Registration open now for summer OHCC

The summer Online and Hybrid Certification Course (OHCC) starts May 10, 2019.

The OHCC is designed to provide instructors with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver a high-quality online/hybrid course. Successful participants will also be able to teach effectively online through active facilitation and a variety of student engagement techniques and technologies. Training in Blackboard Basics (on the latest version of the LMS) is a prerequisite. Blackboard Basics may be taken online in a self-paced format or in-person on Friday, May 10, from 10:30 a.m. – noon.

The OHCC is a six (6) week, rigorous course that includes weekly participation and assignment requirements. This training is much more than “Blackboard training,” as it includes elements of instructional design and strategies for building, developing, sequencing, and delivering online content. When you are done, you will have a template for your online and/or hybrid course. You must complete the course, including the assignments for all six weeks, for certification. This includes the completion of your final presentation.

The campus sessions are on Fridays from 1-2:30 p.m. in 351 Main and virtually using Zoom. This is a hybrid course (online course with some classroom instruction).

Only one session is offered during the summer, so sign-up today!

For more information, visit the Online and Hybrid Certification Course website – http://www.grcc.edu/ohcc.

To sign up, visit the Faculty Professional Development Registration website – http://www.grcc.edu/ctereg.

Blackboard Instant Messenger Going Away

Blackboard Instant Messenger will no longer be available for use as of January 1, 2019. This solution has been discontinued by its parent company, Blackboard.

Information Technology understands that many faculty and staff rely on the use of an instant messaging tool to communicate with students. With this, GRCC will officially support the use of Google Hangouts. Google Hangouts allows you to send chat messages, make video calls, and screen share. Whether you are new to Google Hangouts or are currently using it or have used it in the past, more information can be found at https://gsuite.google.com/learning-center/products/hangouts/#!/. This resource includes information on all three platforms of Google Hangouts including Google Chat and Google Meet.

We encourage faculty and staff members to begin using Google Hangouts prior to January 1, 2019, to familiarize themselves with the product suite and to determine how to best use the new tool in your day-to-day operations. Faculty and staff can use the Hangouts suite by visiting https://hangouts.google.com and entering their GRCC email address and GRCC network password.  To switch between Hangouts, Chat, and Meet simply click the Google Apps menu in the upper right corner of your browser.

If you need assistance with these products, please drop-in to the Distance Learning office at 316 Main, alternatively, you can email them at dlit@grcc.edu or call 234-3205.

Professional Development Webinar this Wednesday: Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts Professional Development Webinar

Wednesday, October 24, 3-4 p.m.

Blackboard IM will be discontinued by the end of this semester. This session will cover how to use our new tool – Google Hangouts. Participants will learn how to sign in, establish a new conversation, and start a video call or conversation (Chat). We’ll wrap it up with some ideas on how to use Hangouts for teaching and learning.

Register for a Google Hangouts Webinar.

 

Future Webinar Topics:

• 10/31 – Techsmith
• 11/07 – Respondus Monitor
• 11/14 – Blackboard Ally
• 11/15 – Badges and Gamification
• 12/05 – Accessible Powerpoints
• 12/12 – 7 Observations Leading to Student Success

DLIT Launches New Webinar Series! First up: Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts Professional Development Webinar

Wednesday, October 24, 3-4 p.m.

Blackboard IM will be discontinued by the end of this semester. This session will cover how to use our new tool – Google Hangouts. Participants will learn how to sign in, establish a new conversation, and start a video call or conversation (Chat). We’ll wrap it up with some ideas on how to use Hangouts for teaching and learning.

Register for a Google Hangouts Webinar.

 

Future Webinar Topics:

• 10/31 – Techsmith
• 11/07 – Respondus Monitor
• 11/14 – Blackboard Ally
• 11/15 – Badges and Gamification
• 12/05 – Accessible Powerpoints
• 12/12 – 7 Observations Leading to Student Success

Blackboard Instant Messenger Going Away

Blackboard Instant Messenger will no longer be available for use as of January 1, 2019. This solution has been discontinued by its parent company, Blackboard.

Information Technology understands that many faculty and staff rely on the use of an instant messaging tool to communicate with students. With this, GRCC will officially support the use of Google Hangouts. Google Hangouts allows you to send chat messages, make video calls, and screen share. Whether you are new to Google Hangouts or are currently using it or have used it in the past, more information can be found in Google Hangouts. This resource includes information on all three platforms of Google Hangouts including Google Chat and Google Meet.

We encourage faculty and staff members to begin using Google Hangouts prior to January 1, 2019, to familiarize themselves with the product suite and to determine how to best use the new tool in your day-to-day operations. Faculty and staff can use the Hangouts suite by visiting the Hangouts webpage and entering their GRCC email address and GRCC network password.  To switch between Hangouts, Chat, and Meet simply click the Google Apps menu in the upper right corner of your browser.

If you need assistance with these products, please drop-in to the Distance Learning office at 316 Main, alternatively, you can email them at dlit@grcc.edu or call 234-3205.

Blackboard Instant Messenger Going Away

Blackboard Instant Messenger will no longer be available for use as of January 1, 2019. This solution has been discontinued by its parent company, Blackboard.

Information Technology understands that many faculty and staff rely on the use of an instant messaging tool to communicate with students. With this, GRCC will officially support the use of Google Hangouts. Google Hangouts allows you to send chat messages, make video calls, and screen share. Whether you are new to Google Hangouts or are currently using it or have used it in the past, more information can be found at https://gsuite.google.com/learning-center/products/hangouts/#!/. This resource includes information on all three platforms of Google Hangouts including Google Chat and Google Meet.

We encourage faculty and staff members to begin using Google Hangouts prior to January 1, 2019, to familiarize themselves with the product suite and to determine how to best use the new tool in your day-to-day operations. Faculty and staff can use the Hangouts suite by visiting https://hangouts.google.com and entering their GRCC email address and GRCC network password.  To switch between Hangouts, Chat, and Meet simply click the Google Apps menu in the upper right corner of your browser.

If you need assistance with these products, please drop-in to the Distance Learning office at 316 Main, alternatively, you can email them at dlit@grcc.edu or call 234-3205.

Blackboard Instant Messenger Going Away

Blackboard Instant Messenger will no longer be available for use as of January 1, 2019. This solution has been discontinued by its parent company, Blackboard.

Information Technology understands that many faculty and staff rely on the use of an instant messaging tool to communicate with students. With this, GRCC will officially support the use of Google Hangouts. Google Hangouts allows you to send chat messages, make video calls, and screen share. Whether you are new to Google Hangouts or are currently using it or have used it in the past, more information can be found at https://gsuite.google.com/learning-center/products/hangouts/#!/. This resource includes information on all three platforms of Google Hangouts including Google Chat and Google Meet.

We encourage faculty and staff members to begin using Google Hangouts prior to January 1, 2019, to familiarize themselves with the product suite and to determine how to best use the new tool in your day-to-day operations. Faculty and staff can use the Hangouts suite by visiting https://hangouts.google.com and entering their GRCC email address and GRCC network password.  To switch between Hangouts, Chat, and Meet simply click the Google Apps menu in the upper right corner of your browser.

If you need assistance with these products, please drop-in to the Distance Learning office at 316 Main, alternatively, you can email them at dlit@grcc.edu or call 234-3205.

Blackboard Instant Messenger Going Away

Blackboard Instant Messenger will no longer be available for use as of January 1, 2019. This solution has been discontinued by its parent company, Blackboard.

Information Technology understands that many faculty and staff rely on the use of an instant messaging tool to communicate with students. With this, GRCC will officially support the use of Google Hangouts. Google Hangouts allows you to send chat messages, make video calls, and screen share. Whether you are new to Google Hangouts or are currently using it or have used it in the past, more information can be found at https://gsuite.google.com/learning-center/products/hangouts/#!/. This resource includes information on all three platforms of Google Hangouts, including Google Chat and Google Meet.

We encourage faculty and staff members to begin using Google Hangouts prior to January 1, 2019, to familiarize themselves with the product suite and to determine how to best use the new tool in your day-to-day operations. Faculty and staff can use the Hangouts suite by visiting https://hangouts.google.com and entering their GRCC email address and GRCC network password.  To switch between Hangouts, Chat, and Meet, simply click the Google Apps menu in the upper right corner of your browser.

If you need assistance with these products, please drop-in to the Distance Learning office at 316 Main, alternatively, you can email them at dlit@grcc.edu or call 234-3205.

FREE Blackboard Users Conference May 18th

GRCC Faculty and Staff – You are invited to attend the FREE Michigan Blackboard Users Group (miBUG) Spring Conference on Friday, May 18th.

Registration for the MiBUG Spring Conference closes Friday, May 11th, so register today!  There are currently over 85 people registered, including staff from GRCC.

Why should you register for the MiBUG Spring Conference? 

• It’s a FREE opportunity for you to network with and learn from other Blackboard users from across the state.
• You’ll have the opportunity check out all of the cool products and services that our sponsors have to offer (Sharp, Cengage, Kaltura, Qwickly, Respondus)
• We have an awesome keynote presentation, as well as ten breakout sessions being offered.  See the full session descriptions on their website (link below).
• Have your questions answered by a panel of Blackboard representatives, including Chad Kainz, Principal Strategist; Tim Atkin, Chief Client Officer; Emmah Schramke, Customer Programs Manager; and Mark Burris, Customer Success Advocate.
• See the first annual MiBUG Distinguished Member Award presentation.
•     …and still be home early on a Friday!

Register today: https://community.blackboard.com/events/1629-mibug-spring-conference-2018

Library liaisons can help with copyright questions

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.

Blackboard upgrade on May 4

Technology notification:

On May 4th, from 6-9 a.m., Blackboard Learn will be upgraded to Learn 9.1 Q4 2016 Cumulative Update 1. During the scheduled maintenance, Blackboard will be unavailable. Please review your courses and organizations in Blackboard prior to the upgrade to ensure everything is working as expected and you are familiar with the changes. You can evaluate the Blackboard updates in our test environment at https://bbtst.grcc.edu (on campus only). The test environment is a copy of the production environment as of February 1.

With this upgrade, the new Blackboard Learn 2016 theme will be applied, so it will look slightly different. The new theme improves the experience for mobile users. Additionally, this theme was designed with WCAG 2.0 principles in mind and follows accessibility guidelines for structure, color contrast, and navigation. Please note, modifying course themes and some branding configuration settings are no longer supported. The course themes option will be replaced with the Blackboard delivered theme, which is a more consistent, mobile-friendly and accessible interface. In addition, we added a “Mobile” tab that contains a different module layout that we believe better aligns with the mobile experience (i.e. My Course List module resides on the left, so it is the first module presented to a mobile device). More information on this can be found in the announcement section located on the login page. The Mobile tab will not be pushed to production and is only used for demonstration purposes. We welcome your feedback on adjusting the layout of various modules to improve the overall mobile experience.

Listed below are a couple of the feature enhancements and quality improvements in this release. For a full list of updates, please refer to the Blackboard release notes, which can be found at https://en-us.help.blackboard.com/Learn/Administrator/Hosting/Release_Notes/Release_Notes_All_91_Releases/Release_Notes_9.1_2016_Q4.

• Improved mobile experience and accessibility
• Ability to drag and drop files
• Submission receipts
• Reminders
• Dropbox integration

If you have questions or concerns, please contact IT Customer Support at 234-HELP or ITSupport@grcc.edu. If you have questions about how to use the new features, contact DLIT at 234-3205 or DLIT@grcc.edu.

Blackboard to get upgrade on January 4

On January 4th from 4:00 AM – 8:00 AM, Blackboard will be upgraded to the latest release. During this time Blackboard will be unavailable. This upgrade is primarily bug fixes with the exception of the Goal Performance Dashboard.

Information regarding the Goal Performance Dashboard can be found at https://en-us.help.blackboard.com/Learn/Building_Blocks/Goal_Performance_Dashboard.

All updates for this release can be found at https://en-us.help.blackboard.com/Learn/9.1_2014_04/Administrator/010_Release_Notes/070_Release_Notes_9.1_2015_10.

Any future updates will be posted at: Also available through
http://www.grcc.edu/informationtechnology/customersupport, https://grccitstatus.wordpress.com, https://twitter.com/grccithelp, and www.facebook.com/grccit

 

Blackboard to undergo upgrades on August 21

On Friday, August 21st, IT will be performing a Blackboard Learn upgrade from 7am-5pm. During this time, Blackboard will be unavailable. This upgrade will bring our instance of Blackboard up to the latest version for self-hosted customers. Listed below are just a couple of the new features. Below you’ll also find three links to the new features available by each release between SP12 (our current version) and the latest version (October 2014 Release) that we are upgrading to.

• Student Preview – The new Student Preview feature provides the capability for an instructor to see the course exactly as a student would see it. It accomplishes this by allowing the Instructor to easily transition into and out of a system-managed preview account that is automatically enrolled in the course as a student. This provides all the advantages of a “dummy” account while absolving the instructor and System Administrator of the management overhead.
• Anonymous and Delegated Grading – Blackboard has implemented a robust Anonymous Grading feature to add another layer of fairness and impartiality to Grading capabilities. Without knowing who submitted the assignment, a Grader is not influenced by a student’s previous performance, class participation, conflicts, race, gender, or perceived student aptitude. Delegated Grading promotes reliability and removes bias by using grades and feedback from more than one Grader. These features may be used together or individually to meet grading requirements.
• Assessments: Significant Figures – Blackboard has improved Calculated Formula Questions by adding the ability to define the significant figures required and used in the creation of answers and the automated grading process.
• SafeAssign – Blackboard has enhanced the SafeAssign service to provide a more seamless integration with native Blackboard Learn Assignments and updated the SafeAssign Originality Report interface. With this update, the SafeAssignment content type is removed from the content areas, and SafeAssign becomes an additional feature available when creating native Blackboard Learn Assignments. All Blackboard Learn Assignment features are available in tandem with SafeAssign services with the exception of Portfolio submissions to Blackboard Learn Assignments.
• Bb Grader – Mobile app (currently iPad only) that provides instructors with a portable solution for reviewing, providing feedback, and grading student submissions in their Blackboard Learn courses.
• BbStudent App – Students can view quick updates on their courses and course content, access a course outline for each of their courses, view Word, Excel, Powerpoint and .PDF content from their courses, and experience a rich aesthetic that is easy to use and simple to learn.
• Bb Mobile App – Is now free!

SP13 New Features

https://en-us.help.blackboard.com/Learn/9.1_Older_Versions/9.1_SP_12_and_SP_13/Administrator/000_Product_Updates/010_SP_13_New_Features

SP14 New Features

https://en-us.help.blackboard.com/Learn/9.1_Older_Versions/9.1_SP_14/Administrator/000_Product_Updates/000_SP_14_New_Features

2014 New Features

https://en-us.help.blackboard.com/Learn/9.1_2014_04/Instructor/010_Whats_New

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact IT Customer Support at 234-HELP or ITHELP@grcc.edu.

GRCC DLIT Staff Meet With NBC on Blackboard Partnership

GRCC faculty and the staff from Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies Department met with several NBC staff on Friday, February 19. GRCC is one of three colleges in the nation selected to participate in an exciting new pilot program evaluating the use of NBC video archive video in Blackboard. The meeting on Friday was an opportunity for GRCC faculty to interact directly with producers at NBC to provide feedback, suggestions, and to share how they are leveraging NBC video content into their courses this semester.

Screen shot of NBC Video in Blackboard

For more information, visit http://www.grc.edu/nbclearn

GRCC Pilots “NBC Learn” in Blackboard

GRCC is excited to be piloting a brand new feature in Blackboard called “NBC Learn” – this feature allows you to easily include video from the NBC video archives into your Blackboard course. Through the archives, you have access to thousands of video clips, including news footage of historic events, critical analysis, current events and mini-documentaries covering topics from early American history to the modern day.  Some of the benefits of this new application include:

• Easily access historic video footage to reinforce concepts.
• Include the latest video news events into your course to “bring the world to the classroom”.
• Bring real-world examples into your teaching and curriculum for case studies and critical thinking.