Contributed by Jenni Willis-Opalenik, Ph.D., Director - Technology Learning Services
As an FYI for next term, here are a few significant inquiries that our team receives and some responses and reminders.
Can you please merge my Blackboard courses together (after the semester has started)?
Although it is possible to merge courses together once the semester begins, doing so is inherently a destructive effort that will delete any work or communication your students in the classes have submitted thus far. In addition, if you have already put content in the shells that will be merged, we can only copy over content from one of the existing shells, but not both. We strongly recommend that instructors submit merge requests at least a week before classes are made available to students.
We just hired a new instructor. Can you please give them access to the Blackboard shell(s) for their classes?
Instructor and student enrollments in Blackboard shells are based on multiple automated processes that run between eServices/PeopleSoft, Blackboard, and other local applications. As a result, we cannot manually add either new instructors or newly added students to credit course Blackboard shells. We also have to manual mechanism by which to expedite this automation. The automated processes begin only AFTER the hiring college/program/department enters the new faulty member as a primary instructor of record. Once the new instructor is in the schedule, they will have access to their Blackboard shell(s) within 72 hours. This same timeline applies to student enrollments after their schedule change/add is entered into eServices/PeopleSoft.
My TA keeps losing access to my class(es). How can we fix this?
It is CRITICAL that students serving as TAs do not enroll in the course(s) for which they will serve as TAs. Doing so will make it impossible for the IDT team to manually add the student's PCLAB account as a TA in the course(s). The student will need to have and use a UHCL staff computer account as a TA, instead of their student/PCLAB credentials. The TA's staff computer account should be automatically created within 48 hours of when their employment record is created or updated in eServices/PeopleSoft.
Wednesday, August 31, 2022
IDT Crash Course Video Library (Aug 31, 2022 Newsletter Article)
Contributed by Jenni Willis-Opalenik, Ph.D., Director - Technology Learning Services
Have you heard about the IDT team's "Crash Course" Videos? In recent semesters, our team has created an expanding library of short (typically 5-10 minute long) videos on a variety of instructional technology tools. You may access the full library in our blog post, "Crash Course" Video Library.
Our latest additions include the following:
Have you heard about the IDT team's "Crash Course" Videos? In recent semesters, our team has created an expanding library of short (typically 5-10 minute long) videos on a variety of instructional technology tools. You may access the full library in our blog post, "Crash Course" Video Library.
Our latest additions include the following:
A few of our older videos that faculty have used in these early weeks of the new semester include the following:
- Rally/PTZ Cameras and Zoom: A Brief Tutorial [2:24]
- Rally/PTZ Classroom Cameras Overview [4:26]
- Embedded Questions in Videos [6:03]
- Automatic Transcripts and Closed Captions in Echo360 [4:29]
- Setting Zoom to Work with Echo360 [2:55]
- Providing Audio and Video Feedback to Students [1:46]
Tips for Creating Effective and Engaging Videos
Contributed by Izaak Diefenbach, Instructional Designer I (COE)
Video content is an important component in online course design. Videos can be as simple as a lecture in front of a whiteboard or as sophisticated as an interactive “how-to” demonstration. In this article, I am going to discuss a few tips to make your videos more effective and engaging for your students.
First, you need to decide on the objective of your video. It is important to focus on one concept. If the unit you are teaching is complex, divide the content into multiple videos. Studies have shown that student engagement drops significantly after about ten minutes, so try to keep your videos between five and ten minutes long.
Before you start shooting your video, make a plan. It can be as simple as an outline or as sophisticated as a storyboard. Think about what kind of video you are making. If it is a simple lecture or PowerPoint presentation, an outline should be fine. If you are going to present a complex demonstration or similar type of lesson, a storyboard can be a big help. Even if you are not a great artist, simple sketches can help you visualize what you want to shoot.
Once you have developed your plan, write a script. Try to keep the language natural. Be yourself. Try not to sound like you are reading from a book. Make sure to rehearse your script as well. Rehearsal will help your speech flow naturally and help you eliminate “ums”, pauses, and mistakes that can distract from your lesson. Also, include instructions for yourself. If there is something you need to trigger in your PowerPoint, or you need to switch to a different application for part of a demonstration, include those instructions in your script.
When you are ready to start shooting, you need to think about some of the behind-the-scenes aspects, such as your “studio.” Your studio can be any space you have available, such as your office, a classroom, your living room at home, or even outside, but there are a few things you want to think about as you are setting it up. First, what is going to be behind you? Try not to shoot in front of a blank wall, but also try to avoid an area that is too busy, which can be a distraction. Also, if you are shooting at home, make sure that there is nothing in your shot that you don’t want to be seen on camera.
Next, you want to think about your lighting. Avoid overly bright lighting, particularly from behind you. Bright lighting can wash you out and make other things in the shot, like a whiteboard, hard to see. Bright backlighting will cause you to be a silhouette on camera. You also want to avoid a room that is too dark. If you need to add lighting, there are many affordable video lighting options available on Amazon and other online sites. Another good investment is an external microphone. While the microphones built into devices will work, an external microphone will provide greatly improved recording quality and help ensure that you can be heard clearly.
It is important to show yourself on camera, at least occasionally. Even if your video is a simple PowerPoint, show yourself on camera, even if it is just at the beginning and end of your video. Student engagement is improved when the instructor appears in the video. When you are on camera, be yourself. Relax. Your students want to see you, and it is OK not to be perfect. Resist the urge to go back and edit out all the mistakes. Correct yourself and move on. Students like to know you are not perfect. Also, if you have the space, move around. Don’t just stand in one place throughout the whole video.
Another way to keep students engaged in your video is to incorporate images, animation, and video. Even if the images are decorative, they can still help keep students interested. There are some great online tools that can help you create simple animated demonstrations. Even the incorporation of short video sequences can have a dramatic effect on your video. As you are creating your video try to keep in mind that students may be viewing your video on a wide range of devices, from a cell phone to a big-screen TV. Make sure your graphics and animation will look good by previewing your video on a variety of devices.
Maybe the most important tip for creating an effective video is to create opportunities for student interaction. There are a number of ways to do this. One suggestion is to use Echo360 to incorporate questions into your videos for students to answer. It will also allow them to submit questions they may have for you and allows them to pin the question to the specific point in the video where the question came to them. Another suggestion is to have them answer questions about the video in a Blackboard discussion board post for discussion with other students.
If you have any questions or would like some help creating videos for your courses, please contact OIT's Support Center. A member of the center's staff will create a help ticket and route it to your designated Instructional Designer.
Seeking Quality Matters Cohort Volunteers
Contributed by Jenni Willis-Opalenik, Ph.D., Director - Technology Learning Services
As described in our February 2022 virtual presentation, the IDT team is bringing Quality Matters (QM) to UHCL. Our staff is currently completing a suite of Quality Matters training sessions and certifications in preparation to launch QM. However, before going farther, we are seeking 8-10 faculty to join our inaugural QM Cohort.
What Will Cohort Members Do?
- Complete QM's online training, Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) and, if interested, the online QM Peer Reviewer Course (PRC). NOTE: If you completed the APPQMR at another institution, you do not need to retake the training to participate in UHCL's cohort. Ask us about how to update your existing QM profile to indicate your presence at UHCL.
- Meet with the IDT team monthly to provide input and guidance on how our team can most effectively communicate about Quality Matters with faculty (including Faculty Senate) and the campus at large. Our team is committed to an active collaboration with faculty, especially as we begin planning this project.
- [Optional] Once you've completed APPQMR and PRC, faculty have the option of serving as local (UHCL only) or official Quality Matters course reviewers in the Peer Review process.
- [Optional] Once you've completed APPQMR, you are invited to develop a new online course or prepare an existing online course for local (UHCL online) or official submission for Peer Review. Courses submitted for an official QM Peer Review will be recognized by Quality Matters as "QM Certified" of once they meet required standards as evaluated by a three-member QM Peer Review team.
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