Spring 2018 – Mid-Semester Communication
Dear Blackboard Faculty,
We hope your Spring Break was great and that you are having a excellent 2018! We’re all hoping that warm weather is just around the corner. Please have a look at our reminders of upcoming events below…
Blackboard System Upgrade Coming in 2018
The VCU Blackboard System will be upgraded to a new version and will be unavailable from 8:00pm on Tuesday, May 15th until 8:00pm on Wednesday, May 16th. This new version will be used starting with the 2018 Summer semester. All pre-existing courses will remain on the system and will be available to you after the upgrade. Tutorials and help information will be updated and available immediately after the upgrade. More information is available in the Technology Services AskIt Pages about the new version, “9.1 Q4 2017 Release”.
2018 Technology Fair – April 10th & 11th, 10am-2pm
Sponsored by Technology Services and VCU Libraries – Visit the Tech Fair website for more information. Be sure to stop by the Learning Systems table!!
Exciting events at VCU Tech Fair 2018
Title: Humanizing Your Online Courses with VoiceThread
When: April 10th at 10:45am-11:15am – Cabell Library, 2nd Floor, Room 250 (listed as 205 on site incorrectly)
April 11th at 10:45am-11:15am – TML, 2nd Floor
Description: Creating engaging online courses is not easy. In many discussion-board based courses, students feel isolated and disconnected from their instructors and classmates. VoiceThread bridges the gaps in social presence typically found in online courses. In this workshop, educators will learn how to establish a social presence and connect with their students using VoiceThread to improve course satisfaction and student learning.
Audience: Faculty & Students
Title: Teaching with Top Hat at VCU
When: April 10th at 11:30am-12:00pm – Cabell Library, 2nd Floor, Room 250 (listed as 205 on site incorrectly)
Description: Top Hat Classroom is VCU’s preferred classroom response tool. In this panel session, VCU faculty who have successfully implemented Top Hat technology will reflect on their experiences and share their best practices for using Top Hat in class.
Audience: Faculty & Students
Top Hat Student Response System Training Survey (Expires April 2)
Academic Technologies will be scheduling Top Hat training sessions for faculty and staff over the next few months. To assist with planning and scheduling, your input would be greatly appreciated. Please participate in this short survey. Turning Technologies and other Student Response Systems (SRS) will no longer supported by VCU Technology Services after May 16, 2018. For more SRS information, visit go.vcu.edu/tophat.
Thank you!!!
We look forward to continuing to support you and your students with the technologies we offer. Please visit our website for all things Learning Systems.
Sincerely,
The VCU Learning Systems Team