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Online Learning Newsletter April 1, 2008 |
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Back up your course and download a copy to your computer. |
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Why bother with backups? |
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Volume 1, issue 1 |
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Is a new course management system in hocking's future? |
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The short answer is “yes.” We currently use WebCT CE 4.1 as our course management system (CMS), but it is becoming outdated and suffers from the occasional glitch. Faculty often ask what CMS we will be moving to, and there is no one at Hocking College who would like to know the answer to that question more than your staff in the Online Learning Office! We are waiting on Blackboard to introduce their new platform which, for now, is called Blackboard 9.0. We are told that it will be a combination of the best features of WebCT and Blackboard, and it will be introduced Dec. 31, 2008. Until then, we continue to watch developments at the state level including Chancellor Fingerhut's recommendations due March 31 in a 10-year master plan for growth in higher education in the state of Ohio. We are also watching trends in the use of commercial and open source CMSs at other institutions of higher education in Ohio. We want to make the right choice for Hocking, one that fits our own goals for our faculty and students and also fits state goals for online growth and transferability of courses. If you have thoughts on a future CMS for Hocking College, please let us know what they are! We want to make sure everyone's voice is heard and all concerns are addressed in the process of choosing a new course management system. |
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Which direction do you want to go? |
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Lecture capture technology is a hot topic now at conferences and seminars involving pedagogy in higher education. Hocking College was represented by three faculty members (Sue Ipacs, Ellen Wiseman, and Joni Tornwall) at the Course Redesign conference in Orlando, Florida recently. They learned about the Socrates Project which is an exciting opportunity for colleges to take advantage of Panopto's CourseCast lecture capture software free of charge. We need only to provide space and hardware for the technology. Instructors can use it to capture video segments which can be presented on the same screen with PowerPoint slides and other materials simultaneously for delivery over the internet so that learners can have a richer, more engaging online learning experience. For more information on this system, please go to the Panopto web site at www.panopto.com. For demonstrations of what it can do for you and your students, please view CourseCast lecture capture demos at here and here. If you would like to join us for a phone conference with a Panopto representative to discuss the specifics of adoption of CourseCast technology, please come to JL 256 at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 3. We would be glad to have you and to hear your ideas and input. |
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Coursecast by panopto Lecture capture technology |
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New technology for old pedagogy Consider using CourseCast lecture capture technology in your course.
Backing up A step in the right direction!
Moving to a new cms Where is Hocking going to go?
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Mason Martin delivers a lecture the traditional way. |
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When the unthinkable happens . . . You probably have a properly inflated spare tire tucked away in your car where you don't give it much thought, but it's a great thing to have when you need it! Imagine that you are cruising along normally through your academic quarter, and something goes terribly wrong with your WebCT course . . . a problem creeps in and wipes out your grade book, or a fantastic new electronic resource that you just uploaded to your course causes it to become totally inaccessible. It doesn't seem very likely, but your online learning staff can tell you some interesting stories! When the unthinkable happens to your WebCT course, you will want to have that “spare tire” in the form of a backup to keep you rolling through your quarter with as little disruption as possible. Back up your courses! You will want to back up your WebCT courses and course enhancements regularly, perhaps about once a week. It is fast and easy, and it's good insurance for unexpected calamities. Here's how to do it: Log in to WebCT, and you will see your list of courses on your MyWebCT page. At the top of the page, click on the "Course Functions" button. You will see a list of your courses with check boxes next to them. Put a checkmark in the boxes next to the courses you would like to back up. Then click the "Create backups" button on the right. There's no need to type in a description on the next screen unless you want to--just click "Create." Wait for a moment to allow the backup to be created, and when the "Success" screen comes up, click "Continue." This will take you back to your Course Functions screen, and you can download your newly created backup to your computer, which I highly recommend! This ensures that you have a copy of it no matter what might happen to WebCT. For further information and an instructor FAQ, please click the link below. |
