communities of learners is one of its most powerful contributions to my classroom.”

Dr. Eric Loepp
 

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.

Congratulations Dr. Loepp! 

Final Cerego Project Instructor Presentation this Thursday (5/14)

Posted on by

The Learning Technology Center has been supporting instructors during the past two academic years on implementing the adaptive/personalized learning platform “Cerego” into their course.

If you are interested in adaptive/personalized learning, please consider joining us this Thursday (5/14) at 10:00 am for a presentation by a Cerego pilot instructor on experiences piloting the platform. Registration is requested so that we can provide with a link to the Webex Meeting.

If you have any questions about the Cerego pilot project or this presentation, please contact us at icit-techpilots@uww.edu.

Summer 2020 Online/Blended Teaching Institute Applications due May 13th

Posted on by

The UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center (LTC) is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the Summer 2020 Online/Blended Teaching Institute.
Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 13th, 2020. Deans will select participants from their College’s pool of applicants.

online learning

Online/Blended Teaching Institute Summer 2020

The overall goal of the institute is to align quality course design with best practices in online teaching, preparing faculty for online course development, and teaching in future academic terms.

The Summer 2020 Institute will be offered entirely online via a combination of synchronous Webex seminars and asynchronous content in Canvas.  You will be able to complete the Institute remotely!

The schedule for the 2020 Online/Blended Teaching Institute:

June 19, 2020: choice of EITHER 9:00 am – noon OR 1:00pm – 4:00pm
June 26, 2020: choice of EITHER 9:00 am – noon OR 1:00pm – 4:00pm
July 10, 2020:  9:00 am – 12:00 pm
July 17, 2020:  9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Submission of final Institute content July 31, 2020.

For any additional information or questions, please contact the LTC.
Learning Technology Center
(262) 472-1004
ltc@uww.edu

Apply here:
http://uwwhitewater.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1NaNlIAHkegdxt3

Final Linkedin Learning Presentation of the Semester this Friday (5/1/20)

Posted on by

This semester the Learning Technology Center has been supporting a small pilot of Linkedin Learning. The final Linkedin Learning pilot project instructor presentation this semester takes place this Friday (May 1st) at 12:00 PM via Webex Meetings.

You can register for the presentation here. Registration is requested, so that we can get you invited to the Webex Meeting.

If you have any questions about the presentation, please feel free to contact icit-techpilots@uww.edu. If you have any questions about Linkedin Learning more generally, please see ICIT’s technology service page on Linkedin Learning, or contact the Learning Technology Center.

Desire2Learn – 1 Month Left!

Posted on by

The retirement of Desire2Learn is fast approaching! 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.

Please contact UW-W Desire2Learn Support with any questions around the retirement of the service.

Canceled – 2020 Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference

Posted on by

We regret to inform you that we have decided to cancel the 2020 Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference due to the many “new normals” resulting from COVID-19.

We would like to thank everyone who submitted a proposal, and we will be working with presenters on how we can capture and share the great work that everyone is doing at UW-Whitewater!

We are planning to hold this conference again in the future – so be sure to watch for news and announcements next year! Thanks for your understanding!

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