The featured guest speaker, UA System President, Dr. Donald Bobbitt, presented his keynote address, “Vision for Distance Learning” to an audience of more than 200 that included several UA Board Trustees, and other state dignitaries.

At the lunch session, Director of Education Technology, Dr. Myk Garn, Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), presented “Current Patterns and Future of Distance Learning.”

Dr. Garn also moderated three lively panel discussions with various online user groups. The panelists comprised of students, faculty, and administrators who shared their insight, experience, and individual prospective about the various facets of online education and its impact.

Posters sessions were presented throughout the day in the Engineering Information and Technology building’s atrium giving participates an opportunity to discover how online learning has developed and will continue to transform the UA System schools and institutes.

UA Symposium Presentation Videos

The following symposium videos include the keynote and lunch presentations, the three panel discussions, poster session highlights, and photographs of the day’s events.

Keynote, UA System President Donald Bobbitt, “Vision for Distance Learning”
Luncheon, Dr. Myk Garn, “Current Patterns and Future of Distance Learning”

Faces in the Virtual Classroom: Student Experiences
Inside the Virtual Classroom: A Conversation with Faculty
Supporting the Virtual Classroom: Lessons from Administrators

Poster Sessions

Photos

Though all courses using Blackboard will switch to 9.1 starting this summer, you will retain access to your CE8 courses from previous semesters until the September deadline.

Whether you decide to take the recommended path of redesigning your course from scratch or choose to work with a course migrated from Blackboard CE8, you’ll find a variety of options for training and reference, both online and in person.

As always, you can contact us at star@ualr.edu or call us at 501.569.8954 for questions about the migration.

No need to delay, get help today!

To prepare for the transition we recommend taking advantage of our varied training and support resources. Review the options for both face-to-face and online training by visiting our workshop descriptions page.

We encourage to pay close attention to the Track 5 series of online workshops that cover everything from the basics to advanced communication. If you prefer a face-to-face option, begin with Track 1: Blackboard Basics.

There are many self-serve resources available on the BB Support Tab. This tab is accessible after logging-in to Blackboard and features quick start guides, training manuals and video tutorials.

For one-on-one assistance, consider setting up a virtual appointment. Working with a member of the STaR office, you can ask questions and receive hands-on demonstrations. As always, you are welcome to send us an email or give us a call.

Get started today by checking out our Blackboard Basics Resource Guide.

Don’t get left behind – Redesign!

We encourage faculty to redesign courses and take advantage of the many new features and tools available in Blackboard 9.1.

These include easy ways to add engaging content using the Mashup tool and improved group work-spaces with file exchanges and access to a variety of communication tools.
Learn more about what’s new in 9.1.

Courses in 9.1 are limited to 200 MB in space, providing another reason to redesign your course. Limited space also requires practicing good file management and considering the best way to add content.

To help with file management we’ve created a resource guide, providing tips and tricks for adding large files to your course such as PowerPoint presentations and multimedia files. Review the guide here.

Sticking with the old? Migration need-to-know!

If you prefer to migrate a course, there are some important things you should know.

• Courses which originated in WebCT 4 and were migrated into CE 8 should be rebuilt. WebCT 4 courses may not work properly if migrated to Blackboard 9.1.
• Courses must be under the 200 MB size limit in order to be copied into a live shell. We encourage you to review our File Management Resource Guide for recommendations on reducing your course size.
• We are currently in the progress of migrating all courses taught between Fall of 2009 – Spring 2012. You can request access to courses by completing this form.
• In order to maintain optimal performance levels on our Blackboard server, we will be archiving and purging any unused migrated courses over the next few semesters. This means you should only request access to a single version of a course and only those courses which you plan to use.
• Once you gain access to a migrated course in 9.1, you can prepare it to be copied into a live shell by following the recommendations in the Working with Your Migrated Course Resource Guide.

Blackboard Basics & Working with your migrated course – face to face training opportunities

To provide assistance for faculty making the transition to Blackboard 9.1 this summer, we are providing some face-to-face training sessions during the last week of May.

Click on the workshop title to register :

Blackboard Basics: 5/1 -10am | 5/2 – 1pm

Working With Your Migrated Course: 4/30 – 1pm | 5/3 – 10am

Quality Matters is a faculty-centered, peer review process that is designed to certify the quality of online and hybrid/blended courses. QM is a leader in quality assurance for online education and has received national recognition for its peer-based and continuous improvement approach.

The Quality Matters rubric is based on research, sound instructional design principles and best practices. The 2011-2013 rubric contains eight general categories and forty-one specific standards.


The eight general categories include:

Course Overview and Introduction
Learning Objectives
Assessment and Measurement
Instructional Materials
Learner Interaction and Engagement
Course Technology
Learner Support
Accessibility

Alignment:

A primary focus of the rubric is the concept of alignment in which core course components: Learning Objectives (2), Assessment and Measurement (3), Instructional Materials (4), Learner Interaction and Engagement (5), and Course Technology (6) work together to support the accomplishment of the learning objectives. This holistic approach ensures the course is structured to provide an optimal learning environment for students.

The rubric can be used as a tool for reviewing the course as well as for developing the course. If you are interested in applying the rubric to your course or having your course undergo an official QM Review, please contact Kati Molnar at kagordon@ualr.edu. Resources are also available in the Blackboard 9.1 Faculty Support Lounge.

Track 5 includes several workshops that will cover everything from building to delivering a course online.  Each workshop is done completely asynchronously and includes a facilitator to answer questions or provide feedback.

Workshops begin every two weeks to encourage participating with a cohort.  Faculty are able to be to share and interact with one another while discussing best practices and gaining hands-on experience in the online environment.

To register for a course visit our training registration site: startraining.eventbrite.com.  Select a start date and don’t worry about the location or a ticket – its all online.  After you register, you will receive an email letting you know how to begin.

We recommend the Getting Started Workshop first, and then any of the others in Track 5, depending upon your needs.

Visit our workshop description page to see a full list of Track 5 Workshops.

• Simplify course file management
• Edit course content with ease
• Save time

Blackboard Drive helps you connect to files stored in Blackboard from your desktop. This gives you the freedom to work from the Content folder by letting you open documents in their native applications or you can work from your desktop to upload files to your Content folder.

Getting Started with Blackboard Drive
Check out our quick start guides for PC or Mac, and view the demo videos below for more information about getting started with Blackboard Drive.

No more downloading files, opening applications, updating, saving, and then uploading files through the Bb interface and placing them in your course. You can now:

• Work in native applications
• Make seamless global changes
• Upload files and folders with ease

Blackboard Drive currently supports:

Mac OS® X v 10.6 (Snow Leopard®) 32 and 64-bit and Mac OS® X v 10.7 (Lion®) 32 and 64-bit
Windows® Explorer, Mac OS® X Finder and Microsoft Office, or from the web interface

If you have questions about using Blackboard Drive to connect to files stored in Blackboard from your desktop, please contact STaR!

• Announcements; check for new messages and updates
• Grades; view assignments, midterms, finals
• Tasks; track homework assignments and projects
• Assessments; take non-Respondus LockDown (RLD) browser assessments
• Media; view videos, images or listen to audio
• Discussions; engage in threaded discussions
• Blogs; write posts and interact with classmates
• Journals; read and reflect on their thoughts
• Roster; organize their study group

As instructors you can access and manage your content, post announcements, update due dates, or cancel class, should you need to. You can also transfer media to your course from your mobile device.

Please Note

• Bb Mobile does not support RLD browser. These assessments will continue to be accessed through your students’ computers or laptops.
• Mobile features and access may vary among devices.

Helpful Information

Blackboard Mobile overview
Blackboard Mobile demo
Blackboard Mobile features
Blackboard Mobile download instructions (select your device)

News Announcements

Learn more about Blackboard Mobile Learn:

UALR News – UALR First to Offer Smart Phone Course Access
Today’s THV – UALR Offers App to Access Coursework

For more information, please contact us 501.569.8954 or visit STaR for more information and future updates.

If you are new to Bb Learn, we encourage you to attend our “Getting Started” training, as this is the last semester to teach in Bb CE8.  If you need a fresh look at building your course, we would be delighted to see you in our upcoming sessions. Of course, we are here to answer that quick question or to follow up with an appointment.

For more information or assistance with Bb Learn or CE8, please contact us at STaR or call us at 501.569.8954

Accessing the Right Course:
Access your 9.1 courses from the Courses Tab located on the top left navigation bar.
This will allow you to see your courses broken down according to the semester.
Your live Spring 2012 shells begin with the Course ID 201210.

Preparing the Course for the New Semester:
1)  If you would like to combine sections, use the Section Merge Tool.  See the  How to Combine Course Sections Quick Start Guide for directions or if you want to undo a merge review the How to Disassociate Course Sections Quick Start Guide. 

2) If you plan to copy course content from a previously taught  9.1 course into the current 9.1 shell follow the directions in the How to Copy Courses Quick Start Guide. 

3) If you would like to import content from a CE 8 Shell into a 9.1 shell then follow the directions in the How to Import a CE 8 Course.

4) Each semester the instructor must make the course available to students before they can access it.  The How to Make Course Available or Unavailable Quick Start Guide.

If you need assistance with your Blackboard courses over the holiday break, please send an email to star@ualr.edu, and we will do our best to respond to your question.