iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (10/24/2016)

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).
  

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Can I Assess Critical Thinking with Objective Items?
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 October 24th is How Can I Assess Critical Thinking with Objective Items? 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-assess-my-students-critical-thinking-skills-with-objective-items-13727-1.html. The 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

• Forum on Tolerance: Political Tolerance in a Time of Intolerance. NSCC’s 37th Forum on Tolerance will take place on October 27th and October 28th. The October 27th event is a night forum in the Lynn gym from 6:00pm to 8:45pm and will feature Dr. Wayne Burton as the keynote speaker along with a panel discussion featuring NSCC professors and an elected official as well as student perspectives. The October 28th event is a Danvers day forum from 10:30am to 12:30pm in DB 119 and will feature NSCC professors and students as well as a MA representative. The Danvers event is aligned with the 50 minutes class period so please feel free to bring your classes. More information is available at http://news.northshore.edu/blog/nsccs-37th-forum-on-tolerance-political-tolerance-in-a-time-of-intolerance/.
• Technology Across the Curriculum Grants. The Technology Across the Curriculum (TAC) Committee invites all NSCC full-time faculty, part-time faculty, and professional teaching staff to submit applications to develop a TAC project in the spring of 2017 with implementation in the summer or fall of 2017. Fall application materials are now available and proposals are due by 11:59PM on Tuesday, November 15th. More information on the TAC Grants is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/10/technology-across-curriculum-grant.html.

Resources

• Assessing Critical Thinking Skills
  http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational-assessment/assessing-critical-thinking-skills/
• Teaching Critical Thinking: Some Practical Points
  http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/teaching-critical-thinking-practical-points/Tips to Reduce the Impact of Cheating in Online Assessment
  http://facdevblog.niu.edu/onlinecheating

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

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (10/17/2016)

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).
  

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Can Course Design Help Prevent Online Cheating?
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 October 17th is How Can Course Design Help Prevent Online Cheating? 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-course-design-help-prevent-online-cheating-13946-1.html. The complete fall schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/08/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html.

Other Professional Development Opportunities

• Forum on Tolerance: Political Tolerance in a Time of Intolerance. NSCC’s 37th Forum on Tolerance will take place on October 27th and October 28th. The October 27th event is a night forum in the Lynn gym from 6:00pm to 8:45pm and will feature Dr. Wayne Burton as the keynote speaker along with a panel discussion featuring NSCC professors and an elected official as well as student perspectives. The October 28th event is a Danvers day forum from 10:30am to 12:30pm in DB 119 and will feature NSCC professors and students as well as a MA representative. The Danvers event is aligned with the 50 minutes class period so please feel free to bring your classes. More information is available at http://news.northshore.edu/blog/nsccs-37th-forum-on-tolerance-political-tolerance-in-a-time-of-intolerance/.
• Special Library Exhibit. The Library is proud to share with the entire NSCC community a traveling exhibit, “For All The People: A Century of Citizen Action in Health Care Reform”, presented by the National Libraries of Medicine. The exhibit will be in the Danvers Library from September 26th to November 5th. Health care reform has been a contentious political issue in the United States for more than a hundred years, and is as important as ever in upcoming Presidential election. From the beginning of the 20th century to today, citizens have made their voices heard in these debates. “For All the People” tells the lesser-known story of how movements of ordinary people helped shape the changing American health care system. If you are interested in curricular or Teach-In tie-ins, please contact the Library Director, Rex Krajewski. More information on this exhibit can be found at https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/forallthepeople/index.html.
• Special Library Display for Presidential Election. Between October 3rd and November 8th, the library will present physical and virtual displays containing Library and other information resources about the upcoming General Election that support the Presidential Election Teach-In, the Forum on Tolerance, and faculty teaching. Contact Torrey Dukes or Sarah Tremblay in the Library to suggest additions to the display and/or the Library collection.

Resources

• Tips to Reduce the Impact of Cheating in Online Assessment
  http://facdevblog.niu.edu/onlinecheating
• Reducing Cheating In Online Classes: Preventing Robbery On The Information Highway
  http://julietroyer.com/reducing-online-cheating/
•  Student Equity: Discouraging Cheating in Online Courses
  http://www.swosu.edu/academics/aij/2013/v3i2/michael-williams.pdf

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

Technology Across the Curriculum Grant Applications - Fall 2016

The Technology Across the Curriculum (TAC) Committee invites all North Shore Community College (NSCC) full-time faculty, part-time faculty, and professional teaching staff to submit applications to develop a TAC project in the spring of 2017 with implementation in the summer or fall of 2017. 

Fall application materials are now available and proposals are due by 11:59PM on Tuesday, November 15th. No late applications will be accepted under any circumstances. Notification of awards will be made before the end of the semester.

There are two types of TAC applications: one for faculty wishing to develop online/hybrid courses and one for those wishing to develop projects that integrate technology into their curriculum. For faculty wishing to develop online/hybrid courses, there are two separate applications, one for faculty new to online course development, and one for faculty who have already developed online courses at NSCC.

1. If you would like to develop an online/hybrid course:

Please contact your Division Dean to discuss your interest in developing an online or hybrid course. Conversations around priorities for online and hybrid conversations will be occurring in Division meetings. Your Division Dean will then provide you with information on next steps for completing a TAC application.

The design and development phase for faculty new to teaching an online/hybrid course at North Shore Community College begins with a 6 week online course, Teaching and Learning Online. This online course will run January 2 – February 12, 2017 (for fall 2017 and spring 2018 courses) and May 15 – June 25, 2017 (for spring 2018 courses only).

Applications and process are available during your consultation with Andrea Milligan.

2. If you would like to develop a project integrating technology into the curriculum:

Apply for a TAC grant. The application also includes project ideas and the description of the TAC process. Please read all of the materials before completing your application. Division Deans and Department Chairs would appreciate an email letting them know about your ideas so they can support your efforts.

Please note:

• The technology integration project application materials are available on Pipeline. To access, go to the My Northshore tab and click the Technology Across the Curriculum link (left column in the Faculty Resources box.)
• Applicants need not have high level experience using technology, but because the TAC grant is becoming highly competitive, we urge applicants to prepare their applications carefully, making sure the descriptive narrative is thorough and clear. We are also, of course, interested in the applicant’s motivation and willingness to think about how technology can improve his/her teaching.

Finally, we would be delighted to answer any questions or discuss application ideas.  

We hope you will consider applying for a TAC grant and look forward to assisting you in any way we can in that process.

Terri Whitney, TAC Coordinator and Professor of English, and Andrea Milligan, Director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (10/10/2016)

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 Instructional Technology and Design (ITD) and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA).
  

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Can I Use Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATS’s) Online?
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 October 10th is How Can I Use Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATS’s) Online? 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-classroom-assessment-techniques-cats-online-13689-1.html. The complete fall schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/08/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html.

Other Professional Development Opportunities

• Special Library Exhibit. The Library is proud to share with the entire NSCC community a traveling exhibit, “For All The People: A Century of Citizen Action in Health Care Reform”, presented by the National Libraries of Medicine. The exhibit will be in the Danvers Library from September 26th to November 5th. Health care reform has been a contentious political issue in the United States for more than a hundred years, and is as important as ever in upcoming Presidential election. From the beginning of the 20th century to today, citizens have made their voices heard in these debates. “For All the People” tells the lesser-known story of how movements of ordinary people helped shape the changing American health care system. If you are interested in curricular or Teach-In tie-ins, please contact the Library Director, Rex Krajewski. More information on this exhibit can be found at https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/forallthepeople/index.html.
• Special Library Display for Presidential Election. Between October 3rd and November 8th, the library will present physical and virtual displays containing Library and other information resources about the upcoming General Election that support the Presidential Election Teach-In, the Forum on Tolerance, and faculty teaching. Contact Torrey Dukes or Sarah Tremblay in the Library to suggest additions to the display and/or the Library collection.

Resources

• Using Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Proactive Approach for Online Learning
  http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational-assessment/using-classroom-assessment-techniques-a-proactive-approach-for-online-learning/
• Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)
  https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/cats/
• Are They Getting What I Think I’m Teaching?! : Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)
  https://www.elac.edu/facultyStaff/resources/tlc/docs/Classroom_Assessment_Techniques.pdf

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 itd@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,
Instructional Technology and Design and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (10/3/2016)

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 Instructional Technology and Design (ITD) and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA).
  

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Can I Design Critical Thinking Into My Courses?
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 October 3rd is How Can I Design Critical Thinking Into My Courses? 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-critical-thinking-into-my-course-13686-1.html. The complete fall schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/08/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html.

Other Professional Development Opportunities

• Special Library Exhibit. The Library is proud to share with the entire NSCC community a traveling exhibit, “For All The People: A Century of Citizen Action in Health Care Reform”, presented by the National Libraries of Medicine. The exhibit will be in the Danvers Library from September 26th to November 5th. Health care reform has been a contentious political issue in the United States for more than a hundred years, and is as important as ever in upcoming Presidential election. From the beginning of the 20th century to today, citizens have made their voices heard in these debates. “For All the People” tells the lesser-known story of how movements of ordinary people helped shape the changing American health care system. If you are interested in curricular or Teach-In tie-ins, please contact the Library Director, Rex Krajewski. More information on this exhibit can be found at https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/forallthepeople/index.html.
• Presidential Election Teach-In. Originating from faculty across the state, NSCC will be joining other campuses including five other community colleges in this valuable teaching and learning opportunity. Faculty will be including such topics as: History of Presidential Elections, The Electoral Process, Current Political and Social Issues, and Connection to Local Politics. Interested in participating? Would like ideas or resources? Please contact Cate Kaluzny. 
• Special Library Display for Presidential Election. Between October 3rd and November 8th, the library will present physical and virtual displays containing Library and other information resources about the upcoming General Election that support the Presidential Election Teach-In, the Forum on Tolerance, and faculty teaching. Contact Torrey Dukes or Sarah Tremblay in the Library to suggest additions to the display and/or the Library collection.

Resources

• Teaching Critical Thinking through Online Discussions
  http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EQM0048.pdf
• Using Fundamental Concepts and Essential Questions to Promote Critical Thinking
  http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/using-fundamental-concepts-essential-questions-promote-critical-thinking/
• Critical Thinking and the College Curriculum
  https://ctfd.sfsu.edu/content/integrating-critical-thinking-curriculum

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 itd@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,
Instructional Technology and Design and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (9/26/2016)

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 Instructional Technology and Design (ITD) and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA).
  

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Can I Encourage the Growth Mindset with Three Simple Tips?
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 September 26th is How Can I Encourage the Growth Mindset with Three Simple Tips? 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-encourage-the-growth-mindset-with-three-simple-tips-13945-1.html. The complete fall schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/08/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html.

Other Professional Development Opportunities

• MA CC Go Open Grant. 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 first round of grant applications are due October 1st. Read more about this grant opportunity on our blog at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/09/ma-cc-go-open-grant-opportunity.html. Looking for a great resource to locate open educational resources? Check out the NSCC Open Educational Resources LibGuide at http://libguides.northshore.edu/open.
• Special Library Exhibit. The Library is proud to share with the entire NSCC community a traveling exhibit, “For All The People: A Century of Citizen Action in Health Care Reform”, presented by the National Libraries of Medicine. The exhibit will be in the Danvers Library from September 26th to November 5th. Health care reform has been a contentious political issue in the United States for more than a hundred years, and is as important as ever in upcoming Presidential election. From the beginning of the 20th century to today, citizens have made their voices heard in these debates. “For All the People” tells the lesser-known story of how movements of ordinary people helped shape the changing American health care system. If you are interested in curricular or Teach-In tie-ins, please contact the Library Director, Rex Krajewski. More information on this exhibit can be found at https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/forallthepeople/index.html.

Resources

• Help Your Students Develop a Growth Mindset
  http://teaching.colostate.edu/tips/tip.cfm?tipid=183
• 4 Ways to Encourage a Growth Mindset in the Classroom
  https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-10-24-4-ways-to-encourage-a-growth-mindset-in-the-classroom

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 itd@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,
Instructional Technology and Design and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

Upcoming Archive/Re​moval of Blackboard Learn Course Sites

As outlined in the NSCC Blackboard Learn Course Archive Policy, Instructional Technology and Design (ITD) is in the process of archiving older Blackboard Learn course sites and removing them from the Blackboard Learn server. We wanted to provide you with advanced notice before any course sites are deleted from the Blackboard Learn server. 

Below is an outline of the timeline for archiving and deleting courses from the Blackboard Learn server.

• Course sites from Summer 2015 - Will be removed from the Blackboard Learn server and placed in archive on October 1, 2016. Summer 2015 courses are scheduled to be permanently deleted from archive on February 1, 2020.
• Archived course sites from Spring 2012 - These ANGEL archived course sites will be permanently deleted from our archive drive on October 1st.

As a best practice, we always recommend that you download a copy of your Grade Center for each course at the end of the semester. This can be done in Blackboard Learn under the Full Grade Center > Work Offline > Download.

You always have the option of generating your own archive and there are several available options for storage, including:

• Your P: Drive network folder (only accessible on campus)
• Your Google Drive, accessible through the your  NSCC email account
• A personal storage medium, i.e. USB drive, portable hard disk, computer, CD
• External cloud storage solutions, available at little to no cost (such as Dropbox or SkyDrive)

Directions for generating your own course archive (content and student data) package are available at: https://goo.gl/JTwvzE. Staff members from ITD are available to assist you in archiving your Blackboard Learn course sites. If you need assistance, please email the Blackboard Learn Helpdesk at bbhelp@northshore.edu.

If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact us at itd@northshore.edu.

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (9/19/2016)

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 Instructional Technology and Design (ITD) and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA).
  

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Can I Avoid Communication "Misfires" with Students?
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 September 19th is How Can I Avoid Communication "Misfires" with Students? 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-avoid-communication-misfires-with-students-13787-1.html. The complete fall schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/08/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html.

Other Professional Development Opportunities

• MA CC Go Open Grant. 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 first round of grant applications are due October 1st. Read more about this grant opportunity on our blog at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/09/ma-cc-go-open-grant-opportunity.html.

Resources
Looking for a great resource to locate open educational resources, check out the NSCC Open Educational Resources LibGuide at http://libguides.northshore.edu/open.
 
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 itd@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,
Instructional Technology and Design and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (9/12/2016)

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 Instructional Technology and Design (ITD) and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA).
  

20 Minute Online Professional Development: How Can I Save Time and Money by Repurposing Online Content?
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 September 12th is How Can I Save Time and Money by Repurposing Online Content? 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-save-time-and-money-by-repurposing-online-content-13768-1.html. The complete fall schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/08/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html.

Other Professional Development Opportunities

• Blackboard Learn Open Labs. Need help with Blackboard Learn? Over the next week, ITD will be offering a series of Open Labs in Danvers and Lynn. Please feel free to stop by for assistance. View the complete Open Lab Schedule at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2016/08/august-and-september-blackboard-learn.html.
• Smart Classroom Workshops. ITD will be offering two Smart Classroom workshops this week in Lynn. One will be on Tuesday, September 13th from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in LW329 and the other will be on Wednesday, September 14th from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in LW329. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to itd@northshore.edu.

To stay current on professional development opportunities offered by Instructional Technology and Design over the academic year, 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 Instructional Technology and Design page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/myNSCC.acadtech. On the Instructional Technology and Design Facebook page, ITD 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.

Resources
Looking for a great resource to locate online content that you can reuse and recycle, check out the NSCC Open Educational Resources LibGuide at http://libguides.northshore.edu/open.
 
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 itd@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.

Good luck with the start of the semester!

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

MA CC Go Open Grant Opportunity

This fall, North Shore Community College (NSCC) faculty will have the opportunity to apply for an Open Educational Resources (OER) grant sponsored by the Massachusetts Community Colleges Open Education Council. NSCC has been at the forefront of OER education, specifically through Academic Technology grants that have allowed faculty to develop courses with open content that have saved students over $60,000 in textbook costs. In addition, OER courses developed at NSCC have brought the best free content from the web directly into the classroom. This grant will make available more funding for courses in STEM programs and for prerequisite courses that support these programs.

More specific information regarding the grant and how to apply can be found in the links below.

[Public Domain image]

Have you heard about Open Educational Resources? 

• They are free, openly licensed teaching materials that can be used in lieu of your traditional college textbooks.
• They allow every student in your course access to all the course reading on the first day of your class.
• They allow you to customize your text based on your teaching style, the needs of your specific course, your course learning outcomes and more.
• They allow you to control when the material needs updating and what should be updated.
• Did you read the part where we said the materials are FREE for your students? 

Interested? Great- we have an exciting opportunity for you!

The newly formed Massachusetts Community Colleges Open Education Council, led by Northern Essex Community College (NECC) with membership from every MA community college, is seeking proposals to fund MA CC faculty work on OER projects. With proposal funds ranging from $300 - $2,500; options to adopt, adapt or build course “textbooks”; and support from the statewide council and local OER coordinator(s), this is an amazing opportunity to customize your course and make the materials your students NEED to be successful in your course available to them for free.

Not sure? Check out this video​ from NECC faculty on why they moved to OER for their course(s). In the last two academic years, these faculty and many others have participated in the Adopt Open project at NECC, which has resulted in a student savings of $450,000 in textbooks.

Visit the MA Community Colleges Statewide Initiative site to learn more about the Statewide CC OER Initiative. Then visit the MA CC Go Open Call for Proposals site for more details on applying for a grant - including levels of adoption, courses eligible for this funding, faculty planning worksheet, online application, and more. The first round of applications will be due October 1st. Note: While your course needs to be on the list to be eligible, it does not have to be listed at your particular college for you to apply with it.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please email Larry Davis at ldavis@northshore.edu or Andrea Milligan at amilliga@northshore.edu.