Melting the Ice from Your Syllabus

Contributed by Henry Newkirk, Instructional Designer II (HSH)

Teaching is an art improved by the experience of what works best in your course. Think for a moment. What would you consider the most important thing that has to take place in your class at the start of each semester? If this were a lecture session, I could turn this question into a quick ice breaker activity and begin the first class meeting by having each student answer on a piece of paper (or in the chat for a virtual session) that same question. The chances are good that most student answers would include either the word syllabus or something covered in your syllabus (e.g., grades, late work, attendance). From experience, I would then answer the question by distributing the syllabus, highlighting elements that students identified as necessary, and then ensuring that your learners understand course requirements that may not strike them as critical.

As an instructional designer and adjunct instructor, I have encountered many instructors who use creative and engaging methods to get students to read and understand their syllabi. One category of methods is ice breaker activities, such as the one described in the opening of this article. Ice breakers help students engage with one another, the instructor, and the course materials (including the syllabus). There are all types of ice breakers and different reasons for using them. A quick Google search of terms such as "ice breaker college syllabus" should produce plenty of ideas, such as those provided on Mohawk Valley Community College's Ice Breaker Activities page. Plenty of ideas exist online that you can modify and use based on your teaching style and what you consider essential in your syllabus. Other excellent sources of ice breaker ideas are your faculty peers, UHCL's Center for Faculty Development, and OIT's Instructional Design and Technology team. Here is one ice breaker option for your consideration:

Syllabus Reconnaissance Ice Breaker

• Have students read through the syllabus.
• Students should place a star (★) next to at least five critical details.
• Students should place an exclamation point (!) next to items about which they are excited.
• Students should place a question mark (?) next to items about which they have questions.
• Have students submit their annotated syllabus document during the face-to-face class or online in a Syllabus Reconnaissance Icebreaker assignment dropbox.

After reviewing your students' submissions (either in class or online), follow up by answering class questions, addressing critical items that students didn't flag, and discussing the course elements about which they are (and are not) excited. This exercise provides valuable information to the instructor to guide early class sessions. It also provides a fun way for students to review the syllabus.
Whatever strategy you employ to start your semester and your classes, make sure that it is effective for you and your learners. It may take some trial and error. However, in time, you can develop your personalized "toolbox" of activities that align with what, how, and who you teach. All the best to UHCL's full-time and adjunct faculty as we start another exciting new semester!

Online Course Organization

One of my favorite things to do as an instructional designer is advise faculty on organizing their online courses. Though there are many perfectly functional & intuitive ways to do so, I have a “go-to" structure that some professors may want to adopt.

First, be aware that as a course designer, you are free to add menu items to your course as you see fit. Common ones are “Course Content,” “Discussion Board,” “Syllabus,” “Instructor Bio,” “Tests & Quizzes,” “Blackboard Support,” “Grades,” etc. You can order them in a way that makes sense and leave it at that.

Know, however, that you can also add “headers” on the menu. Headers help create a mental map for you and your students, making it easier to navigate if there are a lot of items on the menu. In Blackboard, headers are called subheaders. To add headers/subheaders, go to the top “+” sign function and scroll down to subheader. You will be prompted to give your subheader a name, which you can just type in (I recommend all caps to further set the header apart from what’s under that header, but that is up to individual preference.)

Once you add the subheader, it will immediately be populated at the bottom of the menu, but you can move it to where you want on the menu simply by dragging it “up” to any point. I recommend the following headings:

• GETTING STARTED – this section would include sub-menu-items like Welcome Message, Instructor Bio, Syllabus, Syllabus Quiz, Student Introductions (basically, anything that students do in the first 1-3 days or week of the course to get situated and ready for the regular weekly learning content.)
• COURSE CONTENT – this section would include sub-menu items like Modules, Week Folders, Units (or a combination of the three), Tests/Quizzes, Midterm Exam, Final Exam, Major Papers, Projects, Presentations, Research Assignment (basically, the parts of the course that are the actual learning content, including readings, instructional videos, PowerPoint slides, assignment submission links).
• COMMUNICATION – this section would include sub-menu items like Discussion Board, Announcements, Blackboard Email, Course Messages, Zoom (all aspects of the course in which students interact with the instructor and/or students interact with students).
• ADMIN & SUPPORT – this section would include sub-menu items such as My Grades (link for students to see their grades), Course Evaluation, Blackboard Support, Technical Support, Academic Support, etc.

You do not have to limit yourself to these four subheaders, or use this nomenclature exactly, but these categories tend to be catch-all in terms of what’s in a typical course. If you would like any further ideas or help in organizing your online course content, don’t hesitate to reach out to an instructional designer. We are happy to help.

Blackboard Issue Alerts – Blank Assignment Submissions/Empty Journal and Blog Entries

Contributed by Jenn Ray and Samantha Houston, Learning Technology Administrator I

Blackboard can produce some odd and often unpredictable errors that are the result of specific incompatibilities between Blackboard Learn and popular web browsers (e.g., Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari). In this week's article, we'll describe the most commonly seen browser-related problems in Blackboard.

Blank Assignment Files

• If your student has submitted a blank document:
• It is likely the result of a known issue but can also happen if the file is still open on the computer.
• Check the student’s submission receipt for a file size of 0 bytes

We often get students reporting that the document they uploaded was submitted blank, but the file on their computer is fine. The most common cause of this is that the student is using Microsoft Edge as their browser. This is a known issue with Edge, and Blackboard has made Microsoft aware of it. Unfortunately, the fix has to come from Microsoft, so there isn’t anything Blackboard can do. This does not happen every time when submitting with Edge, so some students may have used it successfully for months or longer before experiencing this issue. A blank submission can also occur if the student still has the document open when attaching it before submitting it. To troubleshoot this, you can check the student’s submission receipt for that particular assignment.

Some instructors have expressed concern that a student may have submitted a blank file on purpose to buy time. Submission Receipts are the way to check for this. Every assignment submission has an associated submission receipt. These are emailed to the student when the assignment is submitted successfully, and instructors will have access to all submission receipts for all student assignment submissions in each course. To find the submission receipt for any student assignment submission, begin by going to your full grade center. On the main page, click Reports, then select Submission Receipts from the menu. On the next page, type in the username for the student in question and click go. A list of all submission receipts for that student for the course will populate. Locate the assignment and then check the size column. If you see a size of 0 bytes, then there was most likely an issue with the submission. If a student has submitted a purposefully blank document, it will still have some background data that would give the file a size greater than 0.

Empty Journal and Blog Entries

Several months ago, we first began experiencing an issue in Blackboard where posts such as Journals or Blogs were being submitted blank, despite text being entered in the text editor. The issue was mostly confined to Mac users using Safari as their browser but did also creep into Chrome users as well. The issue was resolved by updating the browser to the most current version. Lately this issue has been popping up again in other locations, such as in essay questions during an exam. In the coming semester, if you have students reporting this issue, be advised that while there is no way for us to recover the work, having the student update the browser they’re using should resolve the issue in the future. As we discussed in our article covering the “best” browser for Blackboard, currently we recommend using an up-to-date version of Mozilla Firefox. However, this may change as browsers will occasionally update more rapidly than Blackboard can keep up with.

Classroom Point-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) Cameras (a.k.a., Rally Cameras)

In preparation for FA21 classes, OIT's Academic Computing/Labs and Tech Services teams worked diligently to add point-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras (a.k.a., "Rally cameras") to classrooms that had not already been equipped for the FA20 semester. To see what cameras and microphones are deployed in your assigned classroom(s), please review the Classroom Cameras and Microphones List (FA21). Support documents and video tutorials for PTZ camera users have been created and are available via the following hyperlinks:

• PTZ (Rally) Classroom Cameras Overview
• Video: PTZ Classroom Cameras Overview [4:26]
• PTZ (Rally) Classroom Cameras and Zoom
• Video: PTZ Cameras and Zoom: A Brief Tutorial [2:24]

Please keep in mind that the PTZ cameras are not designed to focus in on the video screen at the front of the classroom. To display contents from the computer to remote students as well as on the screen for in-room students, use the "share screen" option in Zoom as demonstrated in the video linked above. The cameras are designed for faculty who prefer to step away from the instructor computer to face and lecture their class, ask/answer questions. etc. The cameras do focus well on the chalkboards or whiteboards in most classrooms.

Mirroring Issue in Zoom - Some faculty have reported that, when using Zoom with the PTZ cameras, the classroom image from Zoom on their computer monitor appears to them in reverse image. This is intended functionality and remote students will not see the classroom image in reverse.

Faculty have two supported options for recording or live streaming their on-campus face-to-face lectures/class meetings.

• Echo360 - We strongly recommend Echo360's Universal Capture (UC) application for instructors who want to record their lectures/classes for posting in Blackboard. Echo360 UC includes an option to stream the course synchronously to remote learners. However, remote learners can only "participate" via a live chat tool built into Echo360 UC. Lectures/Classes recorded with Echo360 UC are automatically saved to instructors' Echo360 Library, where they are also automatically captioned. Making Echo360 videos available to students in Blackboard is a straightforward procedure, and our instructional designers and learning technology administrators are standing by to help you get started.
• Zoom - A full-featured web conferencing system, Zoom is an ideal option for instructors who want to actively engage via audio and video with remote learners during their on-campus classes. Instructors have the opportunity also to record those sessions. Recorded Zoom sessions should be saved in Echo360 and deployed into your Blackboard courses from that video storage and management system.

Icebreakers in Online Classes

Contributed by Jane Nguyen, Instructional Designer I (CSE)

One of the biggest challenges of online learning is student interaction. Students are often well aware of other students in the course with them but feel almost no connection to them. An “introduce yourself” discussion board can help if the prompt is dynamic enough, but professors may want to liven up even from that with an icebreaker activity or two. These activities open up the lines of communication in a non-threatening manner and set the tone for the rest of the semester.  

An icebreaker activity should focus on personal lives rather than academic knowledge or career goals as relates to the course’s subject. Allowing students to share their personal background, interests, & experiences—a humanizing approach--helps to counter the “inhumanness” of the technology being used. 

Here are a few ideas for icebreakers in online courses:  

(*Note: I have done all three of these myself in in-person and online courses I taught, and students really enjoyed them.) 

• BINGO – Have students post a 2-paragraph bio of themselves, but add a “bingo” component. Send out an instructor-created bingo card (can be made easily with tables in Microsoft Word) with each class member’s name in one square. Post an audio-only file or written document in which you read/type out statements like “traveled to Europe in July,” “has a dog named Wilbur,” “Ran the Houston marathon in 2018.” Give students 24 hours to post their bingo card. Winners, based on time submitted and number of correct responses, will be announced later. 
• PERSONAL IMAGES – We are a very visual society, and pictures always have more impact and provide more connection than just words. Instead of having students just type text to describe their background, ask them to post three personal images and talk to the class about them. Students can be in the pictures themselves, but the images can, alternatively, be of quirky, fun, meaningful, and/or novel aspects of their lives (pets, favorite meals, new car, favorite book, recent vacations, etc.) Students find commonality and connection easily with others when they see their pics.  
• CLASSMATE COMMONALITY – Immediately pair two students and tell them to communicate (in whatever way they want, whether text/email exchange, chat/phone conversation, Zoom session) with the goal of making a list of 8 to 10 things they have in common. (Instruct students to avoid banal commonalities like “we both have a sister”). One of the two will post to the discussion board what they have in common—in effect, introducing each other to the class. You can still require students to reply to one or two posts. This format allows everyone to get to know the two students who were paired, and the two students who talked directly got to know each other even more closely. 

Icebreakers are a fun part of in-person classes, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be the same for online classes. These resources offer even more ideas: 

• Article: "21 Free Fun Icebreakers for Online Teaching, Students, & Virtual and Remote Teams"
  
• Video: "5 Icebreakers for Online Classes Part 1"
  
• Video: "5 Icebreakers for Online Classes Part 2"
  
• Article: "10 Icebreakers for Online Classes (College)" 

Instructional Food for Thought: Plan First-Day Activities

Contributed by Henry Newkirk, Instructional Designer II (HSH)

The first day of the semester is an important day for the faculty and students. It marks the beginning of a new term for students to continue their path to achieving the goals they set out to accomplish. Therefore, the first day (or first few days) of class requires careful preparation. Here are some tips to consider as we begin the new semester:

When introducing yourself (in person, via video, sharing a welcome document), share your passion for your subject with your students. Let students know why you think the knowledge you and your class offer is valuable.

Plan for success. "What you do and do not do the first day of class will affect your students' and even your own expectations and behavior for the rest of the term. So think ahead of time about the expectations and behaviors you want to establish in your classroom. Layout these expectations, and lead the kind of class activities that model the level of student engagement you have in mind for the rest of the course" (Nilson, 2010, p. 45).

• Be prepared. If you are teaching in a specific classroom, arrive early to organize and set up any technical equipment.
• Provide opportunities for students to interact, whether face-to-face or online. Options include:
• Use an icebreaker.
• Plan a syllabus activity that enables students to engage with other students and you actively.
• Create a student online introduction or "meet and greet" discussion in your Blackboard shell.

Regardless of what subject you are teaching, it is best to plan to start your students off with an exciting first day of class. I hope you have a grand launch!

Reference

Nilson, L. B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Echo360-Zoom Integration

Contributed by Jenn Ray, Learning Technology Administrator I

If you attended any of our Zoom or Echo360 focused training sessions this summer, you might have heard us mention that Zoom and Echo360 are integrated here at UHCL. With the shift away from Blackboard Collaborate, this integration is a helpful tool to make that transition a bit less stressful.

If you are recording a meeting in Zoom to the Zoom cloud and set up your Echo360 account, your recordings will automatically be sent to your Echo360 library once they have fully posted to the Zoom cloud. This is especially beneficial since our Zoom cloud storage is finite, while Echo360 offers unlimited storage space.

Once your recording has been processed and posted to the Zoom cloud, you will receive an email from Zoom. Then, sometime after the email from Zoom (time varies based on video size and server traffic load), you will receive another email from Echo360 letting you know that the video is available in your library there as well. Once available in Echo360, you can go in and add a link to share the video with your students (or anyone else) who was unable to attend but needs to view the recording of the meeting.

These links can also be embedded in your course in Blackboard or added to the Echo360 side if you’ve integrated that particular course.

For more information regarding Zoom, Echo360, or the Zoom/Echo360 integration, or if you would like assistance in setting up your Echo360 account to utilize this integration, please email the Support Center (SupportCenter@uhcl.edu), and a member of our team will reach out to answer your questions or get you started.

Blackboard Tip: Using the Course Copy Tool

Contributed by Izaak Diefenbach, Instructional Designer I (COE)

It's mid-August, and that means the start of the Fall semester is right around the corner. For instructors with online courses, this means it's time to get their new course shells ready to use. For most instructors, the first step is to use Blackboard's Course Copy tool to copy the contents of a previous semester's course shell into their new shell. Here are a few tips to help make the process as smooth as possible.

The most common mistake I see is starting the copy process from the wrong shell. You must initiate the copy process from the course shell you want to copy from. In other words, the old course shell, not the new one. We frequently get support tickets from instructors who get this error message: Source ID cannot match Destination ID.

This error message usually means that the instructor initiated the copy process from the new shell and is therefore trying to copy the new shell into the new shell. In rarer cases, it can also mean that the instructor initiated the process from the correct shell but inadvertently selected the same shell from the Destination Course ID list and is therefore trying to copy the old shell into the old shell. For the process to work correctly, you must initiate the process from the old shell and select the new shell in the Destination Course ID list.

Another common mistake is selecting the wrong copy type. The first option in the copy tool is Select Copy Type. There are three options in the drop-down menu: Copy Course Materials into a New Course, Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course, and Copy Course with Users (Exact Copy). Because you are copying contents from an old shell into a new shell, it is natural to think you should choose Copy Course Materials into a New Course, but that is incorrect. That option would create a new course shell identical to the one you are copying. At UHCL, your new course shells are created automatically. Therefore you need to choose the Copy Course Materials into an Existing Course option, then select your new course shell from the Destination Course ID list.

The last tip I have is to make when you get to the Select Course Materials option is to only choose Select All. Do not check or uncheck any other boxes, even if you don't want to copy a particular item. We have found that selecting anything other than Select All can lead to problems with the copy process, resulting in an incomplete copy of your course contents.

If you have any questions about the Course Copy tool, please read this document: How to Use "Course Copy" in Blackboard. If you need further assistance, contact your designated Instructional Designer or the Support Center.

Email Address in Blackboard Not Your UHCL Email Address?

Contributed by Samantha Houston, Learning Technology Administrator I

If your Blackboard account has an email address listed that is anything other than your UHCL email (i.e., a personal email such as Gmail or Yahoo), OIT will not be able to manually change it.  PeopleSoft syncs with Blackboard regularly and the email address listed as “preferred” will be pushed back into Blackboard.  To change the email address listed in Blackboard, you will need to log into PeopleSoft (e-services) and make sure your preferred email address is listed as your UHCL email address. 

After following the steps below to set your UHCL email address as preferred in PeopleSoft and waiting 24 hours (or if it is already listed as preferred), if your email address is not syncing correctly in Blackboard, contact the Student Enrollment Center (SEC) for assistance.

Student Enrollment Center

Phone: 281-283-2722

Email: SEC@uhcl.edu

www.uhcl.edu/sec

Setting Your UHCL Email Address as Preferred in PeopleSoft (E-Services):

1. Access the UHCL E-Services page at www.uhcl.edu/eservices or click the “E-services” link at www.uhcl.edu.
2. Click the Faculty and Staff tab and sign in using your UHCL username and password or your 7-digit employee ID number and password.
3. Click on the My Personal Info tile.
4. Click on Contact Details.
5. Under Email, make sure your UHCL staff account is marked as Preferred.
6. If your UHCL staff account is not listed as Preferred, click the UHCL staff account line and on the resulting pop-up, check the box next to Preferred, then click Save.

Classroom Cameras Revisited

The first week of classes seemed to fly by, didn't it? Amidst the usual start-of-semester chaos and trying to readjust to life on campus, many faculty also had their first experience with classroom point-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras that have been installed since the pandemic began. In the hopes of clarifying a few questions and concerns, I wanted to share the following points about the PTZ cameras (and classroom microphones):

• Not all classrooms have PTZ cameras and microphones. Those that do have them vary in the brand of camera and how it is controlled (touchscreen or remote control) and in microphone configuration. Although OIT is committed to getting all UHCL classrooms equipped with PTZ cameras and ceiling mics, that process is ongoing. In the meantime, faculty are encouraged to review the latest Classroom Cameras and Microphones List (FA21). In that spreadsheet, faculty can locate their assigned classroom(s) and see its current audio-video configuration.
• OIT is working with the vendors installing the cameras to address some issues identified as the semester began: (1) using the document camera causes remote learners to lose audio from the class, (2) faculty cannot use their own laptops/devices with the PTZ cameras, and (3) the presets described in the video, Video: PTZ Classroom Cameras Overview [4:26], were not configured in every classroom with the new cameras. We don't yet have an ETA for the resolution of these issues, but we'll provide updates via this weekly newsletter as more information is available.
• OIT's Support Center has received several complaints that the PTZ cameras don't clearly show the projector screen for remote learners. Faculty should not rely on the PTZ cameras to do so, as that is not within their capabilities. Instead, and as described in the video, Video: PTZ Cameras and Zoom: A Brief Tutorial [2:24], instructors should use Zoom's Share Screen feature to ensure that remote learners have a clear view of the contents from the computer monitor.

OIT provides support for in-classroom technology issues, including those experienced during evening classes. If you experience a technical problem while teaching on campus, please use the classroom phone and dial x2828. If you call before 7:30 PM (Monday-Thursday), an OIT Support Center technician should answer the call. If they are unable to resolve the issue on the phone, they will contact a member of OIT's Academic Computing/Labs staff to assist you in the room. If you call x2828 from the classroom after 7:30 PM, you will be prompted to "Press 3" for classroom support. Doing so will route your call to one of the Academic Computer Labs and a member of their staff can assist you.

Color Codes in Blackboard Grade Center

Contributed by Jane Nguyen, Instructional Designer I (CSE)

For many professors, Blackboard’s grade center is information central. By scanning the data therein, a professor can get a sense of a test or quiz’s score range, who is missing what assignments, and students’ running average.

These statuses can be eye-balled and columns can be manipulated to sort information in different ways according to what one is looking for. However, professors may also want to take advantage of a currently under-utilized function in the grade center – color coding. It makes the “eye-balling” process that much easier on the eyes because issues that need to be addressed or tasks that need to be completed can be made to stand out by highlighting them in colors such as yellow, pink, green, etc., just like actual highlighters.

To create color codes, go to the Control Panel in your course shell. Then, open up the Full Grade Center. From there, go to Manage in the menu bar at the top. In the drop-down list, choose Grading Color Codes.

You will see that Blackboard has three pre-set grade statuses: In Progress, Needs Grading, & Exempt. Next to each is a drop-down menu to change the color to whatever you prefer (blue, red, green, yellow, etc.)

Below the preset grade status settings is an even more helpful setting: Grade Range(s). The drop-down menu has options for “More Than or Equal To,” “Less Than,” and “Between.” This setting, for which you decide the high/low number criteria, allows you to highlight in whatever color you prefer (all color settings should be very distinct from each other) scores that fall within a certain range, or above or below a certain #.

For example, you can decide that you want all scores below 60 to be highlighted in light orange. This can be helpful if you want to reach out to those students and offer them extra credit, or an opportunity to revise, re-test, re-do, etc. You can also decide you want to highlight in light blue all scores between 60 and 80. Highlighting / color-coding does not always have to be for the purpose of offering students re-do’s. In many cases, professors highlight scores just to see in what areas students are doing very well, where they are doing average, and where they are doing poorly. This helps with present and future decision-making about course content, and/or it can alert the professor to what may need more review or clarification.

Once you’ve decided on the grade ranges you’re interested in highlighting and in what colors, be sure to click Submit at the bottom to lock in your choices. Once back in the Full Grade Center, you can, at the top right of the grade book, toggle between “show color coding” and “hide color coding” to turn the color code view on and off.

For more on Color Coding in Blackboard Grade Center, refer to Blackboard’s official help document, Color Code the Grade Data.

If you find yourself interested in utilizing this function in Blackboard Grade Center but have questions or need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to an instructional designer or learning technology administrator on the IDT team. We are happy to help!

HyFlex Delivery Mode Takes Flight in RN-BSN Program

Contributed by Henry Newkirk, Instructional Designer II (HSH)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, course delivery modes during the 2020-2021 academic year included a Bimodal option, a flexible option for faculty and students. The start of the 2021-2022 academic year has seen a return to UHCL's standard delivery modes as described on the UHCL webpage Fall 2021 Course Modes. Although many programs and instructors were excited to return to something approaching "normal" instruction, one program has elected to offer their degree in a new delivery mode known as HyFlex.

Led by Director of Nursing and Assistant Profession Dr. Karen Alexander, Nursing's RN-BSN Program embraced the challenge in 2020 to design their courses for HyFlex delivery. As described in the program's flyer for prospective students, "HyFlex courses allow you to choose your preferred method of learning: online, face-to-face or a combination of both. You can change your mode of attendance weekly or by topic, based on your needs." All ten required courses were designed and developed for launch in the FA21 semester. For each HyFlex course in the semester schedule, students can select the face-to-face delivery mode or 100% online delivery as their preferred instructional mode. Once classes are underway, those students can then switch from in-person, synchronous online, or asynchronous online attendance and participation each week to suit their needs and schedule. Some of the technologies and tools used by Nursing faculty to provide this degree of flexibility include the following:

• Each class session is both streamed live and recorded. Zoom live video conferencing sessions for each class meeting are automatically uploaded to the instructor's Echo360 video library. From there, instructors can readily link to or embed the videos directly into their Blackboard courses for student access to the recorded sessions.
• Within Zoom, instructors can add polling (questions) to their class as part of the live session video. In-person and synchronous online students can respond to questions, alerting instructors to topics in need of further clarification.
• Each course in the program uses various Blackboard tools, including assignment drop-boxes, journals, rubrics, discussions, and group tools, all of which contribute to a rich learning environment.

Design and instructional elements, crafted by each faculty course developer, are the foundation for the HyFlex classes. Critical components include the following:

• Careful design and development of varied and rich contents, in addition to the recorded Zoom class meetings, made available to students in their Blackboard courses.
• Consistent structure for each class meeting to support both synchronous and asynchronous student needs.
• Learner-centric, highly engaging, and authentic activities and assessments throughout the course, designed to align with both course- and program-level outcomes, as well as with real-world professional needs.
• Course communications between instructors and students and peer-to-peer interactions promote a shared educational experience, regardless of shifting delivery modes.

Faculty course developers in the program sacrificed considerable time and effort to create these ten HyFlex courses. They interacted extensively with their designated instructional designer, Henry Newkirk, to discuss HyFlex design and delivery considerations and plan how they wanted HyFlex to look in their program and throughout the design and development process.

With the courses only one week into their inaugural offerings, we look forward to hearing more from Dr. Alexander and the Nursing faculty about what works well and what adjustments may need to be made for future semesters. We hope that everyone will join us in mid-October when CETL and the IDT team join the Nursing faculty for a showcase event at Pearland and in Bayou Atrium I. Dates and times for those events will be shared with the campus as soon as details are finalized.

Don't Panic!

Contributed by Izaak Diefenbach, Instructional Designer I (COE)

Now that we are a couple of weeks into the new semester, everyone’s Blackboard courses are running smoothly, right? OK, maybe not, but hopefully, it is getting better. The first few weeks of any session are always busy, but the unique nature of this semester has presented us all with new challenges. When it comes to your online courses, I would like to give you one piece of advice: DON’T PANIC! You may discover a problem with your course, and it may seem bad, but don’t panic. The UHCL Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) team is here to help, and we will find a solution. I want to give a couple of examples of problems I’ve seen this semester that seemed very serious at the time but actually had simple solutions.

The first example is a course that used adaptive release settings to require students to complete a policy acknowledgment quiz before the course content would be made available. Students had to answer yes to two questions agreeing to abide by University policies before they could access any course content. The problem was that the instructor could see the quiz when they were logged into the course, but the students could not, so there was no way for the students to get access to the course contents. I looked into the issue and discovered that there was an adaptive release setting on the quiz itself that made it unavailable until the students made an attempt at taking the quiz. In other words, there was no way to take the quiz until they took the quiz. Luckily, it was an easy solution. Once the adaptive release setting on the quiz was deleted, everything worked fine.

The second example is a course that had been working fine then suddenly lost all of its contents. A few days into the semester, the professor started receiving reports from students that there was nothing in the course, just a blank shell. The professor logged into the course and found the same thing. The professor contacted me, and I investigated the issue. When I looked in Blackboard, I found two versions of the course. One version was empty, and one had the course contents. The instructor’s section number had changed, causing a new empty shell to be created and all of the student enrollments to be moved over to the new shell. Instructor and student access to the old course shell had been removed, so it appeared that the course contents had been deleted. As an administrator, I still had access to the old course shell and was able to copy the contents over to the new shell, fixing the problem.

These examples represent issues that seemed very serious at the time but actually had simple causes and solutions. I’ll say it again: DON’T PANIC! The IDT team is here for you! Not all problems will have solutions as simple as these, and I wish I could say we will always have an easy answer for every issue, but we will always work hard to find the best solution we can. If you have an issue with your course don’t hesitate to contact your designated Instructional Designer or the Support Center and we will look into it as soon as possible.

Student Video Submissions from Echo360 to Blackboard using Zoom

Contributed by Samantha Houston, Learning Technology Administrator I

As reported in our March 29, 2021 newsletter, your students can upload their own video projects into Echo360 and then submit a hyperlink to their video in an assignment dropbox, discussion, or other Blackboard tools for review and grading.

Even if you don't use Echo360 to create and store videos, you may still enable students to access Echo360 in your course for these types of activities. Simply add an Echo360 link to your Course Menu and let them know that it's there for them to use for video submissions. Adding this link to your course menu also enables your students to create their own Echo360 accounts.

A "how-to" document for students has been created, so feel free to share this with your students.

Now, since students can also have licensed Zoom accounts, they can create recordings for assignments using Zoom that can be automatically uploaded into their Echo360 libraries. Students who are unsure about the type of Zoom account they have will need to email the Support Center to request a Zoom licensed account. Once a student has a licensed Zoom account, they should be able to record their videos to the cloud by following these steps:

• Log in to https://uhcl.zoom.us/ with your UHCL credentials.
• Click "Meetings" in the menu on the left.
• Click Schedule a meeting.

When choosing the settings for the Zoom meeting(s), make sure to select the option to record to the cloud. By doing so, any Zoom meetings you record to the cloud will automatically be uploaded into the Echo360 library.

Once the Zoom recordings have been uploaded to the Echo360 library, follow the instructions in the "how-to" document starting with step 7. (Click on the thumbnail for the video that was uploaded) to submit the recording in Blackboard. (For more information on scheduling meetings in Zoom, review Zoom's documentation, Scheduling Meetings).

If your students find that they are unable to record to the cloud or if they have any questions, please have them contact the Support Center (supportcenter@uhcl.edu).

Making Your Syllabus Inclusive

Contributed by Jane Nguyen, Instructional Designer I (CSE)

Inclusivity is important in higher education not just at the institution level--administratively, logistically, and structurally--but within the in-person and online classroom as well. It must be put into practice, not just desired & superficially achieved in the abstract, as tangible implementation has a positive impact on student experiences and outcomes.  

The syllabus is invariably the beginning of any college course and is widely considered the most important contributor to effective teaching. It is the backbone, and among other indications, the syllabus conveys who belongs and whose voices are privileged and valued.  

The following are some important questions to self-assess whether your syllabus is inclusive, followed by tips on how to make it just that, if it is currently not or if it could use improvement.  

1)    Does the syllabus demonstrate to students that everyone has a place in the field of study? 

• Link to a few articles written by people of various ethnic backgrounds who work or research in the field. Possibly feature related “success stories.”  
  
• Link to a few articles—or make explicit statements in the course description—discussing how the field is becoming more diverse or how it welcomes more diversity.  
  
• Include a few images in your syllabi that feature students of various backgrounds (including different body types, races/ethnicities, heights/appearances; those with disabilities, etc.) 
  

2)    Does the syllabus encourage everyone to play a role in the learning process? 

• Make clear in assignment descriptions that every student will participate. For instance, if there is group work, state that though work is done together, you would like to see tangible evidence of individual participation toward the collective product. Or, if there is a group presentation, each person must speak a roughly equal amount of time, not just one speaker selected by the group to represent everyone. 
  
• Encourage participation and interaction that is balanced. For instance, tell students that discussion board replies should not be concentrated on a single thread, but that they should seek out threads that haven’t been replied to and engage there. This prevents students from being left out. 
  

3)    Does the syllabus promote the conditions for every student to succeed in the course? 

• In your “required textbook” section, provide students with options on how they can get hold of the book if they are not able to buy a brand new copy. This may be other routes to purchase (renting, buying used, getting an online PDF version), or descriptions of how they can facilitate sharing with classmates. Also, state that if none of these options are viable, students should contact you immediately so you can offer further solutions. 
  
• Be sure the syllabus states when and where any recorded video conferences will be posted for students who cannot attend. Give students support center or IT information on how they can seek help immediately if videos/screencasts, etc. are not viewable to them.  
  
• Provide students with links and contact information to technical support and offices within the university that can provide them with or help them seek out laptops, locales for stronger Internet service, tablets, etc. Keep in mind that even if what is worded in your syllabus does not, alone, “solve” student problems, the fact that you are acknowledging awareness that they may have them and directing them towards help is a start in making students feel acknowledged, assisted, included, etc.
  

There is a great deal to be considered when it comes to inclusivity in college classes, both online and in-person. The syllabus is just a start. If you would like more tips on inclusivity, please reach out to an instructional designer. We are happy to help. Also, please check out other sources on inclusivity to help inform your course design, syllabus formulation, and teaching as a whole. 

• Addy, T.M., Dube, D., Mitchell, K.A., & SoRelle, M.E. (2021). What Inclusive Instructors Do: Principles and Practices for Excellence in College Teaching. Stylus Publishing. 
  

• UMass Amherst: Inclusive Syllabus Design
  

• American Psychological Association: Inclusive Syllabus
  

• University of Utah: Developing an Inclusive Syllabus

Introduction to Open Educational Resources

Contributed by Izaak Diefenbach, Instructional Designer I (COE)

Are you looking for new content for your courses but want to keep costs down for your students and avoid potential copyright issues? Consider using Open Educational Resources. What is an Open Educational Resource (OER)? An OER is an educational resource in the public domain or available under an open license (such as Creative Commons), making it free to use, adapt, and distribute. Essentially, this means that OERs are free resources that you can incorporate into your courses and make available to your students.

Getting started with OERs can be intimidating. Where do you start? If you do a Google search, you’ll get over a billion results. It can be overwhelming. One great place to start is OER Commons. OER Commons is a project of the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME). They not only offer an extensive library of educational resources for all levels, but they also offer training and professional development resources to help you get started. OER Commons also provides access to Open Author, a system for creating your own OERs.

OpenStax is another excellent site with a variety of resources but primarily focuses on open textbooks. OpenStax is part of Rice University and provides peer-reviewed textbooks available for free in electronic formats or at low cost in print. They also offer OpenStax Tutor, a low-cost online courseware system that offers readings, assignments, and other assessments. BCcampus OpenEd is a project from British Columbia that also focuses on high-quality, freely available textbooks. They also have a variety of resources for instructors just getting started with using OERs.

Want to know what else is out there? The University of Pittsburgh Library has a Big List of Resources to help you explore the world of OERs a little further. This list includes resources for getting started, complete courses, open book libraries, multimedia resources, and other resource collections.

Are you ready to consider using Open Educational Resources in your courses, but you’re unsure how to incorporate them? Contact your designated Instructional Designer, and they’ll help you get started. 

What Does a Learning Technology Administrator (LTA) Do?

Contributed by Jenn Ray, Learning Technology Administrator I

As most of our readers already know, OIT's Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) team consists of four Instructional Designers (IDs) and two Learning Technology Administrators (LTAs). What you may not know, however, is what precisely an LTA does. At UHCL, the Learning Technology Administrators are much more than just "the Blackboard people." Although Blackboard is one of the technologies we support, it is far from the only thing we do. We also support any other instructional technology (or technologies used for instructional purposes). For example, we support Zoom and Echo360 at UHCL.

Beginning with Blackboard, we handle most technical issues, whereas the Instructional Designers handle instructional and content-based inquiries. We also respond to student Blackboard inquires and issues. Other system administrative tasks include (1) monitoring the cloud-based instance of Blackboard hosted on Blackboard's servers, (2) maintaining and update publisher integrations with publisher or other third-party systems that work with Blackboard, (3) setting up course merges, and (4) adding Teaching Assistants to courses at the start of each term.

The LTAs are also administrators for UHCL's instance of Zoom. We provide training and resources for Zoom's many features and troubleshoot any technical issues. We also assign users to our HIPAA compliant Zoom sub-account when the need arises or assign one of the University's shared Webinar licenses to users who need them. Regarding Webinars, as with Zoom meetings, we provide training and resources and assist in coordinating with the theater (or with the person who will handle A/V for the event).

Although not truly the last thing we do, the last item being covered today is Echo360. Echo360 is the video storage and capture system we use at UHCL. In addition to administrating UHCL's instance of Echo360, we also (as with Zoom) provide resources and training on how to use Echo360's many features. These include personal Universal Capture, some limited video editing capabilities (within Echo360), how to navigate the Echo360 Course and Library system, and how to share videos from your library most effectively.

Much like these are not the only things we do for these three systems, these are also not the only items we support. If you ever have a question about any of these or an instructional technology that is not Echo360, Blackboard, or Zoom, don't hesitate to contact the Support Center (SupportCenter@uhcl.edu) with the pertinent information, and we'll gladly assist. 

Feedback Via Peer Review

Contributed by Henry Newkirk, Instructional Designer II (HSH)

What is feedback? As an instructional designer, I often encounter misconceptions about the differences between grades and feedback. Grades are measurements of how well students do on assignments and assessments. Effective instructional feedback is so much more, and it should include the following characteristics:

• Feedback should provide students with specific information to guide learners in how to improve their learning throughout the semester.
  
• Feedback should also be explicit with actionable expectations that students can understand.
  
• Feedback must be timely, and provided throughout the course when there still remains opportunity for the student to improve their understanding.
  

Feedback is most useful when it is part of your teaching plan, and aligned with the learning objectives for your lesson, unit, or course. Just like the way in which most instructors plan their tests, papers, and projects, you should also have a plan for yourself that determines what type of feedback you will provide and how you will deliver that feedback to students.

There are many different strategies for providing learner feedback and not all of them rely on the instructor. For this article, we will focus on peer review and its use as a form of feedback to students.

Listed below are (7) ideas for peer review in a face-to-face classroom or an online learning environment. When carefully designed and executed, peer-to-peer reviews of papers, presentations, projects, etc. can provide tremendous benefits to learners. The key to successful peer review is preparing your students to be effective reviewers. Below are some tips to get you started.

Strategies for Preparing Effective Peer Reviewers

1. Introduce peer review to students within your syllabus, and in any start-of-semester lesson materials. Make sure that you explain the reason for using peer review, including its benefits for the reviewer and reviewee.
   
2. Teach students to be critical thinkers as they review their classmates' work.
   
3. Create a set of questions or an outline of specific items for students to look for as they review each other's work.
   
4. Coach reviewers to avoid generalized platitudes, such as "Great, Terrific, Excellent Job" when providing feedback to their classmates. Those words alone are unhelpful and provide no specific information for students about how they can improve.
   

Are you interested in using peer reviews, or simply shoring up your approach to instructional feedback in your classes? Contact your instructional designer to schedule a consultation in which to discuss additional options that suit the specific needs of you, your curriculum, and your students. You may also find some of the resources listed below a great do-it-yourself starting point for learning more about effective feedback.

Resources

Angelo, T. A., & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Angelo, T. (2011). Efficient feedback for effective learning: How less can sometimes be more. Retrieved from http://planning.iupui.edu/assessment/institute-files/2011-institute/monday-2011/angelo-feedback.pdf

Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Teaching Center. (n.d.). How to provide constructive feedback—That won't exasperate your students. Retrieved from http://www.columbia.edu/cu/tat/pdfs/feedback.pdf

Friend, C. (2013, January 1). Grading, assessment, or feedback? [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://chrisfriend.us/grading-assessment-or-feedback/

The Higher Education Academy. (2012, July). 10 ideas for enhancing feedback with technology. Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/resources/10_ideas_for_enhancing_feedback_with_technology.pdf

LeVan, K. S., & King, M. E. (2016, November 14). Teaching students how to manage feedback. Faculty Focus. Retrieved from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/teaching-students-manage-feedback/

Stenger, M. (2014, August 6). 5 research-based tips for providing students with meaningful feedback. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/tips-providing-students-meaningful-feedback-marianne-stenger

Sweetland Center for Writing, University of Michigan. (n.d.). Using peer review to improve student writing. Retrieved from http://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/instructors/teaching-resources/using-peer-review-to-improve-student-writing.html

Twigg, C. A. (2015, November–December). Improving learning and reducing costs: Fifteen years of course description. Change. Retrieved from http://www.changemag.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/2015/November-December%202015/course-redesign_full.html

Wiggins, G. (2012). Seven keys to effective feedback. Educational Leadership, 70(1), 10–16.

OIT Support Center "Tip of the Week:" Updating Your Web Browser

Whether using Blackboard, Zoom, or simply surfing the web, browsers are critical to our use of internet-based resources and tools. One aspect of web browsers that you may not usually consider is their age, also known as the version or revision number of your preferred browser. Keeping your web browser current is important for several reasons, including:

• Improved Security - the companies that create and maintain web browsers must constantly update those application to combat advances in hacking and data piracy. Using the latest version of your preferred browser increases the likelihood that your data stays secure while you roam the web.
  
• New Features - as online tools and applications continue to grow and develop, the browsers are constantly changing and adapting to remain compatible. These changes often include useful new interface elements or add ons that can make your online activities easier and less stressful.
  
• Better Performance - As one IT vendor explained on their blog, "Every web page that loads in a browser triggers it to perform a number of different tasks. One of these tasks is loading component files. These files include images, programming scripts, and other resources that help improve the look and functionality of the website you’re visiting. Old browsers do not perform these tasks with the same speed as new browsers. This makes your experience on the Web considerably slower, and can sometimes cause your browser to crash or freeze" (Envision IT Solutions, 2017).
  

Updating Your Browser

There are many web browsers available. However, for this article we'll focus on the four that are compatible with UHCL's Blackboard Learn system: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. Most browsers have an option for automatic updates. However, many users opt to NOT automatically update. Therefore, it's a good idea to manually check and update your preferred browser every few months. The resources below provide the starting point for updating each of the four Blackboard-supported browsers:

• About Chrome Updates
  
• Update Firefox
  
• Update Edge
  
• Update Safari (iOS or MacOSX users only)
  

For more information about browsers, browser-specific compatibility issues, or related matters, please contact the Support Center staff. You can reach us in person (at B1312), by telephone at 281-283-2828, or via email to SupportCenter@uhcl.edu. 

Embedding Echo360 Videos in Blackboard

Contributed by Jenn Ray, Learning Technology Administrator I

Recently we’ve discovered an issue with embedded Echo360 videos in Blackboard that were embedded by the tool integrated with Blackboard. Your students might report to you that they can’t view videos because they don’t have membership or permission. Shown to the left is a screenshot from a student perspective of the error message.

This error message appears when the video was embedded using the integrated tool due to course ID specific embed code created by said tool. If you used that tool to embed a video in a previous semester and then copied the course into a new semester offering, the students in the new offering will not have been on the roster for the previous course and therefore will not be able to view the video. You however, as the instructor of both courses will not encounter the problem.

The creation of that course ID specific embed code is coming from the Echo360 side, so any adjustments to the way that tool works are in their hands. However, there is a way to embed Echo360 videos in Blackboard in a way that avoids this issue entirely. By pulling the embed code from Echo360 directly, you are linking directly to your library instead of creating something with a course ID specific code. This method of embedding can be copied from semester to semester without issue.

Below is a link to a short video demonstrating how to pull the embed code from Echo360 for a video, and how to add it to your course in Blackboard. If you have any questions about the process after watching the video, please reach out to the Support Center (SupportCenter@uhcl.edu) to have a ticket created so that a member of our team can assist.

Embedding Echo360 Videos in Blackboard (3:54)

Blackboard Tip: The Force Completion Test Setting and Why You Shouldn’t Use It

Contributed by Izaak Diefenbach, Instructional Designer I (COE)

When you are setting up a test or quiz in your Blackboard course, there are many options you can set in the Edit Test Options menu. Force Completion is one of the options you can check in the Test Availability section of the menu. Force Completion requires the student to finish the test or quiz in one sitting, which sounds like a good idea and is used by many instructors. When it is selected, if the student leaves the test at any point, for any reason, the test will automatically submit, and any unfinished questions will be counted as wrong.

Even though Force Completion doesn’t sound like a bad idea, we do not recommend that you use it. It can cause a lot of problems. For example, if a student is connected to Blackboard via Wi-Fi and loses connection, even for just a few seconds, the test will submit (and unfinished questions will be counted wrong). The same goes for other types of technical issues. If they experience a software issue, like their browser crashing or locking up, the test will submit. Even a simple user error, like accidentally closing a browser window, can cause the test to submit. There are many ways that an inadvertent test submission could occur if the Force Completion box is checked.

There are other ways to achieve the same goal without using the Force Completion option. My first recommendation is to set a time limit on the test. When you set a time limit, you can also set the test to Auto-Submit, which will automatically submit the test when the timer expires, counting all of the incomplete questions wrong, just like with Force Completion, but it removes the issues caused by any technical problems because Blackboard will allow the student to continue the test when they log back into the system. Another suggestion is to set the test to only allow the students to have one attempt at taking the test.

The good thing about both of these suggestions is that you can allow individual students more time or additional attempts if you would like. Also, if you have students with accommodations, you can set individual test exceptions ahead of time, allowing individual students to have extra time or extra attempts, etc., as their accommodations require. If you have any questions about using Force Completion or how to set up alternatives in your tests and quizzes, contact your designated Instructional Designer. 

Vendor Webinars, Tutorials, User Guides, and Resources

Blackboard Learn - Recorded Webinars

• Assessment & Assignments in Blackboard Learn: The journey to teaching remotely is a process, and we want to ensure you have the tools you need to be successful for both you and your students. This intermediate session will provide a deeper dive into setting up assessments, utilizing different types of assessments and creating gradable assignments from with Blackboard Learn Original.
  
• Teaching Remotely (Blackboard Learn 9.1 Original Basics): In response to growing concerns on the spread of the coronavirus, and institutions moving to fully online teaching, this webinar is designed to provide you easy step-by-step instructions on how to upload course content, create discussion boards for students to communicate, and provide an overview on the types of online assessments available in Blackboard Learn.
  

Echo 360 Resources

• Getting Started with Echo360 (Faculty)
  

Zoom Resources

• Zoom Blog: 3 Ways To Use Polls In Meetings
  
• Zoom Video Tutorial: How to Use Breakout Rooms
  

ProctorU Resources

• Resources for New Instructor Users
  

Respondus Exam 4.0 (not the online proctoring tool)

• Respondus Exam 4.0 Resources
  

Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor (online proctoring tools)

• Respondus LockDown Browser Resources (Faculty)
  
• Respondus Monitor Resources (Faculty)