July 6

2017 Minnesota eLearning Summit

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

 

This year’s MN eLearning Summit will happen August 2-3 in Normandale Community College. The program draft is already out and the HIED topics will range from online discussions, MOOCS, course development, telepresence classrooms, asynchronous courses, etc.

Registration is open and discounted for any MN State employee ($61.25 − Enter promo code C118 at checkout, by July 14).

Hope we see you there!

Category: Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Professional Development | LEAVE A COMMENT
March 28

QM Connect 2017 Call for Proposals

QM Connect, annual Quality Matters conference is open for proposals by April 7. Find out more here.

Pathways to Excellence

“Share your ideas, experiences and research with the QM Community by presenting at the QM Connect Conference. This year’s theme and concentrations put the focus on quality assurance at all levels in an organization — including fresh ideas on QM Standards and educational quality. You can offer educators and administrators opportunities to help design the future of learning and improve learner engagement with your conference presentation proposal.”

Concentrations

Category: Professional Development, Quality Matters | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 5

STAR Symposium 2017 Registration Open

Registration is now open for the 2017 STAR Symposium sponsored by the Minnesota Online Quality Initiative. This is a virtual one-day conference that will consist of presentations focused on topics related to Faculty Development Support, Course Design and Delivery, Assessment and Feedback, Student Engagement, Technology Integration, Measuring the Impact of Best Practices and other Teaching Innovations for face-to-face, blended, and online courses.

Date: February 10, 2017  8:30 AM – 4 PM

Cost: $50 per attendee.

For more information and to register: https://minnesota.qualitymatters.org/symposium/

star-symposium-2017-conference-information

Category: Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Open Educational Resources, Professional Development | LEAVE A COMMENT
August 3

Minnesota eLearning Summit 2016 Presentation Materials

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

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

Just like last summer, the MN elearning Summit organizers encouraged the presenters to share their presentations with the broader audience. Here, you will find the various 2016 sessions materials.

Some of our favorites:

Category: Open Educational Resources, Professional Development | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 11

The Humanities and Technology Camp in Twin Cities

You might be unfamiliar with the format of THAT Camp, which was started as an unconference. So what does that mean? First of all, as you may assume, it is an informal gathering, open to people of various interests and skill levels. It still is a conference of sorts, so you can propose a session, hold a presentation, or discussion. However, the decisions on proposals are decided by all the participants, on the day of the conference. Here is a video to help you understand it:

There are several unconference rules: be productive, have fun, and stay collegial.  New sessions are added last minute, and you are encouraged to switch to a different session that would be more interesting for you. So, save the date: May 23, 2016, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Free for all! 🙂

Category: Future Trends | 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
March 29

Brightspace Minnesota Connection Conference (formerly known as D2L Ignite)

Friday, April 15, 2016
8am-4pm (Central Time)

Normandale Community College
9700 France Ave S
Bloomington, MN

Brightspace Minnesota Connection is your opportunity to connect with your peers and D2L staff, exchange product feedback, share effective practices, and network with other Brightspace users. Connection will showcase teaching and learning within Brightspace, and sessions will feature topics such as effective practices in instructional design, technology integration, and administrative management. This event is sponsored by D2L, along with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and St. Catherine University.

Register for Brightspace MN Connection Conference
Registration Rate: $95 USD
Presenters Rate: $50 USD
Group* Discount Rate: $75
*For groups of 5 or more, use discount code: GROUP20

Special Guest Keynote
Kenneth Chapman is the Vice President of Market Strategy for Desire2Learn (D2L), creator of the Brightspace learning management system. He and his team work closely with information management system groups and EDUCAUSE to research grant opportunities and explore new learning innovations. In one such project, Mr. Chapman helped design a gaming and simulation builder that lets instructors easily create engaging learning activities using online course content. Mr. Chapman has held a number of roles within D2L since 2002, including head of Research and Development. Several D2L patents are attributed to him. He earned dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of Guelph: one in Mathematics and Statistics; the other in Computing with a marketing specialization.

Category: Accessibility in Online Learning, Course Design, 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
November 17

Accessing Higher Ground Virtual Conference starting tomorrow

Just a friendly reminder, with a full schedule following: tomorrow, Wednesday, November 18, through Friday, November 20, the Accessing Higher Ground virtual conference will be featured at St. Cloud State University. Brought to you by the Academic Technologies Team, the different sessions (webcasts) will be shown in Miller Center conference rooms 114 and 115.

Pass this along to whomever you think is interested. Accessibility in learning is one of the major themes of today’s higher education. We are happy to have this opportunity right here on our campus.

Finally, the recordings of these sessions will be available after the conference, and we will notify you how to get those.

Virtual Conference Schedule – Live Stream

Wednesday, November 18, 2015, Track “A” Sessions     Miller Center Room 114

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Alt Text Production: Providing More Effective Services and Promoting Student Self-Reliance, Jenna Atkinson, Utah Valley University
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. How to Write a Good Description for Visual Elements, Gaeir Dietrich, HTCTU, Robert Beach, Kansas City Kansas Community College
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Faculty Outreach – Spreading the Gospel of Alternate Format to the Faculty Front Lines, Susan Kelmer, University of Colorado Boulder
1:50 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Keynote Talk: Getting from Barrier-Free to Great User Experiences?, Whitney Quesenbery, UX Researcher & Director of Center for Civic Design
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. School of Social Work and Disability Resources: Working to Make Documents Distributed through LMS Accessible, Krista Greear, Univeristy of Washington
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Designing a Mobile Ready Course with Universal Design, Kate Miller, UC Denver

 

Wednesday, November 18, 2015, Track “B” Sessions     Miller Center Room 115

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. What did I sign up for? Technology Accessibility for New Professionals, Steven Salter, Ashford University
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. What works with faculty? Results from a yearlong faculty-to-faculty accessible instructional materials workshop,   Scott Kupferman, University of Colorado
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. The Challenges of Emerging Technology in Online Education: Tips and Tools for Ensuing Accessibility in the Online Environment, Steven Salter, Ashford University
1:50 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Keynote Talk: Getting from Barrier-Free to Great User Experiences?, Whitney Quesenbery, UX Researcher & Director of Center for Civic Design
3:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. When the Federal Government Comes Knocking on Your Virtual Door– What to Expect in an ADA or 504 Technology Review, Mary Lou Mobley, U.S. Dept. of Education (double-session)

 

Thursday, November 19, 2015, Track “A” Sessions          Miller Center Room 114

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Managing Accessibility in Online Education: WKU Processes and Practices, Anne Honaker, Western Kentucky University
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Creating faculty buy-in for accessibility, Kristi O’Neil-Gonzalez, CSU Channel Islands
1:50 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Plenary Panel: Technology Accessibility in Higher Education — The Student PerspectiveA panel of students with disabilities from across the United States share their challenges, solutions, success stories, and ideas.
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. UDOIT – Instructure Canvas Course Accessibility Checker, Nancy Swenson, UCF

 

Thursday, November 19, 2015, Track “B” Sessions          Miller Center Room 117

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Introducing the Center for Accessible Materials Innovation: A First In The World Project, Robert Martinengo, Georgia Institute of Technology
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Building Accessibility Auditing into Course Development, Kara Zirkle, George Mason University
1:50 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Plenary Panel: Technology Accessibility in Higher Education — The Student PerspectiveA panel of students with disabilities from across the United States share their challenges, solutions, success stories, and ideas.
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. New Developments in Image and Math Content Accessibility 2.0, Sue-Ann Ma, Benetech

 

Friday, November 20, 2015, Track “A” Sessions                Miller Center Room 114

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. E-Learning Accessibility: What Does an Instructor Need to Know?, Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington
10:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. When the DoJ/OCR makes a visit: Campus leaders discuss lessons learned in resolving complaints about inaccessible IT, Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington (double-session)
12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Fostering a Course Accessibility Community of Practice, Matt Dingo, Ohio University

 

Friday, November 20, 2015, Track “B” Sessions                Miller Center Room 115

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Motivating Accessibility Adoption on Campus, Janet Sedgley, University of Montana
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Taking on the elephant in the room: Implementing innovative procurement processes in a large University system, Tom Siechert, California State University, Fresno
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Getting Mainstream Publishers onto the Accessibility Bandwagon: Why STEM & commercial publishers avoid accessibility, Bevi Chagnon, PubCom — The Publishing Communications Group
12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Creating Audio-Tactiles on the Fly, Alexa Schriempf, Penn State University

 

Category: Accessibility in Online Learning, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Professional Development | LEAVE A COMMENT