November 23

MOQI Webinars for the end of the year

Image credit: minnesota.qualitymatters.org

Image credit: minnesota.qualitymatters.org

Minnesota Online Quality Initiative continue with their series of webinars. The upcoming professional development series focus on Quality Matters standards, as well as the interventions for stereotype threats. You can register here for the final four webinars of this year.

Good news is that the group is almost done with their Spring schedule, so we are looking forward to learning more and bringing these to our St. Cloud State faculty.

A big thanks to the MOQI group for providing free, short, and relevant professional development sessions.

Category: Course Design, Online and Distance Education, Open Educational Resources, Professional Development, Quality Matters | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 16

Recorded Webinars on Online Learning Accessibility

3Play media Recorded Webinars

 

Implementing Universal and Inclusive Design for Online Learning
This webinar discussed how the principles of universal and inclusive design can be applied to the online learning environment, with a particular focus on the accessibility of course content and materials.Here you can find the Recorded webinar of Implementing Universal and Inclusive Design for Online Learning, which includes closed captions and a searchable interactive transcript, as well as the slide deck.

10 Tips for Creating Accessible Online Course Content
With recent lawsuits in higher education and updates to Section 508 on the horizon, it is more important than ever that online learning content be made accessible to students with disabilities. In this webinar, Janet Sylvia, Web Accessibility Group Leader and Web Accessibility Trainer, will provided 10 tips for making your online course material accessible. Here you can find the Recorded webinar of 10 Tips for Creating Accessible Online Course Content, which includes closed captions and a searchable interactive transcript, as well as the slide deck and handout.

Also, see additional free recorded webinars on various topics, including accessibility, captioning, and universal design.

Category: Accessibility in Online Learning, Future Trends, How Does It Work?, Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Open Educational Resources, Professional Development | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 12

D2L and MnSCU Collaboration Conference: 2016 MN IGNITE

Brightspace_logo_Stacked_RGB_300x275MnSCU and Brightspace by D2L invite you to join them at the annual MN IGNITE 2016 conference on April 15, 2016, from 7:45 AM–3:50 PM (Central Time) at Normandale Community College, 9700 France Ave S, Bloomington, MN. Ignite is your opportunity to connect, exchange feedback, display best practices, and network with other D2L Brightspace users.

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. 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 after December 1, 2015, 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, watch for the next e-mail 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!

Please nominate yourself (or your team) for the third annual MN Ignite 2016 Awards.

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.

More information with links to proposals and awards will be posted soon.

Category: Online and Distance Education, Online Collaborative Learning, Professional Development, Spotlight on Ed Tech | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 2

SCSU represented at the QM 7th Annual Conference

QM logoRoseann Wolak,  a member of our Academic Technologies Team, is presenting today in San Antonio, TX on the implementation and transition from a face-to-face to fully online program in Nursing, at St. Cloud State University.

SCSU Online and our team has been helping the Nursing department on a weekly basis to introduce online courses that meet the quality standards set by the QM Rubric. Roseann is representing St. Cloud State University at a major conference, describing the steps and challenges of this transition. Her presentation “From the Ground Up: RN to BSN Completion” can be found here.

In last week’s post,  I have announced that the presentation materials from the Quality Matters 7th Annual conference are available. Now, take a look at Roseann’s as she is presenting today.

We hope to help many more departments at our university with quality assurance and online courses/programs transitions.

cropped-cropped-SCSU_logotype_primary-1c5npdt-e1438886420887.png

Category: Course Design, Online and Distance Education, Quality Matters | 1 Comment on SCSU represented at the QM 7th Annual Conference
October 26

Quality Matters 7th Annual Conference – presentation materials

QM logoThe online education quality assurance organization Quality Matters is holding their 7th Annual Conference.  In case people who are interested cannot make it to San Antonio on November 1 through 4, they presented several options. There are presentation materials available on the website and they offer a few free webcasts (follow the links for specific information).

Meanwhile, I will be preparing more posts on what Quality Matters offers to our institution, so that all faculty interested in Quality Matters can get quick facts on our blog.

Category: Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Open Educational Resources, Quality Matters | LEAVE A COMMENT
October 6

Building Community in an Online Course

Woit_081002_223Thursday, October 8 is Fall break for our students. However, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at SCSU organizes the Faculty Workshop Day. This year’s sessions are on student retention and success. Among many excellent presentations that will discuss this year’s topic, online and distance education are certainly a setting to be taken into account.

A member of our Academic Technologies Team, Roseann Wolak, will be holding a session on  Effective Online Teaching – Creating a Sense of Community from 2:15-3:30 pm in Voyageurs North, AMC:

“Sense of Community Theory is based on the work of Seymour Sarason (1974).  Sarason’s research explored community identity and social bonding.  In the online environment, where students are physically separated from one another, the strength of the learning community depends on the extent to which students feel like insiders rather than outsiders.
Faculty play a key role in designing an online learning environment which fosters interactivity, connectedness, and meaningful learning.  This hands-on session will cover instructional design that gets students interacting with one another:  student led discussions, peer review, collaborative research projects, and group presentations.”

Until then, here is an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that focuses specifically on building community in an online class by doing student video presentations.

 

Category: Course Design, Future Trends, Online and Distance Education, Online Collaborative Learning, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Open Educational Resources, Professional Development | LEAVE A COMMENT
September 24

Minnesota Online Quality Initiative Webinar series continue

Image credit: minnesota.qualitymatters.org

Image credit: minnesota.qualitymatters.org

All MnSCU faculty and staff are welcome to register for different D2L Brightspace and SIG (Special Interest Group for Learning Spaces & Instructional Technology) webinars.
There are a few that repeat so you can choose a date that works better for you. With the final one in September: D2L Brightspace Advanced: Checklist Tool
to the final one in October: SIG Webinar: Time-Saving Tips for Stressed Out Instructors there is a gamut of helpful one-hour sessions for instructors and staff of our MnSCU institutions. We will keep you posted on more events sponsored by MOQI as well as add these webinars to our calendar!

Category: Course Design, Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Professional Development, Quality Matters | LEAVE A COMMENT
September 10

D2L Q&A: How do I create private discussion topics with my students?

MnSCU D2L Brightspace Service Desk

We bring you another great tip with detailed instructions on how to start a private online discussion with individual students.

Q: How can faculty have a private online conversation with each student in a D2L Brightspace course?

A: It is possible to set up an individual discussion with each student by creating groups of one member.  It takes some time to set up, because each group and discussion needs to be renamed, but is worth it if you want to have an ongoing conversation with individual students that is stored within the course.

Detailed instructions are offered here within the MnSCU D2L Brightspace Service Desk.

Category: D2L Tip of the Month, Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy | LEAVE A COMMENT