I have a couple items to share with you today!
Getting Started GIF
Are you finding that your students are not clicking on your “Get Started” page? You would think this is obvious, but sometimes students need a little nudge to get them where you want them.
Susie Feero at the Sitka campus has created a GIF that you can embed in your course to help students find your “Getting Started” page. Contact Susie if you need a custom GIF for your course.
You can get the following GIF by clicking on the “getting started” Download link below.
Here’s how you add this GIF into your course:
Once you have it downloaded, in Blackboard go to Announcements, click on “Create Announcement.” Then find the upload button to add media (circle with the plus sign in it – In the old toolbar it was called “Mashups”):
Once you’ve clicked the upload button click on “Insert Local Files.”
Add the downloaded file and you’ll see it as an announcement in your course. Move it to the top, and it will remind students to click Getting Started – and includes motion to really grab your students attention!
Student Orientation
I also wanted to share the orientation video made by the Sitka campus. It’s really important that students feel a connection to the university, and this video personalizes the services by giving a face to the different areas that students will need to navigate.
I also wanted to make sure that you know about the UAS Orientation page, in case you come across students who seem lost in the “how-to” of college life beyond their coursework. Students may be worrying about Financial Aid, wondering if there is a way to get extra help (Student Success Center), or figuring out how to access their student accounts. When they worry about these things, they lose some of the cognitive resources needed for their actual coursework!
Here is the UAS Orientation Page, with information for all three campuses and a section for e-learners! Give these resources to any student who you think needs them.
I hope your year has gotten off to a good start. If you need help, contact an instructional designer or the CELT office (uas.celt@alaska.edu). Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next Friday!
