Session #14: Blackboard Version 9

Yasemin Tunc will provide a preview of the new version of Blackboard for our department on May 26th at 10:00 in TC 211B. If you cannot attend this session, there are many other opportunities for you to see the new Blackboard at the library.

The new version of Blackboard should be available for use by faculty by the end of May.

Session #13: Summary

In Session #13 Nancy Melser began by talking briefly about her evolution as an online teacher.

Next, Nancy gave ideas for teaching online. Some excellent advice included:

• give prompt and specific feedback,
• use a rubric to evaluate discussion group participation and let students know exactly what your expectations are,
  
• offer students templates for lesson plans and assignments,
• provide exemplars that are grade-level specific (i.e. primary & intermediate),
• "touch" each assignment or e-mail only once,
• tell students when you will not be online (i.e. weekends/holidays),
• have all course materials available when the class starts,
• make a video to introduce yourself and the course,
• don't be afraid to be human in your interactions with students, and
  
• keep a running list of revisions for the next time you teach the course.

Finally, the group had a discussion about grading options and how to use the "Assignments" feature in Blackboard.

Thank you for participating in this year's LTTO sessions. They were a great success because of your contributions as a presenter and/or participant.