Faculty – do you have questions about using copyrighted print, media or other visual materials in your courses? If so, please contact your assigned library liaison by email for assistance with: utilizing our Copyright Clearance Center Annual License; verifying citations and determining a copyright holder; and, permalinking licensed library resources into Blackboard. Please take a look at the Copyright Subject Guide.
Category Archives: Blackboard
DLIT session includes light refreshments and beverages!
On Monday, April 14 from 3:00pm to 5:00 pm, DLIT will host a “Dinner (refreshments) with Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies” and all faculty are invited! The theme for this session is around the Blackboard Social Learning Tools that will be launching at GRCC May 1st. http://goo.gl/jey0ie
When: Monday, April 14 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm (Drop by anytime – stay as long as you’d like!)
Where: 347 Main Building
For more information visit www.grcc.edu/donuts.
At this event, we provide the refreshments, and you arrive to enjoy, discuss, ask questions, share stories, and learn more about distance learning and Blackboard at GRCC! See you there!
DLIT session includes light refreshments and beverages!
On Monday, April 14 from 3:00pm to 5:00 pm, DLIT will host a “Dinner (refreshments) with Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies” and all faculty are invited! The theme for this session is around the Blackboard Social Learning Tools that will be launching at GRCC May 1st. http://goo.gl/jey0ie
When: Monday, April 14 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm (Drop by anytime – stay as long as you’d like!)
Where: 347 Main Building
For more information visit www.grcc.edu/donuts.
At this event, we provide the refreshments, and you arrive to enjoy, discuss, ask questions, share stories, and learn more about distance learning and Blackboard at GRCC! See you there!
DLIT session includes bagels, donuts!
On Tuesday, February 11 from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM, DLIT will host a “Donuts and Distance Learning & Blackboard and Bagels” morning and all faculty are invited! The theme for this session is around the emerging technologies in the 2014 NMC Horizon Report (http://www.nmc.org/publications/2014-horizon-report-higher-ed) and we’ll have Google Glass (www.grcc.edu/googleglass) on hand!
When: Tuesday, February 11 from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM (Drop by anytime – stay as long as you’d like!)
Where: 347 Main Building
For more information visit www.grcc.edu/donuts.
At this donut event, we provide the rounds, and you arrive to enjoy, discuss, ask questions, share stories, and learn more about distance learning and Blackboard at GRCC! See you tomorrow.
GRCC In the News, 8-12-13
Change Ups: West Michigan residents destined for U.S. sled hockey team
Aug. 9, 2013; Grand Rapids Business Journal
… EDUCATION
… Grand Rapids Community College was named a Great College to Work For by The Chronicle of Higher Education in the compensation and benefits category for its employee health and wellness program.
Grand Rapids Community College computer information systems professor Cheryl Kautz is the recipient of two 2013 Blackboard Catalyst awards for Exemplary Course Program.
GRCC student Alexi Bettig, who earned her associate degree in arts last spring, is the recipient of the Presidents Scholarship from Davenport University. Bettig qualified by receiving first place, along with teammate Corwin Tobias, in video production at the Business Professionals of America national Leadership Conference in May.
Bath Farmers’ Market flourishing
Aug. 9, 2013; The Lansing State Journal
BATH — Bath Farmers Market customers have had some pleasant surprises this season, including more vendors and more varied products.
… On Aug. 1 Grand Rapids professional cooks Bryan Newton from the J.W. Marriott and Hannah Stockwell from the Amway Grand Plaza were busy preparing a dessert that included fresh doughnut pieces covered in a blueberry-cherry compote and topped with melted goat cheese and honey. The free samples were delicious and made entirely from items on sale that day.
Newton says he hasn’t been in a McDonald’s in six or seven years and Stockwell says she was influenced by a vegan chef at the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College.
Grandwich 2013: The Top 10 finalists revealed
Aug. 12, 2013; MLive
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The Top 10 finalists in the 2013 Grandwich competition were announced Monday, Aug. 12.
(Article doesn’t mention it, but GRCC alumnus Adam Watts is a chef at Grand Rapids Brewing Co. and GRCC alumna Heather Roscoe is the sandwich artist at Express Cafe.)
Grand Rapids’ free Jazz Festival’s second outing hopes to double your pleasure
Aug. 12, 2013; MLive
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The Grand Rapids Jazz Festival last year drew 4,000 people downtown for the inaugural free festival.
(Article doesn’t mention it, but GRCC is a sponsor.)
Kelvin Grady, area stars play in first annual basketball tourney on Calder Plaza
Aug. 10, 2013; MLive
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Kelvin Grady has put away the footballs and basketballs in his life in favor of a clipboard and a whistle.
… Aside from Grady, some of the players taking part was former Notre Dame star Tory Jackson, Grand Rapids Community College player Rachman Dillard, Grace Bible and U.S. Army player Paul Nelson and Davenport standout Dauntrell Hill.
GRCC In the News, 4-25-13
GRCC service learning projects up for $5,250 in awards
April 25, 2013; MLive
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Grand Rapids Community College will honor several community learning projects that saw students partner with businesses and nonprofits and to further their education.
Six inducted into Comstock High School’s fourth Athletic Hall of Fame class
April 24, 2013; MLive
KALAMAZOO, MI — Comstock High School inducted six new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony Saturday night at Western Michigan University’s Fetzer Center.
… Dave Warmack Class of 1966
Dave Warmack earned 9 varsity letters in football, baseball and track during his time in Comstock. He was a 4-year starter on the varsity football team and earned all conference status his junior and senior year. He had a remarkable batting average in baseball his senior year at .455. After high school, Dave took his football talents to Grand Rapids Community College and was a 2-way starter at FB and LB.
Blackboard Expands Support for Retention Efforts with Early Warning Analytics
April 24, 2013; prnewswire.com
WASHINGTON, April 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Blackboard Inc. has unveiled a new release of its flagship learning management system (LMS) that includes a tool to help instructors identify and engage at-risk students based on course activity patterns that correlate with student success. The feature makes it easier for instructors with limited time to find effective ways to improve student retention and outcomes.
… “Effectively tracking student performance and proactively taking action on at-risk students are challenges for instructors,” said Eric Kunnen , director of distance learning and instructional technologies at Grand Rapids Community College. “Improving student retention is an institutional priority and tools like the Retention Center empower faculty to easily identify and intervene to support student success.”
Great(er) Grand Rapids Garbage Tour
April 23, 2013; Grand Rapids Business Journal
Find out where your garbage goes! The Garbage Tour takes you on a five and a half hour educational journey of the main facilities in Kent County that deal with post-consumer waste, i.e., garbage.
Grand Rapids area dining guide: downtown
April 25, 2013; MLive
We appreciate MLive.com and Grand Rapids Press readers’ help to make our Dining Guide the best it can be. Please share the latest restaurant openings and closings with us at grentertainment@mlive.com. Menu offerings and hours periodically change, so please call the restaurant first if you don’t want surprises.
… The Heritage Restaurant Located in the Applied Technology Center at Grand Rapids Community College, this dining spot offers hands-on experience for culinary students as well as an exceptional menu. Open during selected times September through mid-April and for lunch May-June. 151 Fountain St. NE, 234-3700, www.grcc.edu/heritage. $-$$$
Faculty invited to attend the Spring Blackboard Conference
On Friday, April 19th faculty and staff from across the state will gather at Washtenaw Community College (Ann Arbor) for the Michigan Blackboard Users Group (miBUG) Spring Conference. All faculty and staff are invited to attend and there is still time to register! Just visit www.regonline.com/springmibug to register for the FREE conference.
The conference is entitled the “Blackboard Never Stop Learning Tour!” and the conference theme is “Emerging Trends and Instructional Innovation.” Here is the most up to date schedule: http://bit.ly/mibugschedule
For more information, visit the miBUG site, www.mibug.org/events.
Hope to see you there!
GRCC Instructors serve as Reviewers for the Blackboard Exemplary Course Award Program
It is our 3rd year participating in the Blackboard Exemplary Course Award Program. In fact, last year Cheryl Kautz from the Computer Applications Department, received an Exemplary Course Award for her work and received the recognition at the national Blackboard Conference in New Orleans. This year, Szymon Machajewski, from the Computer Applications Department, submitted his course for review and the following faculty members have taken the opportunity to review course designs from colleges and universities from around the world:
- Lisa Gloege, Economics.
- Heather Richards, Social Sciences.
- Susan Williams, Social Sciences.
- Mursalata Muhammad, English.
ECP reviewers have noted the reviewing benefits:
- Reflect on opportunities on your own course design.
- Gain new perspectives and insights on course design.
- Learn best practices and areas for improvement for enhancing GRCC courses.
The Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies department would like to recognize and thank this group of faculty for their work to enhance teaching and learning at GRCC!
More information about the Blackboard Exemplary Course Award Program is available here: http://www.blackboard.com/About-Bb/Industry-Leadership/Catalyst-Awards/Exemplary-Course-Program.aspx
Top 10 NBC Videos watched in Blackboard for January
In the month of January there were 1,255 visits to the NBC video archives in Blackboard with over 2,900 video minutes watched!
The following videos were the top 10 viewed in the month of January at GRCC:
- “The Pros and Cons of Gun Control”
- “Who Talks More, Men or Women?”
- “Mr. Rogers: ‘You Are Special'”
- “Studies Show Social Relationships Impact”
- “Health Kids Hooked on Electronics”
- “Mom and Dad, R U Listening?”
- “Teachers Brace for Layoffs, Bigger Class Sizes”
- “The Last Days of Martin Luther King, Jr.”
- “Feeding the Hungry Via the World Wide Web”
- “Common Errors: Accept vs. Except”
Interested in using NBC video in your Blackboard course? Here is a video tutorial that includes instructions on how to easily add accessible video into Blackboard.
Blackboard Resources to Assist with Posting Syllabus and Faculty Contact Information
Winter has finally arrived in Michigan! As we settle in to Winter term, we want to make sure you know about the various resources available to assist you with Blackboard. Blackboard is a powerful tool that we use college-wide to ensure students have syllabus and contact information for all courses. As you work to ensure that this information is available for all your students on Blackboard, we would like to highlight several training and support resources available through the Center for Teaching Excellence and Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies:
Send Technical Support, Problems, and Error Message Questions to: ithelp@grcc.edu
Send How-To and General Questions to: dlit@grcc.edu
Self-Help Resources for Blackboard
Adding your Syllabus Tip Sheet – https://bb.grcc.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-798483_4
Video Tutorial on Uploading your Syllabus – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1trl23VFJM
More tip sheets are available here – http://cms.grcc.edu/bbtipsheets
Facilitated in Person Sessions
Register to attend a training session hosted by the Center for Teaching Excellence – www.grcc.edu/ctereg
Schedule a 1-on-1 with a Faculty Facilitator at: dlit@grcc.edu
DLIT creates Blackboard website focused on accessibility
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has awarded Blackboard Learn™, Release 9.1 with a Nonvisual Accessibility Gold Certification, making it the first learning management system to achieve this certification. Additional information about Blackboard’s accessibility commitment along with more resources such as the “VPAT” documents for conformance with accessibility standards are available on the Blackboard accessibility web page.
Related to accessibility, the Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies Department has created a Blackboard Accessibility Website with additional information about accessibility. This page highlights resources for faculty that can be used as recommendations to make course materials accessible which is a requirement under the Assistive Technology Act, Section 508.
Additional information about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is also available that highlights principles for curriculum development that gives all individuals equal opportunities to learn.
Also, be sure to keep an eye out for sessions offered this Winter through the Center for Teaching Excellence related to creating accessible materials for your courses.
DLIT can help with submissions for Blackboard Catalyst Awards
Attention GRCC Faculty: It’s that time of year again – the 2013 Blackboard Catalyst Awards are open for nominations.
The Blackboard Exemplary Course Program began in 2000 with the goal of identifying and disseminating best practices for designing engaging online courses. Last year, Cheryl Kautz, an adjunct professor from GRCC’s Computer Applications Department, received the award, and this year, Szymon Machajewski submitted his CO 230 course.
Distance Learning & Instructional Technologies would like to encourage you to submit your course to the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program (ECP). You do amazing work, and this is a great program that gives you the opportunity to gain recognition as well as valuable feedback from reviewers at other institutions who have fresh perspectives.
If you would like assistance with your course design please feel free to contact dlit@grcc.edu, and we can help you with instructional design questions and even take the time to look at your course using the Blackboard Exemplary Course Rubric with you.
Courses must be submitted to Blackboard by February 15, 2013!
GRCC In the News, 1-9-13
Federal complaint prompts action on GRCC’s compliance with disability law
January 9, 2013; MLive
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Grand Rapids Community College is working to strengthen its compliance with federal disability regulations after a student told civil rights advocates that parts of the schools website were inaccessible for the blind.
Blackboard student and faculty survey results posted
Each year, GRCC surveys students and faculty regarding their use of Blackboard.
These posts provide several highlights from the survey:
Teaching Online? Get Certified in January!
Registration is now open for the January sessions of both Blackboard Basics (January 18) and the Online Hybrid Certification Course. Blackboard Basics will be held on January 18 at 11:30 AM. It provides a quick overview of how Blackboard can be used in teaching, learning, and community building.
The OHCC is a six-session course that will run from January 18 – March 1. It allows you to become certified to teach online by learning to plan, construct and manage your own online or hybrid course. This is a full-fledged, academic, six-week, online/hybrid course. All six weeks and a final project must be completed for certification. You will be required to log in and attend, meet minimum standards for participation, and submit assignments. Please review the course syllabus to make sure you are able to commit to the entire course before registering. One of the greatest lessons you will get out of this experience is how it feels to be a student. Sessions may be completed online or face-to-face during meetings on Fridays from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM. Prerequisite: Blackboard Basics. register here
For more information, contact the Center for Teaching Excellence at 616-234-2278 or at teachexcellence@grcc.edu
The daily employee newsletter of Grand Rapids Community College 