Preparing your Blackboard Learn Course Sites for Spring 2024

 As you start to work on your 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
If you had us increase your course content collection quota in the course you are copying forward, please make sure to reach out to us before starting the course copy. We will need to increase the course content collection quota in the new course first.

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. 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.
3. 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.
• If Select All is not used, make sure to include Grade Center Columns and Settings if Assignments and/or Tests are being copied.
• 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.
  
  
4. In the “File Attachments” section, keep the default settings.
5. 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 (below Help). You can easily move them up into the appropriate spot in the course menu by dragging/dropping the menu item. 

Uploading your Syllabus

Once your syllabus is ready, please make sure to upload it into your Blackboard course site. 

To upload your syllabus:

1. In your Blackboard Learn course site, click Syllabus and Course Information in the course menu.
2. Click Build Content and then Item.
3. On the Create Item page, enter Name and Text.
4. Click Browse My Computer to upload a file.
5. Select Date and Time Restrictions if needed.
6. Click Submit.

Linking to Your Video Conference Classroom

If you are teaching a video conference class or a class with a video conference component, we highly encourage you to also include a link to your Zoom Meeting Room or Collaborate Session on the course menu or in an announcement so students can easily find and access it. By default, Collaborate is already on the course menu. If you would like to switch that out for Zoom and need assistance, please reach out to us. We would be happy to help.

Opening your Course (Make your Course Available for Students)

When your course shell is ready for students to view, you will need to give them access. All course sites are unavailable to students by default.

To open your courses (when you are done updating it for the new semester):

1. Click Courses to access your class list.
2. Click the More Options icon (…) to the far right of the course title.
3. Select Open course.
4. Confirm by selecting Open to Students.

OR

1. In your Blackboard course, expand the Control Panel, click Customization, and then Properties.
2. Scroll down to the Set Availability section and choose Yes. In the Set Course Duration section, make sure Continuous is selected.  We recommend these settings to ensure that your course site does not become unavailable to students on the last day of classes.  
3. Click Submit to enable students to access your course site.

OR

1. In your Blackboard course, click the red lock icon at the top of your course window to make your course available.

Preparing your Blackboard Learn Course Site for a New Semester

If you have already been using Blackboard Learn for your courses, please check out this handy reference to help you prepare your Blackboard Learn course site for a new semester at https://bit.ly/3a0NjCT.

Blackboard Learn Pre-Semester Course Checklist
Once your course has been copied over, please review this checklist at https://bit.ly/3sulKrZ to help you make sure your course site in Blackboard Learn is ready to go for the upcoming semester.

Blackboard Learn How-To Guide for Faculty
If you have any questions about using some of the features of Blackboard Learn, we encourage you to check out our Blackboard Learn How-To Guide for Faculty at https://sites.google.com/northshore.edu/blackboard-faculty/home. Here we have step-by-step guides to learn how to use the top ten Blackboard Learn features as well as links to some additional resources for faculty and students.

If you have any questions or run into any issues, please do not hesitate to contact me or the Blackboard Learn Helpdesk at bbhelp@northshore.edu.

Preparing your Blackboard Learn Course Sites for Fall 2023

 As you start to work on 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
If you had us increase your course content collection quota in the course you are copying forward, please make sure to reach out to us before starting the course copy. We will need to increase the course content collection quota in the new course first.

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. 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.
3. 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.
• If Select All is not used, make sure to include Grade Center Columns and Settings if Assignments and/or Tests are being copied.
• 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.
  
  
4. In the “File Attachments” section, keep the default settings.
5. 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 (below Help). You can easily move them up into the appropriate spot in the course menu by dragging/dropping the menu item. 

Uploading your Syllabus

Once your syllabus is ready, please make sure to upload it into your Blackboard course site. 

To upload your syllabus:

1. In your Blackboard Learn course site, click Syllabus and Course Information in the course menu.
2. Click Build Content and then Item.
3. On the Create Item page, enter Name and Text.
4. Click Browse My Computer to upload a file.
5. Select Date and Time Restrictions if needed.
6. Click Submit.

Linking to Your Video Conference Classroom

If you are teaching a video conference class or a class with a video conference component, we highly encourage you to also include a link to your Zoom Meeting Room or Collaborate Session on the course menu or in an announcement so students can easily find and access it. By default, Collaborate is already on the course menu. If you would like to switch that out for Zoom and need assistance, please reach out to us. We would be happy to help.

Opening your Course (Make your Course Available for Students)

When your course shell is ready for students to view, you will need to give them access. All course sites are unavailable to students by default.

To open your courses (when you are done updating it for the new semester):

1. Click Courses to access your class list.
2. Click the More Options icon (…) to the far right of the course title.
3. Select Open course.
4. Confirm by selecting Open to Students.

OR

1. In your Blackboard course, expand the Control Panel, click Customization, and then Properties.
2. Scroll down to the Set Availability section and choose Yes. In the Set Course Duration section, make sure Continuous is selected.  We recommend these settings to ensure that your course site does not become unavailable to students on the last day of classes.  
3. Click Submit to enable students to access your course site.

OR

1. In your Blackboard course, click the red lock icon at the top of your course window to make your course available.

Preparing your Blackboard Learn Course Site for a New Semester

If you have already been using Blackboard Learn for your courses, please check out this handy reference to help you prepare your Blackboard Learn course site for a new semester at https://bit.ly/3a0NjCT.

Blackboard Learn Pre-Semester Course Checklist
Once your course has been copied over, please review this checklist at https://bit.ly/3sulKrZ to help you make sure your course site in Blackboard Learn is ready to go for the upcoming semester.

Blackboard Learn How-To Guide for Faculty
If you have any questions about using some of the features of Blackboard Learn, we encourage you to check out our Blackboard Learn How-To Guide for Faculty at https://sites.google.com/northshore.edu/blackboard-faculty/home. Here we have step-by-step guides to learn how to use the top ten Blackboard Learn features as well as links to some additional resources for faculty and students.

If you have any questions or run into any issues, please do not hesitate to contact me or the Blackboard Learn Helpdesk at bbhelp@northshore.edu.

Preparing your Blackboard Learn Course Sites for Fall 2022

As you start to work on 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
If you had us increase your course content collection quota in the course you are copying forward, please make sure to reach out to us before starting the course copy. We will need to increase the course content collection quota in the new course first.

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.
• If Select All is not used, make sure to include Grade Center Columns and Settings if Assignments and/or Tests are being copied.
• 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 (below Help). You can easily move them up into the appropriate spot in the course menu by dragging/dropping the menu item. 

    
  

Starting in the summer, the course template was changed from Course Information to Syllabus and Course Information. The new Syllabus and Course Information area may be blank with your course materials in Course Information towards the bottom of the course menu. To avoid confusion, we encourage you to post your syllabus and any other course information in the Syllabus and Course Information area and either delete or hide the other Course Information content area.

Making your Course Shell Available to Students
When your course shell is ready for students to view, you will need to give them access. All course sites are unavailable to students by default. You can easily make your course sites available from the My Home page using the Qwickly multi-course tool.

If you are in your course site, you should see a lock icon up at the top of your course site (to the left of Edit Mode). If you click that lock icon, it will make the course available to students. If you do not see the lock icon, here are the directions for making it available to your students.

To open your course:

1. In your Blackboard Learn course shell, in the Control Panel, expand the Customization section and click Properties.
2. On the next screen, scroll down to the “Set Availability” section and select Yes to make the course available.
• Note: We recommend that you select Yes and Continuous instead of Use Term Availability and Select Dates. Term Availability is set to the last day of classes and will close your course site that day (even though your students might still need access to finish up the course).
3. Click Submit to enable your students to see and access your course shell.

Preparing your Blackboard Learn Course Site for a New Semester
If you have already been using Blackboard Learn for your courses, please check out this handy reference to help you prepare your Blackboard Learn course site for a new semester at https://bit.ly/3a0NjCT.

Blackboard Learn Pre-Semester Course Checklist
Once your course has been copied over, please review this checklist at https://bit.ly/3sulKrZ to help you make sure your course site in Blackboard Learn is ready to go for the upcoming semester.

Blackboard Learn How-To Guide for Faculty
If you have any questions about using some of the features of Blackboard Learn, we encourage you to check out our Blackboard Learn How-To Guide for Faculty at https://sites.google.com/northshore.edu/blackboard-faculty/home. Here we have step-by-step guides to learn how to use the top ten Blackboard Learn features as well as links to some recorded workshops and additional resources for faculty and students.

If you have any questions or run into any issues, please do not hesitate to contact me or the Blackboard Learn Helpdesk at bbhelp@northshore.edu.

Preparing for Spring 2022 Courses in Blackboard Learn

As you start to think about your 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
If you had us increase your course content collection quota in the course you are copying forward, please make sure to reach out to us before starting the course copy. We will need to increase the course content collection quota in the new course first.

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.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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. In the “File Attachments” section, keep the default settings.
5. 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. If you are in your course site, you should see a lock icon up at the top of your course site (to the left of Edit Mode). If you click that lock icon, it will make the course available to students. 

If you do not see the lock icon, here are the directions for making it 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.

Blackboard Learn Pre-Semester Course Checklist
Once your course has been copied over, please review this checklist at https://goo.gl/18q3r5 to help you make sure your course site in Blackboard Learn is ready to go for the upcoming semester. 

Blackboard Learn How-To Guide for Faculty

If you have any questions about using some of the features of Blackboard Learn, we encourage you to check out our Blackboard Learn How-To Guide for Faculty at https://sites.google.com/northshore.edu/blackboard-faculty/home. Here we have step-by-step guides to learn how to use the top ten Blackboard Learn features as well as links to some recorded workshops and additional resources for faculty and students.  

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

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (9/28/2020)

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 September 28th is How Can I Use LMS Intelligent Agents to Increase Interaction in My Online Classes? 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 https://www.magnapubs.com/product/program/how-can-i-use-lms-intelligent-agents-to-increase-interaction-in-my-online-classes/. The complete fall 2020 schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2020/09/20-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

• The Dawn of the Age of Digital Learning [Virtual Summit sponsored by Arizona State University] from SEP 29 –OCT 1, 7 & 8. "The dawn of the age of digital learning has created an awakening of ingenuity, innovation and perseverance that is not defined by an individual, company, school or technology. It is an ecosystem of heart, energy and passion driven by purposeful change. This is why we bring you ASU+GSV Virtual Summit 2020 – imagining a new era in which all people have equal access to the future. Attendance will be free of charge." [from the event description on their website]. Visit https://virtual.asugsvsummit.com/2020 for more information.
• Engaging College Students Using Active Learning Techniques [League for Innovation webinar] on Thursday, October 1 at 12:00pm EST. “Our knowledge of how students learn has grown significantly over the last few decades. In keeping with this trend, the quality and sheer amount of research on instructional strategies has also grown, and active learning has emerged as an instructional method that can improve learning outcomes for all students, including students from marginalized backgrounds and populations. In this webinar, participants will learn about active learning techniques that have been shown to improve student learning in the college classroom.” [from the program description] More information and registration link available at https://www.league.org/istream-other/engaging-college-students-using-active-learning-techniques. 
• Empower Students for Academic Success: Teaching Students Study Skills Informed by the Science of Learning on Friday, November 6, 2020, from 8:30 am until 3:30 pm EST. “This free webinar from the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching and Learning at the University of New Hampshire should be of interest to faculty who want to assist their -students in acquiring and using study strategies that may improve their learning, retention, and transfer of academic material. It also should be of interest to staff of teaching and learning centers, faculty/educational development programs, student learning assistance programs, student academic success programs, etc.” [from the program description] If interested, please register at https://www.unh.edu/cetl/empower-students-academic-success-teaching-students-study-skills-informed-science-learning-0.
• Instructor Webinar Series: Remote Instruction from Basics to Advanced [Blackboard]. In October, Blackboard is hosting a series of free webinars to help with the transition to remote teaching. "This webinar series is designed for Instructors who are just getting started with teaching using Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate, as well as those who have started to transition to deliver instruction remotely and are looking to make some improvements." [from the webinar series web page] For more information and to register for any of the webinars, please visit https://go.blackboard.com/Instructor-webinar-series.
      

Interesting Resources

• Syncing with Students: Valuable Qualities of Synchronous Online Teaching, https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/syncing-with-students-valuable-qualities-of-synchronous-online-teaching/ 
• Reimagining Service Learning in the Digital Age, https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/09/23/how-adapt-service-learning-hybrid-or-online-classes-opinion
• Dear Professors: Don't Let Student Webcams Trick You, https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2020/9/dear-professors-dont-let-student-webcams-trick-you
• 5 Ways Open Educational Resources Can Help Students Succeed This Fall, https://nebhe.org/journal/5-ways-open-educational-resources-can-help-students-succeed-this-fall/ 
       

Share Your Teaching Resources and 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 upcoming 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,
CTLI

Preparing for Spring 2020 Courses in Blackboard Learn

As you start to think about your 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. If you are in your course site, you should see a lock icon up at the top of your course site (to the left of Edit Mode). If you click that lock icon, it will make the course available to students. 

If you do not see the lock icon, here are the directions for making it 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.

Blackboard Learn Pre-Semester Course Checklist
Once you course has been copied over, please review this checklist at https://goo.gl/18q3r5 to help you make sure your course site in Blackboard Learn is ready to go for the upcoming semester. 

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

Blackboard Learn Grade Center Checkups for Final Grades

The fall semester is winding down and it will soon be time to enter final grades for your courses. If you are using Blackboard Learn to record and/or calculate student grades, the CTLI is offering Blackboard Learn Grade Center checkup drop-in sessions to help you double check the Blackboard Learn Grade Center in your course sites. 

If you want to make sure the Grade Center is set up correctly to calculate a final grade, please feel free to stop by the CTLI offices in Danvers DB387 and Lynn LS313. Team members will be available Monday, December 9th through Thursday, December 12th from 9:00am to 3:00pm (please note that on Tuesday, December 10th, staff will be available until 2:00pm).

As a reference, here are the directions to set up the Blackboard Learn Grade Center to calculate a weighted grade. You can use these directions to also check to make sure the weighted grade column is calculating correctly.

Step 1: Create categories
a. Manage > Categories > Create Category (make sure you have one for each of the %s listed in your grade calculation statement)   

Step 2: Assign percentages in Weighted Total column
a. Click on chevron to the right of the Weighted Total column and select Edit Column Information
b. In the Select Columns section (middle of screen), under Categories to Select, select the categories to the left and send them over to the right
c. Once the categories are over to the right under Selected Categories, enter in the appropriate %s

Step 3: Ensure all columns are associated with appropriate categories
a. Manage > Column Organization (make sure all columns are in the correct categories)
b. On the Column Organization page, you can change any of the column categories by checking off the boxes to the left of the column name and selecting a new category in the Change Category to drop down menu

Here is a great article from Virginia Commonwealth University with some tips on troubleshooting weighted totals.

• Troubleshooting Weighted Totals, https://ts.vcu.edu/askit/teaching-and-learning/blackboard-elearning/courseorganization-management-/facultyleader/control-panel/grade-center/create-calculated-column/weighted-column/troubleshooting-weighted-totals/

If you are using the Total column to calculate a grade, you just want to make sure there is a column in the Grade Center for every gradable item that should be included in the grade. To see the number of points that the grade is calculating on, go to  Manage > Column Organization. You will see the Total column listed with the number of possible points over to the right. That number should match what you think the total points at mid-term should be.

Also, it is important to make sure a 0 has been entered into a column if a student did not complete an assignment or assessment. The default setting is to calculate the Weighted Total or Total columns as a running total which means that columns and categories without grades aren't included in the calculations.

If you are unable to stop by and would like us to look at your Grade Center, please feel free to send us an email at ctli@northshore.edu.

20 Minute Mentor - Online Faculty Professional Development - Spring 2020 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. 

The following sessions are on the schedule for spring 2020. For session descriptions, objectives, and mentor bios, click on the titles below.

• January 27th – What is the Best Teaching Advice I Ever Received?
• February 3rd – How Can Online Instructors Better Manage Their Workload?
• February 10th – How Can I Cost-Effectively Use Virtual Reality to Enhance Instruction?
• February 17th – How Can Media Richness Theory and Social Presence Theory Improve My Instruction?
• February 24th – What Technology and Tools Do I Need to Create a Podcast for My Students?
• March 2nd – How Can Change Management Principles Help New Educational Programs Succeed?
• March 9th – How Can I Become a Better Online Instructor?
• March 16th – How Can I Write a Course Syllabus That’s Worth Reading?
• March 23rd – What Teaching Strategies Help Engage All Learners Online?
• March 30th – How Do I Master Mastery Grading?
• April 6th – How Can I Spark Conversation in the Classroom?
• April 13th – How Do I Lead Change from the Middle?
• April 20th – How Can Universities Empower Adult Learners?
• April 27th – How Can I Be My Own Instructional Designer?
• May 4th – How Can Post-Exam Reviews Become a Powerful Teaching Strategy?
• May 11th – How Can I Use LMS Conditional Releases to Efficiently and Intentionally Engage My Students?

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

iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (9/23/2019)

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 topic for the week of September 23rd is How Can I Increase Student Completion Rates in Online 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 https://www.magnapubs.com/online/mentor/how-can-i-increase-student-completion-rates-in-online-learning-15206-1.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

• Faculty Conversations: Small Teaching Online. This fall, the CTLI will host informal faculty conversations around making small changes in your teaching practice that can increase student engagement and learning. The first meeting is Thursday, September 26th from 2:30pm to 3:30pm in the Danvers CTLI Conference Room, DB301. More information is available in the email invitation (sent September 13th). Please RSVP at https://forms.gle/GnJ5kodGukP9MFub6 to let us know you are coming. 

     
Upcoming Webinars of Interest

• How Successful Students Take Advantage of Classroom Technology [Blackboard Innovative Teaching Series (BITS)] on Thursday, September 26th at 11:00am EST. "Students today expect technology-enhanced learning experiences. Whether it’s how they view grades, assignments, communicate with the instructor or fellow students. This session highlights how Blackboard can partner with faculty and more importantly the student during their class." Presenter: Letitia Davis, University of Texas at Dallas. Register at https://go.blackboard.com/bits-webinars.    
    

Resources

• Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository, https://topr.online.ucf.edu/ 
• Ensuring Student Success in Online Courses, https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/ensuring-student-success-online-courses/
• Strategies for Creating a Successful Online Classroom, https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/strategies-for-creating-a-successful-online-classroom/
• Successful design strategies for online courses, https://www.pearsoned.com/successful-design-strategies-for-online-courses/
• Using Student Feedback to Create Effective Online Learning Experiences, https://edservices.wiley.com/how-student-feedback-creates-better-online-learning/
     

Share Your Teaching Resources and 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 upcoming 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,
CTLI

Preparing for Fall 2019 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. If you are in your course site, you should see a lock icon up at the top of your course site (to the left of Edit Mode). If you click that lock icon, it will make the course available to students. 

If you do not see the lock icon, here are the directions for making it 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.

Blackboard Learn Pre-Semester Course Checklist
Once you course has been copied over, please review this checklist at https://goo.gl/18q3r5 to help you make sure your course site in Blackboard Learn is ready to go for the upcoming semester. 

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

September Blackboard Learn Open Labs

CTLI's Instructional Technology and Design (ITD) team will be hosting a series of Blackboard Learn Open Labs during the first two weeks of the semester.

Faculty are welcome to drop by the open labs if they have any questions/issues or would like to come in to work on your courses and get assistance from CTLI ITD staff. CTLI ITD team members will be available to assist on both the Danvers and Lynn campuses.

Week of September 2nd

• Tuesday, September 3rd from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS314
• Thursday, September 5th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS314
• Friday, September 6th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS314   

Week of September 9th

• Monday, September 9th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS313
• Tuesday, September 10th from 9:00am-2:00pm in DB387 and LS313
• Wednesday, September 11th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS313
• Thursday, September 12th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS313

 
Also, 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 2019 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. 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. If you are in your course site, you should see a lock icon up at the top of your course site (to the left of Edit Mode). If you click that lock icon, it will make the course available to students. 

If you do not see the lock icon, here are the directions for making it 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.
 
Blackboard Learn Pre-Semester Course Checklist
Once you course has been copied over, please review this checklist at https://goo.gl/18q3r5 to help you make sure your course site in Blackboard Learn is ready to go for the upcoming 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 Spring 2019 Courses in Blackboard Learn

As you start to think about your 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. If you are in your course site, you should see a lock icon up at the top of your course site (to the left of Edit Mode). If you click that lock icon, it will make the course available to students. 

If you do not see the lock icon, here are the directions for making it 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.

January Blackboard Learn Open Labs

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

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 15th  

• Tuesday, January 16th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS319
• Wednesday, January 17th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS319
• Thursday, January 18th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS319
• Friday, January 19th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS319
    

Week of January 22nd

• Monday, January 22nd from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS319
• Tuesday, January 23rd from 9:00am-2:00pm in DB387 and LS319
• Wednesday, January 24th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS319
• Thursday, January 25th from 9:00am-3:00pm in DB387 and LS319
    

Also, 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 2017 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. 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.

Blackboard Learn Pre-semester Course Checklist
Once you course has been copied over, please review this checklist at https://goo.gl/18q3r5 to help you make sure your course site in Blackboard Learn is ready to go for the upcoming semester.

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

Blackboard Learn Workshops and Open Labs in August and September

The college has completely migrated away from ANGEL and Blackboard Learn is now available for all courses. To support NSCC faculty in this transition, ITD will be offering a series of workshops and open labs in August and September.

Blackboard Learn Workshops
ITD will be offering a series of Blackboard Learn workshops in August and September. To view the complete schedule of workshop sessions (with descriptions) and to RSVP, please visit this web site: https://goo.gl/J5ngLA.

Blackboard Learn Open Labs
NSCC faculty who have any questions/issues or would like to come in to work on their courses and get assistance from ITD staff can feel free to drop by the open labs. 
  
Week of August 10th

• Tuesday, August 11th from 9:00am to 2:00pm in Lynn (LW307)
• Wednesday, August 12th from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Danvers (DB234)
• Thursday, August 13th from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Lynn (LW307)
• Friday, August 14th from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Danvers (DB234)

  
Week of August 24th

• Wednesday, August 26th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm in Danvers (DH305)
• Thursday, August 27th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm in Danvers (DH305)
• Friday, August 28th from 1:00pm to 4:00pm in Danvers (DH305)

  
Week of August 31st

• Monday, August 31st from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Danvers (DB234) and Lynn (LW307)

  
Week of September 7th

• Tuesday, September 8th from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Danvers (DB234) and Lynn (LW307)
• Wednesday, September 9th from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Danvers (DB234) and Lynn (LW307)
• Thursday, September 10th from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Danvers (DB234) and Lynn (LW307)
• Friday, September 11th from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Danvers (DB234) and Lynn (LW307)

  
Week of September 14th

• Monday, September 14th from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Danvers (DB234) and Lynn (LW307)
• Tuesday, September 15th from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Danvers (DB234) and Lynn (LW307)
• Wednesday, September 16th from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Danvers (DB234) and Lynn (LW307)
• Thursday, September 17th from 9:00am to 3:00pm in Danvers (DB234) and Lynn (LW307)

ITD hopes that everything goes smoothly with the start up of fall courses using Blackboard Learn. But, if faculty and their students experience any issues, please contact the Blackboard Learn Helpdesk at bbhelp@northshore.edu.

August and September Instructional Technology Workshops

In August and September, Instructional Technology and Design will be offering several workshops for faculty on a variety of topics around integrating technology into the teaching and learning environment. Please reserve your slot at any of these sessions by emailing itd@northshore.edu.
  

Video Anywhere

Video Anywhere is a tool in ANGEL (also in Blackboard) that allows faculty to easily record a video from a webcam and embed that video directly into any of the text box editors throughout ANGEL (for example, Announcements, Pages, Discussion Forums, Drop Boxes, etc.).

• Thursday, August 21st from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in Danvers DB 202

Google Documents for Collaboration and Communication

Looking for a way to promote student collaboration on a project? Need a simple way for students to share documents or give presentations? Want to collect information from your students quickly? Then Google Documents is for you. This workshop will present the benefits of using NSCC’s Google Documents application in the classroom to easily create, edit, and share documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

• Thursday, August 21st from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Danvers DB 202

New to ANGEL

The New to ANGEL workshop is designed to familiarize faculty with ANGEL and introduce basic course building functionality. In this workshop, participants will learn to: navigate around the course site, add different types of content, organize content in folders, and enable the course for student access. While the college migrates to Blackboard, ANGEL will be available for faculty to use during the 2014-2015 academic year.

• Thursday, August 21st from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Danvers DB 202
• Wednesday, August 27th from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Danvers DB 202
• Tuesday, September 2nd from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Lynn LW 305

Blackboard Learn Sneak Peek

Over the 2014-2015 academic year, the college will be migrating to a new learning management system, Blackboard Learn. This session will provide participants with an opportunity to get a sneak peek at some of the features and functionality of Blackboard Learn as well as learn more about the implementation timeframe and the course migration process from ANGEL.

• Wednesday, August 27th from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Danvers DB202

Open Educational Resources

This session will provide an overview of what open educational resources are, how faculty can find and evaluate them, ideas for using them in classes, and their role in the community college to help make textbooks more affordable to students.

• Wednesday, August 27th from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Danvers DB 202

Smart Classrooms

Come and find out all of the little ins and outs of using a Smart Classroom here at North Shore Community College. We will also share with you best practices when using one of these rooms. You will have the opportunity to try out the technology for yourself.

• Friday, August 29th from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Danvers HPSS 226
• Tuesday, September 2nd from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Lynn LW 323
• Monday, September 8th from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Danvers HPSS 226
• Friday, September 9th from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in Lynn LW 323

We hope to see you at the workshops!  If you are unable to attend or are interested in learning more about other instructional technologies, please email us at itd@northshore.edu. We are happy to schedule a one-on-one session.