May 3, 2008
Using Blackboard for Job Search or RFP Committees
When the 20-member Provost Search Committee identified its four finalists, it did so using a Blackboard community to review AND rank all applicants online before meeting face-to-face to discuss their differences. Similarly, the Alternate Delivery Program has frequently used Blackboard to review faculty proposals to receive a one-time course development stipend to redesign an existing course for hybrid delivery in summer or winter sessions.
Key steps are illustrated in the following brief, "Show & Tell" videos:
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SP2008 UMBC Blackboard Update
UMBC Blackboard update is provided by the Office of Information Technology for
students, faculty and staff using Blackboard at UMBC. If you have questions or
suggestions, contact John Fritz (fritz@umbc.edu or 410.455.6596) or Bob Armstrong
(rarmstro@umbc.edu or 410.455.3885). For more information about using Blackboard,
login via myUMBC or visit http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
HEADLINES
1. SP2008 Course Shells Expire on 6/15
2. SU2008 Course Shells Created on 4/30
3. OIT Publishes FA2007 Blackboard User Survey Results
4. New myUMBC Tools Show How Good Students Use Blackboard
5. UMBC Joins Two National, Online Learning Faculty Development Networks
6. Job Opening: UMBC Blackboard Graduate Assistant
7. FYI: Using Blackboard for Job Search or RFP Committees
8. FYI: OIT to Upgrade Labs to MS Office 2007 (PC) & 2008 (Mac)
9. FYI: BbWorld'08 World Conference is July15-17
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May 2, 2008
Job Opening: Blackboard Graduate Assistant
OIT’s Instructional Technology & New Media unit seeks a graduate assistant to provide Blackboard support to students, faculty and staff. The person will assist with routine Bb system administration functions (e.g., course & community site creation), and development of Blackboard user support procedures and documentation. Candidates will be expected to work well in a collaborative team environment and to communicate effectively with customers from a variety of academic and administrative departments.
In the past, special projects have included design and development of the following:
UMBC Blackboard Reports
UMBC Blackboard Help
The successful candidate must be self-directed and work well communicating information to technical and non-technical users. The candidate must also be able to interact with customers of all levels in a highly professional and competent manner.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate must be an officially registered UMBC graduate student with demonstrable experience providing end-user support. The candidate must have good problem-solving skills, strong analytical and organization skills, and excellent oral/written communications skills. Experience with web application development (ideally using PHP & MySQL) is preferred.
Compensation & Hours
Term (9 Month)
Closing Date: Open until filled
Compensation: TBD by Graduate School policy (typically stipend, tuition & health)
Hours:
• PT (20 hours/week) in Fall & Spring
• FT (40 hours/week) possible in Winter & Summer
Application Process | Show Me (video)
1. Login to Blackboard via myUMBC or directly at http://blackboard.umbc.edu
2. Search for and “Enroll” in the “Blackboard User Group” organization on the Bb Community tab
3. Complete the “UMBC Bb GA” application by attaching the following:
- Cover Letter (include a brief description of how you use Blackboard now)
- Resume or CV
- Unofficial PDF version of your transcript from myUMBC
- Names of three references and how they know your work
- Note: You can “save” your application and come back, but can only “submit” it once.
Send an email to blackboard@umbc.edu when you have submitted your application using the process described above, or if you need help doing so.
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April 29, 2008
Students Provide Insight Through Fall Blackboard Survey
As we've done in the past, OIT again conducted it's Undergraduate student survey in Fall 2007 with 759 students participating. The survey was divided into several sections including general demographics, an open-ended section for students to recommend instructors that they perceive to be strong users of BlackBoard, tool usage and functionality, and suggestions for improvements.
The most original comments were received when students were asked to recommend an instructor who they viewed as a strong user of Blackboard. Respondents listed numerous faculty members with the following faculty receiving the highest number of positive comments:
- Phil Sokolove (Biology)
- Lili Cui (Physics)
- Clayton Laurie (History)
- Tara Carpenter (Chemistry)
- Eileen O’Brien (Psychology)
Lili Cui and Clayton Laurie have also been highlighted in the Interviews section of the Blackboard Best Practices site as faculty who use Blackboard well.
Students reported the most frequently used tools in Blackboard included:
- Posting Course Content (91%)
- Announcements (80%)
- E-mail (54%)
- Discussion boards (47%)
Major advantages to the use of Blackboard were:
- 24/7 access to course content (78%)
- Prompt visibility of posted grades (56%)
The biggest disadvantage to using Blackboard was the reliance on technology (53%) and the most needed improvements were server reliability and performance (59% combined). Overall, the respondents scored faculty as “Good” (59%) when it came to the use of Blackboard.
Students provided a number of suggestions for improving Blackboard including:
- More online student help
- Mandatory usage of Blackboard for all faculty
- Improved design and functionality
- Improve performance and reliability
Respondents provided a number of suggestions in how to improve Blackboard that included providing more online student help and mandatory usage of Blackboard for all faculty. The respondents overwhelmingly supported Blackboard as a great tool despite its occasional problems. Other input included the suggestion for Blackboard.com to improve its design and functionality and the most received comment was the need to improve performance and reliability. Respondents noted that the system always seems to be down.
From this sampling of undergraduate students, it appears that Blackboard is perceived as an asset to the educational process at UMBC. Faculty that incorporated the use of Blackboard into the classroom setting received appreciation from undergraduate students. OIT needs to continue to address issues that impact usage in order to increase end-user acceptance of this online course management tool.
Complete survey results can be found online.
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Course Shells Created for Summer 2008
Today, May 1, 2008 OIT created an empty Blackboard course shell for all Summer 2008 courses listed in the UMBC Schedule of Classes with assigned instructors. Courses that don’t have assigned instructors will be created as they are added to the Schedule of Classes by the Registrar’s office. Only officially registered students should be automatically enrolled in all Bb courses. Students who have dropped will be "disabled" in the course once they have completed the process in myUMBC. Students that have been disabled will be clearly noted in the roster inside each course shell. All courses for both summer 2008 sessions will be conducted on the Blackboard production server.
Notes:
- To copy content from an old Bb course to a new course shell, click here.
- To request a new course shell earlier than the typical month all course shells are created before a semester starts, click here.
- If you no longer need an old course, please submit a request to delete it.
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Spring 2008 Course Shells Expire on 6/15
Spring 2008 Bb course "shells" are set to expire on June 15, 2008 after grades are due. This means the course will automatically revert to being unavailable to students, but faculty will still see the course link. This will help students who frequently complain about having numerous links to old courses in Blackboard. They can request ongoing access from the instructor, who can override the duration settings manually. This may be helpful for processing incompletes, but the majority of students will not have to request to be un-enrolled from old courses.
If you don’t need your old Bb course site, please consider deleting it by completing the “Bb Course Delete” request form on the Bb Blackboard Help tab.
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FYI: BbWorld'08 World Conference is July 15-17 in Las Vegas
Registration for the BbWorld '08 conference has begun. The conference is being held in sunny Las Vegas from July 15-17, 2008 and is described as a "client-centered program built on client feedback, innovation and success."
To register for the conference, just complete the form on the Blackboard website. Several staff from OIT will be attending the conference and we look forward to seeing you there.
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March 6, 2008
New myUMBC Tools Show How Good Students Use Blackboard
OIT announces the release of two new myUMBC tools designed to show the campus community how top UMBC students use Blackboard.
Specifically, students can "Check My Blackboard Activity" to see a comparison of their own activity against an anonymous summary of other students in their classes. In addition, faculty can now run their own "Grade Distribution" and "Tool Usage" reports showing their students' Blackboard activity by any item in the Blackboard grade book (including final grade), or by overall tool usage within the course.
While the trend needs further study, initial findings suggest that students who earn higher grades tend to use Blackboard more than students earning lower grades. It is NOT the case that using Blackboard alone will produce higher grades, simply by "gaming" the system.
But if students know how their activity compares to an anonymous summary of peers, at any time during the semester, this timely and personal feedback may allow them to monitor and change their own behavior as it pertains to engaging with course concepts, materials, instructors or each other. In essence, students can now draw their own conclusions about the quantity AND quality of their Blackboard activity and the impact this may or may not have on their learning.
Since the "Check Grade" tool in Blackboard allows students to view statistical differences between their grades and the class average for any visible item in the grade book, OIT will eventually publish student reports showing activity by grade distribution as well. In the meantime, faculty who wish to can provide further insight to students, by viewing, printing and publishing (as PDF files in their Bb course site) their current or past student activity GDRs for their specific courses.
Background
A year ago, OIT began reporting on UMBC's "Most Active Blackboard Courses" based on a simple "average hits per user" approach. In this way, "rankings" don't favor large enrollment sites over smaller ones. To date, we now have reports for the Spring, Summer and Fall 2007 semesters.
After OIT announced the Fall 2007 Blackboard reports and availability of the "self service" faculty Grade Distribution Reports (GDR), 16 faculty used their GDRs, which collectively showed overall Blackboard usage was higher by students earning higher grades. The self service GDRs complemented earlier pilots with two faculty from Geography and Environmental Systems (Karin Readel and Chris Swan), which also showed higher Blackboard usage among students earning higher grades.
While there is no statistically significant difference among students earning As, Bs and Cs (numerically there is: students earning higher grades tend to use it more), there is a significant difference between this group and those students who earn Ds and Fs. So far, the pattern has held true in the courses mentioned above, and OIT is working on a way to load final grades into a table that looks at all Bb courses to see if the trend is broadly generalizable.
OIT recognizes that hits alone are no endorsement (or indictment) of course quality. But looking at and publishing user activity is one way to help faculty and students identify and consult each other about effective teaching and learning practices. By adopting an attitude of transparency about Blackboard usage, the entire UMBC community (and not just OIT system administrators) gains a "birds eye view" of how this Course Management System (CMS) is being used.
For more information, visit http://www.umbc.edu/blackboard/reports. You can also view a brief video demo of these new myUMBC tools for students and faculty.
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February 20, 2008
Change to Weekly Blackboard Maintenance: Fridays, 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Starting this Friday, February 22, OIT will change the weekly, scheduled maintenance window to Fridays from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Last semester, OIT announced the need for scheduled, weekly maintenance when Blackboard could be unavailable. If OIT plans to use the new weekly maintenance window, we will post a "Down for Maintenance" notice users will see when they attempt to login.
While rare, OIT found some classes were actually held on Saturday mornings during the Fall 2007 semester. The new Friday evening maintenance window also works well because overall usage has been historically low during this time.
Note: As it did last semester, the Faculty Senate's Computer Policy Committee approved the new change in weekly Blackboard maintenance at its February 12 meeting. For more information, contact CPC Chair Ant Ozok
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January 25, 2008
Blackboard "Turnitin" Issues & Scheduled Downtime (1/26, 6-9 a.m.)
Following the planned upgrade to version 7.2 last week, OIT has discovered issues with the Turnitin "Building Block" that instructors may want to understand before using this tool.
In addition, the main Blackboard production server will be down for routine, scheduled maintenance this Saturday, January 26, from 6 to 9 a.m. This is unrelated to the Turnitin issues described in this announcement.
Basically, the Turnitin "Building Block" (or plug-in) for Blackboard we have used for several years has been going down sporadically in Bb versions 7.2 or higher. This was not publicly announced and it seems to be an issue when Blackboard is used in a multiple server configuration such as UMBC uses to guarantee redundancy and performance. We've learned that other schools have experienced similar issues.
The issue has become more complicated since Blackboard released its own plagiarism detection tool, SafeAssign, this summer. While SafeAssign is free (the Faculty Development Center currently pays for Turnitin), the key to any tool like this is the library of past submissions to compare future papers against. Clearly, Turnitn has a larger library at this point, but given its wider availability across all 3,700 colleges and universities using Blackboard, SafeAssign is bound to catch up. Also, there were early reports of "issues" when Safe Assign first shipped, but they appear to be settling down.
While we have worked with Turnitin, there is no guarantee the tool will not go down if you use it inside Blackboard. Accordingly, OIT has made SafeAssign available in all courses and suggests the following options:
1. Use Turnitin Outside of Blackboard
As a campus, we haven't done this in a while, but it is possible to access Turnitin outside of Blackboard; it's just not as easy for faculty and students who may be accustomed to using it inside Blackboard.
Instructions
After the class is created online, students will need to create accounts and submit papers using your class ID. If you have questions, please contact Jack Prostko, Director, Faculty Development Center (ext. 5-1829 or prostko@umbc.edu).
2. Use SafeAssign
While we do not have a lot of experience with this tool yet, OIT has made it available. Also, faculty can upload student papers from past courses to "jump start" the rebuilding of their respective bank of papers SafeAssign can check against. For more information on how to use SafeAssign, visit www.safeassign.com.
3. Use Turnitin Inside Blackboard | More Information
OIT recommends piloting “Safe Assign” for those courses where issues would be most problematic or for faculty who do not wish to worry about Turnitin. We will keep the Turnitin service running for faculty who wish to continue using it and accept that there is some risk.
If you have questions or concerns, please add them as a comment to this announcement, which OIT will monitor, or send email to blackboard@umbc.edu.
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January 14, 2008
Reminder: Blackboard Down for Upgrades 1/15 to 1/17
As announced November 30, 2007, UMBC's main Blackboard production server (http://blackboard.umbc.edu) will be down for hardware and software upgrades from Tuesday, Jan. 15 through Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008.
Note: The alternate Blackboard server being used in Winter session (http://bbss.umbc.edu) will continue to operate during the production server upgrades.
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December 14, 2007
OIT Publishes FA2007 Most Active Blackboard Courses Reports
OIT has again published UMBC's "Most Active Blackboard" courses reports for the Fall 2007 semester, based on an "average hits per user" approach. To learn more, visit www.umbc.edu/blackboard/reports.
Highlights include the following (based ONLY on student activity):
Most Active Graduate Course: EDUC 688 "Methodology of Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language" taught by George Chinnery, Eunju Chen, Margaret Wilson (avg hits per student: 2,075)
Most Active Undergraduate Course: PSYC 100 "Introduction to Psychology" taught by Kelly Forys, Brian Jobe, Linda Jones (avg hits per student: 927).
Most Active Department: Information Systems (90 Blackboard courses).
Most Active Community: "Project Lead The Way" managed by Anne Spence, Mechanical Engineering (avg hits per user: 1,214).
Total Number of Blackboard Courses (including those with multiple sections): 1,074
While activity alone is not a measure of quality, OIT publishes these reports so faculty can seek each other out about what does (or doesn't ) work in using Blackboard. Toward this end, faculty may also want to try out the new "Average Hits Per User by Final Grade Distribution" "self service" report announced on November 30, 2007.
For more information about the Blackboard Reports project, contact John Fritz at 410.455.6596 or fritz@umbc.edu.
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November 29, 2007
Winter 2008 Blackboard Update
UMBC Blackboard Update is provided by the Office of Information Technology for students, faculty and staff using Blackboard at UMBC. If you have questions or suggestions, contact John Fritz (at fritz@umbc.edu or 410.455.6596) or Bob Armstrong (at rarmstro@umbc.edu or 410.455.3885). For support requests, send email to blackboard@umbc.edu. For more information about using Blackboard, visit the "Blackboard Help" tab before or after you login through myUMBC or directly at http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
HEADLINES
UMBC Blackboard Down for Upgrade Jan. 15-17, 2008
SP2008 Course Shells Created on 11/30; WT2008 Shells Created by Request
FA2007 Course Archiving & User Maintenance
FA2007 UMBC Blackboard User Survey
Call for SP2008 Pilot Courses for Bb Version 7.3
OIT Pilots New Report Showing Student Activity by Final Grade Distribution
Wimba "Voice Tools" and "Live Classroom" Now Permanent
Blog & Wiki Use in Blackboard Continues to Grow
Reserving AV Equipment for WT2008 & SP2008
FYI: Blackboard Training in January
FYI: Blackboard Awards for Exemplary Courses
FYI: SU2008 Hybrid Course Design Stipends (Course Proposal Deadline: Dec. 7)
Posted by rarmstro at 4:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
UMBC Blackboard Down for Upgrade January 15-17, 2008
To install the next version of Blackboard (7.2) and move the application to a new virtual, load-balanced server, UMBC’s main Blackboard server will be down Tuesday, January 15, through Thursday, January 17, 2008. This upgrade will fix some existing bugs, increase system speed and reliability, and introduce new features such as:
• Performance Dashboard tool: provides a window to monitor user’s progress and activity in the course
• Early Warning System tool: used to communicate warnings to students that a performance problem is beginning to appear
Similar to past major upgrades performed in January, all WT2008 courses will be created and run on the alternate Blackboard server at http://bbss.umbc.edu. (Here is a video that demonstrates how to set up a link between the production server and the winter server.) All communities and organizations will remain on the main production server, but not be available January 15 to 17 during the upgrade. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact John Fritz (fritz@umbc.edu or 5-6596) or Bob Armstrong (rarmstro@umbc.edu or 5-3885), or send email to blackboard@umbc.edu.
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November 28, 2007
SP2008 Course Shells Created 11/30; WT2008 Shells Created by Request
On November 30, 2007, OIT created an empty Blackboard course shell for all Spring 2008 courses listed in the UMBC Schedule of Classes (SOC) with assigned instructors. Using the Auto Enrollment" process, only officially registered students will be automatically enrolled in all Bb courses as they officially register. Courses that don't have assigned instructors will be created as usual and instructors will be enrolled as they are assigned. Auto enrollment of students and instructors is done four (4) times a day.
To request creation of a WT2008 Blackboard course shell, please use the "Request A Course" link on the Blackboard Help tab before or after you login via myUMBC or directly at http://blackboard.umbc.edu. Remember: Due to the planned upgrade Jan. 15 to 17, all WT2008 courses will be run on the "alternate" Blackboard server at http://bbss.umbc.edu. When you complete the WT2008 course request above, your course will be on the alternate server.
Note: Because some students (and faculty) have mistaken enrollment in a Bb course shell as official UMBC course registration, OIT has turned off the "self enrollment" function in all Blackboard shells. Also, faculty should not manually enroll students who “say” they will officially register (sometimes they don’t). If you or your students have any questions or concerns, please send email to blackboard@umbc.edu.
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November 27, 2007
FA 2007 Course Archiving & User Maintenance
As we near the end of the semester, here's a checklist of tasks instructors should complete to manage Bb courses and users (help sheets are available on the Blackboard Help tab):
Make your course unavailable to students
Create a backup copy of your grade book
Send UMBC Blackboard course deletion requests
For more information or help, send email to blackboard@umbc.edu.
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Fall 2007 UMBC Blackboard User Survey
OIT is always looking for feedback on how students, faculty and staff are using Blackboard and how we can improve support. You can find a link to the appropriate survey whether you are a faculty member, undergraduate student, or graduate student, by logging into Blackboard and using the link on your "MyBlackboard" page under "My Organizations". Thank you for your input and we look forward to serving you in the coming year. You can also view results of past surveys on www.umbc.edu/blackboard/reports.
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Call for SP2008 Pilot Courses for Bb Version 7.3
OIT will again be piloting the latest version of Blackboard (7.3) during the spring 2008 semester. The new version introduces a "hybrid" discussion board that includes both the features introduced in 7.1 and the older features in 6.3. With 7.3, the user will have a choice of how they want to view discussion board threads and replies.
As with all Blackboard pilot semesters, OIT requires the following:
• OIT will place an announcement in your pilot course describing what you and your students need to do if you encounter a problem in the version 7.3 pilot environment. We would ask you to make this a "permanent" announcement in your course throughout the semester.
• Throughout the semester, you and your students may be asked to complete a survey about your experience with the software.
• Your course will not be compatible with the regular production server until it is migrated to the version 7.3 software. Currently, OIT does not have plans to migrate all courses to version 7.3. until Winter 2009.
The pilot server will be available in mid-December. If you are interested in participating in the 7.3 pilot, please contact Bob Armstrong (ext 5-3885 or rarmstro@umbc.edu)
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OIT Pilots New Report Showing Student Activity by Final Grade Distribution
As announced earlier this year, OIT has been publishing new reports and videos about how students and faculty actually use Blackboard. Now, after piloting with two faculty from Geography and Environmental Systems, OIT is extending the pilot to all faculty who want to see their students’ activity by final grade distribution.
In three of four courses taught by Karin Readel and Chris Swan, “A” students used Blackboard more than “B” students who used it more than “C” students and so on. OIT is making these “self service” grade distribution reports available to faculty to see if there is a similar trend in their Blackboard courses.
These “self service” reports query a “replica” of the main Blackboard server that is updated weekly. Only the instructor of record can query (and view) his or her course’s student activity by grade distribution, if there is a grade book column called GRADE and the grade type is set to “text” display using only A, B, C, D or F.
Note: If you use these reports, they may be added to an anonymous, cumulative summary of all UMBC Bb courses to show student activity by final grade distribution. Unless you give OIT permission to do so, we will NOT publish your specific course’s final grade distribution in the list of most active Blackboard courses.
Future plans include developing a “Check My Activity” link faculty can enable for students that provides contextual feedback on how each student's activity compares to an anonymous summary of all other students in the course at any point during the semester. Students might also be able to “opt in” to receive email, rss or txt updates if their activity falls below a specific (or desired) level.
Reminder: The FA2007 Most Active Blackboard Courses reports will be run on Dec. 12, the day after classes end.
For more information about the UMBC Blackboard Reports project (www.umbc.edu/blackboard/reports), contact John Fritz (fritz@umbc.edu or 5-6596).
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Wimba "Voice Tools" and "Live Classroom" Now Permanent
Effective immediately, the Wimba Voice Tools and Live Classroom building blocks are a permanent part of the UMBC Blackboard course management system. Since 2005, OIT has partnered with Modern Language & Linguistics (MLL) and other organizations to pilot this “building blocks" plug-in to Blackboard.
"Voice Tools" provide faculty and students with an easy tool that can record their voices in formats such as a Voice Email, Voice "discussion" Boards, Voice Direct for live conferencing, Voice Recorder, for recording messages or assignments for students, and Voice Presentation, for posting web sites in a slide format with text and audio narration.
"Live Classroom" allows faculty to conduct "live" classes online with the use of a white board, powerpoint and website presentation system, as well as live voice and video components. The tools can be found under the course "Communications" link and as a content type on all content pages.
If you have questions or want training on how to use the tools, please visit the Wimba website. OIT also has a link to online help under the "Blackboard Help" tab.
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Blog and Wiki Use in Blackboard Continue to Grow
The Learning Objects tools in Blackboard continue to expand with the addition of more changes designed to enhance their use in course management systems. The tools that are frequently used here at UMBC include, blogs, wikis, podcasting tools and a search tool. New features include:
• Permalinks that enable links to specific pages in blogs and wikis
• A privacy link that allows the user to monitor comments
• Administrative ability to increase the size of allowed attachments
• RSS feeds from podcasts posted inside a course or community
For more information about these features, you can go directly to the Learning Objects website.
Note: for a good example how to use a wiki inside Blackboard, see History Professor Anne Rubin’s student group project: “Child Labor in the American South” which was presented at the Oct. 2 Maryland Blackboard Users Group (MDBUG) conference.
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Reserving AV Equipment for WT2008 & SP2008
If you plan to use presentation technology in your Winter or Spring 2008 face-to-face classes, please submit an equipment request by December 19, 2007. Requests can be submitted using a web form or by calling AV services at ext. 5-2461. Remember: all equipment requests are subject to availability and are not considered confirmed until you receive an email reply confirming your request.
For future reference: All faculty can determine which rooms have specific A/V equipment permanently installed by using the "Find Tech Classrooms" link under the "Class Tech Links" on the myBlackboard tab. However, when scheduling a room assignment from Academic Services (through your department scheduling coordinator), it's best to ask for specific room attributes (including technology) rather than asking for a specific room. Because of demand, you may not get the specific room you want, however, Academic Services tries to provide a similar room if they know what you want. If you have questions or concerns, please contact AV Services (ext. 5-2461 or avservices@umbc.edu).
Note: AV Services will be open from 8:30 AM to 4 PM during FA2007 finals week, December 13-19, 2007. All requests for equipment during this period must be submitted at least 48 hours in advance using the online request form. The AV office will be open for returns only on December 20,2007. Please call in advance (ext. 5-2461). The International Media Center will be open during the following hours:
December 12, 13, 17, 18 (9 AM to 9 PM) December 14, 19 (9 AM to 4
PM) December 16 (1 PM to 6 PM) December 20-21 (Closed)
If you have questions, please contact Joan Costello in the Media Center (ext. 5-
2464 or jcoste1@umbc.edu).
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FYI: Blackboard Training in January
A number of Blackboard-related workshops will be offered in January, 2008, including the following:
Getting started with Blackboard
Tuesday, January 8 - This 90 minute hands-on workshop will get you started using Blackboard at UMBC. The workshop will cover how to access your course, basic course design, posting a syllabus, adding content, and managing users in your course. (Please bring an electronic copy of your syllabus if you have one.) Prerequisites: Active UMBC account
Blackboard Wikis and Blogs
Thursday, January 10 - All UMBC Blackboard courses and communities have access to interactive community publishing tools such as blogs (diary-like journals any user can create) and wikis (a communal web site anyone can add to and edit). This one hour hands-on workshop will give participants a chance to try out blogs and wikis for themselves, and show how others are currently using them in UMBC Blackboard courses and communities. Click here for an example from a previous workshop.
Note: This workshop assumes at least a basic understanding of the instructor's or leader's role and function inside a Blackboard course or community.
You can register for these Blackboard sessions by going to the Blackboard training page.
Jack Prostko, Director, Faculty Development Center, will again be offering an orientation session for new part-time faculty on January 22 and 26, 2008. (All part-time faculty who have not previously attended are also welcome to come.)
PT Faculty Orientation (Tue., Jan. 22, 5:30 to 8 p.m., UC312)
This session will focus will focus on establishing your myUMBC account, getting a class list, computer support, Blackboard, using the library, administrative issues such as parking, payroll and benefits, teaching and academic issues and teaching resources.
Teaching and Learning Workshop (Sat., Jan. 26, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., International Media Center (IMC)
9 a.m. Continental breakfast
9:30 a.m. Teaching and learning techniques, course goals, assignments, tests, and promoting academic integrity.
12:30 Lunch will be provided to registered participants
1 p.m. OIT will provide a hands-on introduction to Blackboard for those that have myUMBC accounts.
These sessions are sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Development Center. To register, see the Faculty Development training page.
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FYI: Blackboard Awards for Exemplary Courses and Projects
Each year, Blackboard.com is looking for those who "develop technologically rich and pedagogically sound courses". These courses are highlighted to "help faculty use e-learning technology more effectively". The program has been very successful in years past and has presented effective courses from many disciplines.
The deadline for submissions is January 21, 2008. For more information and the appropriate submission forms, go to the Blackboard Greenhouse Program website.
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November 25, 2007
FYI: SU2008 Hybrid Course Design Stipends (Course Proposal Deadline: Dec. 7)
The Office of Summer, Winter & Special Programs (OSWSP) invites proposals from any UMBC faculty member for $1,500 "course development" funding to redesign current face-to-face (F2F) UMBC courses for online or hybrid (part online, part F2F) delivery in summer session 2008. Instructional design and technology support are also provided by the UMBC Faculty Development Center (FDC) and the Office of Informational Technology (OIT). To begin the process, complete the online course proposal by Dec. 7. For more information, including deadlines for required "deliverables" and training workshops, visit www.umbc.edu/oit/hybrid.
Posted by rarmstro at 11:36 AM | TrackBack
October 16, 2007
GES Faculty Show and Tell How and Why They Use Blackboard
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Karin Readel |
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Chris Swan |
In addition, OIT has published pilot reports for some of Readel's and Swan's recent courses showing student activity by final grade distribution:
While this kind of individual course report is not yet available (faculty can do it manually), OIT intends to provide this service to faculty who wish to view it privately (or eventually post it inside a Bb course for future students to monitor and benchmark their own activity).
OIT will also be publishing a similar, public report that summarizes student activity and tool use by grade distribution in the top 25, 50, 75 and 100 percentile ranges of all UMBC Blackboard courses. The goal is to see what difference, if any, exists in student grade distribution across a range of Bb courses and activity levels.
After watching Readel and Swan show how they use Blackboard in their actual course sites, faculty may want to check out why they do so in two new "Q & A" video interviews on UMBC's iTunesU service (for more information about UMBC on iTunes, see http://itunes.umbc.edu).
OIT plans to publish more "Show & Tell" (how) and "Q & A" (why) videos from faculty teaching active Blackboard courses in other disciplines, but if you or a colleague has an effective practice or insight you'd be willing to share, send email to fritz@umbc.edu. Please include a short description of the pedagogical problem that is solved or the new learning opportunity that is created in using Blackboard.
Note: To protect the work and identity of students who may appear in the "Show & Tell" videos, only UMBC faculty can access them with their myUMBC userid & password. These videos are intended for collegial, professional development only, so all faculty are reminded that any medium containing identifiable student academic information constitutes an "educational record" that is protected by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Posted by fritz at 4:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 15, 2007
OIT Staff Present Blackboard Reporting Project at MDBUG Conference
OIT staff members John Fritz, director of Instructional Technology & New Media (ITNM), and Jeffrey Berman (an ITNM graduate assistant) presented the UMBC "Most Active Blackboard Courses" Reports project at the Maryland Blackboard Users Group (MDBUG) conference on Tuesday, October 2, at the UMBC Technology Center.
Proceedings are not yet available on the conference website, but you can watch Fritz and Berman's presentation, "Why and How UMBC Publishes Its Most Active Blackboard Courses Reports," on the Blackboard reports site (Fritz handles the "why" and Berman explains the "how").
Other UMBC presenters included:
Anne Rubin (History): "Child Labor in the American South: Using a Bb Wiki for Historical Research"
Matthias Gobbert (Math/Stats): "Screen Capture of Mathematics with Voice Over using a Tablet Laptop"
Katie Morris (Social Work): "Social Work & Technology: An Unlikely Pair?"
Bev Bickel & Adriana Val (MLL): "Multiple Voices from Online EFL Teacher Education"
For more information about the Maryland Blackboard Users Group, including the opt-in email listserve, visit www.umbc.edu/mdbug.
Posted by fritz at 1:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 13, 2007
Weekly Blackboard Maintenance Begins Sat., 9/15 (6-9 a.m.)
Starting this Saturday, September 15, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) is implementing weekly Blackboard maintenance on Saturdays from 6 to 9 a.m. While OIT may not always use all or part of these weekly maintenance "windows," Blackboard users should plan accordingly.
Since 1999, UMBC has used Blackboard which now supports more than 1,000 courses and 350 organizations every semester, making it one of the largest, most mission-critical technology services on campus. However, there is no good time when OIT can perform necessary patches, upgrades or even simple reboots because the academic semesters all overlap (except the third week in August, which is too close to the start of Fall).
OIT will continue to implement major upgrades in January, when the small number of winter courses can be run on a separate Bb server. But we need regular weekly maintenance and think the 6 to 9 a.m. window on Saturdays minimizes disruption to users while giving OIT staff access to the system to maintain it.
For the next month, OIT will post system-wide Blackboard maintenance "reminders" on Thursdays, develop a generic "Blackboard is Down for Maintenance" message for anyone who logs in when Blackboard is down, and continue to note any changes to the system.
Long term, we think regular maintenance will help improve Blackboard's performance, and appreciate the campus community's support and patience as we move forward.
Posted by fritz at 8:51 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
SU2007 Blackboard Reports Now Include Tool Usage
OIT has published the Summer 2007 "Most Active Blackboard Courses" reports for all categories of usage (e.g., all courses, graduate courses, undergraduate courses, communities, etc.).
In addition, we have published the specific "tool usage" metrics for the top 50 courses in all categories. Future plans include providing this for all courses.
Reminder: Course activity alone is not a measure or endorsement of quality. These reports are merely provided as a way for faculty to seek each other out about what works (or doesn't) in using Blackboard.
Posted by fritz at 1:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 28, 2007
Blackboard Will Be Down 9/1 (9 p.m.) to 9/2 (9 a.m.)
To extend a fix of recent "database connection" errors that have increased during the busy days leading to the start of semester today, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) needs to take Blackboard down from 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, to 9 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 2.
Working with Blackboard, OIT has developed a short-term fix to the "database connection" errors, but needs extended downtime with no user access to address an underlying issue with the production database. No content has been lost, nor is it expected. But the production database that runs Blackboard needs to be "cleaned up" so performance does not degrade throughout the semester, when the user load will only increase. We are also continuing to work with Blackboard to identify existing processes that may be contributing to the problem.
Currently, we believe overall performance is stable. If we find otherwise, we will post an update on the OIT News site at http://www.umbc.edu/oit/news which you can also subscribe to by RSS feed or view in myUMBC. If you encounter system performance problems, please send email to helpdesk@umbc.edu.
We understand this is a busy time of year, and appreciate your patience as we address these system issues to maintain acceptable performance during the semester.
Posted by fritz at 2:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 18, 2007
Storage Failure Results in Blackboard and Additional System Outages
On Tuesday, September 18th at approximately 5pm there was a failure in our campus file storage system that caused Blackboard and other Windows services to be unavailable until 8pm. This storage outage impacted a number of other campus services in addition to Blackboard, such as:
Blackboard Pilot Server (OIT)
Content DM (Library)
Illiad (Library)
Reslife Server (ORL)
Coldfusion (CPS)
iStrategy (PeopleSoft)
Counseling Services Scheduler
This error was the result of a storage hardware failure, which combined with a software error, caused the storage system to go offline. This error was completely independent of Blackboard and the Windows services noted but nonetheless resulted in them being unavailable. We apologize for any impact this had on courses and other campus business.
OIT fully understands that these systems, especially Blackboard, are a critical campus resource and we are reviewing this incident to make certain this does not happen again. We have included additional details below for those that are interested.
Details
Over the summer OIT installed a new redundant file storage system that is housed in two separate facilities. This redundant file system is used for critical services, such as blackboard, and insures that in a disaster such as a fire or flood we will have the data associated with service available and be able to restore service in the other facility within a few hours. Earlier this week a hardware failure occurred on one of the fiber optic links that connects the two facilities. In replacing the failed hardware component the system should automatically fail over to an alternate fiber optic link and remain up. This time, when the component was replaced a software error caused the file storage system to go offline.
We are working with our storage vendor to fully understand how this occurred and will adjust our procedures to make certain that this kind of error does not happen again. We are committed to providing a robust set of services that you can depend on.
Posted by mikec at 10:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 17, 2007
Blackboard Down 0n 8/18 to Apply Patches
Blackboard will be down and unavailable to users from 6am to noon on Saturday, August 18, 2007. OIT is applying patches that are needed to keep the current version of the application up-to-date.
Thank you for your patience and if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Bob Armstrong at 410.455.3885 or rarmstro@umbc.edu or send an email to blackboard@umbc.edu.
Posted by rarmstro at 11:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 6, 2007
Blackboard Update - Fall 2007
UMBC Blackboard update is provided by the Office of Information Technology for students, faculty and staff using Blackboard at UMBC. If you have questions or suggestions, contact John Fritz (at fritz@umbc.edu or 410.455.6596) or Bob Armstrong (at rarmstro@umbc.edu or 410.455.3885). For more information about using Blackboard, visit http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
HEADLINES
1. Fall 2007 Blackboard Course Shells Have Been Created
2. Audience Response "Clickers" on Campus
3. New Report Lists Most Active Blackboard Courses and Communities
4. OIT Seeks Faculty to Pilot New Version of Blackboard
5. Blackboard Training Workshops
6. 8/22 Hybrid Training Workshop
7. Reminder: Classroom Technology Requests Deadline 8/17 for Mobile Carts
8. FYI: Call for Presentations: 10/2 MDBUG Conf. @ UMBC Tech Center
Posted by berman1 at 10:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Call for Presentations: 10/2 MDBUG Conf. @ UMBC Tech Center
The Maryland Blackboard Users Group (MDBUG) is now accepting presentation proposals for its first-ever conference on Tuesday, October 2, 2007, at the UMBC Technology Center (proposal deadline is Friday, September 7). This is a great, local opportunity to meet other Blackboard users and share effective practices.
To propose a presentation, you MUST use the attached form and submit it on the MDBUG "Connections" site at http://communities.blackboard.com (a free Blackboard "connections" userid is required to login, find and "self-enroll" in the MDBUG site). In addition to traditional lecture, workshop and panel presentation formats, the MDBUG conference will also offer a "Five Minutes of Fame" slot, modeled after the popular format at the annual New Media Consortium conference.
The MDBUG was formed in March 2007, and has 80 members from more than 30 public and private institutions in Maryland who are using or supporting Blackboard on their respective campuses. In addition to the space on Blackboard's own "Connections" site (which always runs the latest version of the Bb software), the MDBUG also maintains a member email listserve (see https://lists.umbc.edu/lists/info/mdbug for more information).
For more information about MDBUG or to consult on a conference proposal idea, contact John Fritz at 410.455.6596 or fritz@umbc.edu or Ellen Borkowski at 301.405.2922 or eyb@umd.edu.
Posted by fritz at 6:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 3, 2007
Fall 2007 Blackboard Course Shells Have Been Created
OIT has created empty Blackboard course shells for all Fall 2007 courses listed in the UMBC Schedule of Classes with assigned instructors. Courses that don’t have assigned instructors will be created as they are added to the Schedule of Classes by the Registrar’s office. Only officially registered students will be automatically enrolled in all Bb courses.
Note: Because some students (and faculty) have mistakenly enrolled in a Bb course shell as official UMBC course registration, OIT has turned off the “self enrollment” function in all new Blackboard shells.
Posted by rarmstro at 11:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Audience Response "Clickers" on Campus
Following an announcement by OIT, the use of CPS audience response clickers has continued to grow with the outfitting of all the campus lecture halls. Faculty teaching in Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Psychology are actively using the system, with several more faculty from other departments ready to begin in the Fall.
Information about how to begin using the clicker system can be found online. If you have specific questions you can contact either Bob Armstrong (ext 5-3885 or rarmstro@umbc.edu) or Steve Anderson (ext 5-3680 or sanderso@umbc.edu).
Posted by rarmstro at 10:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
OIT Seeks Faculty to Pilot New Version of Blackboard
OIT is looking for faculty that would be willing to pilot the new 7.2 version of Blackboard. Participants will be asked to give OIT feedback on how the system is working and to keep us informed of any issues that arise.
The 7.2 version contains several new features that add to the functionality currently available in Blackboard.
• Student early warning system to monitor student performance
• Comments section in gradebook that allows faculty to give individual feedback on assignments
• The option to send an email to students when new announcements are posted.
As in past UMBC Bb pilot programs, faculty who want to use the most recent version should consider the following:
• OIT will place an announcement in your pilot course describing what you and your students need to do if you encounter a problem in the version 7.2 pilot environment. We would ask you to make this a “permanent” announcement in your course throughout the semester.
• Throughout the semester, you and your students may be asked to complete a survey about your experience with the software.
• Your course will not be compatible with the regular production server until it is migrated to the version 7.2 software. Currently, OIT plans to migrate all courses to version 7.2 in January 2008.
The pilot server can be found at http://bb-pilot.umbc.edu.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Bob Armstrong (ext 5-3885 or rarmstro@umbc.edu)
Posted by rarmstro at 10:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Blackboard Training Workshops
OIT has added a variety of Blackboard workshops to the training schedule including:
* Getting Started in Blackboard (Aug. 8)
* Creating Assessments and Managing the Gradebook (Aug. 10)
* Building Interactivity with Communication Tools (Aug. 16)
* Getting Started in Blackboard (Aug. 22)
* How to Use Blogs & Wikis in Bb (Sept. 26)
Please visit www.umbc.edu/training for more information and to register.
Posted by rarmstro at 10:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Reminder: Classroom Technology Requests Deadline 8/17 for Mobile Carts
If you plan to use technology in your Fall 2007 face-to-face classes, please submit an equipment request by August 17, 2007. Requests can be submitted using a web form or by calling AV services at ext. 5-2461. After completing and submitting the form, remember that all equipment requests are subject to availability and are not considered confirmed until you receive a return email.
For future reference: All faculty can determine which rooms have specific A/V equipment by using the "Find Tech Classrooms" link under the "Class Tech Links" mentioned on the myBlackboard tab. However, when scheduling a room assignment from Academic Services (through your department scheduling coordinator), it's best to ask for specific room attributes (including technology) rather than asking for a specific room. Because of demand, you may not get the specific room you want, however, Academic Services will try to provide a similar room if they know what you want.
Posted by rarmstro at 9:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 1, 2007
SP2007 UMBC Bb Update: Most Active Courses, User Survey
UMBC Blackboard update is provided by the Office of Information Technology for students, faculty and staff using Blackboard at UMBC. If you have questions or suggestions, contact John Fritz (at fritz@umbc.edu or 410.455.6596) or Bob Armstrong (at rarmstro@umbc.edu or 410.455.3885). For more information about using Blackboard, login via myUMBC or visit http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
HEADLINES
1. New Report Lists Most Active Blackboard Courses and Communities
2. UMBC Blackboard User Survey Now Available
3. How to Add Non-UMBC Users to a Bb Course or Community
4. Solution to Blackboard Login "Redirecting" Problem
5. OIT Downtime Notices (Including Blackboard) Available on Blog
6. "Scholar" Tab Added to Blackboard
7. Reminder: Make SP2007 Courses Unavailable or Delete Students
8. Reminder: SP2007 Course Shells Expire on 6/15
10. FYI: Goucher to Host 5/30 TLT Conference
11. FYI: UMBC Launches Maryland Blackboard Users Group
12. FYI: BbWorld'07 World Conference is July 10-12 in Boston
13. FYI: 5/16 Hybrid Course Design Workshop "Information Session"
Posted by fritz at 4:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 29, 2007
New Report Lists Most Active Blackboard Courses and Communities
Today, OIT is publishin