Tips for a Great Start of the New Semester

It's not too early to begin preparing your SU22/FA22 Blackboard shells. For this week, I thought I would look at a few articles from past newsletters that may be useful as you get your course ready for the new semester.

Copying content from a master course or a previous semester’s course shell is one of the first things an instructor does to prepare for a new semester. There are a few mistakes we see regularly that can make this process more confusing or frustrating than it needs to be. In an earlier newsletter, I presented the article Blackboard Tip: Using the Course Copy Tool, in which I took a look at the Course Copy tool and discussed some simple tips for completing the process as smoothly as possible.

There is another tool in Blackboard that many instructors don’t even know about that can be a big help when preparing for a new semester. The Date Management tool allows instructors to update all of the date information in their courses, including due dates, adaptive release dates, and test dates. In another previous newsletter article, Blackboard Tip: Date Management Tool, I discussed the Date Management tool and how to use it to update the dates in your course each semester.

The entry point of a Blackboard course is the first page the user sees first when they open the course. When an instructor is preparing a course, they may decide they want it to open to a different page than it has in the past, particularly if they are borrowing course contents from another instructor. I wrote another newsletter article, Blackboard Tip: Changing the Entry Point of Your Course, discussing this feature, and provided instructions for resetting the entry point to your course.

Finally, in the blog post Don't Panic!, I discuss the most important tip I know: Don’t Panic! Remember, your IDT Team and the Support Center are here to help you get your courses ready and will do what it takes to make that process go as smoothly as possible. Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is anything we can do to help you.

Drop In Support Reminder

The Instructional Design and Technology team continues to host four live drop-in support hours for faculty and staff each week in Zoom. Stop by to get your questions answered or to get quick help getting ready for the next term. The link to the recurring Zoom meeting is https://uhcl.zoom.us/j/91324561229. No reservations or appointments are required for drop-in support.

• Monday, 10 - 11 a.m.
• Tuesday, 1 - 2 p.m.
• Wednesday, 6 - 7 p.m.
• Thursday, 10 - 11 a.m.

What Do Instructional Designers Actually Do?

An interesting recent blog post by Dr. Luke Hobson provided an excellent section on "Explaining What An Instructional Designer Does." Described some years ago by a faculty member as "the people who load your syllabus into Blackboard," UHCL's team of instructional designers (IDs) are actually educated and trained in a variety of areas and they apply that expertise in assisting faculty on a number of instructional fronts. Adapting from Dr. Hobson's blog post and accompanying video, I would describe what our team's instructional designers (IDs) do as follows:

• They understand how people, especially adults, learn. Although the IDs most often assist with online instruction, their understanding of adult learning crosses all modes of instructional delivery (100% online, hybrid/blended, face-to-face).
• The IDs work with faculty members to gather their instructional needs, information about their students and classes, teaching preferences, and subject-related expertise, and they then advise and assist with using that information to create effective learning experiences for students.

These efforts involve the design and development of learning outcomes, course materials, activities, and assessments, as well as guidance and support for the use of appropriate instructional technologies. The instructional designers serve as advisers and consultants to any faculty who would like assistance creating, updating, or fine-tuning their instructional planning and delivery. There are certainly other aspects to the daily tasks for our ID staff. They develop and deliver training and professional development, assist with planning for emerging online programs, evaluate and report on potential new instructional technologies, and review new online courses for approval and instructional use. If you haven't had an opportunity to meet our instructional design team, I encourage you to do so. Feel free to use the contact information provided in our blog post, Instructional Design and Technology Team - Contact Information, and make an appointment to visit a member of our team virtually or in person at the Center for Engagement, Teaching, and Learning (CETL)...safely distanced and masked, of course.

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.

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

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. 

Introduction to Open Educational Resources: A Closer Look at OER Commons

Contributed by Izaak Diefenbach, Instructional Designer I (COE)

A few weeks ago, I wrote an introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER) and presented a few websites that are a great starting point. In this article, I will take a closer look at OER Commons, a project of the ISKME (Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education). OER Commons is a collection of no-cost educational resources for both K-12 and Higher Education. They also provide a service called Open Author that can help you design your own OERs and publish them for other educators to use.

A great page on the OER Commons website to start with is OER 101. OER 101 gives some general information on what OERs are and how they work. It also provides links to two resource hubs: the K-12 Remote Learning Hub and the Higher Education: Open Textbooks hub. The Higher Education hub primarily focuses on open (no-cost) textbooks but also provides other resources that can be incorporated into your courses. There are even full course packages available. The K-12 hub provides resources and full course packages for K-12 classes that may interest some instructors, particularly in the College of Education. OER Commons also has an advanced search tool that allows you to search on many different criteria, including subject area, education level, material type, format, and license type, among many others. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has created a video that gives an excellent overview on Using OER Commons.

When you open a resource in OER Commons, you will be presented with an overview page describing the resource and links to the various materials available for that resource. The options available from the resource's main page vary depending on the creator, the type of resource, and the license the resource is provided under. For example, some textbooks must be read online, while others have download links in various digital formats such as EPUB, PDF, and others. Full course packages will provide many different resources, including textbooks and other reading materials, videos, lectures, assignments, tests and quizzes, and more.

While they are all free to use, OER Commons resources are provided under various open-source licenses that offer varying levels of customization and require varying levels of attribution. No Strings Attached licenses allow you to use a resource in any way you would like, including making changes and distributing, but you may have to credit the original author. Remix and Share licenses allow you to make changes and share your work with others, but they may have some restrictions, possibly including crediting the original author, limits on commercial use, and requirements on the license for the new work. Share Only licenses do not allow you to make changes to the original work, but you may distribute it to others. Finally, Read the Fine Print licenses have specific requirements for use and/or may be copyrighted.

OER Commons may be the best place to get started in using Open Educational Resources. It has an extensive resource library and provides a lot of support for anyone just getting started using OERs in their courses. If you have any questions about using OERs, don't hesitate to contact your designated Instructional Designer.

Understanding Blackboard Test Feedback Options

Contributed by Henry Newkirk, Instructional Designer II (HSH)

This short article discusses one aspect of the Blackboard test grading feature that allows instructors to provide students feedback. The test feedback options can often be confusing because instructors can provide (3) feedback annotations to students in (3) different areas. The (3) areas are:

• Response Feedback: instructors can provide Response Feedback for each question on the test or quiz. Both instructor and student would have to review the complete test to see the comments.
• Grading Notes: are located at the end of the grading test page. Any comments entered into this section will be available in the Grade Center: Grade History. Instructors assume that their feedback on individual questions would appear on the Grade History; this is a misconception.
• Feedback to Learner: comments in this section at the end of the test grading page can be seen by the instructor on the Grade History page

Instructors can download the Grade Notes and Feedback to Learner comments from the Grade History page. Please keep in mind that if students take a test at different times, you can make a limited amount of feedback available until all students submit the test. Once you have graded and provided your feedback, you can go to where the test is deployed. Use the Test Options page to set the options to allow students to see all the feedback you have annotated. You may select several options on this page in the Show Test Results and Feedback to Students section. Students can access their grades and Feedback to Learner comments on the My Grades link. To the left of the grade, there will be a speech bubble. Check on the title of the test; the Review Test Submission page appears. On this page, students will review all comments made for each question on the test.

For more information on test feedback options, please consult Blackboard's help information on results and feedback options, or contact the IDT team to schedule a session with a member of our staff.

Reminder: Student Video Submissions from Echo360 to Blackboard using Zoom

Contributed by Sam Houston, Learning Technology Administrator I

Since it is close to when students may be completing and submitting end of semester large assignment/project videos, we thought we should revisit using Zoom in collaboration with Echo360 to get these videos submitted. Please see our article published on 9/3/21, below, for details.

As reported in our March 29, 2021 newsletter, your students can upload their 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.

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:

1. Log in to https://uhcl.zoom.us/ with your UHCL credentials.
2. Click "Meetings" in the menu on the left.
3. Click Schedule a meeting.
4. 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 be automatically uploaded into your Echo360 library.
5. Once your Zoom recording has been uploaded to your Echo360 library, follow the instructions in the "how-to" document starting with step 7. (Click on the thumbnail for the uploaded video) 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 cannot record to the cloud or if they have any questions, please have them contact the Support Center (supportcenter@uhcl.edu).

Spotlight on Blackboard Tools and Features

Contributed by Jenni Willis-Opalenik, Ph.D., Director - OIT Technology Learning Services

Our team received word this week about a faculty concern regarding how up-to-date UHCL's Blackboard system is in comparison to other similar institutions. In June 2020, OIT migrated from a UHCL-hosted and managed version of Blackboard Learn to a fully cloud-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployment that is managed by Blackboard, Inc. As a result, UHCL's Blackboard Learn system is always the "latest and greatest" version, updated continuously by the vendor. Faculty who would like OIT to consider adding a third-party tool/application not listed below may use our team's online Blackboard B2/LTI Integration Request form to submit information for review.

In terms of the specific Blackboard-provided tools and features that are active for UHCL users, our current system includes all of the following:

• Blackboard Ally (and its Accessibility Report)
• Achievements
• Adaptive Release
• Announcements
• Assignments (a.k.a., Drop Boxes)
• Attendance
• Collaborate Ultra (will be discontinued at the end of the FA21 semester)
• Blogs
• Calendar
• Check Course Links
• Content Editor
• Content Folder
• Course Link
• Course Messages
• Date Management
• Discussion Board
• Email
• File
• Glossary
• Grade Center
• Groups
• Image
• Content Item
• Journals
• Mashups - Flickr, Slide Share, and YouTube
• Module Page
• Performance Dashboard
• Portfolios
• Recording Creation (in grading feedback)
• Retention Center
• Roster
• Rubrics
• SafeAssign
• Self and Peer Assessment
• Survey (for anything other than a very basic survey, we recommend that faculty create surveys in Qualtrics and then place a link to the Qualtrics survey into their Blackboard course)
• Syllabus
• Tasks
• Test
• Tools Area
• Video (please do not upload MP4, MP3, or other multimedia files directly into Blackboard! Instead, save the file(s) to Echo360, YouTube, or another cloud-based service of your choice and then deploy the audio or video file as a link in Blackboard)
• Web Link
• Wikis

There are also a plethora of third-party tools and applications that can be integrated with Blackboard Learn via either an LTI integration or a building block (B2). Third-party tools currently available in UHCL's Blackboard Learn instance include the following:

• Cengage
• Echo360
• McGraw-Hill
• Pearson
• ProctorU
• Respondus LockDown Browser
• Taskstream LAT
• Wiley
• Zoom

For more information about any of these options, please contact your designated instructional designer or OIT's Support Center. A member of our team will be assigned to follow up to your inquiry as quickly as possible.

Blackboard Tips and Reminders for the New Semester!

Blank course shells have been created for SP23 courses. All faculty are reminded of the following recommendations:

• Course Merge Request Deadline: If you have two or more classes that you want to merge into a single Blackboard shell, please use the online merge request form at least two weeks before classes begin. We will be unable to perform merges once students begin accessing your courses.
• Teaching Assistant Access: If you have TAs or others who will be assisting with your classes this semester, use the online Add TA to a Course request form to get things started. NOTE: Whenever possible, we use the TA's UHCL staff account credentials, rather than their student credentials. This better delineates work that they do in courses as a student from work done as a TA.
• Student Access for Incompletes: If you have given a student an incomplete for one of your courses, please notify the Support Center via email (supportcenter@uhcl.edu) to request that we either add the student to your current semester Blackboard course or extend the student's access to your previous semester Blackboard course. In your email, please include the following information:
• Names and ID numbers of the students who received an incomplete.
• The course rubric(s) (e.g., ACCT3331.01).
• Whether we should add the student to your current semester Blackboard course or extend their access to the class in which they received the incomplete.
• (If we are extending access to your previous semester Blackboard course) The date through which you would like the student(s) to have access.
• Take Your Course for a Student "Test Drive:" Use Blackboard's Student Preview to look at your course from the perspective of a student. Are all dates current for the new term? Can you see everything that your students need to access? Are your welcome message and getting started materials in a prominent location, so that students don't have to hunt and peck for critical information?
• Copying Course Contents: Faculty may use Blackboard's Course Copy feature to transfer contents from one of their own existing Blackboard shells into their SP23 shells. Faculty who need to borrow content from another instructor should email the Support Center and include an email from the content owner granting permission for us to copy their contents into your course.
• Course Updates: Clear or hide outdated and/or unused course materials, e.g., old discussion posts, announcements, old syllabi, etc. Update any assignments/assessments with availability and due dates with new dates for the current semester.
• Add Critical Help Resources for Students: If you will be using Zoom, Collaborate, or Echo360 this semester, please encourage your students to review the materials posted on our Student Blackboard Support page. We have a Student Checklist for Online Technology Readiness, as well as tool-specific handouts and videos.
• Schedule Changes: If you were originally scheduled to teach a course in SP23 that has been reassigned to another instructor, please email the Support Center and let us know the course information. A Blackboard shell for the new instructor will not be generated until your shell has been removed from the Blackboard system.
• Proctoring Information: Will you be requiring students to use a proctoring service when completing online tests/exams? If so, make sure that you provide students with links to resources about how to prepare for a proctored assessment. UHCL provides two recorded proctoring options for faculty: (1) ProctorU Review+ (with Proctored Launch), and (2) Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor. The Student Information tab on our team's Online Proctoring Resources page has the information that students need to get ready for a successful proctoring session.

For questions about preparing for the next semester, please reach out to our Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) team by contacting the Support Center. A staff member will enter your request into the help ticketing system, where it will be routed to the next available member of our team.

First Look: Echo360 and Lecture Capture

What is Echo360?

Echo360 is a robust video creation and video management system that will enable faculty to create and post to Blackboard lecture videos, record and live stream face-to-face class meetings, and incorporate student interactivity within presentations. With Echo360, faculty will be able to create their own instructional videos or video lectures from their campus or personal computers or from within the classroom. Sessions can also be live streamed while being recorded, which would enable faculty teaching face-to-face to live stream and record their in-class lectures from within UHCL classrooms. Echo360 enables the recording and live streaming of two simultaneous video channels, meaning that instructors will be able to use/display information from the computer workstation, document camera, and/or the camera on the computer or in the back of the classroom.

We will begin offering informational/preview sessions about Echo360 to faculty in the first week of July. In the meantime, feel free to visit the following links to learn more about Echo360 and to begin thinking about how you may want to use it this fall:

• Recording and Streaming
• Video Management
• Video Learning and Engagement
• Analytics

UCT is currently working to ensure that all UHCL classrooms are equipped to include both cameras and microphones to support capture and streaming. However, none of the cameras will follow the instructor as they move away from the instructor workstation. Initially, some classrooms will have a back-of-room camera that will provide a view of the front of the classroom, but they will not track faculty movement or zoom in on the white board. Some classrooms will be limited to using only the built in camera on the computer or monitor itself. As UCT acquires Echo360 and the hardware needed for the classrooms, we will provide more information about how each classroom is equipped.

Will there be training for Echo360?

Absolutely! Once the purchase of Echo360 is finalized, the Instructional Design and Technology team will begin offering training sessions as soon as we can get it installed and ready for use. Those instructors who are interested in pre-recording lecture videos before Echo360 is available can already work with a member of the instructional design team to learn how to leverage Zoom, Collaborate, or PowerPoint for doing so. Videos created in these, or other, tools can be deployed to Blackboard via Echo360 once it is available, so faculty would not need to recreate any MP4s created prior to Echo360.

Large Files in Blackboard - Understanding and Avoiding Performance Issues

We are excited to see more instructors using audio and video contents in their Blackboard courses each semester. However, the growing use of those multimedia elements does introduce some issues that need to be addressed. In our team’s blog and support documents, we’ve written before about the importance of NOT directly uploading audio and/or video files directly into a Blackboard course, whether by the instructor or by students. As previously mentioned, there are known performance issues when an instance of Blackboard Learn becomes bloated with a significant number of large multimedia files. These may include:

• Increased number of transactions, or communication jobs, that must take place between Blackboard courses and the database server, significantly slowing down the overall performance of the entire system;
• Increased resources needed by UCT to manage the nightly backup of the entire Blackboard system; and
• Additional time needed (system “downtime”) by UCT to perform both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance tasks, such as the weekly Sunday morning maintenance period.

UCT staff already take steps to keep the Blackboard system and its database server running as efficiently as possible. These include the following:

• Annual purging of Blackboard semester offerings (shells) that are older than three years; and
• Weekly maintenance period, every Sunday, from 7AM-9AM. During that window, UCT’s database administrators performing a variety of tasks to ensure that the database runs as efficiently as possible.

For more detailed information about the Blackboard system, database limitations, and multimedia use, we have provided the document Understanding Multimedia File Size in Blackboard, which you are welcome to review.

Even with these steps, UHCL’s Blackboard system does occasionally become overwhelmed, causing the system to be slow to respond to user commands and resulting in an increase in the number error messages seen by users. In many cases, these performance issues can be minimized if we can all be better custodians of file space, especially when it comes to the following types of files:

• PowerPoint (.ppt/.pptx) presentations that include audio and/or video elements within them
• Audio recordings (.mp3, .wav, .wma)
• Video recordings (.mp4, .mov, .wmv, .flv, .avi)
• High-definition Images (.jpeg, .png, .gif, .tiff)
• Other documents in which audio and/or video elements are embedded (.pdf, .doc, .docx)

UCT’s instructional designers are available to answer your questions about and assist you with using multimedia effectively and deploying it in your course(s) without negatively affecting the Blackboard system. Some of the strategies that we use and on which we provide training and support include the following:

• Creating Videos (MP4s) from Narrated/Annotated PowerPoint Files
• Using Collaborate to Record a Video Lecture/Presentation
• Storing and Deploying Audio/Video (A/V) Files from UHCL’s Streaming Media Server or from YouTube
• Compressing Images/Pictures
• Effective Instructional Use of A/V Files in Blackboard
• Using Student-Created A/V Files for Assessment in Blackboard

Please contact the Support Center or your college’s designated instructional designer directly if you have questions about or would like assistance with audio and video files for your Blackboard courses.

Online Student Blackboard Training

Instructors, are you tired of hearing about Blackboard technology issues from your students? If so, you may want to instruct learners to self-enroll in UHCL's online Blackboard training for students. The short, self-paced course will introduce learners to our Blackboard system. Students will learn how to use key Blackboard features/tools and how to avoid technical issues while learning in Blackboard. Some faculty even require students to submit a copy of their training completion certificate as a component of their course orientation activities, especially in 100% online classes. For more information about this optional training offering for learners, please contact the Support Center.

E-Services/PeopleSoft Support Reminder

UCT's Blackboard support staff would like to remind all instructors that our Blackboard team has no access to E-Services/PeopleSoft. Although our Instructional Designers can help you with many Blackboard and other technical issues, we are unable to provide assistance with anything related to E-Services/PeopleSoft.

Each college should have personnel trained to support this effort and they should be your first point of contact regarding E-Services/PeopleSoft questions. Please contact the Associate Dean’s office for your college for more information.

•    BUS: 281-283-3111
•    COE: 281-283-3620
•    CSE: 281-283-3715
•    HSH: 281-283-3400

The backup support for E-Services/PeopleSoft inquiries will be the Office of Academic Records (OAR)/Office of the Registrar and the Student Enrollment Center (SEC).  These offices will be your contact for technical difficulties and other related assistance as needed. You may contact the OAR at 281-283-2525 and can reach the SEC at 281-283-2722.

Instructional Design and Technology Team - Contact Information

Often mistakenly characterized as "the Blackboard people," the members of UCT's Instructional Design and Technology team offer a much broader array of support than this description suggests.

Our staff includes two primary categories of team members:

• Instructional Designers (IDs) - All members of the ID team, as well as the team's supervisor, hold, or are working toward, advanced degrees in Instructional Design. The IDs' academic backgrounds include substantial preparation in human learning, active learning, assessment design/development, curriculum/content design, and other non-technology educational/instructional domains. We consider ourselves to be instructional designers first, and instructional technologists, second. In addition, two of the five have taught one or more online courses for UHCL or other institutions. Given our academic and experiential background, the ID's role is diverse and includes BOTH providing training and consulting on active learning, effective teaching practices, and course design/development (whether web-assisted or fully online), AND on how to strategically employ technology tools to effectively support and enhance teaching and learning. 
• Learning Technology Administrators (LTAs) - Until recently, the LTAs managed our on-site installation of Blackboard Learn and provided student support for Blackboard. However, as we transitioned into the 2020-2021 academic year, the LTAs converted to a new role, in which they assumed primary responsibility for assisting faculty and students with technology-based issues (e.g., Blackboard, video, Echo360, clickers). Both bring to these task years of experience with Blackboard and other technologies and in customer support. 

Our IDs continue to serve as a point of contact for faculty needing help with technology; however, you may notice that we will increasingly refer those inquiries and help tickets to our extremely capable LTAs.

Jenni Willis-Opalenik, Ph.D. – Director, Technology Learning Services

281-283-2981

willisopalenik@uhcl.edu

Samantha (Sam) Houston – Learning Technology Administrator (LTA)

281-283-2971

houstonsam@uhcl.edu

Jennifer (Jenn) Ray – Learning Technology Administrator (LTA)

281-283-2996

ray@uhcl.edu

Aubrie Grass – Instructional Designer I, College of Business

281-283-2934

grass@uhcl.edu

Izaak Diefenbach – Instructional Designer I, College of Education

281-283-2922

diefenbach@uhcl.edu

Henry Newkirk – Instructional Designer II, College of Human Sciences and Humanities

281-283-2914

newkirk@uhcl.edu

Nadin Noman – Instructional Designer I, College of Science and Engineering

281-283-2936

noman@uhcl.edu