Instructional Technology @ PhilaU provides faculty with news, information, resources,
and tips for using technology and integrating it into their curricula.
Instructional Technology @ PhilaU is published monthly by the Paul J. Gutman Library.

You can always tell when Spring is finally arriving. All kinds of new things start to appear. And I don't just mean more sun, birds and other wildlife. It seems like the technology field presents its new in the Spring too. This month's issue is packed with new things. New news on the future of Blackboard. A new Blackboard support site. New workshops. New tips. And of course, new energy as the Sun starts to recharge our psyches. I'm also experimenting with a new format this month. In addition to sending out this introduction and the Table of Contents that link to the web page, I'm including this as a Acrobat Reader Document (pdf).

As always I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and ideas, so please let me know what you think of my new format for this publication, what topics you'd like to hear more about, and what workshops you'd like to see offered.

Hope to see you at some upcoming workshops!

                                                                                                           Kristopher Wiemer
                                                                                                            Instructional Technology Specialist

Table of Contents

• Blackboard
• New Support Sites
• BIG News
• By the Numbers
• Blackboard Tip
• February & March Workshops
• TLTR Presents Teaching with Technology: Learning from Faculty Grant Projects
• Integrating Atomic Learning and Other Multimedia Resources
• Web Sites of Interest
  • Low Threshold Applications
• Coming Up Next Month
• Requests for Information
• Contact Information

Blackboard Update

Now that we have gone through our new process for setting up Blackboard courses and enrolling students over two consecutive semesters, we are evaluating the process and how it has worked. We've identified some places for improvement and are currently exploring alternatives. I've had some positive results with my experiments regarding auto-enrolling students into single Blackboard courses for multiple course sections. I need to run a few more tests, but we may have a working alternative to the manual enrolling process. As we go through this evaluation, if there are any thoughts or comments you'd like us to explore, please send me an e-mail (wiemerk@philau.edu).

New Support Sites
Over the past month, I have been working on creating a more user friendly, online Blackboard Support for Faculty (http://www.philau.edu/bbfac.htm) site. I think I have come up with something that you will find much easier to navigate and much more informative. I've also updated the the Blackboard Support for Students (http://www.philau.edu/bbstud.htm) site and encourage you to point your students to this site if they are having any sort of Blackboard difficulties. Please let me know if there is something you would like included in either of these sites.

BIG News

Blackboard, Inc. has just released their latest version of Blackboard, version 6.1. Over the Summer, Philadelphia University will be upgrading to this latest version of Blackboard. I am currently working with OIT and the TLTR Courseware Management Action Team to put together an upgrade schedule and process and hope to have more information to you on that very soon.

I know that this news may bring a small sense of panic, dread, and/or worry. We are working to make this upgrade as painless as possible. At present, we know that you will be able to continue using your current courses in the new system and, while there are some new tools, the vast majority of the tools you are currently using will not change drastically, but they are MUCH improved. Here is a short list of the improvements and additions you can expect in this new version of Blackboard:

• Customizable Course Menus (no longer are you limited to the button word choices)
• Improved course statistics
• Content Anywhere (you can place Resources, Assessments, etc. in any course section)
• Copy content between course sections
• New, easier to use assessment manager
• New assignment manager (a new tool for submitting assignments that allows you to organize the material coming in; this does not replace Digital Drop Box)
• Update gradebook (new category feature, allows letter grades, import AND export grades)
• New chat feature
• Updated Virtual Classroom
• New WYSIWYG editor (use HTML without knowing HTML anywhere within Blackboard)
• Spell Checker
• Quick Edit feature (make changes without having to go to the Control Panel first)

For more information on the new features of Blackboard 6.1, click here.

By the Numbers
As of February 17, 2004 we have 164 Blackboard courses servicing 174 course sections. While there may be a few more to be added in the next couple of weeks, this is an increase of approximately 24 courses over last semester. Here's the break down:

Blackboard Tip

This tip comes from the Blackboard Instructional Design Listserv, courtesy of Sheri Sovis at Baker College.

If you are using, or would like to use, the Blackboard gradebook and you drop a grade (lowest, lowest & highest) of a particular type (e.g., quiz, test, homework), here's trick to help you do that with the built-in gradebook.

1. Make all quizzes (tests, homework) worth 0 points. This allows the students to see their grade on the quiz, but it won't average into their final grade.
2. Add another column called Quiz Total that does count in the final grade.
3. Add the scores that count and place the total into this new column.

Your students will see their actual quiz grades and the correctly calculated average at the end of the term with the appropriate grades dropped.

February and March Workshops

Following is a list of workshops that are being offered during the months of January and February. Descriptions and registration information can be found at http://www.philau.edu/ITS, click on the Workshops link.

TLTR Presents Teaching with Technology: Learning from Faculty Grant Projects
Tuesday February 24, 2004 11:00am - 12:45pm, Downs Auditorium

Over the past year, three faculty members have been working on projects to enhance their teaching and their students learning through the use of technology. The projects were funded by Technology Grants developed by the Teaching, Learning and Technology Roundtable and funded by the Office of Academic Affairs.

You are invited to join your colleagues to hear about their projects and initial findings. This is an opportunity to see how faculty are integrating technology to the benefit of their courses and their students and to see how you might be able to do the same for your courses.

Topics and Presenters:

• Julie Kimmel, Assistant Professor of American Studies and Writing
  Online History Lessons – Julie has been creating a web-based history lesson using primary source documents. She will discuss what she has learned about how the field of instructional design can help faculty make the transition into new teaching environments.
• D.K. Malhotra, Associate Professor of Finance
  Paperless Teaching – D.K. has been developing paperless activities for his classes. In this presentation he will focus on the use of Blackboard to deliver online interactive quizzes and other ways to teach in a paperless environment that saves time and money.
• Pari Bhagat, Associate Professor of eCommerce and Marketing
  eBusiness eLounge: Your Tech+Business KnowNow Source! – Pari has been developing a prototype website that would provide online learning in the area of electronic business including electronic commerce, internet marketing, and technology management. His project would provide ready access to any student, faculty or staff interested in understanding the variety of topics in this area, drill down in specific areas through articles and white papers, and explore online resources.

This workshop includes Lunch. To register, please contact Merium Sanders (sandersm@philau.edu or x2843)

Integrating Atomic Learning and Other Multimedia Resources
Tuesday March 30, 2004 11:15am - 12:30pm, Gutman Library Media Classroom

Multimedia tools can add a new dimension to your course. Funding and travel constraints, time crunches, content limitations, etc., can make it difficult to expose your students particular topics or experiences. Multimedia tools can help to overcome some of these limitations by demonstrating concepts, illustrating functions, or teaching lessons, in and out of the classroom. This workshop will explore a collection of multimedia resources, including Atomic Learning & MERLOT, and how you can integrate them into your curriculum.

Web Site of Interest

Low Threshold Applications (LTAs)
LTAs are teaching/learning applications of information technology. They are reliable, easy-to-learn, and non-intimidating. This web site contains a collection of LTAs on topics ranging from tracking changes in Microsoft Word to using electronic reserves to using special features of Microsoft Office XP.

Low Threshold Applications (http://tc.unl.edu/cansorge/lta/index.html)

Coming Up Next Month

Next month we'll recap the TLTR Workshop and begin a two part series on Blogs and RSS, what they are and how you can use them in your courses. In addition, I'll be announcing another new workshop.

Request for Information

What are you doing in your classes? Do you have a technology strategy/tool that has worked well for you and your students? Are you doing something innovative with Blackboard? Do you have a tip or trick for making Blackboard easier to use? Is there a topic you’d like to see investigated in this newsletter?

Send your ideas, questions, comments, concerns, best practices, etc. to wiemerk@philau.edu.

Contact Information

Kristopher Wiemer, Instructional Technology Specialist
Paul J. Gutman Library, Room 111
(215)951-6332
wiemerk@philau.edu
http://www.philau.edu/ITS (click on IT@PhilaU for archives)
http://staff.philau.edu/wiemerk