Spring 2019 Updates from the Learning Technology Center

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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.

Canvas Transition

As the Spring semester carries on, we wanted to make sure you are aware of some key changes with Canvas.  Approximately 80% of courses at UW-Whitewater are being offered in Canvas this semester.  Thanks for all the hard work!

  • Course Navigation Changes.  The “Discussion” and “People” tools can now be added to the navigation bar.  In addition, the “Syllabus” and “Collaborations” tools may be removed.
  • Summer 2019 Reminder.  Starting with Summer 2019, all courses must use Canvas.  Desire2Learn will no longer be available for courses.
  • Course Combinations.  Do you want to combine multiple sections of the same course into a single Canvas course?  Follow the steps in the Cross-Listing/Merging Canvas Courses guide.  If you need to combine courses that you are not the teacher for or if you have any questions please contact Canvas support.

Here are a couple most frequently asked questions from last semester.

  • Gradebook Differences. In Canvas, blank grade items to not show to students as 0’s when they are viewing their grades. They are however interpreted as 0’s by WINS. This means that if you are not entering 0’s in the Grades area, students may not have a clear understanding of what there grade is. We recommend using the Set Default Grade feature each time you are done entering grades for an assignment.
  • Additional time on quizzes. It is common for each class to have a few students that need additional time on Quizzes. This can be accomplished by using the Moderate This Quiz feature available in each published quiz.

Helpful Links

24/7/365 Support

Canvas has a robust technical support service that includes 24 / 7 / 365 toll-free hotline and live online chat interactions.  Please use this for all Canvas Questions.

Canvas Workshops

Whether you are already in Canvas or looking to make the move from D2L to Canvas this Summer, the LTC will be offering Spring Workshops that you may be interested in. Hands-On Introduction sessions will cover basic functions of the core tools. Deep Dives focusing on specific tools can help you in your current courses, and Construction Zones can help you transfer courses for the future. Given everyone’s tight schedules, we are also pleased to provide open lab time after the Construction Zones, where anyone can come in and work while support is present.

View the Workshop schedule and signup now at: http://go.uww.edu/ltc-workshop-signup

Canvas Snippets

We have collected some tips and tricks from your colleagues to help you setup your courses in Canvas.

Canvas Enrollments Issue Update

During the start of the Spring 2019 semester, there was an issue identified with Canvas that was causing delays with user enrollments and drops.  For the past week, Canvas has been working on a resolution and they have been able to identify a number of issues that have since been resolved. The investigation is ongoing, and in the interim there have been processes put in place to help reduce the impact on enrollments in courses.

All new enrollments and drops should now be processing within 24 hours of being changed in WINS.  If you are still seeing enrollment issues with your course after 48 hours, please contact Canvas 24/7/365 support and provide the student name and course name so they can investigate it further.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as the vendor works through this issue.

Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference – May 2019

The LEARN Center and the LTC would like to present the 2019 Celebrating Teaching and Learning Conference.  The Conference will take place on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019 in the University Center on the UW-Whitewater Campus.  

Call for Proposals – Due February 22, 2019

What Will I Gain from this Conference?
Strategies that transform educational experiences and enhance student success.

Who is this Conference For?
For instructors, instructional support staff, administrators or anyone interested in teaching and learning are invited to register.

GoReact Video Capture

This spring semester, a few instructors from the College of Education and Professional Studies, working along with LTC staff, are piloting the “GoReact” video capture platform. The tool can be used to provide pinpointed feedback on speeches, presentations, and other types of performances. Additionally, students can review other types of media, and conduct peer reviews. GoReact is commonly used in courses and content areas such teacher preparation, ASL, communication, nursing, psychology, counseling, performing arts, and foreign language courses.

Cerego Adaptive Learning

This spring, the LTC is working with a small group of instructors in piloting an adaptive learning platform called “Cerego.” Throughout the pilot, LTC staff are examining whether Cerego can be used to help engage students in better learning the course material, and help instructors more accurately assess student progress throughout the course of a semester. With Cerego, instructors create content for students through the use of various options including multiple choice and true/false questions, flashcards, fill-in-the-blank passages, and interactive figures. The Cerego platform then determines from students’ performances exactly what an individual student needs to study based on their correct and incorrect responses.

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’ll 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!


Turning Point 8

With Turning Point 8 and Canvas, the course roster sync has been greatly improved – and now happens on a nightly basis!  You will need to Publish your course before you can sync the course roster.

Instructors will need to add a link into their course for the registration.  There is a guide that walks through this process available at: https://spaces.uww.edu/x/VwOv

The full list of updates are available below.
http://blogs.uww.edu/instructional/2019/01/22/turning-point-updates-for-instructors-spring-2019/

Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere allows you to collect “real-time” feedback from your students on prompts that you create. You can display results to the polls live in class. Options include open and close-ended polls, and advanced features including competitions (like trivia) and word clouds.

If you think you might be interested in using Poll Everywhere but aren’t sure where to get started, consider attending one of the LTC’s information sessions this spring.

http://go.uww.edu/ltc-workshop-signup

Respondus StudyMate

Did you know that Respondus StudyMate is integrated with Canvas and available for use in your courses?  StudyMate Campus makes it easy for teachers and students to create flash cards, self-assessments, and learning games.

  • 11 Games and Learning Activities
  • Easily create (and share) an unlimited number of StudyMate projects
  • Free mobile apps for students (iOS, Android)
  • Instructors can view statistics on what their students have studied

To get started, all you need to do is add “Respondus StudyMate” to your course navigation in Canvas.  Check out this guide: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-12933

Additional tutorials and guides are available at: https://www.respondus.com/products/studymate/demos.shtml

Media Recording Scheduling

The Learning Technology Center (LTC) offers video recording and media production services for instructional use. We now have a new web based scheduling form! 

Choose from one of our popular configurations:

  • Presenter Only
  • Interview Setup
  • Weatherman Setup
  • Lightboard Setup
  • Any many more!

Schedule your recordings by going to http://www.uww.edu/icit/services/media-production#Scheduling

Welcome Kirsten!

We would like to welcome Kirsten Mortimer as the new Technology Documentation and Training Specialist for the LTC. Her first day was Monday (1/28).  Kirsten’s responsibilities will include: designing and developing training strategies utilizing documentation, consultations, workshops, and online training materials in both text and video to support tool use as well as creating documentation for new technology tools adopted by the campus, working with positions inside and outside of ICIT to understand audience needs.

LTDC Virtual Showcase 2019

The University of Wisconsin System is in the midst of restructuring. Longtime organizations are being re-shaped in this transition year. The University of Wisconsin System Learning Technology Development Council supports the University of Wisconsin System 2020FWD Vision. This Virtual Showcase is one way to promote the concept while we embrace and implement change in the learning technology world. We hope to ease the transition for our instructors and learners.

For more information on the showcase, see: https://www.wisconsin.edu/learning-tech/events-conf/ltdc-virtual-showcase-2019

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!

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.

Canvas Workshops – February 2019

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The LTC will be offering Canvas Hands-On Introduction, Canvas Construction Zone, Canvas Open Labs and Canvas Deep Dive sessions during February 2019.  Additional Spring 2019 workshops will be scheduled soon.

Canvas Hands-On Introduction – 2 Parts (1 Hour)
We will cover the basic function of the core tools in the Canvas platform. There will be time to ask questions along the way. If this is your first time touching Canvas, this workshop is the one for you!

Part 1: 24/7/365 Support, Global Navigation, Create Module, Create Page
Upload File (PowerPoint, PDF, Word, etc), Assignment Groups (set up gradebooks categories)

Part 2: Create Quiz, Create paper submission area, Doing grading and feedback in Speed Grader, Syllabus, Calendar

Event Name Date/Time Location Register
Canvas Hands-On Introduction – Part 1 Thursday, February 7th – 1pm McGraw 19c In-Person Registration
Canvas Hands-On Introduction – Part 2 Thursday, February 14th – 1pm McGraw 19c In-Person Registration

Canvas Construction Zone (1 Hour)
Are you ready to start digging into your course setup? Do you need help straightening up after moving a course from Desire2Learn (D2L) into Canvas? Do you have questions on how to set things up? This is the session for you! This session will be 1 hour of lab time with support staff on hand to help you construct your course in Canvas. Don’t forget your hard hat!

Please transfer a course from D2L to Canvas before coming to the workshop. A step by step guide is available at: https://spaces.uww.edu/x/HoCc

Date/Time Location Register
Thursday, February 21st – 1pm McGraw 19c In-Person Registration

Canvas Open Lab (1 Hour)
We will be available to answer your Canvas questions during the sessions below! Whether you are working on your current course, or if you are getting ready to teach in Canvas for the first time – stop on by!

Date/Time Location Register
Thursday, February 28th – 1pm McGraw 19c In-Person Registration

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.

  • Content: This is delivered on the concept of backwards design driving the look and feel of course setup. It is about taking what you already do and molding a better experience for you and your students.
  • Quizzes: This will touch on different question types, building in targeted feedback in auto-graded quizzes, and most likely spend the bulk of the time in the Question Bank area to help instructors get a feel for how Canvas Question Bank is different than D2L Question Library.
  • Rubrics: This will start by touching briefly on rubric creation, but will focus on techniques to maximize the amount of value you can get by building rubrics directly in Canvas.
  • Discussions: We will look at setup (including threaded vs unthreaded), visibility, the lack of a “Forum” in Canvas (compared to how D2L had it), group setup, and grading.
  • Grades: Weighting grades, Late policies, Muting Assignments, SpeedGrader, setting a default grade, and setting up extra credit.
Event Name Date/Time Location Register
Content Friday, February 8th – 1pm McGraw 19c In-Person Registration
Quizzes Friday, February 15th – 1pm McGraw 19c In-Person Registration
Rubrics Friday, February 22nd – 1pm McGraw 19c In-Person Registration
Discussions Friday, March 1st – 1pm McGraw 19c In-Person Registration
Grades Friday, March 8th – 1pm McGraw 19c In-Person Registration

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

Turning Point Updates for Instructors – Spring 2019

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Welcome back to the snowy start of the Spring 2019 semester!  We have a few updates / reminders to share for Turning Technology users.

  • Turning Point 8.  We will be using Turning Point 8.5.6 for the Spring 2019 semester.  Turning Point has been updated on all classroom machines.  If you need to download it on a laptop or personal device, you can get the latest version by going to: https://instructor.turningtechnologies.com/#/downloads
  • Canvas Integration.  As a reminder, Turning Point 8 must be used with Canvas – and will not work with Desire2Learn.
  • Registration Link. Instructors will need to add a link into their course for the registration.  There is a guide that walks through this process available at: https://spaces.uww.edu/x/VwOv
  • User Guides / Video Tutorials.  Turning Point has resources available that we have posted for you at: https://spaces.uww.edu/x/SIK
  • Vendor Support.  Turning Technologies offers Phone, Chat and Email support for students and instructors Monday – Friday from 7am to 8pm (Central Time).
  • Course Roster Sync.  With Turning Point 8 and Canvas, the course roster sync has been greatly improved – and now happens on a nightly basis!  You will need to Publish your course before you can sync the course roster.  The video below will walk through this in more detail and show some examples.

If you have questions regarding TurningPoint, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

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.

TED Tips – Issue 24: Winter Break!

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As the 2018 Fall Semester concludes, I want to reflect on the first six months of writing this blog. It has been a great honor to share discoveries, explore new ideas, and write about topics related to Technology, Education, and Design. I hope that these TED tips continue to inform and inspire as we celebrate teaching and learning at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater.

RELAX

Winter Break

Over the last six months, we have explored the difference is between a Learning Management System (LMS) and a Digital Learning Environment (DLE). This distinction is important as it helps to lay the foundation for some of the key decisions applicable to the migration from D2L to Canvas at Whitewater and throughout the UW System.

Canvas has been a source for several posts. The LTC Canvas peer mentors shared some of most important lessons learned while working with Canvas in the classroom. We looked at ways to support communications in Canvas and the importance of making a good first impressions. We explored grading and using Speed Grader in Canvas.

What are some different ways technology can be used in the classroom to support your teaching learning? Tools like Poll Everywhere can increase student engagement and interaction. “23 Things for Digital Knowledge” provided activities that can build student fluency in digital literacy.

TED Tips have explored the 2018 NMC Horizon Report and its view the trends, challenges, and developments in educational technology as it impacts higher education. Using the Horizon Report provides a lens to highlight pilots and innovative work taking place on campus like Adaptive Learning.

The blog will continue to promote workshops sponsored by the Learning Technology Center and its many partners and collaborators. For example, there is a series of upcoming Canvas workshops this winter: Canvas Open labs, hands on workshops for newcomers to Canvas, Construction Zones to help instructors move their courses from D2L to Canvas, and deep dives into single topics to help with your teaching. Grading in Canvas and building and using rubrics will be explored in early January. For a full list of times and locations of the upcoming winter Workshops visit the LTC. https://blogs.uww.edu/instructional/2018/12/12/canvas-workshops-winter-2019/

The next session in the 2018-19 UW-Whitewater LEARN Center/Learning Technology Center Workshop Series: “Back to Basics to Balance Workload” is Thursday, January 10th from 10:00am to 2:00pm in the University Center. This four hour workshop includes lunch and is designed as a hands-on activity to help prepare for your spring classes! Session Four: Setting the tone early saves time in the long run: Crafting your syllabus and engaging students before the first day of class and beyond.

During the morning session of the workshop, presenters will share evidence-based strategies for creating a more learner-centered syllabus and share tips for engaging students from the first day (and even before class begins!). After a lunch discussion, participants will learn more on how to better utilize Canvas in their courses in a way that clarifies organization and sets expectations in a more transparent manner. Participants will end the session with time to revise their syllabi, first day activities, and/or Canvas course pages and share their materials for small group feedback.

Participants will leave with:

  • An overview of best practices for syllabus development
  • Experience with a variety of first day activities that can increase student engagement and sense of community
  • Ideas to organize their Canvas course pages
  • Revised syllabi/activities to enhance student engagement

To register for this workshop: https://my.uww.edu/signup/Registration/Details/15867

Thank you for taking the time to read these posts! TED Tips will return in 2019. Topics next year will build on and support some of the upcoming workshops with TED Tips planned to explore several types of rubrics, building them in Canvas, design of a course homepage, navigation, analytics, and many others. I hope to experiment a bit more in format and content and hope to record the occasional complementary podcast! Until then, have a great holiday break, recharge, and relax! See you next year!

– Ted Witt
Teaching, Learning, and Technology Consultant

Resources

LTC Canvas Peer Mentors http://www.uww.edu/icit/ltc/canvas-portal/peer-mentors

Canvas Workshops Winter 2019
https://blogs.uww.edu/instructional/2018/12/12/canvas-workshops-winter-2019/

LEARN Center/Learning Technology Center Workshop Series:  “Back to Basics to Balance Workload.”  Session Four: Setting the tone early saves time in the long run: Crafting your syllabus and engaging students before the first day of class and beyond. https://my.uww.edu/signup/Registration/Details/15867

Canvas Workshops – Winter 2019

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The LTC will be offering Canvas Open Labs, Canvas Hands-On Introduction, Canvas Construction Zone and Canvas Deep Dive sessions during the Winterim 2019 semester.

Canvas Open Lab (2 hours)
We will be available to answer your Canvas questions during the sessions below!  Whether you are working on your final grades to send to WINS, or if you are getting ready to teach in Canvas for the first time during Winterim or Spring semesters – stop on by!

Date/Time Location Register
Monday, December 17th – 1pm McGraw 19b In-Person Registration
Wednesday, December 19th – 1pm McGraw 19c In-Person Registration
Wednesday, December 26th – 1pm McGraw 19c In-Person Registration
Thursday, December 27th – 9am McGraw 19c In-Person Registration
Friday, December 28th – 11am McGraw 19c In-Person Registration


Canvas Hands-On Introduction (2 Hours)
We will cover the basic function of the core tools in the Canvas platform. There will be time to ask questions along the way. If this is your first time touching Canvas, this workshop is the one for you!

Event Name Date/Time Location Register
Canvas Hands-On Introduction Monday, January 7th – 1pm Hyer 210 In-Person Registration
Webinar Registration
Canvas Hands-On Introduction + LUNCH Tuesday, January 15th, 10am Hyer 210 In-Person Registration


Canvas Construction Zone (2 Hours)
Are you ready to start digging into your course setup? Do you need help straightening up after moving a course from D2L into Canvas? Do you have questions on how to set things up? This is the session for you! This session will be 2 hours of lab time with support staff on hand to help you construct your course in Canvas. Don’t forget your hard hat!

Event Name Date/Time Location Register
Canvas Construction Zone Wednesday, January 9th – 1pm Hyer 210 In-Person Registration
Canvas Construction Zone + LUNCH Tuesday, January 15th, 12:00pm Hyer 210 In-Person Registration

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.

  • Grades: Weighting grades, Late policies, Muting Assignments, SpeedGrader, setting a default grade, and setting up extra credit.
  • Rubrics: This will start by touching briefly on rubric creation, but will focus on techniques to maximize the amount of value you can get by building rubrics directly in Canvas.
Event Name Date/Time Location Register
Grades Friday, January 11th – 12:00pm Hyer 210 In-Person Registration
Webinar Registration
Rubrics Thursday, January 17th – 12:00pm Hyer 210 In-Person Registration
Webinar Registration

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

Canvas Transition Update

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As the Fall Semester is coming to an end, we have a few exciting Canvas updates to share!

  • Grade Transfer to WINS. eGrading is now available for Canvas which will allow you to automatically send your final grades to WINS.  For step by step instructions, see https://spaces.uww.edu/x/ugPN
  • Canvas course navigation bar will be receiving an update. Starting December 26th instructors will be able to add Discussions (this allows students to see discussion alerts) and People (this allows students to self-enroll in groups) as course navigation items, as well as remove Syllabus and Collaborations if they are not used.
  • Winterim and Spring Courses are now available inside of Canvas.
    As a reminder, there is no more course request process with Canvas. All courses will be automatically created inside of Canvas.  If you teach the same course every semester, you may see two courses that look alike.  On the dashboard, you will also see the course term listed.  This will help you locate the correct course.
  • Winterim Workshops.  Want to learn more about Canvas? Join us at one of our online or face-to-face workshops this winter! Signup at: http://go.uww.edu/ltc-workshop-signup
  • Course Combinations.  Do you want to combine multiple sections of the same course into a single Canvas course?  Follow the steps in the Cross-Listing/Merging Canvas Courses guide.  If you need to combine courses that you are not the teacher for or if you have any questions please contact Canvas support.
  • Tips and Tricks. We have collected some tips and tricks from your colleagues to help you setup your courses in Canvas.  Take a look at them here: http://blogs.uww.edu/instructional/2018/12/10/canvas-video-snippets/
  • UW-System wants your feedback.  In order to better understand your experience with the Digital Learning Environment this fall, please provide UW-System with your feedback.  Please follow this link and complete the Survey by December 21st 2018:  https://milwaukee.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3WPF3Np4HLTRT4V

Please remember to reach out to Canvas 24/7/365 Support for all issues.