ANGEL Tip #3: Top ANGEL Issues and Resolutions this Fall Semester

Well, the semester is underway and students and faculty appear to be settling in.  I thought I would share some of the top issues we experienced with ANGEL, our Learning Management System, here at North Shore Community College this fall.

We upgraded to ANGEL version 8.0 in late August and there have been a few “quirky” things happening.

Our top issues (and resolutions) with ANGEL this semester:

1)    Issue: Problem uploading files (PDF) to ANGEL when using Firefox
      Resolution:  Clear cache in Firefox by going to tools, options, advanced, network and then clearing cache.

2)    Issue: Can’t see student names in ANGEL email site
      Resolution: Use another browser

3)    Issue: Students can’t see course
      Resolution:

• Students –  make sure the instructor uses the ANGEL system with the course.
• Instructors — the course needs to be made available to students.

1. Go to the Manage tab in the course site.
2. Click the General Course Settings link.
3. Click the Access tab.
4. Click on the drop down arrow in the Member Access section, and choose “All Members”.  Remember to save your edit!

4)    Issue: Links won’t work (always a good idea to test them before the course begins).
       Resolution:  Relink it by first copying the correct URL.

1. Go to Lessons tab and the document where the link is.
2. Under Settings for that document, highlight the words for the link.
3. Click on the icon that looks like a globe with a chain link on it.
4. Paste the correct URL into the URL section and click Ok.  This should activate the link.

Besides these recommendations above, one thing we always encourage people to try is to log out of ANGEL, close your browser and try a different browser.  Unfortunately, due to the popularity of several different browsers all of which update their software at various and intermittent times, ANGEL will perform better in some rather than others, especially if the browser being used was just recently updated.  

What other issues or problems are you running into with Angel?  Be sure to let us know by contacting us at angel@northshore.edu.  We want to hear from you!

20 Minute Professional Development – Monday Morning Mentor

This year, the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA) and Academic Technology has partnered up again to bring faculty a professional development series from Magna Publications, called the Monday Morning Mentor. The goal of the Monday Morning Mentor series is to offer faculty practical professional development opportunities in twenty minute snippets that can be accessed from anywhere and at any time during the given week. Session topics cover the areas of student engagement, teaching and learning, teaching online, assessment and learning goals, and classroom management.

New video presentations go live at 10:00am each Monday morning and are only accessible through Sunday. Presentation handouts and supplementary materials are always available.
The following sessions are on the schedule for fall 2012.  For session descriptions and objectives, click on the titles below.

• September 17: Cell Phones, Laptops and Facebook: What Can I Do about Them?
• September 24: How Can I Use Informal Writing as Part of a Low-stakes Grading Strategy?
• October 1: What is Blended Learning?
• October 8: How Can Objects and Analogies Improve my Teaching?
• October 15: How Can I Promote Deep, Lasting Student Learning?
• October 22: How Do I Choose Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Activities?
• October 29: Peer Review of Online Teaching: What Works Best?
• November 5: Can I Safely Use Facebook with Students for Class Interaction?
• November 12: How Do I Stay Calm When Students Push My Buttons?
• November 19: How Can I Connect Students’ Interests to Course Content?
• November 26: In Blended Courses, What Should Students Do Online?
• December 3: How Can I Enhance Class Using Story, Popular Media and Objects?
• December 10: How Do I Address Teasing and Bullying Behavior in the Classroom?

Information on how to access the Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available each week in the Bulletin.

We would love to hear your feedback on the usefulness of these sessions. Please send your input to itd@northshore.edu.

Technology Resources to Start Your New Academic Year

The following video will walk you through where to search for tutorials on Smart Classrooms and Smart Carts as well as operational instructions and documentation to help you in your use of technology here at North Shore Community College. Hope this is helpful to you!

Technology Resources