News & Notes on Teaching and Learning with Technology
Crystal Nielsen, Editor
March 2010

Contents

New Help Desk, Longer Support Hours Implemented
ANGEL Idea Exchange Planned for March 30
Free Help Available via E-Learning TAs

ANGEL Tips and Tricks
- Getting Answers to FAQs
- Editing Multiple Gradebook Assignments at Once
- Helping Students Find Their Grades
- Adding Calendar Dates

Online Learning Opportunities
- ANGEL Training for Instructors
- Online Coursebuilding with ANGEL
- Online Course Design & Development
- Introduction to Google Wave in Education
- Under the Gun: Recording and Publishing a Podcast in Under an Hour

Onsite Learning Opportunities
- ANGEL Basics Workshop
- ANGEL Assessments Workshop
- ANGEL Grading Workshop
- ANGEL Open Lab
- ANGEL Student Overview
- TurnItIn Workshop

Offsite Learning Opportunities
- 7th Annual Sloan Consortium Blended Learning Conference
- Pacific Northwest Higher Ed Assessment, Teaching & Learning Conference
- Distance Learning Administration 2010
- BbWorld 2010
- Sloan Consortium Emerging Technologies for Online Learning Symposium
- 26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning
- 5th Annual Northwest eLearning Conference
- 16th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning

Resources
- Podcast: Helping Potential Online Students
- Study: 8 in 10 Students Use Wikipedia
- Survey: What is the Future of the Internet?

E-Learning Services Personnel

Scriptural Food for Thought:
"Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.'  Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' " John 20:26a-28 NIV

In an effort to provide better customer service and to streamline the number of places where instructors and students can go to find support, NNU has merged two departments into a single help desk.

With the change, a full-time employee will be available to answer phone calls and help tickets during weekday evenings (Mon-Thurs) and Saturdays.

The new help desk is called Technology and Media Resources (TMR), combining the Technical Response Center and Media Technology Department.

E-mail: help(at)nnu.edu available 24/7 for assistance with troubleshooting and service requests

Phone: (208) 467-8111 (same number, new hours) - available Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. MT; Sunday 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. MT

Walk-in Support: Wiley 119, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT Monday through Friday

Professional staff are now available in TMR Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. MT and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  MT. Friday evenings and Sunday evenings will continue to be staffed with student TAs.

Any questions about the change can be sent to Ted Wheeler, Director of Technology and Media Resources.

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One of the tasks that E-Learning Services included on our "job description" for faculty EvANGELists was a request that they help lead sessions to better prepare colleagues to use ANGEL. Now that many instructors have begun teaching with ANGEL, it's a great time to start fine-tuning.

Our first ANGEL Idea Exchange takes place on Tuesday, March 30, and is designed so that attendees can come away with solid skills and knowledge in two areas if desired:

RSVPs are helpful so that we have enough handouts, but they are not required. RSVP to elearning(at)nnu.edu or 467-8782.

Next month's ANGEL Idea Exchange is set for 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, April 29, and will include best practices with assessments.

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E-Learning Services has several student employees available to help faculty, adjuncts and program support personnel with consultations or course development using ANGEL and other online technologies, such as:

• making ANGEL pages look great
• creating online tests
• creating teams
• associating content with the Gradebook
• placing items on the Calendar
• preparing streamed media
• making course banners, and
• other projects both basic and complex that either you do not do very often or that are time-consuming

To request help from Bethany or Katie, please e-mail your need to elearning(at)nnu.edu and include as many details as possible, or call Crystal Nielsen, Instructional Technologist for E-Learning (208-467-8782). She will assign the task to one of the TAs.

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Getting Answers to FAQs

You've got questions, we've got answers!

Some of the most common Q & As are now available on an ANGEL FAQs page for instructors and support staff. E-Learning Services recommends that you bookmark www.nnu.edu/angel-faqs for future reference. The page is continually getting updated, and a similar list will be built for students.

Editing Multiple Gradebook Assignments at Once

If you have more than one assignment in the Gradebook that needs tweaking - for instance, you want to adjust the points possible - you can edit all the assignments at one time.

Go to the Manage tab > Gradebook > 2. Assignments > Place a checkmark next to the desired Assignments > Edit Selected > Place a checkmark next to the setting you want to change, such as the Points Possible > Change the setting > Save.

Helping Students Find Their Grades

ANGEL gives your students two ways to find their grades:

• Via Report tab - As long as you have not hidden all items that are associated with the gradebook, students can click the Report tab and run a Grades report for themselves (and only themselves). This will show them each assignment, how they fared, and any feedback from you. See this student tutorial for details.


• Via Grades component - For an overall score that is broken down by category, students can look at a Grades component (or nugget) that you place on either the Course home page or the Resources tab. To do so, go the desired tab > Edit Page > Place a checkmark next to Grades > Choose a location (column 1, 2 or 3) > Add Selected > Use drag-n-drop if needed to move the component where desired > Save. This tutorial shows you how to add the nugget, and this one discusses the Grades component itself. Encourage your students to click the Refresh link each time they visit the Grades component.

Adding Calendar Dates

Quickly and easily add due dates to your course calendar so that students know what's up. 

When creating content such as drop box assignments, tests, etc., pay attention to the item's Assignment tab in the settings. At the top of that tab are the Milestone settings. In the dropdown, choose Item Completion > Place a checkmark next to the Due Date > Choose a date > Save. ANGEL will place the Due Date onto the Calendar. You can also put the Assign date onto the calendar - the date the assignment begins. 

This tutorial shows you in further detail how to create a Milestone. The nice thing about Milestones is that you can run a Milestone report on the Report tab to find out who has completed them. They are also a good way to keep track of Complete/Incomplete items.

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ANGEL Training for Instructors
Self-paced, 24/7

Upon logging in to ANGEL, faculty and adjuncts should see the ANGEL Training for Instructors in the All category of their course list. Click the Content tab to access an overview video and several units of self-paced tutorials. Each unit includes the following:

• Fully illustrated step-by-step guides
• Quick videos
• Practice exercises 
• Assessments to solidify what you have learned

Send an e-mail to help(at)nnu.edu if you have trouble logging in to ANGEL with your regular NNU login.

Online Coursebuilding with ANGEL
May 10-30 (Revised from April dates)

A professional development offering from E-Learning Services, this course goes beyond just the ANGEL course management system to also include best practices in the use of other technologies. Conducted fully online, the three-week class is available at no charge unless you wish to earn credit. See details on the ANGEL support page. Express interest to Crystal Nielsen.

Online Course Design & Development
May 31-July 16

Lasting seven weeks, this fully online professional development course focuses on best practices in online teaching and learning. Participants spend considerable time developing particular components of their online courses. The class is available at no charge unless you wish to earn credit.  See details on the ANGEL support page. Express interest to Dr. Christine Bauer.

Introduction to Google Wave in Education
Noon to 1:30 p.m. MT Wednesday, March 31

Integration of Web 2.0 tools into courses reaches another milestone with the onset of Google Wave. This collaboration tool offers a robust wiki platform complete with tools for chatting, video/audio, drag-n-drop documents and more. See webinar details.

Under the Gun: Recording and Publishing a Podcast in Under an Hour
4 to 5 p.m. MT Wednesday, April 14

Chris Haskell and Barbara Schroeder, both of Boise State University and hosts of the weekly Cool Teacher Podcast, gave well-received presentations at the NNU-hosted Northwest eLearning Conference last fall. The Northwest eLearning Community has asked them to share more ideas. This free webinar will be conducted via Adobe Connect. Details will be posted soon.

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A number of workshops have been scheduled through the end of the academic year. RSVPs appreciated so that we have enough handouts. Contact us at elearning(at)nnu.edu or 208-467-8782.

ANGEL Basics Workshop

• Navigating in ANGEL
• Creating basic content - pages, links and files
• Using basic course management - calendar, announcements, and attendance

Identical offerings:

10 a.m. to Noon
Saturday, April 17
Helstrom 205

6 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, April 22
Helstrom 205

ANGEL Assessments Workshop

• Building and grading tests
• Creating and grading with rubrics

2:00 to 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday, April 14
Wiley 114

ANGEL Grading Workshop

• Building and managing the gradebook
• Grading drop box assignments
• Grading tests
• Grading discussion forums
• Helping students find their grades

Identical offerings:

8 to 9:30 a.m.
Thursday, March 25
Helstrom 205

12:30 to 2 p.m.
Thursday, April 15
Wiley 114

5 to 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 27
Helstrom 205

10:30 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, May 4
Helstrom 205

ANGEL Open Lab

Come and work on your course with help readily available

3:15 to 5 p.m.
Wednesday, April 14
Wiley 114

1 to 4:45 p.m.
Monday, May 10
Helstrom 205

ANGEL Student Overview

• Navigating in ANGEL
• Completing drop box assignments
• Participating in discussion forums
• Taking online tests
• Viewing grades

Identical offerings:

4 to 5 p.m.
Thursday, April 29
ESWC 211

4:45 to 5:45 p.m.
Monday, May 10
Helstrom 205

TurnItIn Workshop

• Helping students understand academic integrity
• Using the plagiarism-detection software

Identical offerings:

8 to 9 a.m.
Tuesday, April 20
Wiley 114

2 to 3 p.m.
Wednesday, April 21
Helstrom 207

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7th Annual Sloan Consortium Blended Learning Conference
April 19-20, 2010
Oak Brook, IL

Many universities are using blended learning to meet institutional goals, enhance student learning, facilitate student access and find solutions to address diminishing resources. This conference will explore effective strategies for taking courses beyond the four walls.

Visit the conference website for details.

Pacific Northwest Higher Ed Assessment, Teaching & Learning Conference
April 28-30
Vancouver, WA

One of the strands of this 10th annual conference is eLearning and instructional technologies.

Visit the conference website for details.

Distance Learning Administration 2010
June 6-9
Jekyll Island, GA

This conference is geared toward those who manage and evaluate e-learning programs. Co-sponsors are the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration and The University of West Georgia.

Visit the conference website for details.

BbWorld 2010
July 14-16
Orlando, FL

Join thousands of users of ANGEL and Blackboard in sharing ideas, lessons learned and new approaches. Presentations will cover dozens of topics, including pedagogy, social learning and student assessment. The registration earlybird discount ends March 31.

Visit the conference website for details.


Sloan Consortium Emerging Technologies for Online Learning Symposium
July 20-23, 2010
San Jose, CA

A joint symposium of Sloan Consortium and MERLOT, this gathering focuses on the technologies that drive online learning effectiveness, highlighting research, applications and best practices of important emerging technological tools.

Visit the conference website for details.

26th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning
August 4-6, 2010
Madison, WI

This conference is recognized internationally for the quality and integrity of its program. Each year the conference provides an exchange of current resources, research, and best practices from around the world that are relevant to the design and delivery of distance education/training.

Visit the conference website for details.

5th Annual Northwest eLearning Conference
October 21-22, 2010
Vancouver, WA

Last year, NNU hosted this conference and saw participation from quite a few of our number. The 2010 date and location are somewhat tentative, but this is an excellent choice for a low-cost, high-return opportunity that is also close to NNU. A call for proposals will be issued next month.

16th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning
November 3-5, 2010
Orlando, FL

Nearly 1,400 educators attended last year's event, participating in more than 200 presentations. The program tracks this year include Learning Effectiveness, as well as Technology and Emerging Learning Environments. May 3 is the deadline to submit a proposal for a poster session, presentation or workshop.

Visit the conference website for details.

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Podcast: Helping Potential Online Students

Much of the how-to materials on online learning provide guidance for instructors. However, the authors of a new book, Online Education for Dummies, offer jewels of wisdom for new online students, with tips from admission to graduation. Already, the book is showing up on suggested course reading lists and orientation programs.

In a 17-minute podcast hosted by LearningTimes Green Room, authors Susan Manning and Kevin Johnson share some of their practical guidelines as well as their collaboration process.

Study: 8 in 10 Students Use Wikipedia

A new report shows that yes, students are using the online, collaborative encyclopedia to conduct research for their coursework. But the study also shows that most students use Wikipedia at the beginning of their investigations, to gain a handle on a topic's background.

Head, A. J., & Eisenberg, M. J. (2010). How today's college students use Wikipedia for course-related research. First Monday, 15(3). Retrieved March 24, 2010, from http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2830/2476

Survey: What is the Future of the Internet?

What might the Internet look in the year 2020? Nearly 900 technology experts and critics gave their answers to researchers, specifically looking at these questions:

• Will Google make us stupid?
• Will the internet enhance or detract from reading, writing, and rendering of knowledge?
• Is the next wave of innovation pretty clear now, or will the most interesting developments come "out of the blue"?
• Will the end-to-end principle of the internet still prevail in 10 years, or will there be more control of access to information?
• Will it be possible to be anonymous online or not by the end of the decade? 

Anderson, J. Q., & Rainie, L. (2010, February 19). The future of the Internet IV. Retrieved March 24, 2010, from the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project web site: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Future-of-the-Internet-IV.aspx

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Our office is located on the lower level of the Emerson Administration building. Learn about the E-Learning Services employees and TAs on our main page.

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