Higher Ed

Black Sabbath did it. The Black Crowes have done it. The Black-Eyed Peas, too.

And now Blackboard is doing it.

We’re going on tour. The Blackboard Never Stop Learning Tour.

You may be thinking, “You’re not a band. Why go on tour?”

For the same reason bands do: to interact with people who greatly matter to us.

You can voice your opinion to us and we will share great teaching stories with you. Plus you’ll get to network and exchange best practices with your peers.

This inaugural spring tour will include eight stops:

April 5 Los Angeles

April 12 Philadelphia/New Jersey

April 16 Miami

April 19 Ann Arbor

April 26 New York

May 3 Toronto

May 23 Chicago

May 31 Tuscaloosa

Who’s going? The people who design and build the Blackboard tools you use daily. And they can’t wait to meet you, because you’re the reason they do this. They not only want your feedback—they rely on it.

Who’s presenting? The multi-track agenda features peer-led presentations and panels. That’s right, stories from the trenches, everyday users have been hand-selected to present their best practices.

Who should attend?  Administrators, instructional designers, faculty, etc. there’s something on the agenda for everyone.

We’re also bringing publishers; check the individual tour stops to see which publishers are coming to an event near you.

Looking forward to seeing you on the road. It’ll be rocking even without rock music. Register now for a tour date near you and join the conversation: #BbOnTour

See how to win a free trip to BbWorld 2013!

Building—and launching—a career is a team effort.

Students, of course, are responsible for finding their own internships and jobs.

Career services offices, of course, provide resources to do this.

But a third ally in this quest may be less obvious: Blackboard System Administrators. In fact, you Sys Admins wield more power than you may realize.

Simply by downloading and installing the Internships.com building block during the busiest time for applying to summer internships and jobs, you are opening up countless opportunities for your students. One small click for you, one giant leap for student-kind.

It’s all about access. You and only you can unlock this veritable treasure trove of Internship listings within the Blackboard Learn environment for students.

 

 

As if that is not incentive enough, doing so can win you a paid trip to BbWorld 2013 in Las Vegas, where you will learn more ways to help the student body—and yourself.

Enter in two easy steps:

1. Download and install the Internships.com building block by March 22, 2013.

2. Let us know you installed it.

We are here if you have questions. Either way, let’s help get these kids some respectable work.

Guest post by Suzan Harkness Ph.D., Director of the Center for Academic Technology, University of the District of Columbia and ACE Fellow, Mount St. Mary’s University Class of 2012-2013

No matter how endowed or respected the institution, there are five essential elements of equal importance that bind together to affect the functioning of the other in a successful online initiative. Successful online initiatives require a basic understanding of how core elements work together and separately to create a sound and successful online education program or college. Building a successful online model is much like baking bread – there are really five key ingredients that make or break the recipe.

Flour – Flour provides the foundation for all other ingredients – Colleges and universities need a sound strategic plan, supportive infrastructure, policies and procedures, and dedicated budget to support the strategic initiative.

Yeast – Yeast is a living organism that grows and reproduces – Colleges and universities need their strategy and key administrators, faculty and staff to grow the initiative through peer review, peer-to-peer learning, collegial collaboration, collaborative support structures and shared services, vision, and continual improvement. A program, staff, faculty, and vision in the technological paradigm that does not grow and stay current will rapidly become out-of-date and insignificant.

Learning is not a spectator sport. Learning requires discussion, engagement and debate, all while actively looking back on experiences and interacting with others.

Katherine Dowdell, District Chair for Social and Behavioral Sciences at Des Moines Area Community College, knows how difficult it can be to encourage students to engage in their education. Katherine began her tenure teaching online courses after volunteering for the role never having previously done it. Seven years later, she’s now coaching colleagues on how to be successful online.

Katherine’s tip on getting student’s engaged? Set up an engagement triple play. Online classrooms can facilitate student engagement in new and different ways than in-person training. With online learning: 1. Students engage with instructors. 2. Students engage with content. 3. Students engage with one another.

58% of faculty members say that the growth of online education makes them more fearful than excited. Originally, Katherine wasn’t sure that her students were “getting it.” Her fears subsided, though, and she’s helped us put together an Instructor’s Field Guide titled, 5 Ways to Get Started with the Online Classroom.

Every once in a while, we have to tackle something outside of our comfort zone. Whether that something is running a marathon or teaching an online course after years of in-person instruction, everyone goes through moments of discomfort.

Katherine Dowdell, an instructor with over 20-years of in-person classroom experience, was thrown into an uncomfortable situation. Asked to teach an online-course at Des Moines Area Community College, Katherine was at first unsure if her students were “getting it,” or how she was coming across. After plenty of trial and error, and now with seven years of online teaching under her belt, Katherine is an expert. She even coaches colleagues on how to succeed in an online classroom!  (Especially important since 58% of faculty said that the growth of online education made them more fearful than excited!)