Month: August 2011

Keeping in touch

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With Irene gone but not forgotten you might want to make up for lost class time and both Mediasite and Centra can help!  Mediasite is our lecture capture system which allows you to record your class and then post the link via Blackboard or in an email.  Centra is a web conferencing system in which … Read more

Irene goodnight, Irene goodnight

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Good Night Irene – Lead Belly

Irene goodnight, Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I’ll see you in my dreams   Music and lyrics by Huddie Ledbetter and John Lomax, 1950 

As we wait for Irene to arrive we will repeat an old post!

Before the storm

ECU Officials are reminding us to have plans in place to protect university life and property in case of adverse weather (primarily, hurricanes during this time of year).  Were you aware that, with the aid of our technological devices, we can continue to deliver course material to students during a shutdown?  You may remember that, about a year ago, the Office of Educational Technology published a plan for continuing operation during an epidemic of the H1N1 virus.  OET has updated this document to apply to operational disruptions due to adverse weather.  Preparedness is the key.

All faculty should have all course content on Blackboard or some other web site for students who can’t get to class.  Such Blackboard sites need not be elaborate.  OET can help set up these “emergency” Blackboard courses but it does need to be done in advance.

Students can’t make it to class but the faculty can

If a class with absences is normally scheduled in a classroom with Mediasite recorders, we can simply activate the recorder during class.  We can then deliver these lectures to

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Checking you list!

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As I was looking through the Blackboard training information I came across this neat list!

The start of the semester is just days away. Time to get those online courses ready to roll for the new term.  Here is a checklist to get your course ready.

1.  Update the Syllabus

  • Text book information is accurate
  • Due dates are updated
  • Point system and assignment
  • Office Hours and contact information

2.  Assignments

  • Update due dates in assignment tool
  • Tweak instructions if needed
  • Update points possible in assignment tool

3.  Assessments

  • Update due dates in assessment tool
  • Update questions/add new questions as needed
  • Update points possible in assessment tool and individual questions if needed

4.  Gradebook

  • Update calculation and formulas if assignments, assessment or others added or removed.
  • Hide letter grade column and other columns from students as needed

5.  Discussions

  • Create a new welcome message to students and invite them to respond and introduce themselves.

6.  Course content

  • Check video clips, slide decks, PDF files and links.  Make sure they all work.

First week success

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Now why didn’t I think of that? ? ?

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Mediasite recording equipment is primarily used here at CAHS for lecture capture for delivery to our Distance Education programs but I recently read these suggestions on a forum I belong to, the OET has two portable recorders which can be set up just about anywhere with an electrical outlet!

Using Mediasite we could “produce short learning modules that students can use as preparation for class time, study guides for tests, etc.”

“The faculty . . . comes into our classroom/studio . . . to produce a 15 minute module that would [be] around a specific subject.  This could also be done in the classroom as well.

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