MA CC Go Open Grant Opportunity - Third Round of OER Proposals

A third round of the MA Go Open OER Grant Program has been announced. All NSCC part-time and full-time faculty are invited to apply for grants to support Open Educational Resources (OER) in their courses. Faculty who receive a grant in Round 3 will join their colleagues from across the state who have been awarded Round 1 and Round 2 grants to save Massachusetts Community College students close to $1 million in the next academic year.

[Public Domain image]

In Round 3, as in earlier Rounds, proposal funds will range from $300 to $2,500 with options to adopt, adapt or build course “textbooks”.

Interested in Applying for a Grant?

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 and online application. The second round of applications are due April 30th. Projects will need to be completed by September 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.

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 and we hope you will consider submitting an application.

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

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (3/20/2017)

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
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 March 20th is How Can Grading Policies Influence Student Learning?  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-grading-policy-options-influence-student-learning-13763-1.html. 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.   

Upcoming Webinars of Interest 
WEBINAR: 3 tips to personalize online learning for students (Blackboard Innovative Teaching Series)
Thursday, March 23, 2017 at 3:00pm EST
Register at http://bbbb.blackboard.com/bits-personalize-online-learning? 

  
Resources

• Using Grading Policies to Promote Learning http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/using-grading-policies-to-promote-learning/  
• Grading for Optimal Student Learning
  https://www.psychologicalscience.org/teaching/tips/tips_0101.html
   

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 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
 

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

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

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

Preparing for Fall 2016 Courses in Blackboard Learn

As you start to think about your fall 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 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.

Preparing for Summer 2016 Courses in Blackboard Learn

As you start to think about your summer 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. 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.

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 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.

20 Minute Mentor - Online Faculty Professional Development - Fall 2015 Schedule

The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA) and  Instructional Technology and Design (ITD) have partnered up again to bring 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. 

The following sessions are on the schedule for fall 2015.  

• August 24th - How Do I Use VoiceThread for Online Student Discussions?
• August 31st - What If a Student Asks a Question I Can't Answer?
• September 7th - What Should I Do When a Student Cheats?
• September 14th - How Can I Measure My Faculty Development Center's Impact?
• September 21st - What is the Best Way to Grade Participation?
• September 28th - How Can I Use Technology to Improve Learning?
• October 5th - How Do I Create a Climate for Learning in My Classroom?
• October 12th - Can Service-Learning Work in My Discipline?
• October 19th - What Can I Learn From Student Ratings?
• October 26th - How Can I Reduce Apathy and Increase Motivation?
• November 2nd - How Do I Get Started with Service-Learning?
• November 9th - How Can I Connect Students' Interests to Course Content?
• November 16th - How Can I Better Manage Difficult Conversations with Faculty?
• November 23rd - How Can I Build a Successful Faculty Development Program?
• November 30th - In Blended Courses, What Should Students Do Online?
• December 7th - How Do I Design Courses to Enhance Student Veterans' Success? 

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

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.

Upcoming Blackboard Learn Workshops

Over the 2014-2015 academic year, North Shore Community College (NSCC) has been implementing the latest version of Blackboard Learn and migrating away from ANGEL. During the spring 2015 semester, all online and hybrid courses ran in Blackboard Learn. Starting in summer 2015, Blackboard Learn will now be available for NSCC faculty members teaching face-to-face courses that use the learning management system as a supplemental resource. ANGEL will no longer be available.

Instructional Technology and Design (ITD) will be offering a series of Blackboard Learn workshops in April and May as well as throughout the summer. NSCC faculty teaching an upcoming summer or fall course who currently use ANGEL are encouraged to sign up for at least the Introduction to Blackboard Learn workshop as well as the other workshops, depending on the features and functions used. Also, NSCC faculty who are not currently using ANGEL but would like to learn more about using Blackboard Learn are welcome to attend any of the workshops.

 

The complete schedule of workshop sessions (with descriptions) as well as RSVP information is available at this web page, http://goo.gl/UIkoUk.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact itd@northshore.edu if there are any questions.

Blackboard Learn Implementation Update

Over the summer, Academic Technology (AT) and Information Systems (IS) kicked off the implementation of the latest version of Blackboard Learn and the migration away from ANGEL. The entire process will take approximately a year to complete and will occur in several phases.

During June and July, AT and IS worked on installing, setting up and customizing the Blackboard Learn environment; conducted internal training on Blackboard Learn to become familiar with the ins and outs of the system; tested and documented the course migration process; and prepared for the fall pilot of Blackboard Learn. In August, AT facilitated several professional development opportunities for faculty participating in the pilot to prepare them to teach with Blackboard Learn in September. This fall, 21 faculty are piloting Blackboard Learn in 29 course sections.

The next phase of the implementation will be to deliver all online and hybrid courses for the intersession and spring 2015 semesters in Blackboard Learn. Training for faculty and course migration is ongoing throughout the fall semester. Workshops and open labs will also be offered in January 2015. ANGEL will be operational during this time and all spring 2015 face-to-face courses will be delivered in ANGEL.  

For the summer 2015 semesters, all summer courses (online, hybrid, and face-to-face) will be delivered in Blackboard Learn. Training for faculty and course migration will occur during the spring 2015 semester. At this point, ANGEL will be taken offline and will not be used to deliver any courses.

For the fall 2015 semester, all fall courses (online, hybrid, and face-to-face) will be delivered in Blackboard Learn. Training for faculty and course migration will occur during the spring and summer semesters. ANGEL will be offline and will not be used to deliver any courses.

We will continue to update the campus community about the implementation through the Bulletin, email, Facebook, and this blog. More information about Blackboard Learn and the migration is available at ITD's Blackboard Learn Site.

Please feel free to contact us at itd@northshore.edu with any questions or concerns about the Blackboard Learn implementation.

NSCC's Next Learning Management System

In early May, NSCC concluded the search for a new LMS with the decision to award the bid to Blackboard, Inc. This decision was reached in agreement through the Distance Education Committee and the extended LMS Task Force, as well as input received from the vendor presentations, reactions to the sandbox environments, and comments from many of faculty and staff. 

The implementation of the latest version of Blackboard Learn and the migration away from ANGEL will begin during summer 2014.  The process will take approximately a year to complete and will occur in several phases.  The working timeline is as follows:

• Summer 2014 – System set up and customization.  Academic Technology and Information Systems training and system familiarization.  Course migration process tested.  Preparation for fall pilot.  ANGEL will be operational during this time and all summer 2014 courses will be delivered in ANGEL.  
• Fall 2014 – Pilot of courses in Blackboard Learn by 10-15 faculty.  Training and course migration will occur in August.  ANGEL will be operational during this time and all fall 2014 courses will be delivered in ANGEL. 
• Spring 2015 – All online and hybrid courses will be delivered in Blackboard Learn for the spring 2015 semester.  Training and course migration will occur during the fall semester.  More information will be sent out to faculty teaching online in late summer.  ANGEL will be operational during this time and all spring 2015 face-to-face courses will be delivered in ANGEL. 
• Summer 2015 – All summer courses will be delivered in Blackboard Learn for the summer 2015 semester.  Training and course migration will occur during the spring semester.  ANGEL will be taken offline during this time and will not be used to deliver any courses.
• Fall 2015 – All fall courses will be delivered in Blackboard Learn for the fall 2015 semester.  Training and course migration will occur during the spring and summer semesters.  ANGEL will be offline and will not be used to deliver any courses.

Many thanks to all who contributed to this decision and we look forward to working with everyone through the coming year.  We will continue to update the campus community about the implementation through the Bulletin, email, Facebook, and this blog.

Please feel free to contact us at itd@northshore.edu with any questions or concerns.

Upcoming ANGEL Archive

As outlined in the NSCC ANGEL Course Archive Policy, Academic Technology is in the process of archiving older ANGEL course sites and removing them from the ANGEL server.  We will also be deleting some old course sites from the archive.  We wanted to provide you with advanced notice before any course sites are deleted from the ANGEL server and also from the archive.  Below is an outline of the our timeline for deleting courses from the ANGEL server as well as from the archive.

• Course sites from Spring 2013 - Will be removed from the ANGEL server and placed in archive on June 1, 2014. Spring 2013 courses are scheduled to be permanently deleted from archive on October 1, 2017.
• Course sites from Fall 2009 - Will be permanently deleted from the archive on June 1, 2014.

If you would like to retain these course sites for a longer period of time, you 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) are available at: http://goo.gl/jpO5R.  Staff members from Instructional Technology and Design will be available to assist you in archiving your ANGEL course sites.  If you need assistance, please email the ANGEL Helpdesk at angel@northshore.edu.

Innovations in Academic Technology at North Shore Community College

The Technology Across the Curriculum (TAC) newsletter, Mousetales, has been reinvented as the EdTech Edge and 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 academic technology.

The current issue of EdTech Edge includes:

• Comments from TAC faculty on their projects
• An article by Michael Badolato, Dean of Academic Technology, on the college's new active learning classroom prototypes
• An article by Lance Eaton, Coordinator of Instructional Design, Academic Technology,
  on the increasing use of open educational resources including open textbooks
• An article by Andrea Milligan, Director of Instructional Technology and Design, Academic
  Technology, on several new instructional technology resources and services
• A list of free, scholarly electronic databases and resources compiled by Andrea Milligan and Terri Whitney, Professor (Department of English) and Coordinator of Technology Across the Curriculum

The LMS Transition: Demos & Sandboxes

The college has recently begun a search for a new Learning Management System, with implementation scheduled to begin in summer 2014.  This process is moving forward with the selection of three vendors who have been scheduled for on-campus presentations in early March.  Each vendor will come to campus to make a presentation to the campus community about the features and functionalities of their product.  The vendor presentation will take place in Danvers and will be video-conferenced over to Lynn.  The schedule of presentations is:

• Canvas:  Monday, March 3rd from 2:30pm to 4:00pm in DS119 and LW325 
• Blackboard:  Wednesday, March 12th from 2:30pm to 4:00pm in DS119 and LW225
• Desire2Learn:  Thursday, March 13th from 2:30pm to 4:00pm in DS119 and LW325

We look forward to seeing you at these sessions so that you can provide us feedback on the products.  Even if you are not able to attend all three presentations, please attend the ones that you can to provide us input.

Each company's product will also be available for members of the college community to experience and evaluate after the presentations.  ITD will be hosting several opportunities in March and April for faculty and staff to stop in, test out the different systems, and provide us with feedback.  Access to the sandbox environment will also be available virtually and more information will be available soon.  Please save these dates:

• Wednesday, March 19th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB201 (during spring break)
• Thursday, March 20th from 9:00am-3:00pm in LW306 (during spring break)
• Wednesday, March 26th from 8:00am-9:30am in LW306
• Wednesday, March 26th from 4:00pm-6:00pm in LW306
• Thursday, March 27th from 8:00am-9:30am in LW303
• Thursday, March 27th from 2:00pm-5:00pm in LW305
• Wednesday, April 2nd from 8:00am-10:30am in DB201
• Wednesday, April 2nd from 2:00pm-6:00pm in DB201
• Thursday, April 3rd from 8:00am-10:30am in DB239 (Library Preview Area)
• Thursday, April 3rd from 2:00pm-6:00pm in DB201

In the meantime, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns at itd@northshore.edu.

Snow Days Got You Down? Level Technology to Make Up Missed Classes

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

North Shore Community College’s learning management system, ANGEL, is a great instructional technology tool that can aid you in maintaining the continuity of your course.  All 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 e materials. 

To aid faculty in using ANGEL, Instructional Technology and Design is offering the following services and resources.

One-on-one Consultation and Training

Staff members from Instructional Technology and Design are available during the day and in the early evening to schedule one-on-one ANGEL consultations and trainings.  These can be done in person, over the phone or virtually.  Please email itd@northshore.edu if you would be interested in scheduling a session.

ANGEL Overview Sessions

Instructional Technology and Design will be offering several ANGEL Overview sessions in the evening on both the Danvers and Lynn campuses.  These sessions will demonstrate how to post an announcement, upload a document, create a discussion forum, and make the course site available to students.  The sessions will be offered:

• Monday, March 10th from 5:30pm-6:00pm in DB304
• Tuesday, March 11th from 5:30pm-6:00pm in DB304
• Wednesday, March 12th from 5:30pm-6:00pm in LW323
• Thursday, March 13th from 5:30pm-6:00pm in LW329

If you are interested in attending one of these sessions, please RSVP to itd@northshore.edu.

How-To Videos

Instructional Technology and Design has developed a resource guide that provides links to various how-to videos on using ANGEL.  These quick videos will walk you through the various components of ANGEL so you can learn them on wherever and whenever it is convenient for you. 

Access the videos here: http://goo.gl/MweuaQ

If you have any questions about using ANGEL, please do not hesitate to contact Instructional Technology and Design at itd@northshore.edu.

Keeping an Eye Out for ANGEL Issues

The semester is off to a cold and snowy start but faculty and students seem to be adapting well!  I thought I would address a few issues ANGEL has been experiencing lately.

Probably the most common one is the browser issue.  If you have not been able to type in a discussion content box, it is probably because you are using a browser that is not supported by ANGEL.

ANGEL Supported Browsers:

• Internet Explorer 8, 9, or 10 (Compatibility View must be on. Add ANGEL as a Trusted Site. For Windows 8, use IE10 in Desktop Mode; do not use in Metro Mode.)

• Safari 5 or 6

• Chrome 21, 24, 27, or 28

• Firefox 18, 21, or 22

Be sure to  check the ANGEL homepage and look under the System Check area for information on what browser and version you are using. If you find you are not using a browser that ANGEL supports please check the Browser Info area and the "Set Your Browser to Work with ANGEL" section.

Sometimes, your browser will do automatic updates and update to a version of the browser that ANGEL does not support. You can uncheck the automated updates for your browser.  Just do a Google search (for your browser name and "how to turn off automatic updates") and it should give you directions.

Another issue is that Internet links may appear to not work.  This happens sometimes with mixed content: using ANGEL, which is a secured site, with another website, which is unsecured (that's not to say the site is dangerous, but doesn't require the level of security that ANGEL requires such as an article on Boston.com).  The link may appear as broken links or blank pages. If you are using Firefox, and this occurs, click on the shield icon (left side of the URL address bar) and select "Disable Protection on This Page" from the dropdown menu. If you're using Chrome, click on the shield icon (right side of the URL bar) and click "Load Unsafe Script."

Hopefully, this will address some of the issues that you may be encountering with ANGEL. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at angel@northshore.edu.