In this post, Dr. Jerry Johnson, professor in the School of Social Work, was interviewed by Kim Kenward, Hunter Bridwell, and Noah Campbell from the eLearning Team.
As a social work instructor who was convinced back in March that he wasn’t going to be able to teach online, Dr. Johnson, enrolled in a Foundations of Online and Hybrid Course Development course in May and worked with Kim Kenward, to envision how technology could be leveraged in his teaching.
Over the summer, Hunter Bridwell talked with Dr. Johnson about setting up a variety of digital technologies to create a small, but mighty, home studio above his barn, to help engage with his students in synchronous sessions with Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. Specially, Dr. Johnson uses a remote controlled video camera, a wireless headset, and a good old fashioned whiteboard during his live teaching sessions.
Further, he is also using Panopto to create asynchronous lecture content. Dr. Johnson has also investigated the use of a Swivl device through the Technology Showcase at GVSU.
GVSU’s eLearning and Emerging Technologies team provides a wealth of opportunities for faculty in support of digital teaching at Grand Valley State University.
Here are a few key areas of support and highlights offered to faculty in the remainder of the Fall semester and in Winter 2021.
eLearning Webinars Over 40 sessions are available for the remainder of Fall and in Winter 2021. Featured sessions offered in November and December include leveraging Blackboard in teaching, using Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor for assessments and exams, and more.
Blackboard Default Layout for Winter 2021 The refreshed Blackboard layout is sorted into functional categories with dividers, along with new “Begin Here” and “Weekly Content” menu items. Sample content (which is hidden from students) is also included to offer effective practice suggestions along with an “Instructor Guide”.
10 Effective Practices for Digital Teaching This NEW web page provides 10 effective practices for quality online, hybrid, and digital teaching. Practical examples of teaching and course design practices are combined with tools and technologies that are targeted to support student success at GVSU.
With the “big shift” to remote teaching and learning in March, faculty at GVSU have been pursuing innovation in teaching and learning.
Xiaojuan Xu
This eLearning and Emerging Technologies blog post features Xiaojuan Xu, Professor of Psychology, Grand Valley State University.
What classes do you teach and what is your approach in using digital media?
I regularly teach Behavioral Neuroscience and Neuropsychology. Because of the nature of the materials taught in those courses, psychology students find the materials very difficult.
I have developed some creative ways to teach difficulty materials, e.g., we developed several animations to illustrate difficult concepts. The animations containing my voice explanations can be uploaded into the Blackboard course for students to view them.
One of the learning objectives in those courses is for students to master the knowledge of the brain anatomy. I have developed a human brain dissection video and a sheep brain dissection video. The videos demonstrate the dissection process along with my voice explanations and show different brain structures with labels to help students learn the neuroanatomy.
I have used the videos to enhance my lectures in class and also placed them on reserve for students to review. With sudden change to online/remote teaching, I have been able to incorporate my creative ways into my remote teaching. For example, I have inputted both videos into Panopto and linked them to my Blackboard course sites.
However, I faced the problem of how to assess students’ knowledge on the brain in Blackboard. Kim Kenward, instructional designer, brought Hunter Bridwell, digital media developer, into the conversation when I told Kim my problem.
Hunter began working with me and developed several tests on the human brain and sheep brain in Blackboard. Those tests make teaching Behavioral Neuroscience and Neuropsychology completely online possible without removing the important component of the materials taught in those courses.
Building Interactive Experiences for Students
Hunter Bridwell, Digital Media Developer
It was clear, to me, the format and idea behind the assessments was important to Xiaojuan. The assessment options available in Blackboard weren’t going to do quite what we needed them to for this assessment to be success. So I got to work on taking what was an in class paper assignment and more or less digitizing it. Though it was a far more complicated process than simply making a digital version of a once in person test.
How did you develop the learning activity?
I used Articulate Storyline 3 and developed the assessments from scratch working off the word documents from the original test. There were a couple concessions we had to make along the way but all in all the assessments stayed true to form. Essentially the assessment is a series of questions with a rather large word bank of answers and the ability for students to drag and drop each potential answer next to the question, then submit their answer. There is also a timer for each assessment we created.
The great thing about these assessments is that, while they aren’t Blackboard tools, they integrate into Blackboard’s grade book so grading this part of the exam is done automatically similar to tests and assessments in Blackboard. While Blackboards tests and test bank questions work great for most situations of implementing tests and assessments, sometimes the format you need or an idea you have requires a certain level of specificity, and it’s important to get it right.
This is where eLearning tools like Articulate Storyline and the expertise of Digital Media Developers, Instructional Designers, Instructional Technology Specialists, and our eLearning Studios can bridge the gap from surviving to thriving in this digital landscape that is pretty new for most folks.
On Friday, October 2, the eLearning team provided a live webinar on “Using Padlet to Engage Learners”.
ICYMI, the webinar recording is available! Please contact us!
Presenting in this webinar:
Hunter Bridwell, Digital Media Developer
Kim Kenward, Instructional Designer
Getting Started with Padlet
Head on over to the eLearning Padlet web page for GVSU specific resources, a video tutorial and more for getting started and integrating Padlet with Blackboard.
Thank you to Lara Jaskiewicz for sharing your Padlet experiences! Also a shout out to Coeli Fitzpatrick who shared ideas around using Padlet for “relevant findings”.
The eLearning team recognizes also these Padlet superstar faculty: Liz Storey, Jeffrey Rothstein, Coeli Fitzpatrick, Lara Jaskiewicz, and Rosemary Cleveland!
The first GVSU College of Education “BigByte” of the Fall semester was held entirely online, where presenters Suzanne Richards and Ellen Schiller discussed Technology and tips on how to effectively teach remotely and online.
This blog post features Suzanne Richards, Affiliate Professor of Educational Leadership and Counseling for Grand Valley State University’s College of Education.
Big Byte: Positive Remote Teaching Experiences
“Just do it”! – Fear and Fumbling leads to Success
If there is a tag line that I would use in learning to teach online, it is “Just do it”! When I first started teaching online courses, I was soooo worried that my Blackboard site would not be perfect or I would not know what to do during Collaborate or Zoom meetings.
I have learned not to worry so much about those things (I still worry, but not as much) because students will always let me know if I have made an error on Blackboard, then I correct it. In online meetings if I am fumbling with something, students tell me how to fix it. Both of these have happened to me already this semester and I have learned two new things!
The key is to make Blackboard easy to navigate. Make sure it’s clear to students of where to go and what to do – and keep it simple!
– Suzanne Richards
Navigating the Blackboard Learning Platform and Format & Use a GVSU Tech Coach
I have learned that my brain can only process so much at one time or during one semester. Once I repeat Blackboard procedures for a few times I usually can remember them but it is a multi – semester learning process.
Knowing that the tech team in eLearning and Emerging Technologies, specifically Kim Kenward, was assisting me I knew I could not fail. She is still my “go to” every semester and to whom I owe my success. After the first year, I started relaxing with Blackboard, knowing that each semester I would pick up a new skill and not be concerned about not knowing all the aspects or every tool in the system.
Until I needed to know something new or was pushed in a new direction by Kim I could master a few pieces at a time. This allowed me to relax into my own learning process and feel confident with my skill level.
High Trust and Low Stress for Students – It’s about Relationships; Make Blackboard easy to navigate
Students need to know that once they log into Bb for class that I care about them as individuals first and second, that my main goal is for their success. After this, I need to ensure that my Bb site is easy to navigate. Graduate students have very busy lives and they need to know that they can log on to Bb and quickly assimilate the process and procedures for class.During class orientation (first class), I go over the Bb site and show students how to navigate the menu items which they will be using. I record the session for absent students to view at a later date.
I believe that building relationships with students and between students is essential in any course that I teach. My greatest fear in teaching online was not understanding how to create a positive class culture and community. I prided myself in accomplishing that in my face-to-face classes.
Padlet, Flip grid and “Good Things” have assisted in making teaching online more personal. I have developed a system where I create a spreadsheet of student’s names for each class and when I learn something about them personally through Flipgrid or their assignments I add it to the spreadsheet. This enables me to connect names and people.
Personal Development Process – It’s about me to it’s about the Students
As I think about my online teaching journey I can identify a progression of levels of thinking and integration of Blackboard skills.
Year One: Figure out a workable and easy to understand BB format. I use two major areas for students to work with. The first year I used three but now I use two which seems easier to manage.
Objectives: The first box students see which describes the overall learning concepts for that weekly/monthly module.
To Do: The second box starts with a, Welcome to Week #1, and has weekly/monthly module that outlines every step that students need to follow starting with #1 and continuing until all student tasks have been listed for that module. My Blackboard site is quite prescriptive but my students love it because it is easy to read and fail proof when they work through it.
Class Culture and Community: I used Padlet for students to create personal biographies. I was insecure at first and did not want to use videos so I used Padlet.
Students also were asked to write a “Good Thing” about themselves weekly so that we could get to know each other. A critical piece of success to this was my emailing each student the first week to comment on their biography thus establishing an initial personal contact.
During the semester, not always weekly, I would comment on their “Good Things” or have other students comments on their “Good Things” posts so that we could celebrate the positive things in their lives and get to know each other.
Mid-Semester/End of Course Feedback Surveys: An important factor to online teaching is having students complete anonymous surveys to get timely feedback for making course adjustments to content and Bb format/procedures. Each semester I receive a comment(s) that when implemented improves my online teaching skills.
Professor Contact and Availability: Students need to know that I am available if they have questions or need assistance. I provide them with my cell phone number and email. Most of the time students respect the time/day that they call me.
Year Two and Beyond: Integrated two-way communication.
Discussion Board and Journals: Feeling more comfortable with the Blackboard format and with how the coursework integrated into Bb, I added these two components which added more depth to the course and a way for students to interact with the content information, each other and their personal application of material/topics.
Professor Videos: As I have gotten more comfortable with my own skills and having my face on camera, I am creating more videos with Panopto to share with students. This year I am challenging myself to find aesthetically pleasing backgrounds for my videos and appropriate lighting.
Class Culture and Community: Class culture and community is critical. Replacing Padlet with Flipgrid for building class culture has had a very positive outcome. Students personalities really come across in their videos.
By the end of the course I am seeing videos with students’ kids, pets, house tours, etc. This is an aspect that I had not even planned on but truly is something that could not be done in face-to-face classes. Students get to see me in my home as well and get a sense for who I am in my home environment.
Students have an opportunity to tell me a good thing about what is happening in their lives and families – and they build relationships and friendships which using Blackboard Collaborate and Flipgrid.
The class is about relationships and not just content.
– Suzanne Richards
Mid-Semester/End of Course Feedback Surveys: Last year I took the end of year course surveys for over a three-year time period and worked with the statistics department to analyze my instructional teaching strategies. The student feedback came from the surveys and was totally separate from the University LIFT student evaluation. The majority of the information was from face to face classes however, this year I am planning on repeating that analysis with my online surveys. Stay tuned!
Two Screen Home Office Set-up: I use two screens plus my lap top. This is truly a game changer.
Moving Forward – Keep learning and persevere!
I am grateful to Grand Valley State University for providing tech support to me as a professor. I can honestly say that without it I could not be successful and I fear what my students would say about their learning experience! I also appreciate the tips I get from colleagues in our meetings to push my thinking and online skill level.
Looking forward to teaching online and learning new skills this year!
ICYMI Here are some highlights from a webinar by Instructional Designer, Kim Kenward, on “Reclaim Time: Design, Grading & Feedback Strategies in using Blackboard”. [View Google Slides from Presentation]
“Students crave online interaction with their instructors.”
– Kim Kenward, Instructional Designer
TIP #1 – Set up an Instructor Facilitation Schedule
Create a schedule for yourself to help manage your time effectively. You can even share this with your students so they know when to expect a reply or a grade to be posted.
Having a schedule set aside for yourself, will save you time in the long run, so that you can focus on tasks for your courses in blocks of time.
TIP #2 – Use Due Dates in Blackboard
Save time and student emails coming in around confusion about an assignment.
Be extremely clear about the assignment, what is due, and where in Bb to submit the assignments.
Be clear about the assignment grading/turnaround time.
Be sure to SET DUE DATES in Blackboard because this helps students as they can view those assignment due dates in their Bb calendar.
When creating and assignment or assessment in Blackboard, be sure to enter the date and time in the DUE DATES section.
Here is an example of a student view (both in the calendar and in the mobile app), when DUE DATES are used by instructors:
TIP #3 – Be Digitally Present for your Students in Blackboard
Keep yourself and your students on schedule!
Create a consistent schedule of when you will be updating “Announcements” each week & coordinate with release of content or weekly folders in Blackboard.
Set clear expectations regarding when you will be present and when you will not.
Set scheduled and recurring times that you can meet for virtual office hours or will be actively checking email (Google document sign-up sheet example).
TIP #4 – Provide Rich Feedback to your Students
Save yourself the email overload… manage assignments and grades in Blackboard! (Do NOT have students email you their assignments!)
Use Blackboard Annotate to provide feedback to students regarding their assignments without having to print, annotate/grade, and re-upload or share with students. Using Annotate, everything is consolidated and in one place. Tablet or iPad Pro users can annotate with a stylus!
The first GVSU College of Education “BigByte” of the Fall semester was held entirely online, where professors Suzanne Richards and Ellen Schiller discussed Technology and tips on how to effectively teach remotely and online.
This blog post features Ellen Schiller, Professor and Unit Head of the Department of Teaching and Learning for Grand Valley State University’s College of Education.
Big Byte: Positive Remote Teaching Experiences
Until this summer, my online instructional experience was limited to using Blackboard as a companion to my face-to-face classes, and for hosting weekly cohort meetings with a small group of GTC interns.
The courses I teach are interactive elementary math and science courses, and not readily conducive to an online format that would make it difficult to use math manipulatives, perform science investigations, and engage in small group hands-on, inquiry-based learning activities.
In preparation for teaching EDI 630 Teaching Math K-8 online this summer, I enrolled in the Foundations of Online Learning course in May, and also participated in six 1.5 hour eLearning and Emerging Technologies webinars in May and June, which were very helpful! These included:
Creating and Facilitating Discussions in Blackboard
Basic and Advanced Panopto workshops
Time Management for Online Learning
Best Practices for Collaborate Ultra
Building Online Community and Instructor Presence
Kim Kenward, Instructional Designer in eLearning and Emerging Technologies, was a lifesaver as I navigated new territory. My goal was to replicate the face-to-face learning experience as much as possible, so the teachers could have exposure to the value of using the math tools and strategies that help elementary children enjoy and access math concepts.
Teaching Tools and Technologies
Here are the key elements I integrated and used:
Document Camera – I learned that we can borrow document cameras for home use, through Vince St. Germain, eLearning and Instructional Technology Specialist in eLearning and Emerging Technologies.
I picked up a brand-new doc cam and hooked it up at home to my GVSU laptop. This was very helpful for showing math game directions, math manipulative use, and problem-solving steps on a horizontal surface – I recorded videos for posting, and also used the doc cam during our synchronous class sessions.
Flipgrid – I used Flipgrid as a short video recording tool for introductions and recording of student-created math games…you can also record response/feedback videos that link to students’ videos, which I did.
Panopto – I used Panopto to record some instructional videos where I appeared on screen, but used this less than the doc cam recording feature, as I was often demonstrating something on a horizontal surface.
Padlet – One of the assignments is to share a math-related website. We used Padlet for doing website tours, and students could view and respond to others’ videos on the Padlet board.
BB Collaborate Ultra – I used Collaborate Ultra for our 3 synchronous class sessions, including breakout rooms, polling, and the chat feature. I also used Collaborate to schedule one-on-one meetings with students to discuss their math unit plans.
Some students scheduled more than one. Most sessions were a half hour long. This was very helpful for building rapport and giving students individualized attention. Some students scheduled repeat sessions, and a few didn’t schedule at all. It was optional, but most took advantage of this.
I created a perpetual Collaborate Ultra session, so it was easy to meet students there at a variety of times, without creating new sessions.
Gradebook – While I’ve used the basic Blackboard Grade Center for many years, for the online course I also used the video and audio feedback feature in Bb gradebook. This was very time efficient, and from the course evaluations, it appears the students felt they were getting more “face time” from me, which felt more authentic. For their major assignment, I utilized the new written feedback tools in Bb.
Student Feedback
The student evaluations were very positive, although several students said they could see how a face-to-face format would enable them to actually work with the manipulatives themselves, play math games with other teachers, and discuss in a more organic way…and they hoped I wouldn’t have to teach the class online again! Students also commented that it was apparent I “did the best I could.”
There were several students who commented that they greatly preferred recording and watching videos and using Padlet to post, as opposed to having Discussion Board threads – I think that may be getting “stale” for students. Some students commented that it can be hard to respond thoughtfully to a classmate’s “so-so” post, and they felt the videos were more rigorous and engaging.
My main take-away from participating in a lot of technology-related PD and building this course from the ground up this summer is that there are a lot of new tools at our disposal, and this is a great time to liven up your courses!
I was starting from scratch in this format, so this challenge really helped me develop new skills and strategies that students seem to find valuable. For those of you who are veterans of online instruction, I encourage you to see what’s out there…we are so lucky to have our instructional designers like Kim!
Noteworthy in this report were the levels of support for faculty as teaching and learning becomes increasingly digital.
Here are a few charts that highlight the expansion in digital teaching and learning: (view full report)
Summer Spent Building up Skills to Leverage Instructional Tools, meeting with Instructional Designers, and Online Course Design
The survey results indicated that the summer was used to enhance and improve the use of technologies for teaching. In fact, 83% of survey respondents indicated that the use of instructional tools was noticed, followed by increases in working with instructional and learning designers, as well as building up knowledge in successful online course design.
Positive Difference in Enhancing Instruction
Based on the survey respondents, there were noted improvements in the areas of online course design, instructional tools, and in working with instructional or learning designers, and as a result faculty were better prepared when compared with the pivot to remote learning in March.
ICYMI Here are some highlights from a webinar by Instructional Designer, Kim Kenward, on “Approaches and Tools to Better Track Student Performance Online”. [View Google Slides from Presentation]
The key is to keep students organized using Blackboard due dates, engage students with assignment reminders, weekly agendas, regular announcements, and checking in and monitoring your students with tools in Blackboard such as the Retention Center, Performance Dashboard, last login dates etc.
In this post, we have provided a variety of tips and tools you can use to help your students be successful in your course!
#1 – Use Weekly Announcements and Be Electronically Present
Students thrive on regular check ins, communications, reminders, and prompts, especially in online and hybrid courses. Why? Because they are often juggling many courses, a variety of deadlines, and tasks and to dos.
Create a regular communication cadence or rhythm. Each Monday morning, create a Blackboard Announcement and Email this to students. In this regular, weekly communication agenda, include what topics are to be covered, what is due and when, and where to turn in or complete the learning activity or assessment.
Here are some sample course communications:
Be present by participating yourself as an instructor. Even if you are logging into Blackboard and grading or managing your course, your students may not “see” you.
Use Blackboard Private Journal or a Google Form for “End of Week Exit Tickets” (eg. what did you learn this week, how did you learn it, what questions do you still have or what topics are unclear, what goal do you have for next week etc.).
#2 – Use Blackboard Due Dates
Of critical importance to students is the use of due dates. Please don’t scroll through when creating an assignment or quiz in Blackboard without setting a due date. Why? Because due dates help students manage their time more effectively. In addition, when using the Blackboard calendar, My Grades (upcoming view), or the Blackboard mobile app, students are reminded about upcoming due dates. This helps students by organizing their time.
What you can do to help students:
Do not scroll by and skip adding a due date in Blackboard! Take a moment to add the date and time. Your students will thank you for this!
#3 – Leverage the Last Login in Grade Center, Performance Dashboard, Item Statistics, Course Reports, and the Retention Centerto Monitor and Engage with Students
What you can do to help students:
Use the last login date in the Grade Center to quickly email students that haven’t accessed your course.
Leverage the “Send Reminder” feature in the Grade Center to quickly email all students that have not submitted their assignment.
Check out the Performance Dashboard to see levels of student engagement across the course. Use these learning analytics data to engage and communicate with your students.
Successful online/hybrid students are self-directed, self-disciplined, self-motivated, prepared, good readers, good organizers and have good time management skills.
It may go without saying, but being a successful student also includes getting adequate sleep, eating healthy and drinking water, exercising, and overall prioritizing your time. Your well physical and mental well being is of first importance.
Here are 7 tips for success in online/hybrid learning at GVSU:
BE SELF-DIRECTED and SELF-MOTIVATION Are you self-directed and motivated to succeed?
To be successful, you will need to be self-directed and have self-motivation to regularly login to the course, monitor deadlines, and complete your course work regularly.
TIP #1 – Take action, participate, and keep yourself on track.
Know your what your best learning settings look like and proactively turn off or minimize your distractions (including your mobile phone, music, etc.).
TIP #2 – Engage and Read.
Be sure to read all of your instructor’s emails, announcements, and communications. Often these will contain important deadlines, to-dos, assignment instructions, etc.
TIP #3 – Login to Blackboard and check your email regularly.
The key is to have a dedicated time set aside for your course work and to minimize obstacles that hinder you from studying and participating.
USE TIME WISELY Have you planned enough time?
You should expect to spend a minimum 3 hours additional for each hour of class time. Therefore, in a 3-credit hour course, you should expect to spend at least 9 hours per week to complete the readings, assignments and participate in class discussion.
TIP #4 – Use a time / task calendar or schedule and set reminders for logging in regularly.
Setting up a daily schedule, marking important due dates for learning activities and assessments, and blocking off time for reading course content and participating in course requirements is key.
TIP #5 – Don’t procrastinate and try to do all of your work in one session.
Break up readings, assignments, and projects into smaller manageable tasks.
TIP #6 – Use your time wisely.
We all have the same time available to us: 24 hours in a day, and 168 hours in a week – use your time wisely. Be sure to review these time management tips from the GVSU Student Academic Success Center.
3 – FIND A GOOD PLACE SPACE TO STUDY Do you have a quiet place to study?
Create a quiet study space for yourself to read course materials, work on class assignments, and engage in the class dialogue. During this time, you should log-on to your course site to read course content, complete a learning activity, participate in class discussions, or submit an assessment.
TIP#7 – Keep your space organized, keep yourself and your course materials organized!
Successful online/hybrid students are self-directed, self-disciplined, self-motivated, prepared, good readers, good organizers and have good time management skills.
eLearning Technologies @GVSU 