Looking to have more say on topics selected for training each month? Starting SP2016, faculty will determine which topic will be featured each month in our monthly workshop series. The first workshop will take place in February.  

Faculty will follow these steps in order to vote for the workshop(s) of their choice:

1. Participate in the myUMBC poll to vote for up to three topics to be the focus of the next month’s workshop.  

2. Participate in a Doodle poll to determine the date and time the workshop will be held.

3. Watch for updates about the event:

• Follow the Instructional Technology group page

• RSVP to attend the session once the topic and date are finalized

Questions? Contact us at instructionaltechnology@umbc.edu.

For more information about Instructional Technology:

• Follow our Instructional Technology group page

• Visit our FAQ collection

• Open an RT ticket

• Request an appointment with an instructional technology specialist

An impending blizzard during the winter season reminds us all of potential disruptions to course delivery due to snow and icy weather. Last year, Dr. Anne Spence successfully used Blackboard Collaborate to replace face-to-face sessions after snow delays canceled several class sessions. Several instructional technology tools are available to support teaching and learning when classes cannot meet. 

Blackboard Learn is UMBC’s learning management system. It is hosted by Blackboard to ensure a stable and reliable environment 24/7. Blackboard offers three core themes to support instruction: content management; communication, collaboration & engagement; and assessment & grade management.

Content Management

• Upload syllabus, course materials & handouts
• Post presentations
• Share links & resources
• Embed YouTube videos
• Link to TechSmith Relay screencasts

Communication, Collaboration & Engagement

• Facilitate & continue course discussions
• Send email & messages
• Post announcements
• Manage small group activities
• Support blogs, wikis & journals

• Distribute & collect assignments
• Grade electronically with rubrics & embedded feedback
• Post grades
• Maintain digital gradebook
• Deliver tests & secure with Respondus LockDown Browser 

February 14, 2020

Update: As of Spring 2020, TurningPoint 8 is supported by UMBC. Turning Technologies no longer supports the software TurningPoint Cloud. All main lecture halls are up-to-date with the new software. TurningPoint products are not affected by the transition to TurningPoint 8. Clickers and subscriptions are compatible with the new software. Students will not need to purchase another clicker or subscription if it is still active. Rebates are no longer being issued. To learn more about pricing, visit the UMBC TurningPoint Pricing pdf. For more information on what is needed to participate in TurningPoint polls, visit our FAQ.

On Thursday, November 19 a Faculty Town Hall was held to discuss the current status of clicker software and to share survey results. Turning Technologies, our current clicker vendor, announced that they will no longer support our current software starting in June 2016. This announcement prompted DoIT to re-evaluate our current clicker software and conduct a market survey of other response systems available.       

Q: What is happening with clickers at UMBC?

A: Current clicker software will no longer be supported starting in June of 2016. UMBC will have to update from TurningPoint 5 to TurningPoint Cloud before this support period ends, or decide to use another response system.  It is important that our campus stays up-to-date with our software so we offer students and instructors the best classroom experience possible. A comparison chart of current clicker system is publicly available.

Q: What will be the cost to UMBC students?

A:  If we stay with our current vendor, TurningTechnologies, students who currently have a clicker will need to purchase a license for a Turning account after the TurningPoint Cloud upgrade in order to register their clickers for UMBC courses. The cost of this license is $34.99 plus tax; however, the $34.99 will be fully refunded to UMBC students through a mail-in process.

Students who do not have clickers will purchase a clicker bundle in the bookstore. The bundle will come with a physical clicker and a 4- or 5-year subscription to ResponseWare, the mobile version of the clicker. All bundles come with a $15.00 mail-in rebate.

Q: When is this change going to occur?

A: The transition from TurningPoint 5 to TurningPoint Cloud will begin in Summer 2016.  

Q: Where can I provide my feedback about this transition?

A: Please complete this survey and give detailed feedback about this transition.

Q: Where can I view the clicker survey results presented at the Faculty Town Hall?

A:  Survey results presented at the Faculty Town Hall have been shared here.

Blackboard engineers will perform a system upgrade and maintenance on Thursday morning, December 24, 2015 from 12:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Blackboard will be offline during this period.

As previously announced at the start of the FA2015 semester, UMBC’s Blackboard server will be upgraded in late December. This will ensure UMBC is using the most recent and supported version of Blackboard while supporting the new Chrome-based Collaborate web conferencing tool.

In preparation for this downtime:

• Instructors: If you need access to your gradebook, please review this FAQ for information on downloading a copy of the Blackboard Grade Center to Excel.

After Blackboard is back online, please clear your Internet browser cache and cookies before logging in using these step-by-step instructions.

Blackboard course shells for WT2016 and SP2016 were created on November 20, 2015.

Bb shells are available for all courses (designated as lecture, lab, field or discussion) listed in the UMBC Schedule of Classes (SOC), provided that there is an instructor of record listed. As new course sections and/or instructors are added to the SOC, corresponding Bb shells are automatically generated overnight. If you need a shell for a research or independent study course, please submit a new course request.

Instructors who teach multiple sections of the same course will find those enrollments merged into one Bb course shell. These sections can be split upon request an RT ticket. Student enrollment in Bb mirrors the official registration in SA and updates hourly. However, courses are not accessible to students by default until the instructor makes them available.

If you are an instructor, and your name is not associated with the course you are teaching in the SOC, please see your departmental scheduling coordinator to resolve the issue. Once you are listed in the SOC, your Bb course shell will be created automatically.