Assisting Students with Technical Issues

Posted on January 24, 2011 | Comments Off on Assisting Students with Technical Issues

Whether you teach face-to-face or online, it is important to be proactive in assisting students with technical issues. At the beginning of your course or technology-based project, explain what types of technology you will be using, and what students should do if they have questions about those technologies. Very often, the instructor should be the first contact for the student. For example, if you are assigning a project that requires students to use PowerPoint, it makes sense that they should be able to come to you with questions about that assignment. This also applies to use of Blackboard. If you want students to turn in their assignments a certain way, submit a practice assignment as a demo student to make sure you understand the steps necessary to do this. That way, if a student has a question about submitting assignments via Blackboard, you will probably be able to help him/her. This greatly reduces the time it takes to assist the student, as well as their frustration level!

There are certainly times when you will need to urge students to seek further assistance with their technical issues. For example, students may need to contact:

  • Me (angela.wassenmiller@cune.edu AND helpdesk-Blackboard@cune.edu), Director of Instructional Technology and E-Learning, for problems using Blackboard (e.g. I’m trying to submit an assignment and “My Computer” isn’t coming up…, I’m clicking on “SafeAssign,” but nothing is happening…, I can’t get into the chat room…”);
  • Instructional Technology Center (ITC@cune.edu) for audio/visual equipment reservations and support; or
  • Computing Services (helpdesk@cune.edu) for questions regarding passwords, networking, email, Banner, etc.

Note that it is best to email both me and the Blackboard helpdesk for Blackboard issues, as this will ensure the quickest response.

If you teach online, I recommend creating a discussion board dedicated to technical questions so they don’t get lost in the mix of other discussions. This way, you can notice the question right away, and either answer it or direct the student to someone who can.

Remember, students who become frustrated with technology often do so because they are unable to quickly resolve their problems. Making sure they know what technologies they will be using and who to contact should they have problems with those technologies is a great way to speed up the process!

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Posted in Uncategorized

Update to Films on Demand Info.

Posted on January 20, 2011 | Comments Off on Update to Films on Demand Info.

Phil Hendrickson, Director of Library Services, informed me that Films on Demand is now even easier to use. In yesterday’s post, I noted that you would need to add a proxy to a film’s link in order to make it accessible to off campus students. However, that proxy is now automatically included in the link, so that is one less step for you to worry about! Now, you can simply copy the link and paste it into your course.

Have any of you used Films on Demand? Please share your opinions with us via the comments link above this post!

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Posted in Uncategorized

Films on Demand

Posted on January 19, 2011 | Comments Off on Films on Demand

Are you utilizing Films on Demand? In my opinion, this is one of our library’s greatest resources. Probably one of the top 5 questions I get is, “Can I show this DVD in my online class?” If you have a copyrighted DVD, it is very unlikely that we will be able to show it in an online course. However, you do have access to Films on Demand, which contains tons of educational videos in a variety of academic areas.

I was recently working with Dr. Kinworthy on his microeconomics course. He had traditionally taught this course face-to-face, and had several videos that he liked to show. In putting this course online, we needed to find alternatives to the DVDs,  so we explored Films on Demand. To Dr. Kinworthy’s great surprise, he found more videos than he could use, and actually felt that they were better and more up-to-date than his DVDs. 

Face-to-face instructors can play the videos in full screen mode and then project them. Online instructors, you will need to make sure the videos are accessible to off campus students. This means that you will need to include a proxy at the beginning of the link. See this tutorial for instructions.

If you have a DVD that is absolutely essential to your online course, and you cannot find a Films on Demand alternative, speak with Phil Hendrickson about the possibility of purchasing a downloadable version.

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Posted in Blackboard, Online Teaching, Technology Integration

SafeAssign Tutorial for Students

Posted on January 18, 2011 | Comments Off on SafeAssign Tutorial for Students

I recently had a request from an instructor to provide instructions for students on how to use SafeAssign. Here is a brief tutorial that you can put on Blackboard that will show your students how to upload SafeAssignments and interpret a SafeAssign report.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5w21dKdnLs]

If you are not familiar with SafeAssign, it is a tool in Blackboard that you can use to scan student papers for potential plagiarism. The real benefit of SafeAssign is that it can be used to educate students, rather than as a “gotcha.” I encourage instructors to provide students with the opportunity to submit a first draft of their papers (using the “draft” option in SafeAssign). This way, a student can review the SafeAssign report and make sure they are quoting and citing appropriately before submitting their final draft. The instructor tutorial for SafeAssign is available in the right column of this blog, under “YouTube Tutorials.”

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Posted in Blackboard, Online Teaching

Blank Grade Book?

Posted on January 17, 2011 | Comments Off on Blank Grade Book?

We have had reports lately about the Blackboard grade book coming up blank. In other words, some instructors have clicked on the grade book link and absolutely nothing was there. If this happens to you, try clearing your browser cache. Please click here for an explanation of how to do so. Note that you will need to scroll down in order to find instructions for your particular browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.).

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Posted in Blackboard

Sandhills + Video = A Great Project!

Posted on January 12, 2011 | Comments Off on Sandhills + Video = A Great Project!

Last semester, I had the opportunity to watch some fantastic videos created by Joel Helmer’s geography students. Following a visit to the Sandhills, Dr. Helmer asked his students to work in teams and develop an educational video using either Photostory 3 or iMovie. Dr. Helmer offered the following description of the project and its relationship to the course objective:

“My objective in this course (Geog 281 – Physical Geography and Geology) is to provide students the opportunity to learn in-depth about the physical geography of a region (the Sandhills) in class and then visit it to see and experience firsthand. I want students to gain experience collecting primary data while in the field and then use this information. This forces (encourages?) them to make connections between what they see and what they have learned and what they will ultimately share via their videos.”

Working in teams, the students created 5-7 minute videos that addressed different topics related to the physical geography of the Sandhills. Prior to creating the video, students were responsible for putting together pre-production storyboards, where they laid out their images, narration, and sources. The results were truly impressive, and it was obvious that the students really enjoyed the project, including its infusion of technology:

“I enjoyed this project in that I learned an enormous amount of information about interdunal wetlands that I would not have learned if I had not completed this project. Using technology like iMovie ’11 made interdunal wetlands that much more exciting to work with and observe as a finished project.

The benefits of using this type of technology are endless. Several benefits might include: possessing a digital copy of the presentation for future use, gaining familiarity of this movie-making technology to use personally or for other classes, presenting information in an effective way that caters to the visual needs of this digital generation, boosting the excitement of students about topics and information that might come off as boring at first, and bringing student groups closer through working together on an engaging project. Without a doubt, using iMovie ’11 for this project was one of the greatest experiences in my educational career.” -Ben Fisher

“What I really enjoyed about the project was that we were able to actually go out and see/experience the Sandhills, then put the project together from our pictures. It was a great experience as a class (growing together and getting to know one another) as well as individually (learning).

I think it’s always good to include technology in the classroom. It gives the students a chance to learn something new and work with programs they have never used before.” -Angela Fick

Ben Fisher, Stephen Kuske, Angela Fick, and Jessica O’Laughlin were kind enough to give me permission to share their videos with you. As you watch them, I encourage you to think about how you might integrate a similar project into your own course!

Interdunal Wetlands by Ben Fisher and Stephen Kuske (using iMovie ’11)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtBmG36h7-I]

Sandhills Journey by Angela Fick and Jessica O’Laughlin (using Photostory 3)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7CLghv8SnY]

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Posted in Technology Integration

Is your course list too cluttered?

Posted on January 11, 2011 | Comments Off on Is your course list too cluttered?

I am often amazed when I work with instructors and see them scrolling through looooooong course lists in My Blackboard. The course list is the center column in My Blackboard that lists all of the courses you are teaching, as well as those you have taught. If you have been at Concordia for a while (and many of you have), this list can be huge! If you are not familiar with how to hide old courses, take a few minutes and watch the following brief tutorial. I also talk about the icons that show up in the course list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HooOhxTZ3lE

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Posted in Blackboard, Online Teaching

Providing Feedback Electronically

Posted on January 10, 2011 | Comments Off on Providing Feedback Electronically

One of the questions I am often asked is, “How do I provide feedback on student assignments submitted electronically?” It is not such a big deal if all that is required is a general response. However, what if you want to correct grammar, spelling, or reference specific sections of a long paper? The easiest way to do this is through the use of “Track Changes” and/or “Comments” in Microsoft Word. I like to provide my feedback using track changes and/or comments, save the document as a pdf, and then send it back to the student. It is not necessary to take the extra step of saving as a pdf, but the advantages are that: 1) your changes and comments are “set in stone” (students cannot accidentally delete or change them, and 2) you don’t have to worry about students not knowing how to use the track changes and comments features of Word.

So, at this point you’re probably thinking, “But I don’t know how to use the track changes and comments features!” Well, you’re in luck, because Microsoft has an audio course dedicated to this very subject. The course should take no more than 30 – 50 minutes and is specific to Microsoft Word 2003, which is the version installed on Concordia computers.

Do you have a preferred way of providing feedback electronically? Please feel free to share it by commenting on this post!

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Posted in Microsoft Office

Why won’t my laptop screen show up on the video projector?

Posted on January 7, 2011 | Comments Off on Why won’t my laptop screen show up on the video projector?

The question above is probably the most frequent support request that I get as the ITC coordinator. One of the following troubleshooting tips normally helps in solving the problem:

1. use the remote to make sure that the computer input has been selected. Several profs use the video projectors to display the DVD player so the input selection may still be set to video.

2.  press the Fn and F8 keys to toggle where both screens are visible (picture of a laptop and monitor together).

3. If you booted up your laptop without the projector connected or powered on, then the VGA port on your laptop may have been disabled. The best way to enable the port  is to restart your laptop while the video projector is on and has been connected to the VGA cable.

4. One of the pins in the VGA connector has been bent. Both students or profs can damage the connector if they hurriedly connect the cable without lining it up properly so the pins can be inserted with little effort. General rule is that if the connection does not fit easily, then double check the alignment.

One method that many people try which will not help at all is to restart the video projector – that will not force a reconnection. That is why it is best when you restart your laptop.

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Posted in ITC

Choosing Strong Passwords

Posted on January 6, 2011 | Comments Off on Choosing Strong Passwords

Do you use your kids’ names as your Internet password? Do you use the same password for all of your favorite sites? You may be putting yourself at risk for identity theft. Check out Mozilla Firefox’s tips (including a video) to learn how to create stronger passwords. Thanks to Kim Marxhausen, adjunct instructor, for suggesting this resource.

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Posted in Digital Citizenship