Using VoiceThread for Student Portfolios
February 26, 7:00 pm ET: Register Here
If you are interested in learning how to use VoiceThread as a portfolio tool to showcase student work or to provide feedback for their work in progress, we can help. In this workshop, we will showcase a variety of student portfolio examples and collaborate on a shared brainstorm discussion.
Humanize Your Online Course with VoiceThread
March 5, 7:00 pm ET: Register Here
Creating engaging online courses is not easy. In many discussion-board based courses, students feel isolated and disconnected from their instructors and classmates. VoiceThread bridges the gaps in social presence typically found in online courses. In this workshop, educators will learn how to establish a social presence and connect with their students using VoiceThread to improve course satisfaction and student learning.
Using VoiceThread for Assessments
March 12, 7:00 pm ET: Register Here
Are you looking for new ways to assess your student work? If you use written exams and quizzes, this workshop can show you alternative ways to evaluate student learning using VoiceThread. We will discuss strategies for improving student presentations, using comment moderation, and designing portfolios that can replace written exams.
VoiceThread and Storytelling
March 19, 7:00 pm ET: Register Here
Most cognitive scientists agree that storytelling is a great way to help your message stick in the minds of an audience. Our minds are fine-tuned to remember information shared within a narrative structure, not a broadcast lecture. In this workshop, participants will learn how to use VoiceThread to create engaging stories with their students.
These workshops are completely free. The sessions are led by VoiceThread's instructional designer and online educator George Haines. George will share his expertise to help you get the most from VoiceThread.
DoIT believes faculty are important partners and will play an essential role during the Ultra migration. The new Blackboard course interface is significantly different from the Original course we’ve had for the last fifteen years, marking a notable change for UMBC faculty. All faculty will need time and support to prepare their courses for the proposed migration timeline.
Since recommendations and feedback from peer leaders can be helpful during change, 15 faculty have agreed to be Ultra Faculty Ambassadors:
Ambassador’s Name | Representing Areas |
Elisabeth Arevalo-Guerrero | Modern Languages, Linguistics & Intercultural Communication |
Stephen Bradley | Arts (Dance, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts) |
Jamie Gurganus | Engineering, Mechanical |
Kate Hemmis | Sociology, Anthropology, and Health Administration and Policy |
Nancy Kusmaul | Social Work |
Katie Morris | Universities at Shady Grove |
Eileen O'Brien | Psychology / Instructional Systems Development |
Tim Phin | Ancient Studies / Historical Studies / Philosophy |
Neha Raikar | Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering |
Melissa Roane | Management of Aging Services |
Sally Shivnan | English |
Donald Snyder | Media & Communication Studies |
Liz Stanwyck | Mathematics & Statistics |
Mary Tabaa | Education / Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages |
Gary Williams | Emergency Health Services |
Throughout the transition to the new course interface, Ultra Faculty Ambassadors will communicate information to departments and college peers, respond to basic questions about using Ultra, and provide feedback to the Instructional Technology team about any concerns or functionality requests. The Ultra Faculty Ambassadors also attended a full-day of customized training to better prepare for their important role.
Visit our Ultra Course Adoption Center for helpful resources and tools including a course adoption guide, course inventory, and course roadmap.
As always, if you have any questions, please consider the following options:
Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups
Request a consult with instructional technology staff
On Friday, March 1, 2019, DoIT's Instructional Technology Team will hold its 4th annual TechFest. TechFest traditionally brings the campus community together to share and demonstrate ways technology can both support and improve the efficiency of day-to-day activities including academics. This year, participants are in for a double treat as Instructional Technology partners with the Faculty Development Center to bring you day celebrating technology, teaching and learning!
There will be raffles with prizes and giveaways like Amazon products for those who attend and participate.
Students, faculty, and staff are all welcome and encouraged to attend.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND!
NEW THIS YEAR!
Come with a team and follow the clues to conquer the Escape Room in UC-310! Teams should be comprised of 4-6 members. To sign up a team in advance (only the team leader needs to sign up), click here.
Come interact with teaching and learning tools in the Technology Test Kitchen (TTK) in UC-312! The TTK will feature accessibility-enhancing tools including the Ally course accessibility checker, Blackboard Ultra, Panopto’s video platform, PollEverywhere, Open Education Resources (OER), Duo Two Factor Authentication, and password management, and much more!
Start your day by enjoying our light breakfast and the TechFest morning sessions. Immediately following the morning sessions TechFest, the Faculty Development Center (FDC) hold their Symposium sponsored by the Provost's office, which will include a poster session and luncheon with keynote address by renowned speaker Randy Bass. TechFest will conclude the day with a final session following the keynote address.
9:00 - 9:50: Breakfast and Registration (University Center Ballroom Lounge)
10:00 - 10:45: Session A
10:55 - 11:40: Session B
11:45 - 2:10: Provost’s Symposium (UC Ballroom)
2:15 - 3:00: Session C
TechFest Sessions A-C will take place in the Engineering Building in rooms ENG-102, ENG-023, and ENG-025; click here to review the session abstracts. Some of the session topics include implementing digital badging programs to recognize competencies and skills, using data analytics to demonstrate student success, leveraging campus technology for student success and taking class attendance in Blackboard using Qwickly.
The Escape Room will be open in UC-310 from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.; the Technology Test Kitchen will be open in UC-312 from 10:00 a.m. - 11:40 a.m. and again from 2:15 - 3:00 p.m.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND!
Please Note: UMBC is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all faculty, staff, students, and visitors. If you would like to request accommodations (e.g., ASL interpreters, captioning, wheelchair access, etc.) for this event due to a disability, please notify us at least two weeks prior to the event. Requests received after that time cannot be guaranteed, but we will do our best to make arrangements for program access. Please contact the event host (email goes here) with your specific request and be sure to include the event title, date, and time.
For questions and more information, please contact us at techfest19@umbc.edu.
May 28, 2019
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Maritime Conference Center
Linthicum Heights, MD
Sessions will include topics such as:
Registration will open in mid-February 2019 for all events. Please visit www.usmd.edu/cai/most for more information and to register.
The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) initiative is pleased to announce a call for proposals for the 2019 High-impact OER Mini-Grant Program to strategically support Maryland public higher education institutions’ efforts to increase access, affordability, and achievement for students through the incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice. This year, the Mini-Grant Program will support projects in the following categories:
Learn more about the 2019 High-impact OER Mini-Grant Program and application process and join us for an informational webinar at 12 p.m. on February 13, 2019 (click here to register or to receive a link to the webinar recording). You can also learn more about the program and previous recipients here.
It’s no secret that teaching and learning has been expanded to include technology beyond a slide show presentation. As a matter of fact, today’s students expect it! But do you know what technologies are available to you as an instructor at UMBC? Although there are many tools you can easily access to enhance both engagement and the learning outcomes of your students, below are some of the tech tools we support that you may want to add to your teaching tool box.
Register for TechFest 2019 on Friday, March 1st where you'll have the opportunity to try out the tools below:
Blackboard Ultra. Did you know that UMBC is planning to transition from Blackboard Learn to Blackboard Ultra (Bb UX)? Bb UX is a new Learning Management System with simplified features that make your course mobile-friendly and accessible to students. All instructors now have access to a Bb UX Course Preview when they log into Blackboard, so you can see what your current Blackboard Learn course looks like in the new system. Not using Blackboard yet? Use your sandbox to play around and create assignments and assessments, embed videos, deploy classroom discussions and schedule online class meetings! View the Blackboard Ultra FAQs, sign up for online Blackboard Office Hours, or attend one of DoIT’s Instructional Technology Team workshops to learn how to start using Bb UX!
Qwickly Attendance. Need an efficient way to take attendance in those 200+ student classes? Qwickly Attendance to the rescue! When using this tool with Blackboard, you can require students to check-in through a live session you create, send emails to absent students, and allow students to see their attendance records. Get started with Qwickly to make your attendance tasks easier!
Panopto. Has anyone ever asked if your lectures were recorded and available for review? Well you can make these available to your students using Panopto and do it right in Blackboard! Panopto now replaces TechSmith Relay and provides the capability to perform screen casting with voice, incorporate interactive quizzes right inside the video, and import results into your Blackboard grade book. This tool is also great for creating or identifying and adding supplemental lecture material for students to view outside of class. Don’t know where to start? View the recent Panopto webinar for a tool introduction or see the Panopto FAQs for help.
VoiceThread. Incorporate a host of online interactive strategies using this multimedia tool to get your students engaged! VoiceThread provides the ability for instructors and students to navigate a slide deck and provide responses via text, voice, audio file, or webcam. This tool is a great way to share comments with visual aids, conduct oral assessments, facilitate debates, or critique a document and do it all online! Start spicing up the online teaching and learning experience using the VoiceThread FAQs to find out how!
Respondus Lockdown Browser. Relief for your worries about academic integrity violations during assessments is available through the Respondus Lockdown Browser tool! When enabled, this tool proctors student exams taken through Blackboard’s Test tool. Students won’t be able to navigate other websites or applications during an assessment that has been deployed, and all questions must be answered in order to exit the exam. See the Respondus Lockdown Browser FAQs for more information on how to enable this helpful tool.
The Instructional Technology Team will celebrate its 4th Annual TechFest on March 1, 2019 and is looking for presenters! TechFest is designed to bring together UMBC students, faculty, and staff to demonstrate instructional technology tools, discuss the use of learning analytics, and share best practices with the campus community through workshops, presentations, and hands-on activities. This year’s event will be hosted alongside the Faculty Development Center’s Symposium sponsored by the Provost’s office, providing a poster session and luncheon with keynote address by renowned speaker Randy Bass.
Students, faculty, and staff are all welcome and encouraged to attend.
Follow this link to submit your proposal today!
Are you a student, faculty, or staff member interested in leading a 45-minute workshop session or providing a brief overview of an instructional technology tool in the Technology Test Kitchen? Past session topics have included Clickers, Blackboard, iCloud, Accessibility, Phishing, CourseArc, and Lynda.com but new topics are encouraged and appreciated! Key themes for the upcoming TechFest include (but are not limited to) the following:
· Using Learning Technologies for Instruction and Engagement (LTIE)
· Using Data Collection and Analytics to Inform Instruction and Strategy, Measure Success, and Prompt Intervention (DCA)
· Integrating Technology Tools into Best Practices (TBP)
NoNot ready to lead a session? Come and learn from your colleagues - REGISTER TO ATTEND HERE!
There are two types of sessions that will be offered at TechFest 2019:
· Workshop Session (45 minutes)- Presenter(s) provide a brief overview on a theme-related topic with time for Q&A. Participants are provided with at least three take-aways they can incorporate as a best practice.
· Technology Test Kitchen Demo (45 minutes)- Presenter(s) provide brief overviews, give 15 minute demonstrations, and answer questions about a particular technology tool to participants visiting demo stations. Participants are given the opportunity to explore the technology through "hands-on" activities.
Deadlines and Notifications
Please submit your proposals no later than 5pm on Friday, February 8, 2019 by completing this Google Form. Applicants will be notified about acceptances within two weeks of the submission deadline. Selection will be based on how well the proposal connects to the overall themes and goals of TechFest.
So mark your calendars for Friday, March 1, 2019 and spread the word! The day will be filled with TechFest talks and technology demos, the Faculty Development Center’s Symposium hosted by the Provost Office, and an opportunity to participate in a TechFest Escape Room activity! More details on all events are forthcoming, so look out for future postings.
Follow this link to submit your proposal today!
For questions and more information, please contact us at techfest19@umbc.edu.
]]>MathML is a markup language used to display equations and other mathematical expressions on the web and in other formats such as ePub and NIMAS. MathML is important for accessibility because it allows equations to be stored as structured text rather than images. Unlike images, structured text can be enlarged with good resolution for low-vision users who need magnification. Blind learners can use screen readers that support MathML to navigate and review the parts of mathematical expressions in the correct order, which is important for understanding complex mathematical expressions. However, writing MathML code is not for the faint of heart!
In this webinar, the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials will show you some ways you can write and use MathML code with little to no coding. They will also demonstrate a number of other math accessibility tools including Desmos, the DIAGRAM Center and more!
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET
A recording will be posted by the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials about one week after the webinar. An announcement will be sent to let registered participants know when the recording is available.
]]>Quickly Create Online Exams: Respondus 4 and the Test Bank Network
Respondus is a powerful tool for creating and managing exams that can be printed to paper or published directly to Blackboard. Exams can be created offline using a familiar Windows environment, or moved from one LMS to another. Whether you are a veteran of online testing or relatively new to it, Respondus will save you hours on each project.
Learn how to use Respondus 4 to quickly create and manage online exams — and see the brand-new user interface! With Respondus 4, exam can be printed or published directly to your online course. We'll also cover how the Respondus 4 and the Test Bank Network enable instructors to create online tests – in just minutes – from official publisher test banks.
This comprehensive training webinar is intended for instructors who plan to use LockDown Browser and/or Respondus Monitor with online exams. The session provides a detailed demonstration of both applications, including new enhancements that make Respondus Monitor even more effective and easy to use.