News & Notes on Teaching and Learning with Technology
Crystal Nielsen, Editor
Summer 2011

Contents

Self-Paced Training Reorganized
Campus Pack to Go Mobile
TAs on Call to Help You

ANGEL Tips and Tricks
- Uploading Files
- Providing Opportunities for Self-Assessment
- Designing Online Courses

Online Learning Opportunities
- Online Coursebuilding with ANGEL
- 6th Annual Northwest eLearning Conference
- Jossey-Bass 2011 Online Teaching Learning Conference
- Online Course Design and Development
- 17th Annual Sloan Consortium Int'l Conference on Online Learning
- ANGEL Training for Instructors

Onsite Learning Opportunities
- Labs & Workshops
- Consultations

Offsite Learning Opportunities
- 27th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning
- 12th Annual Lilly Conference on College & University Teaching
- Retaining Students in Online Education
- Turning Technologies User Conference
- 6th Annual Northwest eLearning Conference
- E-Learning 2011 - World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare & Higher Education
- 17th Annual Sloan Consortium Int'l Conference on Online Learning
- DevLearn 11

Resources
- Study: Impact of Pre-Course Surveys
- Blog: Rubric for Peer Discussion Rating
- Webinar: Faculty-Student Coursebuilding

E-Learning Services Personnel

Scriptural Food for Thought:
"Love is patient, love is kind.
     It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
          It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
     It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

I Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV 1984)

The ANGEL Training for Instructors site located on ANGEL itself now offers three ways to learn, depending on your needs:

NNU-Specific Tips & Tutorials

• Examples of content
• Best practices as recommended by NNU E-Learning Services
• NNU-specific video tutorials
• NNU-specific tips
• Links to the ANGEL illustrated manual
• Links to the ANGEL-created illustrated instructions
• Links to the ANGEL-created video tutorials

Company-Created Resources

• ANGEL-created illustrated instructions
• ANGEL-created video tutorial

Company-Created Course

• ANGEL-created lessons, with objectives and exercises
• ANGEL-created illustrated instructions
• ANGEL-created video tutorials

The NNU-Specific option draws from the Online Coursebuilding with ANGEL class. Visit the ANGEL Support page if you are interested in learning more about that professional development offering.

If you do not see the ANGEL Training for Instructors site on your course list within ANGEL, or if you have any questions, please contact E-Learning Services at elearning(at)nnu.edu or (208) 467-8034.

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Free assistance from an eLearning TA is still available even though it's summer! Use the TA Request Form to ask for a consultation, a task, or both:

• Consultation - An eLearning TA can show you how to use a certain feature in ANGEL or any of the other technologies we support.
• Task - Rather than taking the time yourself, have a TA do the work for you! 

How can a TA help you?

• Build the Gradebook
• Create online tests
• Create links in your text to online articles
• Build rubrics to help with grading
• Place items on the Calendar
• Convert your videos and DVDs for online streaming
• Make a nice graphic for your course home page
• Build a wiki or blog
• Reorganize your ANGEL pages to look great
• And other projects both basic and complex that either you do not do very often or that are time-consuming

Place your request now, before the busy Fall rush!

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Uploading Files

E-Learning Services has noted a few issues that make the File content type in ANGEL a little less than user-friendly for the students. To wit:

• As soon as a student clicks to access the file, ANGEL launches a timer to open the file, and that timer can be confusing.
• The file opens within ANGEL, making it difficult for students to print.
• If you have several files that you want students to open, that can involve a lot of clicking to open each one.

Instead of using the content type for a File, E-Learning Services recommends that you embed your files. By embed we mean that you upload a file directly in the textbox editor for any given Page, Folder, Drop Box, etc. We consider this a "best practice" because it allows you to give your students context (such as explanatory text) while avoiding the issues mentioned.

Providing Opportunities for Self-Assessment

Adult learners such as those in our graduate and accelerated programs tend to appreciate chances to check their progress and make sure they're on track. You can use ANGEL's Game content type to set up two kinds of non-graded self-assessments:

• Crossword puzzles
• Jeopardy!-style games

Neither of these records student scores, but they can still be effective in helping students solidify facts or concepts. For instance, adjunct English instructor Tami Ponsford has used the puzzle feature to help students practice their spelling words.

Learn how to build Games via the illustrated steps, or write a list and then request assistance from an eLearning TA.

Designing Online Courses

The faculty E-Learning Committee has worked diligently over the past few years to create items that will help you build an effective online course in ANGEL.

• The Online Course Template brings in a few pieces that will really help your students get started on the right foot, including 
  • A Connecting with Your Professor box
  • An ANGEL orientation
  • Information about the help desk and computer requirements
  • And more
• The Online Course Design Checklist is a fairly detailed document to help you consider a variety of elements.

If you have questions about either the template or the checklist, please contact Dr. Christine Bauer, E-Learning Director, at chbauer(at)nnu.edu or (208) 467-8240.

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Online Coursebuilding with ANGEL

July 25 - August 14, 2011

This is the professional development option for you if you want to learn best practices and how-tos not only for using ANGEL, but also for incorporating other technologies into your online course. Available at no charge or for 1 credit, this fully online course lasts three weeks and is taught by Crystal Nielsen, M.A., Instructional Technologist for E-Learning. See the ANGEL Support page for details.

6th Annual Northwest eLearning Conference

October 13-14, 2011

NWeLearn is a consortium of eLearning professionals from Idaho, Oregon and Washington, with participation from our own Crystal Nielsen (chairwoman) and Mary Jones (Idaho representative). The call for proposals is open for the group's 6th annual conference, which will take place in Vancouver, Wash., and virtually via live lecture software. Visit the group's website for details.

Jossey-Bass 2011 Online Teaching Learning Conference

October 18-20, 2011

The 5th annual Jossey-Bass Online Teaching & Learning (OTL) Conference equips educators and administrators to understand the What and How of online design, development, instruction, and assessment. This conference offers real-life applications and tools from experts in the field. Learn more on the conference website.

Online Course Design and Development

October-November

This fully online course taught by E-Learning Director Dr. Christine Bauer is a definitive guide for instructors building new online courses or converting traditional courses. Available at no charge or for 3 credits, the course lasts seven weeks. See the ANGEL Support page for details.

17th Annual Sloan Consortium Int'l Conference on Online Learning

November 9-11, 2011

The theme of this year's Sloan-C is Online Learning, Teaching and Research in the New Media Ecology. One of the more well-known conferences, the Sloan-C also offers a budget-friendly virtual option. Conference tracks include

• Learning Effectiveness
• Technology and Emerging Learning Environments
• Student Services and Learner Support
• Leadership, Values and Society

Visit the conference website for details.

ANGEL Training for Instructors

Self-paced, 24/7

Upon logging in to ANGEL, you should see the ANGEL Training for Instructors in the All category of your course list. Here you'll find three types of resources:

• Best-practice tips and NNU-specific video tutorials from the Coursebuilding class that you can browse at your leisure
• ANGEL-created step-by-step guides and videos
• ANGEL-created units, with the how-tos plus exercises and quizzes

Send an e-mail to elearning(at)nnu.edu if you do not see the course on your list.

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Labs & Workshops

E-Learning Services conducts Open Lab sessions on a regular basis, and a full slate of 1-hour workshops is planned for mid-August. Please visit the ANGEL Support page for descriptions and the schedule.

Consultations

eLearning TAs are available to meet with you in your office or location of your choice, either to answer a 5-minute question or to coach you through a detailed process. To request free assistance, use the eLearning TA request form.

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27th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning

August 3-5, 2011
Madison, WI

This is one of the biggies, drawing a wide spectrum of professionals in distance education from around the world. Attendees learn about current resources, research, and best practices that are relevant to the design and delivery of distance education. Conference tracks this year include the following:

• Essentials for Online Teaching
• Learner Support & Retention
• Research
• Program Administration & Management
• Design/Development
• Tools, Media, & Technology
• Teaching/Training Strategies
• Assessment

Visit the conference website for details.

12th Annual Lilly Conference on College & University Teaching

September 22-25, 2011
Traverse City, MI

The theme this year is "Brain-Based Learning and Teaching," focused on introducing innovative approaches to teaching and learning, challenging previously held assumptions about knowledge, and sharing new ways to help students learn. Brain-based learning draws from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, physiology, pedagogy and andragogy. E-Learning is one of the conference subthemes. The CFP for poster sessions will remain open until all slots are filled. For details, please visit the conference website.

Retaining Students in Online Education

September 28-30, 2011
Philadelphia, PA

Organized by the for-profit Academic Impressions, this conference will focus on methods to track students, document progress and put specific practices in place to promote retention of online students. See the conference website for details.

Turning Technologies User Conference

October 9-11, 2011
San Diego, CA

If you use the Turning Point "clickers" in your classroom, consider attending a user conference to learn some nuances and network with other instructors. Visit the conference website for details.

Note: If you wish to integrate your students' clicker assessment results with your ANGEL gradebook, please contact Crystal Nielsen (cdnielsen(at)nnu.edu  or 208-467-8782).

6th Annual Northwest eLearning Conference

October 13-14, 2011
Vancouver, WA

At $75 for a full two days, this conference is one of the least expensive in terms of both registration and travel costs due to its proximity. NW eLearn is a consortium of eLearning professionals from Idaho, Oregon and Washington; committee members include our own Crystal Nielsen (chairwoman) and Mary Jones (Idaho representative). The call for proposals is currently open. Visit the conference website for details.

E-Learning 2011 - World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare & Higher Education

October 17-21, 2011
Honolulu, HI

A multi-disciplinary forum on research, development, and applications related to e-Learning, this international conference is co-organized by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) and the International Journal on E-Learning. The CFP, open until August 31, allows for proposals for papers, panels, best practices, roundtables, tutorials, workshops, and posters/ demonstrations. Visit the conference website for details.

17th Annual Sloan Consortium Int'l Conference on Online Learning

November 9-11, 2011
Orlando, FL

The theme of this year's Sloan-C is Online Learning, Teaching and Research in the New Media Ecology. One of the more well-known conferences, the Sloan-C attracted 1,200 attendees last year to more than 240 presentations. Conference tracks include

• Learning Effectiveness
• Technology and Emerging Learning Environments
• Student Services and Learner Support
• Leadership, Values and Society

A budget-friendly virtual option is also available. Visit the conference website for details.

DevLearn 11

November 2-4, 2011
Las Vegas, NV

This conference, sponsored by The eLearning Guild, tends to focus on corporate training more than on higher education, but you'll still find sessions related to topics like blended learning, instructional design, and management strategy. Visit the conference website for details.

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Study: Impact of Pre-Course Surveys

Using a brief questionnaire at the outset of an online course can not only serve to provide information about students' prior knowledge and goals for the course, but also set a tone regarding the instructor's social presence. By responding, students also indicate acknowledgement of their own efforts toward social presence.

Starr-Glass, D. (2011). Beginning course surveys: Bridges for knowing and bridges for being. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(5). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1000/1883.

Blog: Rubric for Peer Discussion Rating

The discussion forum is typically the lifeblood of an online class - it's where students grapple with the content, get the rough edges knocked off from their understanding, and really learn to respectfully dialogue with others who may have differing viewpoints. Assigning a participation grade for discussions helps to underscore their importance. Bethany Bovard, instructional design consultant at New Mexico State University, posits that a rubric for gauging one's contribution to the forum can be helpful.

Bovard, B. (2011, June 22). Discussion rubric for peer review [Blog post]. Retrieved from the Sloan Consortium website: http://sloanconsortium.org/node/262436

Webinar: Faculty-Student Coursebuilding

Instructors often approach colleagues for ideas about course design. At Elon University, faculty have been collaborating with students to improve courses for the past five years. In an interview conducted via Adobe Connect by the Teaching and Learning with Technology Group, Elon representatives discussed what's been working with this approach - and what hasn't.

PDF (2 pages) about the collaboration
Recording of the interview

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Our office is located on the lower level of the Emerson Administration building, but we're always willing to come to you! Learn about the E-Learning Services employees on our main page.

Our E-Learning TAs help faculty, adjuncts and program support personnel with consultations or course development using ANGEL and other online technologies. To request free help from an E-Learning TA, please use the online TA request form.

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