center for INNOVATION in teaching, assessment, and learning

CItal newsletter

January 16, 2024

Dear Colleagues:

Happy New Year and welcome back for another exciting semester! Your CITAL team is happy to see your smiling faces in person and on Zoom. We are also excited to be assisting faculty with creating new courses, finalizing syllabi, and helping integrate new technologies into your Blackboard sites. This issue contains information on different support resources and information on upcoming changes to Simple Syllabus. We also encourage you to visit our blog with a new article by Dawn Jeglum Bartusch in the Department of Sociology and Criminology.

Sincerely,

The CITAL Team (Ed, Gina, and Cindy)

Inside-Out Prison Exchange – A Class Like No Other

By Dawn Jeglum Bartusch, Department of Sociology and Criminology

In 1995, Professor Lori Pompa from Temple University took 15 students to a prison in Pennsylvania for a tour and conversation with incarcerated men. My colleague, Danielle Lavin-Loucks, and I have been doing similar prison tours and conversations with our Valpo classes for many years.

To read the full article, click here: Inside-Out Prison Exchange – A Class Like No Other

Other blog posts you might find useful:

Take the Pain Out of Testing

Getting Your Students Excited About Learning

Simple Syllabus - Valpo's Production website

Get Ready, Set, Go - "New View: is Coming!

The final countdown!

Simple Syllabus "Original View" will be ending by January 20th.

Valpo is currently using the "Original View" version and will update to the "New View" this month, so you'll want to check out the "New View" now to be ready for the transition. The change is expected to occur by January 20th.

For all Spring 2 classes only the "New View" will be available.

WATCH IT: "Meet the New View" video (23 minutes, password: simple)

TRY IT: See the article here for instructions on how you can try out and start using the "New View" now.

Valpo Blackboard - Help articles and videos

Where Are My Blackboard Courses?

Finding and Managing Your Blackboard Courses

Since Fall 2023, faculty no longer need to request their Blackboard courses. They are now created automatically.

Finding your Blackboard courses for courses in the past or that have not yet started can be a little tricky in the Blackboard Base Navigation interface that Valpo transitioned to last fall especially if you have a lot of courses. In your courses list make sure you scroll to the very bottom. You may need to scroll to a second or third page.

Click Here for step-by-step instructions on how to use the search & filters to find and manage our Blackboard courses.

Try Something New

Tired of traditional online discussions or looking for a way to engage students in real-time polling during class? Supercharge your discussions with Top Hat and Perusall. Click on the images above for CITAL's confluence articles for each of these platforms. Even if you have used them before, we now have a deeper integration with Blackboard. If you need any assistance, please contact the CITAL Helpdesk.

Design Courses Intentionally Using QM Higher Ed Standards as a Foundation

Click Here to request your free access to the
"Bridge to Quality: QM Online Course Design Guide."

Visit the CITAL Website, Your One-Stop-Shop for Faculty Resources

Submit a CITAL Helpdesk Ticket

219.464.50001700 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383-6493 USAvalpo.edu

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