We all know that first impressions are crucial. Malcolm Gladwell in his book Blink tells us that we all make “instantaneous impressions and conclusions” anytime we are confronted with a new situation. Your students are making just such an impression the minute they click into your course. How do you greet them? Do you have a …
Category: Blackboard
Aug 29
Sign Up for ED593 — Don’t Delay!
ED593: Designing and Teaching an Online Course begins September 15th so sign up now! This is your opportunity to learn more about the online environment from both the student and faculty perspective. We encourage all faculty to sign up and take the course if you are thinking about offering an online course, considering redesigning your …
Aug 28
Another Free Blackboard Webinar
What’s Coming to Blackboard: A Roadmap of the New UX for Learn & Collaborate September 3, 2014 3:00 pm EST Register Join Stephanie Weeks, VP of User Experience for a roadmap demo of what’s coming for Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate. She’ll share some of the exciting and innovative design changes they have planned, like …
Aug 13
The Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know Were in Blackboard Learn
When Kathi and I were at the Blackboard World conference 2014 we were amazed and excited by many Blackboard features that will be available to the University of Alaska once we upgrade to the latest version of Blackboard (without any additional costs!). Some features you may have access to right now and are unaware that …
Jul 30
Tips for Online Instructors Gleaned from Bb Conference
Nicole and I recently attended the Blackboard World 2014 User Conference (yes, Vegas in July) and came back with a number of ideas that we’d like to share with you. Here are some of the usable best practices that could easily be implemented this semester: In Blackboard’s discussion forums, use the setting “Participants must create …
Mar 26
Learning Objectives and Course Goals
Have you ever wondered what content sticks with your students after they complete your course? How much do they retain after five years? How about after ten years? Did they remember the main idea? Standard II of the Peer Review process looks at some of the over-arching ideas that are essential in explaining the value of …
Nov 27
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m certain that for the next few days you will have plenty on your plate (I’m looking forward to filling mine), but if you find yourself with a little spare time to relax and reflect, and you missed some of the sessions from UAA’s eTech Fair, you are in luck, they were recorded and you …
Oct 29
eTech Fair: Distance Education Week | Nov. 11-15th 2013
UAA invites you to attend the eTech Fair: Distance Education Week. Drop-ins are welcome and no pre-registration is required. The agenda is attached below, note that only UAA faculty are eligible for the door prizes. This is an ONLINE training, attend from your desk or home computer, via Collaborate! Offerings include, Interactive Rubrics, VoiceThread, Making …
Aug 06
eLearning 2013
Are you back in the swing of school? Are there terms you are hearing (“gamification”, “mlearning” etc.) or other words you’ve been coming across that you aren’t sure you know? Check out Ms. Marshall’s post: 10 Terms You Should Know in eLearning and get familiar with the language of eLearning today! We were lucky to …
Jul 18
Are Your Courses Ready for Fall Semester?
Fall semester is almost here which makes this a good time for you to take a close look at your Fall courses. How does their design and organization compare with national standards (like Quality Matters and Blackboard Catalyst)? Would your courses fare well against the UAS Sitka peer review rubric? Recently Mary and Kathi were …