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“What do I do When . . .?” An Open Discussion
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Effective teaching requires careful planning, time, and effort. What happens, then, when things don’t go as planned? What can you do when emergencies or other situations impact your teaching and student learning? Are there some strategies you use to explore course content, activities, student needs and related issues to accommodate the situations effectively? Even if you don’t have a story to share, just come, listen, and be enriched by the conversation. Advanced registration is required.

**NEW** Promoting Online Collaboration with Wimba Classroom in Blackboard
Friday, April 4, 2008 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Many faculty consider live, personal interaction to be the most valuable element of quality teaching and learning experiences. Wimba Classroom is an online collaboration tool that integrates seamlessly with Blackboard allowing educators and students to engage in meaningful and memorable interactions by combining interactive technologies with instructional best practices. This hands-on workshop will provide an overview of the different features of this collaboration tool and will walk participants through the process of creating and managing Wimba classrooms. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.

Supportive Professional Staff Grant Writing Seminar
Friday, April 4, 2008 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Supportive Professional Staff who plan to submit proposals for the July-December 2008 SPS development grant cycle by the April 18, 2008 deadline and would like some help on writing the proposal or need more information about grant guidelines are encouraged to attend this seminar. Advanced registration is required.

Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard
Monday, April 7, 2008 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am
Learn the basics of creating and developing a course in Blackboard, NIU's Web Course Management System. Participants will get an overview of course layout and navigation and will have an opportunity to place materials in a sample course. We can also assist participants with requesting their own Blackboard courses. Participants who wish to request their courses during the workshop need to have an active NIU Account ID. [For information about NIU Account IDs used in Blackboard, contact ITS Customer Support: helpdesk@niu.edu or 753-8100.] Workshop prerequisites: knowledge of Web browsing and basic computing skills. Advanced registration is required.

Podcast Series: Audio Podcasting
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
While the Introduction to Podcasting workshop provided participants with an overview of podcasting technology, the Audio Podcast workshop will be a more thorough hands-on experience for preparing audio content for online distribution. Topics will include a discussion of the pedagogy behind audio podcast, a review of hardware/software necessary for audio capture, editing, and file conversion, and a review of procedures to make content available for students to subscribe. A prerequisite for the workshop is the Introduction to Podcasting workshop or previous experience with Podcasting. No iPods are necessary to participate. Advanced registration is required.

**NEW** Service Learning
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm
Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. We will discuss the characteristics of service learning, potential service learning situations, and how service learning can enhance the teaching and learning experience. Advanced registration is required.

Blackboard II: Building Your Blackboard Course
Thursday, April 10, 2008 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am
This hands-on workshop is a follow-up to the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop; we will cover the specifics of developing a course in Blackboard, including personalizing course navigation, setting up a materials-delivery structure and creating discussion areas. Participants will work in their own Blackboard courses and should bring to the session any course materials they want to upload or work with during the workshop. Files need to be on a flash drive (readable in a USB port) or on CD. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.

Blackboard Assessment Tools
Monday, April 14, 2008 from 9:00 am to 10:30 am
The survey and testing features in Blackboard offer faculty a variety of useful options for online assessment. In this hands-on workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore the various testing tools, create quizzes using a range of questions types, and experiment with creating test and survey pools. We will discuss strategies for reducing online testing errors as well as issues involving academic concerns with online testing. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.

Blackboard Open Lab
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, Adams Hall, Room 323
Open lab provides an excellent opportunity for faculty and staff to ask specific questions about Blackboard and other teaching-related technologies. Staff from Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center will be on hand to individually address your questions. We cannot provide an overview of Blackboard at this session, but will be happy to answer specific questions about using Blackboard and other instructional technologies. No advanced registration required.

Advanced Short Focused Online Tutorials with Articulate Engage
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
This hands-on workshop will demonstrate how to easily add stunning interactive content to your online courses. Participants will use the program ‘Articulate Engage’ to create a number of compelling learning interactions without the need for expensive designs or programming. Although there are ten engaging interactions, we will focus on three (Process, Timeline, and Frequently Asked Questions). Advanced registration is required and seating is very limited.

**NEW** Problem-Based Learning
Thursday, April 17, 2008 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a focused, experiential learning strategy organized around the exploration and resolution of an authentic, real-world problem. PBL involves three parts: The Problem, which typically does not have a easy solution, The Learners, who often work in self-directed groups to solve the problem, and The Instructor, who assumes the role as facilitator and coach once the problem has been presented. We will discuss ways to find and develop a problem and student and instructor involvement during a Problem-Based Learning situation. Advanced registration is required.

End-Of-Semester Considerations for Your Blackboard Course
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Once the semester is over and all course materials are organized and posted in Blackboard, faculty can take steps to preserve the course for future use. While courses are not deleted for about 15 months, certain parts of each course, such as the gradebook, should be downloaded and saved. This session will cover the save and copy features available through the Blackboard interface and offer suggestions for what types of activities faculty should routinely follow at the end of an academic term. Prerequisites: Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or familiarity with Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.

David Raymond Grant Reception and Presentation
“Using Lecture 123 as a Teaching Tool” By Mark Rosenbaum (Department of Marketing)
Thursday, April 24, 2008 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm, Heritage Room, HSC
Mark Rosenbaum will illustrate how he integrates Lecture 123 into his Introduction to Marketing course. The presentation will illustrate how Dr. Rosenbaum easily combines PowerPoint slides, voice, and annotation into an easy to use communication environment for students. He will also demonstrate how this tool allows him to create podcasts in one easy step and how students can create study CDs. More importantly, Dr. Rosenbaum will share survey results from his students who are currently using Lecture 123, as well as, statistics concerning student downloads. Everyone is invited; no registration is necessary. Light refreshments will be served. 2008 grant recipient will be announced after the presentation.

**NEW** New Tools & Features in Blackboard
**ONLINE** Tuesday, April 29, 2008 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
With the upgrade of the Blackboard course management system to version 8.0, NIU faculty can expect to see a number of new and enhanced features when they log in to Blackboard. The new version introduces significant changes in the functionality of the discussion board, transition of the Blackboard Gradebook to the completely redesigned Grade Center, as well as a new "Self and Peer" assessment tool that will allow students to review and grade their own work and the work of their peers, among others. This online session will highlight these new and enhanced features and tools. In addition, faculty will be introduced to the training opportunities and resources accompanying the new version. Advanced registration is required.

Registration Information:

Please email your name, NIU Employee ID, classification, department, email address, phone, and special accommodations (if any), to Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center at facdev@niu.edu, or register online at http://www.facdev.niu.edu/facdev/forms/fsprogreg.shtml. Program locations will be made available when you register. After submitting your registration, if you do not receive a response within 2 working days, please contact the Center. If you register for a program and are unable to attend it, please notify the Center at least two working days in advance so that those on the waiting list can be given the opportunity to attend that program.

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Last Updated: 5/05/2008