UW-System Virtual Showcase: Humanizing Learning

showcaseMake plans now to attend the 2017 University of Wisconsin Learning Technology Development Council Virtual Showcase, held April 4-5, 2017.  Attendance is free. Register today:  https://uwex.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3a34oy0JwrAShaB 

What is the 2017 UW LTDC Virtual Conference?

The Virtual Conference is a two day event with educational sessions from instructors and professional staff from across the University of Wisconsin System. This year’s theme is Humanizing Learning.  Session tracks are Technology, Faculty Development, Hot Topics, How-to & Resources, and Student Engagement.

 Why you should attend the LTDC 2017 Virtual Showcase?

This is a two day event with 2 keynote speakers and 27 session options without any travel or lodging expenses and very little time away from your campus.  Attend right from your office or home, all you need is a computer and an internet connection.

The keynote on Tuesday is Give Every Student 20 More Minutes for Studying Every Day: Personalizing Mobile Learning with Dr. Thomas J. Tobin. The session will introduce you to Universal Design for Learning. You will discover how to implement UDL in the design of your online course environment so that it creates places for best teaching practices to take place in the classroom and beyond.

Wednesday’s keynote is [de-]Humanizing Learning with Dr. John Martin, UW-Madison. Put your kumbaya songs aside and engage in a brutally-honest session about humanizing learning. What are humans actually good at? Do we really want them poisoning learners’ minds? This session will challenge some assumptions humans tend to make about how adequate (and inadequate) they really are when it comes to teaching. Let’s look at better options.

Following the keynote each day there will be three session choices for each of the time-slots on both days. Presenters of the educational sessions are culled from instructors and professional staff from across the University of Wisconsin system representing 25 of the 26 campuses and the University of Wisconsin Extension.

Learn more about the Virtual Conference (https://www.wisconsin.edu/learning-tech/events-conf/ltdc-virtual-showcase-2017-2/) including which sessions are available on Tuesday’s Schedule and Wednesday’s Schedule.

If you have questions about the conference, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Annual D2L Course Cleanup Process

We recently discovered that the Fall 2012 through Summer 2013 purge was NOT processed last year. This years purge will contain all courses between Fall 2012 and Summer 2014. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

In order to maintain optimal storage capacity and ensure the ongoing smooth operation of D2L, a purge of older courses from the system is conducted annually by the UW System Utility.

We’ve begun to prepare for this year’s D2L Course Cleanup process that will take place on Friday, April 28th, 2017. On April 28th, courses from Fall 2012 through Summer 2014 will be purged from the D2L system. Instructors with one or more D2L courses slated to be purged were contacted via email on Monday, March 6th.

The D2L Course Cleanup resources site is available with more information on the Cleanup process and instructions on how to export course materials and student data.

If you have any questions or concerns about the D2L Course Cleanup process or need assistance, please contact UW-W D2L Support.

Registration Open: 2017 Summer Institute for Online/Blended Teaching

DSC_3940The Learning Technology Center is pleased to announce that registration is open for the 2017 Summer session of the Institute for Online/Blended Teaching.

If you need to design a new (or refresh an older) online or blended course, please consider participating in this unique opportunity to collaborate with other UW-Whitewater instructors and explore proven course design strategies and best practices. This intensive and 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.”

The session will consist of online components, face-to-face meetings on the Whitewater campus, and web conferencing sessions.

Dates and Requirements:

The focus of the institute is to learn and practice online teaching skills, and will only briefly address D2L mechanics.  Applicants must have familiarity with basic D2L features, such as creating content, discussions, and drop-box assignments.

There are 5 mandatory meetings for the Institute; three “in-person” face-to-face sessions on the UW-Whitewater campus, and two web-conferencing meetings. The institute begins with a one-half day orientation session on April 28,  a full day meeting on May 26, and a concluding half-day meeting on July 28. In addition, there are two WebEx meetings scheduled for June 2 and June 30.

All faculty and academic staff who will be teaching at UW-Whitewater during the 2017-2018 academic year are eligible to apply. However, the workshop will be limited to 15 participants. Applications are due Friday, March 31, 2017.

Apply Here:  Summer 2017 Application

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

Call for Proposals! Celebrating Teaching and Learning

UCAs a member of the UW-Whitewater community, you are invited to submit a session proposal for the campus event Celebrating Teaching and Learning: Strategies that Transform Lives.  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 forum will be held on May 18th, 2017.

We are soliciting proposals for two types of sessions: Presentations and Discussions.  Proposals are due March 17, 2017 April 7th, 2017

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.  Accepted presenters will receive $100, maximum of two presenters per session.  We encourage proposals in the following themes:

  • Supporting Student Success: Topics may include showcasing high impact practices, sharing learner engagement strategies, discussing different ways of supporting students in courses, incorporating active learning strategies, or ways you assess student learning.
  • Managing Instructor Workload: Common topics include include tips and tricks for managing assignments, feedback, or anything else you’ve found useful!
  • Fostering Inclusivity, Diversity, and Cultural Fluency: Example topics include include effective discussions, cultural intelligence, advocacy, relationship building, and inclusive excellence.
  • 21st Century Challenges and Opportunities: Topics may include integrating technology into teaching, sharing ways to increase student responsibility and accountability, integrating deep learning approaches into teaching,managing BYOD (bring your own device) for course activities, and preparing students for 21st century skills (e.g., evaluating information, being a digital collaborator).
  • ePortfolio: ePortfolio has become a fantastic tool for students to display their work to employers, as well as for instructors, programs, and institutions to assess student work toward established outcomes. If you are using the ePortfolio at the course or programmatic level, please share what you’re doing!
  • 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, visit:  Call for Proposals

Discussions
Birds of a Feather Discussion Sessions will consist of 45 minutes of discussion. The facilitator is expected to introduce the topic to the group and have guiding questions to enhance the conversation.  Accepted facilitators will receive $50, one facilitator per session.

We encourage sessions that involve collaboration and creativity!

To submit a discussion proposal, visit:  Call for Proposals