Description:
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.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills, Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Duration:
1.5 hours
Description:
The discussion and file-sharing tools provided by Blackboard can enrich communication in the web-enhanced traditional classroom as well as in the online venue. These tools provide faculty with a wealth of opportunities for building course communities, encouraging academic discussion outside the classroom and collecting assignments electronically. This hands-on session covers the features of asynchronous and synchronous discussion, group discussion, and electronic file exchange. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Description:
In this hands-on session, participants will learn about the Assignment and SafeAssignment tools in Blackboard. Both tools are effective ways to collect assignments electronically rather than in paper form. Both tools integrate with the Blackboard Grade Center and organize assignments so that they are easier to access than those submitted via email or the Digital Drop Box. The SafeAssignment tool even analyzes submissions for plagiarism. During the session, participants will experience both tools as students. Then, using both tools, participants will experience creating assignments, downloading submissions, and providing grades and feedback to students. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Duration:
1 hour
Description:
Whether teaching in a traditional face-to-face, hybrid, or online course, offering optional office hours provides students with the opportunity to seek further clarification and assistance, enriching the learning experience. The Wimba Classroom online collaboration suite is one technology that integrates seamlessly with Blackboard and can be utilized to offer online office hours, allowing students to communicate in real time with faculty at a mutually convenient time and location. This online workshop will provide a brief introduction of Wimba Classroom and explore best practices of conducting online office hours using Wimba Classroom. Advanced registration is required.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Duration:
1 hour
Description:
Maintaining a gradebook in Blackboard has many advantages: students really enjoy quickly checking their assignment and test grades online--and faculty benefit as they spend less time distributing this information. But efficiently setting up the Blackboard gradebook can present some challenges. This hands-on workshop provides assistance with creating gradebook settings and downloading and uploading data into the Blackboard gradebook. Participants will work in their own Blackboard courses. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Duration:
1 hour
Description:
Course content does not always apply to all users in the course. Faculty at times may wish to create custom learning paths through course content and activities, displaying content to certain users for a limited period of time. This hands-on session will walk participants through the process of managing course content, discussions, assessments, assignments, or other activities within Blackboard using the Adaptive Release feature to create personalized learning paths for students. Principles for effective implementation within existing Blackboard courses will be shared. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills, Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Duration:
1.5 hours
Description:
Blackboard's version 6.0 offers a wealth of copy and archiving features that can assist faculty with copying among courses and creating back-ups of entire courses. This hands-on workshop will cover the various copy functions and when to use each. We will also review the processes of creating and copying shells and scheduled sections. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills, Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Duration:
1.5 hours
Description:
The two major complaints we hear from students about group projects are (1) the problems of getting members together for meetings and (2) the inequity of effort among group members. Virtual groups, easily established using Blackboard, can address both of these legitimate concerns. Additionally, online groups can enrich class discussion and provide a virtual environment for sharing documents. This hands-on workshop will walk participants through the process of setting up Blackboard groups and will discuss some of the principles that make group projects successful.
Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills, Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Duration:
1.5 hour
Description:
The Blackboard Discussion Board continues to gain popularity as a tool supporting asynchronous collaboration in both blended and entirely online courses. Although used as a tool for facilitating communication between and among students and faculty, this practice may have certain limitations. In this workshop, strategies to use discussion boards with large classes will be discussed. Topics will include the process of conceptualizing discussion board assignments, logistics, scheduling, expediting grading, and use of exemplars and rubrics. Advanced registration is required.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills, Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Duration:
1.5 hours
Description:
Blackboard offers a variety of methods for collecting assignments electronically, saving students and faculty time and resources. This hands-on workshop provides a review of the various electronic submission methods and offers an opportunity for faculty to practice using the assignment-collection features. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Description:
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.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Description:
Many new, free web tools are emerging that allow for new approaches to fostering interpersonal interaction in the online learning environment. While many of these new Web 2.0 tools are designed for integration within blogs or other social networking applications, they may also be embedded within Blackboard to extend its existing collaborative capabilities. This workshop will explore various free Web 2.0 tools and discuss how these tools can be integrated within or utilized in conjunction with Blackboard. Prerequisites: Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or familiarity with Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Description:
Podcasting is a powerful means of publishing recorded audio online, making it available for students to download and listen to on either their personal computer or mp3 player, such as an iPod. This workshop provides participants with an overview of podcasting technology as well as how Podcasts are used in higher education. Attendees will also have the opportunity to practice subscribing to podcasts. No iPods are necessary to participate. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer and Internet browsing skills; Participants should possess an understanding of the Windows directory structure including saving and accessing files.
Description:
The Control Panel in Blackboard is the key to adding course content, managing discussion, setting-up groups and many other essential online course management functions in Blackboard. This hands-on session provides an overview of the various Control Panel features and offers participants an opportunity to work within their own courses to learn course management skills. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Description:
This workshop will cover basic multimedia integration using Blackboard. Participants will learn how to import images, video and audio clips into different sections of the Blackboard online package. Participants will be using a browser (Internet Explorer). Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Description:
With the recent upgrade of the Blackboard course management system to version 7.3, 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 layout and functionality of the discussion board, some enhanced features in the gradebook and assessment component as well as a new early warning system that monitors student progress in a course and alerts faculty to possible performance problems. This online session will highlight these new and enhanced features and tools. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1 hour
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Description:
Learn the basics of how to customize the interface of your Blackboard course. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn basic interface design principles and have the opportunity to create a customized course banner and buttons for use in their own Blackboard course. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Description:
Despite our efforts to educate students regarding the principles of solid academic writing, students may not always understand how to properly reference source content. The new SafeAssign plagiarism prevention service that is now integrated in Blackboard allows students to protect the originality of their work as well as to have it checked for inadvertent citation errors prior to submitting (to the faculty member) for credit. This hands-on session will introduce the features of the SafeAssign plagiarism prevention service and its integration with Blackboard and will illustrate how to incorporate opportunities for students to self-check their work for citation errors.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Description:
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.
Duration:
2 hours
Prerequisites:
Introduction to Podcasting
Description:
While the Introduction to Podcasting workshop provided participants with an overview of podcasting technology, the Enhanced Podcast workshop will be a more thorough hands-on experience for preparing a combination of imagery and audio content for online distribution. Topics will include a discussion of the pedagogy behind enhanced podcast, a review of hardware/software necessary to create presentations 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.
Duration:
2 hours
Prerequisites:
Introduction to Podcasting
Description:
While the Introduction to Podcasting workshop provided participants with an overview of podcasting technology, the Video Podcast workshop will be a more thorough hands-on experience for preparing video content for online distribution. Topics will include a discussion of the pedagogy behind video podcast, a review of hardware/software necessary for video 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.
Duration:
2 hours
Prerequisites:
Introduction to Podcasting
Description:
Podcasting is a powerful technology involving the selective subscription of audio or video content delivered over the Internet. NIU has installed a building block to Blackboard that allows faculty to easily create a course podcast in Blackboard. This hands-on workshop provides participants a brief overview of podcasting technology and the opportunity to create a course podcast in Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard.
Description:
Students today frequently know how to use computer resources for informal experiences, but when we require them to research, study and participate in class online, they often lack an understanding of how to succeed. This workshop focuses on teaching skills and activities that help students become successful online scholars. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills
Description:
Synchronous discussion, often referred to as chat or real-time communication, has rich potential for use in both online and traditional courses. This session will discuss the pedagogical issues that come to play when planning and executing a productive class chat. Participants will have the opportunity to practice participating in synchronous discussion and in creating and archiving discussions.
Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Duration:
1.5 hours
Description:
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.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Duration:
1.5 hours
Description:
The true challenge in delivering online materials is keeping the environment dynamic and interactive. The goal of this workshop is to provide suggestions and offer examples of how to retool current course materials and develop other instructional aids that will promote an effective online teaching and learning experience. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills
Description:
This hands-on workshop will demonstrate the mechanics of adding voice/video to existing PowerPoint slide presentations that are streamed using broadband connectivity. Faculty may consider using this educational strategy to reinforce a concept presented in their own face-to-face-class session, provide a tutorial on new information, or review material for an upcoming examination. Participants will be using Articulate Presenter, a remarkable software that compresses large-size files for more manageable distribution online. Participants should be familiar with Microsoft PowerPoint and should bring existing PowerPoint files to experiment with. Advanced registration is required and seating is very limited.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills; basic PowerPoint skills
Description:
Do you struggle to keep track of all your favorite websites and other online resources? Would you like to share the links to your favorite online resources with your colleagues or students? A new social bookmarking feature in Blackboard allows for the storing, classifying, sharing and searching of links through the practice of folksonomic tagging. This hands-on session will introduce the social bookmarking capabilities in Blackboard and will explore several practical applications for implementing social bookmarking activities in the classroom.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Description:
Preparing to teach online presents many challenges as we rethink our course materials and plan how we can delivery the content in an effective format. This hands-on session provides an opportunity to build a pedagogically-sound structure for an online class. We will discuss how-and why-courses can be organized and what features of Blackboard can used to enhance the students' online learning experience.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills, Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
NIU faculty can use the Blackboard Grade Submission Tool to publish grades from the Blackboard Grade Center directly to MyNIU, saving time and reducing the opportunity for data entry errors. After submitting grades using this tool, faculty simply login to MyNIU to view the final grades and post them officially. This hands-on workshop will demonstrate the new Blackboard Grade Submission Tool and provide faculty who have been using the Blackboard Grade Center with step-by-step assistance in submitting their final grades from Blackboard to MyNIU. Staff from the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center will be on hand to individually address questions and provide assistance. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1 hour
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills, Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard or previous experience using Blackboard
Now that you have used PowerPoint to outline lectures, learn to create dynamic presentations that transform your instruction by utilizing infrequently-used features that engage students. You will construct a "progressive" series of slides and will get a rubric for its evaluation. Experience using PowerPoint is required. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
Basic PowerPoint skills
Description:
Blackboard provides a variety of tools that help faculty track student performance in the course. The Early Warning System is a feature integrated into Blackboard that allows faculty to monitor student performance proactively based on attendance, student assessment, and assessment due dates. This online workshop will focus on setting up and running the Early Warning System rules to generate performance notifications, using the Performance Dashboard to identify students who may experience performance problems, and viewing and interpreting performance-based statistics.
Prerequisites:
Basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Description:
This hands-on workshop will include a discussion of necessary hardware, accessories, and software plug-ins needed to output a PDA's screen to a projector or VGA monitor for presenting material to audiences ranging from small groups to larger formal professional meetings. Participants will learn how to convert and download a number of different file formats (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Acrobat) to their PDAs. Participants should be familiar with the operations of PDAs. Advance registration is required.
Duration:
2 hours
Prerequisites:
None
Description:
The Blackboard Content Collection feature provides NIU faculty with an easy and efficient way to store, share, and manage their course content. The Content Collection feature fully integrates with the Blackboard System and provides an easy way for faculty to manage files, grant file permissions, and link the same files to multiple courses and sections without the need for duplication. This session will provide a preview of the Blackboard Content Collection and will walk participants through the process of managing course content using the new features and tools. Prerequisites: basic computer skills and attendance at the Blackboard I: Introduction to Blackboard workshop or previous experience using Blackboard. Advanced registration is required.
Duration:
1.5 hours
Prerequisites:
None
Last Updated: 11/9/2009
