June 8

ATT Summer Workshops: Updated Schedule

Summer Sessions Online Teaching Support

The Academic Technologies Team continues their series of workshops on How to get your course ready for online. Based on the attendance and input of attendees we have decided to exclude 2:30 pm sessions and to hold longer workshops that will focus on specific topics of faculty interest. Here is the full schedule with new time, room, and session details:

Date Session Description Time Place
Wednesday, June 8 Building Rubrics and Giving Feedback 11 am – 12 pm CH 455
Thursday, June 9 Essential D2L Plus Q & A Session 11 am – 12 pm CH 455
Wednesday, June 15 Intelligent Agents and Release Conditions 11 am – 12 pm CH 455
Thursday, June 16 Essential D2L Plus Q & A Session 11 am – 12 pm CH 455
Wednesday, June 22 Mediaspace Kaltura CaptureSpace Lite 11:30 am – 1 pm MC 206
Thursday, June 23 Essential D2L Plus Q & A Session 11:30 am – 12:30 pm MC 206
Wednesday, June 29 Quality Course Design 11:30 am – 1 pm MC 206
Thursday, June 30 Essential D2L Plus Q & A Session 11:30 am – 12:30 pm MC 206

We always hold an open door policy so should you need anything regarding online teaching pedagogy, D2L tools, best practices, Quality Matters™, or anything related to online course design and digital media we are available in our office, Miller Center 118.

For any further questions email att@stcloudstate.edu or call 320-308-2302.

Also, you can click below to view some of the topics we will cover:

Your Academic Technologies Team

 

Category: Course Design, Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Open Educational Resources, Professional Development | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 26

Five Mistakes in Online Course Design

Wrong Way in Stop Sign

Almost 5 years ago, Elizabeth St. Germain summarized 5 most common pitfalls of course design when faculty teach online. This story does not get old as we still encounter similar problems with some online classes. You can read her summary if you click on the link above. Here, I will list the five things she described as the things you SHOULD NOT do in an online course:

  1. You should not Upload your course materials, then call it a day (to fix it, you can: Rework that hand-out on tedious lab procedures into a colorful, animated slideshow. Bring a historic context to life through links to period paintings, historic sites, or even contemporary Google street views).
  2. You should not Let the course management system drive your thinking (to fix it, you can: Start by thinking about the kinds of learning experiences you want to create rather than letting the CMS define a more limited view of putting your course online. Then, work with an instructional designer/lead course developer from our team to help you transfer this to D2L).
  3. You should not Insist on being the “sage on the stage” (to fix it: Your course should be a place where students come to participate in the connections that can be made between your subject and the outside world. Build these bridges into your online course materials, and become a facilitator of these important connections).
  4. You should not Expect your students to consume knowledge rather than create it (to fix it: Develop content that asks students to recall and apply what they have learned. In an online course, this could mean peppering your online content with quick test-your-comprehension questions or developing exercises that ask students to generate data, capture and upload photos of evidence, research connections to real-world conditions, or create explanatory slideshows).
  5. You should not Ignore the ways students learn from each other (to fix it, you can: Include assignments that require students to share ideas and resources, present topics to each other, and critique each other’s work. Use online communication tools and collaborative spaces to foster a class-wide web of supportive contact rather than settling into multiple parallel channels between you and each student).
Category: Course Design, How Does It Work?, Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy | LEAVE A COMMENT
April 19

Minnesota eLearning Summit 2016

Image credit: https://cceevents.umn.edu/minnesota-elearning-summit

This year, Minnesota Learning Commons (a partnership of Minnesota Department of Education, MnSCU, and the University of Minnesota) organize another conference July 27−28 at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College. The purpose is to provide a gathering place for presenters and exhibitors focused on technology in education. You can find a detailed description here.

Although it is early for the full schedule of concurrent sessions and exhibitors, you can read about the keynote speakers and last year’s presentations.

Great news for all MnSCU employees is that the registration fee is $61.25 (you must be an active MnSCU employee, with an MnSCU e-mail account, to receive this registration rate.)

This is a great opportunity for collaboration, networking, and sharing ideas on best practices in teaching and learning in online, blended, and face-to-face courses. Also, for anyone who would love to learn more there is a wide variety of sessions on elearning tools, resources, and best practices. A very convenient location and price for any faculty from any department. We hope to see you there! 🙂

Category: Online and Distance Education, Online Collaborative Learning, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Open Educational Resources, Professional Development, Spotlight on Ed Tech | LEAVE A COMMENT
April 14

Brightspace Minnesota Connection

Brightspace_logo_Stacked_RGB_300x275Previously known as Ignite, D2L Brighstpace connection to Minnesota organizes an event tomorrow. Here is the full schedule. Among award nominated librarians from SCSU (you can read our post on library widgets here), SCSU representatives will hold two presentation sessions as well: Faculty Migration From Text-Based To Media-Rich Content: Crowdsourcing The Meaningful Application Of LMS (Brightspace) Quizzes, by Plamen Miltenoff and Marion Judish and Be Widget-Wise: Fast-Track Your Students to Academic Information by Melissa Prescott and Cindy Gruwell .

Great topics are going to be discussed throughout the day, from captioning and accessibility to rubrics, discussions, and release conditions in D2L, etc.

We will report on our key takeaways from this conference next week.

Category: Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Professional Development, Spotlight on Ed Tech | LEAVE A COMMENT
April 12

STAR Symposium Presentations and Handouts

STAR Symposium photo credit to: https://mnqm.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/logo2.png

The STAR Symposium, sponsored by the Minnesota Online Quality Initiative and the first completely online conference in MN, is behind us. However, we can always look at the handouts and presentations in search of some best practices. Presenters at the conference focused on pedagogical approaches to face-to-face, online, and blended learning delivery. You can access the presentations and handouts here.

Category: Course Design, Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Open Educational Resources, Professional Development, Quality Matters | LEAVE A COMMENT
February 17

8 MOOCs that Support Technology in Teaching

online_livingroom 011An article written by Dian Schaffhauser on Campus Technology website has listed 8 MOOCs that can help faculty learn more on technology use in classroom (“8 MOOCs for Better Technology-Enhanced Teaching”). These professional development opportunities are, of course, open and offered through different universities. They are offered at different times, are self paced, and you can take what interests you the most from them. I will list them as they appear in the article.

1) Instructional Design Service Course: Gain Experience for Good    (starts February 22; runs 12 weeks; requires 2-3 hours of work per week, Canvas platform, Description: Learn how to create open educational resources (OER) for people in adult basic education programs.)

2) Becoming a Blended Learning Designer    (starts February 22; runs for 5 weeks; requires 2-3 hours of work per week, canvas paltform, Description: This MOOC will talk you through the Blended Learning Toolkit, a free, open resource for institutions that want to develop or expand their blended learning programs.)

3) Teaching with Tablets  (February 29, 2016; runs for 5 weeks; requires about 3 hours of work per week, Blackboard platform, Description: Intended for educators from elementary school through higher ed, this MOOC will cover the use of iPads and other tablets for teaching and learning.)

4) Accessibility: Designing and Teaching Courses for All Learners  (February 22, 2016; runs 6 weeks, Canvas, Description: Your chance to gain the knowledge and skills to design inclusive learning experiences, especially for students with disabilities.)

5) Disability Awareness and Support  (Timeline: Self-paced, Coursera, Description: Advance your understanding of accessibility issues in education, including legislation, universal design and assistive technologies.)

6) Prior Learning Assessment for Educators and Industry (February 22; runs 3 weeks; requires 2 hours of work per week, Canvas, Description: This course will teach you how to develop policies and articulations for credit for prior learning (CPL), explain the use of portfolios and assessments and introduce you to existing credit “crosswalks” and assessment resources.)

7) Blended Learning Essentials: Getting Started (March 7; runs for 5 weeks; requires about 4 hours of work per week, FutureLearn platform, Description: This UK-produced course covers multiple practices and pedagogies to help participants learn how to use blended or hybrid tools and technologies “with confidence.” The “getting started” session is followed by an additional series on “embedding the practices.”)

8) Leaders of Learning (May 2016; runs 6 weeks; requires 2-4 hours of work per week, edX platform, Description: Richard Elmore, a professor of educational leadership in the Harvard Graduate School of Education, takes participants on a tour of the “shifting landscape of learning.” You’ll explore how learning is changing in a digital culture.)

Category: Accessibility in Online Learning, Course Design, Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Open Educational Resources, Professional Development | LEAVE A COMMENT
February 3

STAR Symposium Presentation Schedule

STAR Symposium photo credit to: https://mnqm.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/logo2.png

Conference Schedule Session Title
Welcome and Logistics

8:30 AM – 8:45 AM

  
Keynote Speaker
8:45 AM – 9:45 AM		 Keynote: Promoting More Good Learning: What Can Teachers Do?

Dr. L. Dee Fink
Concurrent Sessions
(50 minutes)
10:00 AM – 10:50 AM		 Gamifying your online course using D2L Brightspace tools
Carrie Miller, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Using SoftChalk™ Cloud to Create Digital Lessons for Online Learners
Claudia Pragman, Patricia Nelson, Aaron Deris & Kristie Campana, Minnesota State University, Mankato
The Essence of Presence: Strategies for Online Courses
Darcy Turner, Saint Paul College
Break (15 minutes)  
Concurrent Sessions
(50 minutes)
11:05 AM – 11:55 AM		 Video, The New Paper
Norb Thomes, Winona State University
Online Collaboration versus Isolation-Interactivity Makes the Difference
Roseann Wolak, Saint Cloud State University
Tech Challenged? No Worries! Your Students Can Lead the Way!
Mary Anderson, Winona State University
Lunch Break
11:50 AM – 12:45 PM		  
Concurrent Sessions
(25 minutes)
12:45 PM – 1:10 PM		 Using Flipped Classroom Design to Facilitate Communications and Mental Illness Response Module in Law Enforcement Classes
Patricia Nelson, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Fascinating Online Discussions: A Few Practical Applications of Draves’ “Advanced Teaching Online”
Bill Joyce, Bemidji State University
A new twist on an old favorite: Evernote and BuildFire = Engaging capstone projects
Joan Sax-Bendix, Winona State University
Break (10 minutes)  
Concurrent Sessions
(25 minutes)
1:20 PM – 1:45 PM		 Creating a Learning Environment That Promotes Student Engagement in an Online Course
Stacey Rosenberg, Southern New Hampshire University
The Structured Debate: Increasing Student Engagement
Jane Carducci, Winona State University
Leveraging Technology in the Socratic Graduate Classroom

Jason Kaufman, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Break (10 minutes)  
Concurrent Sessions
(50 minutes)
1:55 PM – 2:45 PM		 The D2L Brightspace Learning Object Repository (LOR): What is it and how can I use it?
Deb McManimon & J.C. Turner, Riverland Community College
Creating Engaging Recorded Lectures

Robin O’Callaghan, Winona State University
Using Web Conferencing Tools for More than Online Teaching
Patrick Paulson, Winona State University
Break (15 minutes)  
Featured Speaker
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM		 Creating Community: Building a Learning Community from Classrooms to the Cloud

Bethany Simunich, Kent State University
Wrap-up and Evaluation
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM		  

Date & Time:  Friday, February 19, 2016     8:30 AM – 4:00 PM (CST)
Location: Wherever you are! This is a virtual conference. Join from your computer or mobile device.
Cost:  $50 to attend sessions all day.  Register here!

**content borrowed from MOQI announcement STARSneakPeek

Category: Online and Distance Education, Online Collaborative Learning, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Professional Development | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 16

MN IGNITE 2016 Proposals Accepted

Brightspace_logo_Stacked_RGB_300x275Join your colleagues and peers, and D2L staff at the annual MN IGNITE 2016 conference on April 15, 2016, from 7:45 AM–3:50 PM at Normandale Community College. Ignite is your opportunity to connect, exchange feedback, display best practices, and network with other D2L Brightspace users.
REGISTER NOW
Sponsored by D2L in collaboration with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and St. Catherine University, this conference will showcase many aspects of teaching and learning within the D2L Brightspace Learning Management System. Sessions will also feature related topics such as best practices in instructional design, technology integration and administrative management. A MN Ignite Conference is all about connection and collaboration. NEW this year is a featured keynote by Kenneth Chapman (Vice President of Market Strategy for D2L) and poster sessions including past Ignite Award Winners. With presentations, training sessions, and time for peer networking, attendees can discover how D2L Brightspace—our integrated learning platform—supports every individual’s unique pathway and potential.

Proposals will be accepted through January 29, 2016, from higher education and K-12 faculty and teachers, as well as staff and administrators. If you have a topic you are passionate about, some best practices you want to share with colleagues, or an education program you want to promote, and submit your proposal for sessions that fall into one of these five tracks:
1. Design and Development
2. Delivery and Instruction
3. Analysis and Management
4. Innovation and Engagement
5. Support, Training and Administration

This year’s sessions will be offered in the following formats:
· 50-minute Regular sessions
· 100-minute Extended sessions (may include hands-on activities)
· 30-minute Poster sessions
MN IGNITE AWARDS
Did you develop a bright idea for using D2L Brightspace to enhance your students’ learning experience? Or did your team collaborate on a project to address a student, faculty, or organizational need? If so, we want to hear from you!
The MN Ignite 2016 Awards, given out at the annual MN Ignite 2016 Regional Conference, recognizes educators or those in education who have used D2L Brightspace to deliver learning experiences that are innovative, collaborative, or have made an extraordinary impact on learning outcomes.
Please nominate yourself (or team) by February 28, 2016, for 3rd MN Ignite Awards.

Category: D2L Tip of the Month, Online and Distance Education, Online Collaborative Learning, Professional Development, Spotlight on Ed Tech | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 10

Quality Matters Course Review Process FAQ

QM logoMinnesota has a statewide subscription to the internationally recognized quality assurance process Quality Matters. What is more, MOQI (Minnesota Online Quality Initiative) has put every effort to promote and help with this process throughout the MnSCU system.

This process is completely voluntary, yet we like to show how it can benefit both face-to-face and online  classes. Even if you do not want your course reviewed, just getting familiar with the QM rubric or having an internal review could benefit you. In this video, you can hear the answers to most frequently asked questions about the course review process from a MSU Mankato faculty member.

More stories can be found on the MOQI webpage here.

 

Category: How Does It Work?, Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Professional Development, Quality Matters | LEAVE A COMMENT