iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (2/16/2015)

Welcome to iDevelop, a weekly eNewsletter providing faculty with information about professional development opportunities at NSCC. The intent of this eNewsletter is to spotlight the various professional development events for faculty in one convenient location as well as share best practices, resources and tips related to the teaching practice. iDevelop is being brought to you by Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. 

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Do I Convert a F2F Course to a Hybrid Course?

The Monday Morning Mentor series will be available over the spring semester to bring you professional development in twenty minute snippets. The topic for the week of February 16th is How Do I Convert a F2F Course to a Hybrid Course?

The presentation is available Monday at 10:00am and is accessible through Sunday of that week. For information on accessing the presentation and supplemental materials, please view the email version of iDevelop or the Bulletin notice.

More information about this session (including description, topics, and learning goals) is available at http://www.magnapubs.com/online/mentor/how-do-i-convert-a-f2f-course-to-a-hybrid-course-3152-1.html. The spring schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2015/01/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html.  

Other Professional Development Opportunities

• Continuity Conversations (2 Upcoming Opportunities). Faculty...are you concerned about winter storms interfering with your instructional hours this semester? We would like to invite you to join Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment to brainstorm ways to "weather-proof" your teaching and learn about effective ways to reach your students, even when you and your students cannot come to campus, and keep your classes and the student learning experience moving forward. If you would like to participate in an informational session on faculty snow day strategies, please join us at one of these sessions.
  
  What and When: Continuity Workshop
  Wednesday, February 18th from 4:00pm-5:00pm in Danvers DB387 (CTLA Conference Room)
  Saturday, February 21st from 9:00am-12:00pm in Lynn LE224 (McGee Building)
  Light refreshments will be provided! 

Share your Teaching Strategies

What creative ways do you keep the student learning experience moving forward even if your classes are canceled due to snow? What role does instructional technology play in reaching out to your students and providing them with structured instructional activities even when there are no classes? Please send your teaching strategies to itd@northshore.edu and we will share them in the upcoming issues of iDevelop. 

Resources

• What are Hybrid or Blended Courses? http://www4.uwm.edu/ltc/hybrid/about_hybrid/index.cfm
• Blended Learning: Integrating Online and Face-to-Face Courses  http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/blended-learning-integrating-online-and-face-to-face-courses/
• Ten Questions to Consider when Redesigning a Course for Hybrid Teaching and Learning
  http://www4.uwm.edu/ltc/hybrid/faculty_resources/questions.cfm   
• Hybrid Course Comparative Advantage by Activity
  https://www.pcc.edu/resources/instructional-support/tools/hybrid/documents/comparative-advantage-by-activity.pdf    

If you are interested in exploring hybrid courses further, please contact Instructional Technology and Design at itd@northshore.edu. ITD team members can review the process for designing and developing hybrid courses to be taught at NSCC.

iDevelop is being brought to you by Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.  If you have any professional development events, best practices, resources or tips to share with other faculty, please send them our way.  Also, we would love your input on this eNewsletter.

Thank you,
Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

Instructional Technology and Snow Days

Have your courses been impacted by the snow days? Are you looking for a way to continue student learning even when classes are cancelled due to weather? 

Source

Instructional Technology and Design has created a list of a few instructional technology tools that can be used to extend the teaching and learning environment outside the classroom walls to support your students’ engagement with the course content and facilitate your communication with them. Please contact itd@northshore.edu if you need any additional information or support to implement these in your courses.

ANGEL: A great instructional technology tool that can aid you in maintaining the continuity of your course. All face-to-face courses automatically have an ANGEL shell that provides faculty with a “private classroom” area for you and your students. In ANGEL, faculty can post announcements about the status of class with instructions on how to proceed through related learning activities; upload various types of content such as assignments, readings, lecture notes, or PowerPoint slides; link to related online resources such as YouTube videos or web sites; set up drop boxes where students can submit homework; and facilitate discussions for students to engage with the course materials. 
http://angel.northshore.edu/

Video Anywhere: A feature within ANGEL that allows faculty (and students) to easily record video anywhere in ANGEL (for example, Announcements, Pages, Discussion Forums, Drop Boxes, etc.) using their webcam, upload it to YouTube, and embed that video, as well as any other videos already uploaded to YouTube, directly into any of the content editor text boxes present within ANGEL.

Screencast-o-matic: An easy to use screen capture software program that allows you to record anything on your computer screen (PowerPoint presentation, software program, etc) along with your voice. Screencast-o-matic can be used to create pre-recorded mini-lectures. Video files can be stored in ANGEL, on YouTube, or Google Drive. NSCC has a ProPage subscription so please contact ITD for information about pro access.
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/

Adobe Connect: A web-conferencing tool that can be used to facilitate interactive online course activities such as live lectures, review sessions, and online office hours. Adobe Connect supports audio, video, slide presentations, document sharing, screen sharing, whiteboard activities, chat and polling. Adobe Connect sessions can be recorded for later viewing by students who are unable to attend the live session. NSCC has several licenses for Adobe Connect so please contact ITD for more information.

TodaysMeet: A backchannel online chat tool that allows you to extend the conversation beyond the classroom and have real-time discussions.
https://todaysmeet.com/

Audacity: A free audio-recording program that can be used to create MP3 audio recordings. Audacity is simple to use and can be used to create pre-recorded mini-lectures. Audio files can be stored in ANGEL, on YouTube, or Google Drive.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets: Web-based collaborative tools (documents, presentations, or spreadsheets) that can be used by students to easily work together on a project. Available through our NSCC Gmail account under Apps.

Google Hangouts: A web-based conferencing tool that can be used to facilitate small group conversations or collaborations. A Google Hangout supports audio and video conversations, text chat, and YouTube video, screen, and Google Docs sharing. Available through our NSCC Gmail account under Apps (Google+).

YouTube: A repository of videos of all sorts with ample educational content on nearly any subject. Instructors can create videos to post here or create playlist of lectures and instructional content already available on YouTube. To share or watch a video, no account is necessary. To create a playlist or upload a video, an account is necessary. Available through our NSCC Gmail account under Apps (YouTube).

Films-On-Demand: A library database of instructional and documentary videos accessible to students and faculty through the NSCC Library. Faculty can share links to specific videos or create specialized playlists that chunk together segments from different videos. An activated library account is needed.
http://proxy6.noblenet.org/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=4051


What other instructional technologies have you used to extend the teaching and learning environment and to keep your classes moving forward even with snow day cancellations?

When one of my evening classes was cancelled due to snow, here is how I used various instructional technologies to keep the students on track and not miss a beat.

1. I sent an email to all my students providing them information on the activities we would be completing instead of class and directed them to the learning management system for more detailed information.

2. In the learning management system, I posted an announcement with detailed directions on the learning activities that the students needed to complete during the week to make up for the cancelled class.

3. I used Screencast-o-matic to record several mini-presentations demonstrating the key tasks and concepts covered in the chapter (we were just getting started with Excel) and walking them through the steps of the project that they needed to complete. These videos were posted up in the learning management system for students to view.

4. In the learning management system, I posted directions for a project that the students needed to work on and then submit through the assignment drop box feature of the  learning management system.

5. I also held a discussion forum in the learning management system where students posted their thoughts on and discussed with each other the benefits of using Excel, the ways it could be used personally and professionally, and the types of decisions that need to be made when creating workbooks and charts.


What specific strategies have you employed to keep the learning process going when classes are cancelled due to snow?

 

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (2/9/2015)

Welcome to iDevelop, a weekly eNewsletter providing faculty with information about professional development opportunities at NSCC. The intent of this eNewsletter is to spotlight the various professional development events for faculty in one convenient location as well as share best practices, resources and tips related to the teaching practice. iDevelop is being brought to you by Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Can I Minimize Cheating in the Classroom?

The Monday Morning Mentor series will be available over the spring semester to bring you professional development in twenty minute snippets. The topic for the week of February 9th is How Can I Minimize Cheating in the Classroom?

The presentation is available Monday at 10:00am and is accessible through Sunday of that week. For information on accessing the presentation and supplemental materials, please view the email version of iDevelop or the Bulletin notice.

More information about this session (including description, topics, and learning goals) is available at http://www.magnapubs.com/online/mentor/how-can-i-minimize-cheating-in-the-classroom-13263-1.html.

The spring schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2015/01/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html.

Other Professional Development Opportunities

• Continuity Conversations. Faculty...are you concerned about winter storms interfering with your instructional hours this semester? We would like to invite NSCC faculty to join Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment to learn about effective ways to reach your students, even when you and your students cannot come to campus, and keep your classes and the student learning experience moving forward. If you would like to participate in such a conversation, please choose the time that best suits your schedule and RSVP to itd@northshore.edu by WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11th.
  
  -Thursday, February 12th from 2:30pm-3:30pm in Danvers DB387 (CTLA Conference Room)
  -Friday, February 13th from 9:00am-10:00am in Lynn LW181 (Library Training Room)
  -Wednesday, February 18th from 4:00pm-5:00pm in Danvers DB387 (CTLA Conference Room)
  
  Light refreshments will be provided!

Share your Teaching Strategies

What creative ways do you keep the student learning experience moving forward even if your classes are canceled due to snow? What role does instructional technology play in reaching out to your students and providing them with structured instructional activities even when there are no classes? Please send your teaching strategies to itd@northshore.edu and we will share them in the upcoming issues of iDevelop.

Resources

• Reducing cheating in online classes: preventing robbery on the information highway
  http://julietroyer.com/reducing-online-cheating/ 

iDevelop is being brought to you by Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. If you have any professional development events, best practices, resources or tips to share with other faculty, please send them our way.  Also, we would love your input on this eNewsletter.

Thank you,
Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

A Simpler Solution to Tablets and Laptops

David von Schlichten mentioned in his recent Conversation blog post on The Chronicle that he is fine with students using their digital devices to do whatever they want in the class and that it is their choice to engage or not engage. I can appreciate that hands-off approach but I agree with some of the commentators that while it may work for the instructor, it is likely to be challenging for other students in the classroom and they may be distracted. This point was made obvious to me when a student was once caught watching inappropriate material in my class. Granted, it was likely way more interesting than whatever I was teaching at the time, but his peers ratted him out by the astonished and bemused looks on their faces.  

In the last few years, I have enlisted a new tactic in dealing with digital devices that works out well for all parties. At the start of the course and in the syllabus, I provide the following three rules for using laptops and tablets in the course. 

1. If a student is going to use a device, they must sit in the front center area of the class.
2. If other students are distracted by non-course related activities, the student will receive a warning (and eventual restriction of use).
3. At the end of class, the student is required to email me the notes.

Source

The first rule means that the students know their peers will be seeing what they are doing and when coupled with the second, they know their peers can hold them accountable.  By sharing the rules to the class, I also make it clear that students should communicate with me if there is distracting laptop use. 

However, the third rule is the most invaluable. I clarify that the notes need to be substantial and not just copying my usually sparse PowerPoint slides. It provides a check and level of accountability that students often thank me for at the end of the course. If students know they need to produce something with their device, they are more likely to stay on task. As an instructor, it’s a great feedback loop about where they are placing emphasis within the notes. It means that if I think subject X was important but they fixated on subject Y, I might need to revisit the material. 

I used to be the instructor who would be quite strict about device usage, but I quickly realized that I can’t remember a time when I have been in a classroom as a student and not been doodling, writing non-class-related notes and ideas and still been able to take substantial notes. I found this approach great in guiding students toward staying on track and also getting quick feedback about what they are learning. It also gives them the freedom to direct their attention as they see fit, but know they need to use the device as a tool for learning, not for entertaining. 

What ways have you found to integrate or deal with digital devices in your classes?

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (2/2/2015)

Welcome to iDevelop, a weekly eNewsletter providing faculty with information about professional development opportunities at NSCC. The intent of this eNewsletter is to spotlight the various professional development events for faculty in one convenient location as well as share best practices, resources and tips related to the teaching practice. iDevelop is being brought to you by Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. 

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Should I Coach an Underperforming Colleague?

The Monday Morning Mentor series will be available over the spring semester to bring you professional development in twenty minute snippets. The topic for the week of February 2nd is How Should I Coach an Underperforming Colleague?

The presentation is available Monday at 10:00am and is accessible through Sunday of that week. For information on accessing the presentation and supplemental materials, please view the email version of iDevelop or the Bulletin notice.

More information about this session (including description, topics, and learning goals) is available at http://www.magnapubs.com/online/mentor/how-should-i-coach-an-underperforming-colleague-3021-1.html.

The spring schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2015/01/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html. 

Other Professional Development Opportunities

1. Continuity Workshops. Faculty...are you concerned about winter storms interfering with your instructional hours this semester? We would like to invite NSCC faculty to join Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment to learn about effective ways to reach your students, even when you and your students cannot come to campus, and keep your classes and the student learning experience moving forward.
   
   If you would like to attend such a Continuity Workshop, please choose the time that best suits your schedule and RSVP to itd@northshore.edu by this FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6th.
   
   -Thursday, February 12th from 1:00pm-2:00pm in Danvers DB387 (CTLA Conference Room)-Friday, February 13th from 9:00am-10:00am in Lynn LW181 (Library Training Room)-Wednesday, February 18th from 4:00pm-5:00pm in Danvers DB387 (CTLA Conference Room)
   
   Light refreshments will be provided!

Share your Teaching Strategies

What creative ways do you keep the student learning experience moving forward even if your classes are canceled due to snow? What role does instructional technology play in reaching out to your students and providing them with structured instructional activities even when there are no classes? Please send your teaching strategies to itd@northshore.edu and we will share them in the upcoming issues of iDevelop. 

Resources

If you have not done so already, please take a moment to check out the Library’s Films on Demand collection, TED Talks, Academic Earth, Khan Academy, and other web sites that can help you supplement your class discussions....especially during weeks when your face time with students may be impacted by the weather. You will be surprised what you can find online that is free, open, and useful! For more ideas about how to "keep teaching" beyond the classroom walls, contact Andrea Milligan or Andrea DeFusco-Sullivan.

• Open Educational Resources Lib Guide (great resource to find various types of open learning materials)
  http://libguides.northshore.edu/content.php?pid=483567
• Screencast-o-matic (easy to use tool to create short videos for your students) http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/

iDevelop is being brought to you by Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.  If you have any professional development events, best practices, resources or tips to share with other faculty, please send them our way.  Also, we would love your input on this eNewsletter.

Thank you,
Academic Technology and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment