This edition is focused on keeping you updated with the latest Blackboard design enhancements, exploring alternatives to discontinued tools like Flip and Google Jamboard, and providing necessary information about our Panopto video storage retention policy. Plus, don't miss our reminders on registering for upcoming webinars, which are now available in Workday Learning.
In this edition of the newsletter:
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3 Blackboard Course Design and Layout Changes
Blackboard releases new features and functionality on the first Friday of each month. Many new features are based on feedback submitted to the Anthology Idea Exchange by members of the GV faculty and our GV eLearning team. We encourage all faculty to sign up for the Idea Exchange so they can add their own suggestions and vote on ideas offered by others. Please see the official release notes for the complete list of feature enhancements for September. We'd like to draw your attention to three "new" course design enhancements that became available on September 6, 2024.
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The first update brings a more intuitive layout to enhance your course experience. As an instructor, the Create Button (the "purple plus") is now visible at all times on the far left—making it even easier to know where you can add content in your course outline. You will also notice that the Details and Actions panel now sits on the far right, creating a cleaner and more organized workspace. The real benefit of this change will be for students on mobile devices or small screens. They will now have faster and easier access to your course content instead of having to scroll past the Details and Actions area every time.
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Needs Grading & Needs Posting Reminders A new Gradebook Overview tab now contains two sections: Needs Grading and Needs Posting. The Needs Grading section is a valuable tool for prioritizing tasks. It allows instructors to see all items ready for grading and count the total number of outstanding grading tasks in their course.
The Needs Posting section makes it much easier to get to assessments with grades that need posting.
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Knowledge Checks. The "Content Designer" for Ultra documents now includes a Knowledge Check block. Knowledge checks allow students to verify their understanding of course content and receive immediate feedback.
Key Features:
- Question Types: Multiple-choice and multiple-answer questions.
- Feedback: Pre-populated correct and incorrect answer feedback, which instructors can edit.
- Student Interaction: Students can select an answer and submit it. They receive immediate feedback on whether their answer is correct or incorrect. Knowledge checks allow unlimited attempts.
- Metrics: Instructors can access detailed metrics, including:
- Number of students participating
- Total number of attempts
- Average number of attempts to reach the correct answer
- Maximum number of attempts to reach the correct answer
- Level of difficulty metric
- Percentage of students selecting each answer option
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We are hosting several "enhanced documents" webinars in the next few months to demonstrate how to use two-column layouts, knowledge checks, insert multimedia, and more! A well-designed layout transforms content into a more effective and engaging learning experience.
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Getting Started with Blackboard's AI Rubric Design Assistant
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Alternative Tools To Replace Flip and Google Jam Board
Goodbye Flip!
Over the summer, Microsoft announced they would discontinue Flip (formerly Flipgrid) beginning July 1. Faculty can still download content until September 30, 2024. Flip has been a popular tool with our faculty, so we've put together Panopto and Padlet options that can be used as alternatives to Flip.
Padlet resources:
- This article explains how to sign up for a Padlet account through GVSU.
- This article explains how to set up a Padlet.
Panopto resources:
- This article explains how to set up a video assignment.
- This article describes how to set up a video discussion.
Goodbye Google Jamboard!
In anticipation of Google Jamboard's discontinuation after December 31, 2024 (see this Google reference), we've learned that Padlet now offers "sandbox" functionality, similar to Google Jamboard. Zoom's whiteboards are now available offline for enhanced collaboration.
Padlet resources:
- This article explains how to sign up for a Padlet account.
- This article explains what a Padlet "sandbox" is and how to set one up.
- See this resource on importing your Google Jamboard content into a Padlet sandbox.
Zoom Whiteboard resources:
- For instructors, this article explains how to set up a Zoom Whiteboard link to a Blackboard course.
Please contact your eLearning Liaisons if you need assistance using these alternative tools.
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Introducing The Bridge (formerly Digital Studio)
Earlier this summer, we announced that our three Digital Studios would be renamed to "The Bridge." The new name reflects our goal of "bridging the gap between media and education", but our mission and work will remain the same. We aim to enrich, evolve, and enhance student learning experiences by inspiring and supporting GVSU faculty and staff. We achieve this through content creation, project development, and modernizing academic practices to bridge the gap between media and education.
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If you have an idea for a project but are still determining the best option, please schedule a consultation with a Digital Media Developer. Additionally, we are happy to provide personalized training and support for any media creation technologies we use in our studios.
Some of our popular projects include lightboard videos, video editing, getting started with podcasting, and creating interactive modules that can be integrated into Blackboard. We encourage you to review past projects.
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Panopto Retention Policy - Upcoming Changes
The Panopto Content Retention Policy explains an automated process that aims to manage storage and organize unwatched videos. If a video has not been viewed for 13 consecutive months, it will be added to the Panopto Archive. If it is not restored from the Archive after an additional 13 months, it will be permanently deleted from the server.
When will this start?
Beginning on January 1, 2025, Panopto videos that have yet to be viewed within 13 months will automatically be transferred to the Panopto Archive. This process will continue on the 1st of each month.
This means that beginning on February 1, 2026, videos that have been unwatched in the Panopto Archive for 13 months will be automatically deleted from our system. This process will also take place on the 1st of each month.
Can I view my archived videos?
Archived videos cannot be viewed. However, they can be manually restored, which will restore all functionality. Any user trying to access the archived video can initiate the restoration process. If your archived video is embedded within a Blackboard Ultra course, it will be available for student users to restore manually. The restoration can take up to 48 hours to complete.
How can I make sure my videos aren't deleted?
If any of your videos are archived, they have 13 months before they will be deleted from our system. To find out which of your videos might be at risk of deletion, visit your Panopto Archive page to manually restore them. Simply hover over your video and click "Restore from archive."
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Additionally, if the video has been posted on Blackboard and viewed by a student or yourself, it will not be deleted or affected by this policy. To prevent it from archiving or deleting, you just need to click on your video and hit play.
You are encouraged to contact our digital medical developers with questions or assistance.
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Blackboard Retention Policy Reminder
- Spring/Summer 2024 course sites will be made unavailable to students
- Spring/Summer 2022 course sites will be removed from Blackboard
- Spring/Summer 2020 course archives will be removed from offline storage
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Work Day Learning – A New Place to Register for eLearning Webinars
Registration for our professional development offerings is now conducted through Workday Learning instead of Sprout. The learning app is available in Workday, and our webinars can be easily viewed from our eLearning Webinars website.
Please allow up to 15 minutes to receive the Outlook calendar invitation, including the Zoom meeting link. Departments can also request that these webinar topics be customized and scheduled at their convenience. See our 2024 Fall Webinar flyer for more information.
Did you know the eLearning staff hold weekly virtual office hours on Zoom all semester long? Office hours will be held every Wednesday between 12 and 12:30pm. No reservations are required. Bring your questions and join us in this Zoom meeting room!
September/October Professional Development Offerings from eLearning
We want to "spotlight" four professional development opportunities: Quality Matters Learning Community, Blackboard Enhanced Documents, Blackboard Rubric AI Design Assistant, and Utilizing "New" Zoom Tools More Efficiently.
*Note: This is offered via FTLC as a semester-long Learning Community and facilitated by Glenna Decker and Matt Roberts. Applications are still being accepted.
Participants will explore each of the eight standards that make up the most recent 7th edition of the Quality Matters rubric and will apply those standards to one of their existing courses. Each meeting will include a dialog among participants, offering insight and suggestions to others based on their own experiences. Participants will gain experience applying the Quality Matters rubric in this learning community. For almost twenty years, QM has been one of the most respected and well-researched standards for online and hybrid course development.
We're excited to announce that Blackboard documents now offer enhanced design capabilities, including multiple columns and simplified media and graphics insertion, allowing you to create more visually appealing layouts. With the latest September update, you can add knowledge checks to engage your audience. We look forward to showing you how to make the most of these new course design features in this webinar!
9/12/24 • 3pm – 3:30pm
9/17/24 • 11am – 11:30pm
9/27/24 • 1pm – 1:30pm
We've activated Blackboard's Rubric Design Assistant to streamline the process of creating rubrics for assessing student work. By inputting your grading criteria and instructions, the Design Assistant helps you save time while allowing you to review, edit, and customize rubrics to meet your needs. Join our webinar to learn how to get started with this valuable tool!
9/16/24 • 12pm – 1pm
10/18/24 • 12pm – 1pm
Explore a variety of Zoom tools that can enhance your teaching experience and support collaboration. In this webinar, participants will gain proficiency in using features like the appointment scheduler, chat channels for teams or courses, interactive whiteboards, and Zoom notes.
9/24/24 • 10am – 11am
Additional opportunities scheduled for September and early October
9/9/24 • 11:00am – 12pm
10/10/24 • 1pm – 2pm
9/10/24 • 1pm – 2pm
9/12/24 • 1pm – 2pm
11/6/24 • 1pm – 2pm
9/13/24 • 10am – 11am
9/19/24 • 11am – 12:15pm
10/15/2024 • 1pm – 2pm
9/13/24 • 1:00pm – 1:30pm
10/17/24 • 2:30pm – 3:00pm
9/26/24 • 11am – 12pm
10/2/24 • 1pm – 2pm
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Sincerely,
Kim Kenward, Director of eLearning Technologies
kenwardk@gvsu.edu
GVSU Information Technology
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