With the Fall semester now in full swing, please know that the eLearning Technologies team is here to support you in the delivery of high-impact, high-engagement, and innovative teaching at GVSU.
In this edition of the newsletter:
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Four things to know about Ultra Base Navigation
Ultra Base Navigation (UBN) is the experience you have outside of a specific Blackboard course and includes many new features, such as the ability to update your personal profile, a modernized Calendar, as well as the ability to see critical course information in an Activity Stream. We would like to highlight four of the most important functions found in UBN.
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For the first time, Blackboard users now have the ability to select personal pronouns, and even have the ability to record name pronunciations. Faculty and students can also update their profile picture. Profile information appears in rosters, discussion posts, and in the Gradebook. Learn more about your Blackboard personal profile and encourage your students to update their profile as well.
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A modernized Calendar is now also available and all due dates and meetings instructors create in their courses appear automatically on the calendar. Students and faculty can filter their calendar by specific courses and they can also share their calendars with external programs. As we continue to strive for ways to keep student better organized, using due dates is one of the most important features faculty can use this semester. Whenever possible, use due dates when creating assignments, discussion board posts, online assessments, and Blackboard journals.
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The Activity Stream is front and center in Ultra Base Navigation and can be a powerful tool for reminding students about upcoming assignments, past assignments and even missed assignments. The Activity Stream provides instructors with easy access to assignment submissions and puts attention for the instructor on assignments that need to be graded, as well as students who are at risk because of missed assignments. Please note that due dates are necessary to appear as notifications on the Activity Stream.
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Notification settings are found under your Blackboard Profile and can be customized by each user. The notification system alerts you when events occur in your courses, such as when items are due, grades are available, new content and tests are made available, and when you have unread discussions and blogs. Notifications are generated automatically whenever the associated events occur. The notification settings also determine how you receive emails from Announcements (Immediately or once per day in a Daily Digest at 11pm). You can choose the types of notifications you receive and how they're delivered to you from both the Activity Stream and Profile Page.
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Please encourage your students to update their notification settings too. More information about notifications settings can be found in this video.
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Why is my course menu now black and white?
Please note that Blackboard course menu colors cannot be modified in Learn Ultra. For accessibility and usability reasons, the colors are fixed to black and white. If you're looking for ways to customize your course, it is possible to add a course image (previously known as a banner). Once we move to Ultra Course View in the spring/summer of 2023, course images will be visible throughout the course, not just in Announcements. Please review this knowledge base article for more information about sizing images and finding free images.
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Hypothesis: a new tool for social annotation work
Up until now, there has not been any campus solution for incorporating a social annotation tool directly into a course’s curriculum, but with Hypothesis you’ll have the opportunity to support student success by placing active discussions right on top of your course readings, enabling you and your students to add comments and start conversations right in the margins of the text. Studies suggest the use of social annotation and the co-creation of knowledge encourages student engagement and the achievement of learning outcomes while raising awareness of the importance of open and collaborative practices. The following resources are available so that you and your students can easily get started.
Instructor resources for using Hypothesis:
Students resources for using Hypothesis:
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Participate in the Online and Hybrid Faculty Learning Community
Whether you’ve been teaching online or hybrid courses for several years, or just getting ready to start your first semester teaching hybrid or online, faculty of all levels of expertise are welcome to join our “Online & Hybrid Faculty Learning Community.”
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Join us each month to:
- Support new and experienced online/hybrid faculty through dialogue and samples
- Explore best practices associated with online/hybrid teaching and learning
- Identify emerging technological needs to support online teaching and learning
- Share collective expertise across disciplines
If you are not currently a FLC member, and you would like to receive email, you can send email requests to Matt Roberts (robmatth@gvsu.edu) to enroll you in our Blackboard organization.
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Date: Thursday September 29, 2022 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Topic: choosing topics for the rest of the semester
Join the Zoom session
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Getting prepared for Ultra Course View with self-paced training
If you have been looking at the various ways to filter your courses in Blackboard, you will notice that you now have a professional development category. One of the courses in that category is a course titled, “Blackboard Learn Ultra Self-Paced Training.” As we prepare to transition the university to Blackboard Ultra Courses in May 2023, the main goal of this training is to show faculty already experienced with Blackboard's Learn Classic how things have changed in the new version of Blackboard Ultra.
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The training has been developed in five modules: Ultra Essentials, Building Content, Communications, Assessments and the Gradebook, but you are welcome to review the modules in whichever order you prefer. Please note there are no tests or required assignments to be completed. From time to time we'll ask you to take a moment and try out some of Ultra's features on your own. You are encouraged to use your Ultra Practice Test course found in the “sandbox” category. This self-paced training site will grow over time, and a "What's New" option in the Course Content Area will keep you apprised of what's been added to the site. This Self-Paced Training Site is a great place to get started learning about Blackboard Ultra Courses.
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Upcoming eLearning Technologies webinars
We have a variety of professional development webinars scheduled this fall semester. Be sure to check out our eLearning webinars page to review the various options, to get registered in sprout, and receive your zoom meeting link. Don’t forget, we would even be happy to provide customized training for your department, so don’t hesitate to reach out and ask about personalized training opportunities.
Using Padlet to Engage Online Learners
9/15/22 11:00am - 12:00pm
Padlet is an online virtual “bulletin” board, where students and instructors can collaborate, reflect, brainstorm, and share a variety of file formats such as hyperlinks, images, file attachments, recorded audio, recorded video all in a secure location. GVSU has a Padlet subscription which allows this tool to also be integrated within Blackboard. Padlet is perfect to support individuals or group work. Learn more during our webinar or by visiting this online resource.
Ultra Base Navigation: An Overview
9/14, 9/27: 1pm – 2pm
Blackboard Ultra Lunch-and-Learn
Got 20 minutes? Join us virtually every week during the lunch hour for a series of getting started with Blackboard Ultra topics. Webinars will be offered in 50–minute segments with 20–25 minutes allotted for demonstrations and the remaining time available for questions.
- Create and Organize Content in Blackboard Ultra
10/4, 11/1: 12 – 12:50pm - Assessments in Blackboard Ultra
10/6, 11/3: 12 – 12:50pm - Tests in Blackboard Ultra
9/12, 10/10, 11/7: 12 – 12:50pm - Discussions in Blackboard Ultra
9/20, 10/18, 11/15: 12 – 12:50pm - Grading in Blackboard Ultra
9/22, 10/20, 11/17: 12 – 12:50pm - Communications in Blackboard Ultra
9/26, 10/24: 12 – 12:50pm - Bring your Questions about Blackboard Ultra
9/14, 9/28, 10/12, 10/26, 11/9: 12 – 12:50pm
Blackboard Ultra Course Build-a-thon Sessions
This series is a deeper dive training with dedicated time for guided hands-on practice and course building using Blackboard Ultra. Even if you can’t stay the whole time, we would love to have you join us.
9/16, 9/30, 10/14, 10/28: 9am – 12pm
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Your eLearning liaisons: ready to help!
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Sincerely,
Kim Kenward
Director of eLearning Technologies
GVSU Information Technology
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