iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (5/18/2015)

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 Instructional Technology and Design and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. 

   

20 Minute Online Professional Development
The Monday Morning Mentor series, professional development in twenty minute snippets, will resume in the fall semester.

Other Professional Development Opportunities

• Only a few spaces left! RSVP for 5th Annual NSCC Faculty Technology Summer Institute. In June, NSCC will host a two day Faculty Technology Summer Institute. The Summer Institute’s theme is "Flex with Tech" and the sessions for the two days will focus on faculty professional development around creating flexible learning environments through the use of instructional technology. The Summer Institute will take place on Monday, June 1st and Tuesday, June 2nd from 9:00am-3:30pm in Danvers. Space is limited to 30 NSCC faculty and is first come first served so please RSVP by Friday, May 22nd using the link below. NSCC faculty who attend the Summer Institute will receive a small stipend. RSVP at http://goo.gl/forms/VApVOQy0QF.
• Blackboard Learn Workshops. Starting in summer 2015, Blackboard Learn will be available for NSCC faculty members teaching a face-to-face course that uses the learning management system as a supplement. ANGEL will no longer be available. If you teach a summer or fall course and currently use ANGEL, we will be offering a series of Blackboard Learn workshops throughout the spring and summer. To view the complete schedule of workshop sessions (with descriptions) and to RSVP, please visit this web site, http://goo.gl/UIkoUk.
• (re)DESIGNING ASSESSMENT: Demonstrating student learning in art and other non-textual media. In a world where demonstrable student learning drives educational funding, how do faculty teaching in “subjective” fields document and score student products for institutional assessment? Join AMCOA Region 3 and Salem State University for a workshop designed specifically for faculty in the arts. Learn how to turn your critiques into powerful assessments for students, departments, and the larger institution. The workshop will take place at Salem State University on May 28th. If interested and to RSVP, please contact Andrea DeFusco-Sullivan at adefusco@northshore.edu.

To stay current on professional development opportunities offered by Instructional Technology over the summer, be sure to:

• Read the Learning, Education, Technology and Support (LETS) Blog at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/. ITD’s goal with this blog is to provide an informative and useful resource for faculty and staff by highlighting events, spotlighting projects, and presenting current information around instructional technology while also providing a growing pool of resources, recommendations, tools, and materials for teaching and learning purposes.
• "Like" the North Shore Community College Academic Technology Page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/myNSCC.acadtech. On the Academic Technology Facebook page, AT provides information about upcoming professional development opportunities, links to interesting articles on integrating technology into the teaching and learning environment, and presents tips on using the various instructional technology resources.

Interesting Reads

• The latest edition of the Technology Across the Curriculum (TAC) newsletter, The Edge: Where Classrooms Meet Technology, is now available on North Shore Community College’s public site at http://www.northshore.edu/faculty_staff/resources/tac.html. Check out the newsletter to read comments from TAC faculty on their technology integration and online/hybrid course development projects.
• Faculty--are you looking for a free and local way to stay involved in interesting discussions outside of the classroom/office? The Newburyport Library is inviting the public to join three book discussion groups: the Graphic Novel Group (which meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm); the Nonfiction Group (which meets on the last Tuesday of the month at 7pm); and the Fiction Group (which meets on the second Wednesday of every month at 7pm). Please visit the library's website at http://www.newburyportpl.org/events/ for more details!

This will be the last issue of iDevelop for the spring semester. We will publish the first one of the fall semester on August 31, 2015. We hope you have enjoyed this weekly eNewsletter and would love your input. Please let us know if you have any feedback on the format, content, and resources or if there is anything else you would like to see in the eNewsletter.

Have a great summer!

Thank you,
Instructional Technology and Design and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

Blackboard Learn Workshops and Open Labs for May, June, and July

The college is migrating away from ANGEL and Blackboard Learn will be available for all courses starting with summer session 1. To support NSCC faculty in this transition, ITD will be offering a series of workshops and open labs in May, June, and July.

Blackboard Learn Workshops

ITD will be offering a series of Blackboard Learn workshops in May, June, and July. To view the complete schedule of workshop sessions (with descriptions) and to RSVP, please visit this web site: http://goo.gl/UIkoUk.

Blackboard Learn Open Labs

NSCC faculty who have any questions/issues or would like to come in to work on your courses and get assistance from ITD staff can feel free to drop by the open labs. 

Week of May 18th

*Monday, May 18th - Open Lab from 1:00pm-4:00pm in Lynn, LW305
*Tuesday, May 19th - Open Lab from 1:00pm-4:00pm in Danvers, DH305
*Wednesday, May 20th - Open Lab from 9:00am-3:00pm  in Danvers, DB234 and Lynn, LW307
*Thursday, May 21st - Open Lab from 9:00am-3:00pm  in Danvers, DB234 and Lynn, LW307

Week of May 25th

*Wednesday, May 27th - Open Lab from 1:00pm-4:00pm in Danvers, DH305
*Thursday, May 28th - Open Lab from 1:00pm-4:00pm in Lynn, LW305

Week of June 22nd

*Tuesday, June 23rd - Open Lab from 9:00am-12:00pm in Danvers, DH305
*Wednesday, June 24th - Open Lab from 9:00am-12:00pm in Lynn, LW307
*Thursday, June 25th - Open Lab from 9:00am-3:00pm  in Danvers, DB234 and Lynn, LW307

Week of June 29th

*Tuesday, June 30th - Open Lab from 9:00am-3:00pm  in Danvers, DB234 and Lynn, LW307
*Wednesday, July 1st - Open Lab from 9:00am-3:00pm  in Danvers, DB234 and Lynn, LW307

Week of July 6th

*Monday, July 6th - Open Lab from 9:00am-12:00pm in Danvers, DB234
*Tuesday, July 7th - Open Lab from 9:00am-12:00pm in Lynn, LW307
*Wednesday, July 8th - Open Lab from 9:00am-3:00pm  in Danvers, DB234 and Lynn, LW307
*Thursday, July 9th - Open Lab from 9:00am-3:00pm  in Danvers, DB234 and Lynn, LW307
 
ITD hopes that everything goes smoothly with the start up of summer courses using Blackboard Learn. But, if faculty and their students experience any issues, please contact the Blackboard Learn Helpdesk at bbhelp@northshore.edu.

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (5/11/2015)

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 Instructional Technology and Design and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. 

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Can Google Docs Help Foster Productive Collaboration?
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 May 11th is How Can Google Docs Help Foster Productive Collaboration? 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-google-docs-help-foster-productive-collaboration-13262-1.html.

Other Professional Development Opportunities

• RSVP for 5th Annual Faculty Technology Summer Institute. In June, NSCC will host a two day Faculty Technology Summer Institute. The Summer Institute’s theme is "Flex with Tech" and the sessions for the two days will focus on faculty professional development around creating flexible learning environments through the use of instructional technology. The Summer Institute will take place on Monday, June 1st and Tuesday, June 2nd from 9:00am-3:30pm in Danvers. Space is limited to 30 NSCC faculty and is first come first served so please RSVP by Friday, May 22nd using the link below. NSCC faculty who attend the Summer Institute will receive a small stipend. To RSVP: http://goo.gl/forms/VApVOQy0QF.
• Blackboard Learn Workshops. Starting in summer 2015, Blackboard Learn will be available for NSCC faculty members teaching a face-to-face course that uses the learning management system as a supplement. ANGEL will no longer be available. If you teach a summer or fall course and currently use ANGEL, we will be offering a series of Blackboard Learn workshops throughout the spring and summer. Our next round of workshops will take place during the last two weeks of May. To view the complete schedule of workshop sessions (with descriptions) and to RSVP, please visit this web site: http://goo.gl/UIkoUk.

Interesting Reads

• The latest edition of the Technology Across the Curriculum (TAC) newsletter, The Edge: Where Classrooms Meet Technology, is now available on North Shore Community College’s public site at: http://www.northshore.edu/faculty_staff/resources/tac.html. Comments from TAC faculty on their projects. Check out the newsletter to read comments from TAC faculty on their technology integration and online/hybrid course development projects.

Resources

• Using Google Documents to Foster Collaboration and Communication in the Learning Environment
  http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2012/03/using-google-documents-to-foster.html

If you are interested in learning more about incorporating Google Docs into your classes, please contact ITD at itd@northshore.edu. We would be happy to brainstorm ideas and help you get started.

Share your Teaching Strategies
Do you use Google Docs in your classes to encourage collaboration? In what ways are you using Google Docs? What tips and strategies can you share with other faculty? Please send your teaching strategies to itd@northshore.edu and we will share them in the upcoming issues of iDevelop. 

iDevelop is being brought to you by Instructional Technology and Design 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,
Instructional Technology and Design and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

Preparing for Summer 2015 Courses in Blackboard Learn

Summer session 1 will be the first time Blackboard Learn will be available for all NSCC courses (face-to-face, hybrid, and online). ANGEL will not be used to support summer courses.

Accessing Blackboard Learn
Blackboard Learn can be accessed through Pipeline. Once faculty and students have logged into Pipeline, click on the My Courses tab. In the My Courses module, there will be a link for Blackboard Learn. If this is the first time in Blackboard Learn, a gray welcome screen will appear - just click on the Close link to be brought to the My Home tab.

There will be a My Courses module with links to all instructors' course sites from 2014-2015. If the course list is not group by semester, click on the gears icon (top right corner of the My Courses module) to access the settings for that module. Then check off Group by Term and click Submit to save.

Summer and Fall 2014 Course Sites
ITD has migrated over summer 2014 and fall 2014 course sites from ANGEL into Blackboard Learn. Faculty will find those course sites and the content in the corresponding summer 2014 and fall 2014 course sites in Blackboard Learn. Faculty can then copy those into upcoming summer 2015 and fall 2015 courses sites to update and edit content. If a spring 2015 course site is needed for the summer, please contact ITD as soon as possible at bbhelp@northshore.edu.

Copying a Course
To copy a previous course site into a new one in Blackboard Learn:

1. Go into the course site that has the content to copy. In the Control Panel, expand the Packages and Utilities section and click Course Copy.
2. On the next screen, in the “Select Copy Type” section, make sure Copy Course Materials into Existing Course is selected in the drop down menu.
3. Now, in the “Select Copy Options” section, next to the Destination Course ID field, click Browse. Then, find and select the Course ID for the new course (the one you want to put the content into). Click Submit.
4. Select the Course Materials that you want to copy over to the new course. Usually, Select All is the best choice, although you might not want to copy announcements.
1. If Select All is not used, make sure to include Grade Center Columns and Settings if Assignments and/or Tests are being copied.
2. Also, under Discussion Board, select Include only the forums, with no starter posts if threads are not created by the instructor for students to respond to. If not, all student threads will copy over as anonymous and they will need to be deleted.
5. In the “File Attachments” section, keep the default settings.
6. In the “Enrollments” section, keep the Include Enrollments in the Copy box unchecked.
7. Click Submit.

Please note: When a previous course site is copied over into a new course site, any new or changed content areas will be added to the bottom of the course menu.

Blackboard Learn Workshops
ITD will be offering training on Blackboard Learn throughout the summer. To view the complete schedule of workshop sessions (with descriptions) and to RSVP, please visit this web site: http://goo.gl/UIkoUk.

Preparing a Blackboard Learn Course Site for a New Semester
If faculty have already been using Blackboard Learn for their courses, please check out this handy reference at http://goo.gl/pZbUZ8 to help prepare a  Blackboard Learn course site for a new semester.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Blackboard Learn Helpdesk at bbhelp@northshore.edu if there are any issues with Blackboard Learn.

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (5/4/2015)

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 Instructional Technology and Design and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. 

20 Minute Online Professional Development: What Works and What Doesn't When Teaching Large Classes?
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 May 4th is What Works and What Doesn't When Teaching Large Classes? The presentation is available Monday at 10:00am and is accessible through Sunday of that week.  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/what-works-and-what-doesnt-work-when-teaching-a-large-class-13421-1.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

• 5th Annual NSCC Faculty Technology Summer Institute - Save the Date. In June, Instructional Technology and Design, the Library, and the Educational Technology Innovation Group will be holding a two day Faculty Technology Summer Institute that will focus on creating flexible learning environments through the use of instructional technology ("Flex with Tech"). Based on feedback from interested faculty, the Faculty Technology Summer Institute will take place on Monday, June 1st and Tuesday, June 2nd from 9:00am-3:30pm in Danvers. Please save the date. More details on the Faculty Technology Summer Institute with RSVP information will be available shortly.

Interesting Reads

• The Edge Newsletter. The latest edition of the Technology Across the Curriculum (TAC) newsletter, The Edge: Where Classrooms Meet Technology, is now available on North Shore Community College’s public site at: http://www.northshore.edu/faculty_staff/resources/tac.html. Check out the newsletter to read comments from TAC faculty on their technology integration and online/hybrid course development projects.
• Report on the Multi-State Collaborative Pilot Study. As many of you know, thanks to the participation of our fantastic full and part time faculty members, and by members of our academic support professionals, North Shore Community College served as regional lead in our state's recent participation in the Multi-State Collaborative Pilot Assessment of Student Learning. The pilot partnered public colleges and universities across the nation with the AAC&U, in order to determine if we could, as a group, submit a statistically meaningful sample of student artifacts. Well, the initial data suggests that the trial run was a success for Massachusetts in general and NSCC as an institution. You can read the official Report on the Multi-State Collaborative Pilot Study that was submitted to the Task Force on Statewide Assessment by the Massachusetts Team.  The report includes an analysis of the MSC surveys completed by members of the NSCC community, as well as initial lessons learned and recommendations. The report along with copies of the surveys and raw results are posted on the DHE Student Learning Website (www.mass.edu/studentlearning). It is a site worth looking at when you get a breather from May stressors. To see the report specifically, click on the link, then click (in the left hand bar) on MA/MSC Pilot, then scroll down the page to the "Report on MA/MSC Pilot Study (April 2015)." The report indicates our progress, and tentative plans for the next assessment---this time, of Civic Learning! Exciting stuff, everyone!

Resources

• A Survival Handbook for Teaching Large Classes
  http://teaching.uncc.edu/learning-resources/articles-books/best-practice/large-classes/large-class-handbook

Share your Teaching Strategies
The end of the semester is upon us. What strategies do you employ to wrap up the semester, help students see what they have learned and accomplished throughout the course, and end on a high note? Please send your teaching strategies to itd@northshore.edu and we will share them in the upcoming issues of iDevelop. 

iDevelop is being brought to you by Instructional Technology and Design 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,
Instructional Technology and Design and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

Spotlighting Innovations in Academic Technology at North Shore Community College

The latest edition of the Technology Across the Curriculum (TAC) newsletter, The Edge: Where Classrooms Meet Technology, is now available on North Shore Community College’s public site at: http://www.northshore.edu/faculty_staff/resources/tac.html.

The TAC program at NSCC "promotes academic excellence by stimulating and nurturing innovative ideas by faculty and professional staff that employ technology in support of teaching and learning". The TAC program supports creative uses of instructional technology inside and outside of the classroom as well as the development of new online and hybrid courses.

Check out this year's issue to learn more about the innovations of NSCC faculty, staff, and administration in the area of academic technology. 

The current issue of The Edge includes:

• Comments from TAC faculty on their projects.
• An article by Andrea Milligan, Director of Instructional Technology and Design, on the implementation of Blackboard Learn.
• An article by Lance Eaton, Coordinator of Instructional Design, with an update on the Open Text Initiative at NSCC.
• An article by Larry Davis, history professor, about the presentation that he, Lance Eaton, and Andrea Milligan made at the March conference of the League for Innovation.
• An editorial by Terri Whitney, english professor and TAC Coordinator, urging the college to become more involved with the League, a national organization focused on teaching with technology that hosts some of the best conferences available on this topic.