Friday, December 16, 2016

Preparing for January Intersession and Spring 2017 Courses in Blackboard Learn

As you start to think about your January intersession and spring courses, we wanted to share with you the following important information that will help you prepare your course site in Blackboard Learn.

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. 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.

Make Your Course Available
All Blackboard Learn course sites are unavailable to students by default. Here are the directions for making the course site available to your students. To open your course:
  1. Go into the course site.
  2. On the Control Panel, expand the "Customization" section and click Properties.
  3. On the next screen, in the "Set Availability" section, select Yes to make the course available.
  4. Click Submit.
Preparing a Blackboard Learn Course Site for a New Semester
Please check out this handy reference at http://goo.gl/pZbUZ8 to help you 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.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (12/12/2016)

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 the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CTLI).
  
Sign reads:  Got 20 minutes?  Then you have time to learn with the Monday Morning Mentor

20 Minute Online Professional Development
The Monday Morning Mentor series, professional development in twenty minute snippets, will kick off the spring semester on January 23, 2017 with What is the Role of Communication in Teaching Excellence? More information will be available in an upcoming issue of iDevelop. The complete spring schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/12/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html.

Looking for transcripts of past Monday Morning Mentor sessions? Please email ctli@northshore.edu with the session title and we can provide you with the transcript and supplementary materials.

Other Professional Development Opportunities
Multi-State Collaborative NSCC is participating in the Multi-State Collaborative Refinement Year 2016-2017. What does this mean for faculty? See the attached document for more information and a FAQ regarding this. If you have any questions in the interim, please contact Cate Kaluzny.
  
Program/Department Learner Outcome Statements
For all those progressing through program review, there is a new emphasis on program/department learner outcome statements. A one-page description of strategies for developing these learner outcome statements is being distributed to current program review teams and will also be included here in iDevelop. Attached is the first strategy including using college mission, vision, and value statements as well as the Master Academic Plan as a basis for developing these learner outcome statements. Enjoy! For more information about learner outcome statements, contact Cate Kaluzny
.


Stay Updated on Professional Development
To stay current on professional development opportunities offered by the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation over the winter break and during the spring semester, be sure to:
  • Read the Learning, Education, Technology and Support (LETS) Blog at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/. CTLI’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 CTLI Page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/myNSCC.acadtech. On the CTLI 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.
     
Share Teaching Resources or Professional Development OpportunitiesIf you have any teaching resources that you would like to share with other NSCC faculty or know of any other professional development opportunities that NSCC faculty might be interested in, please feel free to send them to ctli@northshore.edu and we will share them in the upcomimg issues of iDevelop.

This will be the last issue of iDevelop for the fall semester. We will publish the first one of the spring semester on January 17, 2017. 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.

Thank you,
Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation

Monday, December 12, 2016

January Blackboard Learn Workshops and Open Labs

The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation's Instructional Technology and Design team will be holding Blackboard Learn Workshops and Open Labs in January.

Blackboard Learn Workshops
On January 10th-12th, team members will be offering a series of workshops on the features and functionality of Blackboard Learn as well as using the system more effectively and efficiently.
  
Workshops include:
  • Introduction to Blackboard Learn
  • Blackboard Learn Interaction Tool: Discussion Board
  • Blackboard Learn: Assignments and Safe Assign
  • Blackboard Learn: Tests and Surveys
  • Blackboard Learn: Grade Center and Grading
  • Blackboard Learn: Using Interactive Grading Rubrics
  • Blackboard Learn: Portfolio
  • Blackboard Learn: Mobile Apps and Mobile Course Design
  • Developing Accessible Blackboard Learn Course Sites

To view the complete schedule of workshop sessions (with descriptions) and to RSVP, please visit this web site: https://goo.gl/forms/YPTrWskADydpQaLm1. If interested in attending a workshop, please make sure to RSVP. A workshop will be cancelled if less than three people sign up for it.

Blackboard Learn Open Labs
Faculty are welcome to drop by the Open Labs if there are any questions or issues in setting up course sites for the spring semester. Team members will be available to assist on both the Danvers and Lynn campuses. 

Week of January 17th
  • Tuesday, January 17th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB234 and LW307
  • Wednesday, January 18th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB234 and LW307
  • Thursday, January 19th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB234 and LW307
  • Friday, January 20th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB234 and LW307
Week of January 23rd
  • Monday, January 23rd from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB234 and LW307
  • Tuesday, January 24th from 9:00am-2:00pm in DB234 and LW307
  • Wednesday, January 25th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB234 and LW307
  • Thursday, January 26th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB234 and LW307

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

Thursday, December 8, 2016

20 Minute Mentor - Online Faculty Professional Development - Spring 2017 Schedule

The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CTLI) offers faculty a professional development series from Magna Publications, called the 20 Minute Mentor. The goal of the 20 Minute 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.

Information on how to access the 20 Minute Mentor sessions is available each week in the Bulletin and the iDevelop e-newsletter.

New video presentations (with supplementary materials) go live at 10:00am each Monday morning and are only accessible through Sunday. 

Banner with "Got 20 Minutes?  Then you have time to learn with the Monday Morning Mentor!"

The following sessions are on the schedule for spring 2017. For session descriptions, objectives, and mentor bios, click on the titles below. 
We would love to hear your feedback on the usefulness of these sessions. Please send your input to ctli@northshore.edu.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (12/5/2016)

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 the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CTLI).
  
Sign reads:  Got 20 minutes?  Then you have time to learn with the Monday Morning Mentor

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Can I Use Peer Mentoring to Improve Online Teaching?
The Monday Morning Mentor series will be available over the fall semester to bring you professional development in twenty minute snippets. The topic for the week of December 5th is How Can I Use Peer Mentoring to Improve Online Teaching? 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 Bulletin or the email version of iDevelop. 

More information about this session (including description, topics, and learning goals) is available at http://www.magnapubs.com/online/mentor/how-can-i-use-peer-mentoring-to-improve-online-teaching-13850-1.htmlThe complete fall schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/08/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html.

Looking for transcripts of past Monday Morning Mentor sessions? Please email ctli@northshore.edu with the session title and we can provide you with the transcript and supplementary materials.

Other Professional Development Opportunities
  • MA CC Go Open Grant – Second Round of OER Proposals. This fall, NSCC faculty have the opportunity to apply for a grant to integrate OER into their courses as part of the MA CC Go Open Statewide Initiative. The second round of grant applications are due December 10th. Read more about this grant opportunity on our blog at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/11/ma-cc-go-open-grant-opportunity-second.html.
        
Upcoming Webinars of Interest

Multi-State Collaborative
NSCC is participating in the Multi-State Collaborative Refinement Year 2016-2017. What does this mean for faculty? See the attached document for more information and a FAQ regarding this. If you have any questions in the interim, please contact Cate Kaluzny.

  
Program/Department Learner Outcome Statements
For all those progressing through program review, there is a new emphasis on program/department learner outcome statements. A one-page description of strategies for developing these learner outcome statements is being distributed to current program review teams and will also be included here in iDevelop. Attached is the first strategy including using college mission, vision, and value statements as well as the Master Academic Plan as a basis for developing these learner outcome statements. Enjoy! For more information about learner outcome statements, contact Cate Kaluzny
.

 
Share Teaching Resources or Professional Development Opportunities
If you have any teaching resources that you would like to share with other NSCC faculty or know of any other professional development opportunities that NSCC faculty might be interested in, please feel free to send them to ctli@northshore.edu and we will share them in the upcomimg issues of iDevelop.


We hope you enjoy 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.

Thank you,
Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation

Thursday, December 1, 2016

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (11/28/2016)

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 the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CTLI).
  
Sign reads:  Got 20 minutes?  Then you have time to learn with the Monday Morning Mentor

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Can I Design Academic Integrity into My Online Programs?
The Monday Morning Mentor series will be available over the fall semester to bring you professional development in twenty minute snippets. The topic for the week of November 28th is How Can I Design Academic Integrity into My Online Programs? 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 Bulletin or the email version of iDevelop. 

More information about this session (including description, topics, and learning goals) is available at http://www.magnapubs.com/online/mentor/how-can-i-design-academic-integrity-into-my-online-programs-13902-1.htmlThe complete fall schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/08/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html. Looking for transcripts of past Monday Morning Mentor sessions? Please email ctli@northshore.edu with the session title and we can provide you with the transcript and supplementary materials.

Other Professional Development Opportunities
  • MA CC Go Open Grant – Second Round of OER Proposals. This fall, NSCC faculty have the opportunity to apply for a grant to integrate OER into their courses as part of the MA CC Go Open Statewide Initiative. The second round of grant applications are due December 10th. Read more about this grant opportunity on our blog at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/11/ma-cc-go-open-grant-opportunity-second.html.
       
Resources

Share Teaching Resources or Professional Development Opportunities
If you have any teaching resources that you would like to share with other NSCC faculty or know of any other professional development opportunities that NSCC faculty might be interested in, please feel free to send them to ctli@northshore.edu and we will share them in the upcomimg issues of iDevelop.


We hope you enjoy 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.

Thank you,
Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation