SUNY New Paltz’s Office of Instructional Technology will host a workshop series from July 13-16 to assist faculty with the transition to remote, online and hybrid models of instruction.
Remote Teaching Week will include workshops on a wide variety of topics, from technical skills like recording lectures to more holistic topics like cultivating a positive online learning environment.
New Paltz faculty can use this link to register to attend any of the workshops described below. All workshops will be recorded for those who are interested in a session but unable to join at the designated time.
Monday, July 13
11:00 a.m.: Creating a Consistent Online Environment
This workshop will cover the importance of continuity and consistency in course design when it comes to online or remote learning. Topics include the following, with time for Q&A:
- Why we recommend using Blackboard and campus-supported tools (impact on students with disabilities; impact on support and training; impact on learning curves)
- Using the default main menu layout in Blackboard
- Using folders to design modules
- How to request the Blackboard Course Shell
1:00 p.m.: Improving Course Communication
Communication is important in all classes, but it is critical in online courses or courses that have remote components. Good communication includes things like announcements and email, but can go beyond these tools to include less obvious forms of communication such as grades, summaries and even self-assessments. In this workshop we’ll go over a number of strategies for staying connected to students and how to implement these methods in your class.
Tuesday, July 14
11:00 a.m.: Creating and Grading Assignments
This workshop will cover two tools for creating and grading assignments: Blackboard Assignments and Turnitin Assignments. We’ll cover:
- When to use Blackboard assignments vs. Turnitin assignments
- How to create both types of assignments
- How students submit both types of assignments
- How to access and grade submitted assignments
1:00 p.m.: Tests and Quizzes in Blackboard
This workshop will cover how to create, deploy and grade tests in Blackboard and will cover all testing fundamentals.
Wednesday, July 15
11:00 a.m.: Blackboard Learning Tools
In this workshop you’ll learn about the four primary learning tools in Blackboard – Discussion Boards, Blogs, Journals and Wikis – and discuss best use cases for each tool, as well as basic set-up.
1:00 p.m.: LinkedIn Learning and Open Educational Resources
There is a lot of great content available to faculty and students at no additional cost, so it’s important to know where to find this content and how to use it. Two services that are available to the New Paltz campus are LinkedIn Learning and Lumen Learning. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the benefits of these tools, show you how to find them, and model how to use them in your course.
Thursday, July 16
11:00 a.m.: Recording Lectures and Screen Captures
As you think about recording lectures or other multimedia content for students, it’s important to plan and practice before you begin recording for best results with engagement, retention of information, and accessibility. We will go through this process and help you plan for the best outcomes.
1:00 p.m.: Tool Preview: TechSmith Knowmia and Bb Annotate
New Paltz is adding two new educational technology tools this summer and this workshop will give you a preview. In July, we are adding Techsmith Knowmia (formerly Relay), which is a streamlined recording and video storage platform that will integrate with Blackboard, and in August we are upgrading to an enhanced assignment submission tool called Blackboard Annotate. In this workshop we’ll introduce each tool, cover their major features, and let you know what to expect for implementation.
