| April 2022 e-LIS Newsletter
e-Learning and Instructional Support provides and develops tools and resources to enhance the online teaching and learning experience. Our monthly newsletter offers tech tips, helpful information and links to relevant articles. We are here for you!
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| Tech Tip - Using Avatars in Zoom
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Have you ever wanted to attend a Zoom meeting as a cat, dog or even a cow? Now you can! If you have updated Zoom to the latest version, which is 5.10.0, you can enable these fun avatars. The current version is 5.10.4.
The avatar replaces your appearance with that of an animal, however, the avatar mirrors your head movements and facial expressions. Zoom's technology uses your camera to detect your face, but your face isn't actually displayed, stored or sent to Zoom. According to Zoom, this provides a middle ground for users who don't want to appear on camera, but still want to express body language and facial expressions. While Zoom is only offering animal avatars at the time, new avatars will be added in the future.
How to enable avatars
- Ensure that your web camera is on and your video is enabled.
- In the meeting toolbar, open your video options by selecting the ‘Stop Video’ menu
- Select the Choose Virtual Background or Choose Video Filter option.
- Navigate to the Avatars tab and choose your avatar!
- To change your avatar, visit the Avatars tab and select a different one to use. To remove the filter, select ‘None’ in the Avatars tab. Users can also click ‘Turn off avatar’ from their self-view video tile in a meeting, as well as the ‘Stop Video’ menu in a meeting.
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Moodle Update coming this summer
Moodle HQ released an upgraded experience with Moodle 4.0. e-LIS is currently testing this new version and updating our help documentation in anticipation of a June 26 release to the OU community. There is a significant change to the way Moodle will look, along with some new functionality that improves the Moodle experience for all users. Visit the Moodle 4.0 website to learn more about the upgraded Moodle and try a demo course from the perspective of either a teacher or a student. While these demo courses don’t represent what the final version of Moodle will look like at OU, it will give you an opportunity to see what’s on the horizon for Moodle at OU.
Moodle 4.0 Workshops
On June 26, Oakland University's Moodle Learning Management System will be upgraded to version 4.0. This upgrade comes with a more intuitive user-interface, and some new features to enhance your online teaching. To see a "show and tell" of the navigation upgrades and cool new features, you definitely want to enroll in this instructional designer-led workshop!
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Support Services Podcast addresses the importance of names
In this episode, Kate and Dan discuss the importance of correct name pronunciation with Myshia Liles-Moultrie from Oakland University's Center for Multicultural Initiatives. Tune in as they discuss name pronunciation, cultural identity, and sense of belonging and how faculty and staff can take action now with some free and easy tech tools.
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Slack enhances communication for students
Do you Slack? Not as in being lazy or lacking creativity or activity, but as in using the communication tool Slack. This application, often used for business communication, is being used by several Oakland University faculty members in their classes, including the classes of Kimmie Parker, assistant professor of graphic design. Read more on our blog
Teaching tips from an experienced online professor
Helena Riha, special lecturer of Linguistics and International Studies,contributes a number of teaching tips to the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning on a regular basis. The tips she provides are her tried and true ways to engage students with the material, with each other and with her. Riha shares some of her favorite teaching tips with us. Read more on our blog
Digital Marketing course offered on demand, with instructor
Oakland University’s Professional and Continuing Education is now offering the Digital Marketing Certificate Program in two ways--on-demand or instructor-led, both are delivered online through Moodle. These options make the Digital Marketing certificate, Digital Marketing Institute’s Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing and the Professional Certified Marketer from the American Marketing Association, accessible to all types of learners--those who want to move at their own pace and complete the program on their own and those who could benefit from the expertise of an instructor and the connection of others in the same program. Read more on our blog
Have a suggestion?
If you have an idea for an Online Learning blog topic, email Rebecca Thomas at rwthomas@oakland.edu.
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Do you know how to get grades from Moodle to Banner?
Faculty can send final student grades directly from Moodle to the final grading system in Banner. We have the help documents to outline the process. It all starts with gradebook set up in Moodle. Contact e-LIS for gradebook assistance of if you have any other questions completing the process.
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Summer workshop registration open
e-Learning and Instructional Support has set dates for a number of workshops for this summer. It's not to early to sign up and plan what workshops will help you enhance your online teaching.
- Moodle introduction for new users, Tuesday, June 7, 3-4 p.m.
- Stress-free Moodle Assignments, Wednesday, June 8, 10-11 a.m.
- Create and deliver quizzes with ease, Wednesday, June 8, 3-4 p.m.
- Streamline your Moodle Course Design, Thursday, June 9, 10-11 a.m.
- Benefits and strategies for a properly setup Moodle Gradebook, Thursday, June 9, 3-4 p.m.
- Accessibility strategies in Moodle, Tuesday, June 14, 10-11 a.m.
- Make your course more Interactive using H5P, Tuesday, June 14, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
- Zoom for live classes - online and hyflex, Wednesday, June 15, 10-11 a.m.
- Remote lecture workshop (Zoom, YuJa, Google Meeting, Panopto), Wednesday, June 15, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
- Create a variety of engaging discussions using Moodle Forums, Thursday, June 16, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
- Teacher presence using YuJa lecture recording, Thursday, June 16, 10-11 a.m.
Currently, these workshops are offered remotely through Google Meet or Zoom. For more information on the services and workshops offered by e-LIS, visit the e-Learning and Instructional Design website.
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