eschudel – Page 30 – Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

Introduction to the Annotation Tool in Assignments (D2L)

There is a new tool to help you with giving feedback to students in submitted Assignments. When students submit WORD docs, PDF files, EXCEL spreadsheets, or images as Assignment submissions, you can add comments, and other markups right on the file in D2L.

This tool is especially handy for short assignments where commenting is minimal (rather than using the feedback box and referring back to the document). For longer assignments, we would still recommend you download them and provide feedback using track changes and commenting.

Here’s how it works:

Go to the Assignments tool, and click on the title of the assignment you want to grade. Note that to use the annotation tool, the assignment must be a File submission type (i.e., not a Text submission type).
Click on an assessment document to open the Evaluate Submission
You will see a notice “Document conversion is in process”.
Then the document will open in the annotation tool.
First we will look at the annotation tools on the left side of the annotation toolbar, from left to right:
1. Document view: Thumbnails (the default), Outline (opens a table of contents for multi-page documents), Bookmarks (allows you to bookmark pages so you can quickly navigate back to them)
2. Page forward and back (if you have a multi-page document to grade)
3. Page Layout: Page Mode (Single page, Double page, Automatic); Page Transition (Continuous – gives you a scroll bar, Jump – move from page to page using the table of contents); Page Rotation (Rotate Right, Rotate Left) – play around and choose the layout that works best for you.
4. Pan Mode (allows you to drag the page up and down)
5. Zoom Out and Zoom In
6. Fit Page (fits the document page to the annotation tool window)
Now, the tools on the right side of the annotation toolbar, from left to right:
1. Pen, Highlighter, reverse Highlighter, Eraser
2. Note tool (add comments to locations in the document)
3. Text box tool
4. Line, Arrow, Rectangle (underline and point things out in the document)
5. Print
6. Search Document
7. Download
8. Toggle Fullscreen
  The Note tool opens another toolbar which includes options to change the Note colour, shape, and icon style.
  
  The Text box tool opens another toolbar which includes options to format the text (size, colour, font), and align it top, centre, or bottom.
As you add annotation to the document (e.g., using arrows, text boxes, notes, etc.) they will appear on the document.
Click Save Draft if you need to go back to finish annotations (or if you will be marking several students and want to publish all feedback at once). Finish grading the assignment as you normally would, adding the Score, or using a Rubric, then click Publish to publish the annotated feedback to students.

Students can download annotated feedback file as a PDF (would have to actually rewrite the file if they were submitting a rewrite, not just accept changes).

Here’s what the annotated file looks like to a student (once they have gone to the Assignments tool and clicked the Feedback: Unread link:

Students click View Inline Feedback.
Students can view the feedback, and Print or Download it (it will save as a PDF file).

Things to Remember

Re students using screen readers to access online content: The images placed on documents using the annotation tool are NOT tagged, therefore screen readers DO NOT read them. We advise that you not use the annotation tool for submissions from students who require screen reader technology to access their online course content.

Understanding Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Rooms and Sessions in D2L

Designed for faculty who have previous experience using D2L, and who have had some experience with Blackboard Collaborate Ultra (e.g., attended an information session or a hands-on session), this tutorial will cover the features available to you in BBCU rooms and sessions. Information on how to use individual feature is contained in relevant tutorial documents. For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

Go to the location in your course site where you have linked to your Blackboard Collaborate Ultra room (for example, in the Content tool). For information on how to set up this link, see the tutorial Create a Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Room in D2L.
Click on the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra For information on how to set up a session, see the tutorial Create a Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Session in D2L.
Click on the title of the Room or Session you want to access.
You will first be asked if you want to join the session from a browser, or from the Blackboard or Blackboard Instructor app. We recommend joining with a browser, unless you are familiar with and have downloaded the appropriate app.
Here is what you will see when you enter your session. You will see a menu at the top left, a list of tools at the bottom, and another menu at the bottom right. We will look at each of these in turn.
If you click the menu at the top-left, you will see
1. Start Recording (see the tutorial Recording Sessions in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra for more information)
2. Use your phone for audio (see the tutorial Using your Phone for Audio in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra for more information)
3. Report an issue
4. Tell me about Collaborate
5. Blackboard Collaborate Help
6. Privacy Policy
If you click on the menu at the bottom-right, you will see:
1. The Chat area (see the tutorial Using Chat in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra for more information).
2. The Attendee area (see the tutorial Managing Attendees in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra for more information).
3. The Share Content area (see the tutorials Managing the Whiteboard in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, Screen/Application Sharing in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, Sharing Files in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, Polling in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, Using the Timer in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, and Creating Breakout Rooms in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra for more information).
4. The My Settings area (see the tutorial Managing your Settings in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra for more information).
Finally, the bottom icons are features you can use during a session to indicate you are away from your computer, to indicate feedback, to raise hand as a request to speak, or to control your microphone and camera:
1. My Status and Settings (Away, Leave Session, Feedback emoticons, Agree/Disagree)
2. Microphone share/unshare
3. Video share/unshare
4. Raise hand

Things to Remember

Before you run your first Blackboard Collaborate Ultra session with live participants, take some time to practice running a session and learning how to use all the features you will need. We also recommend inviting a colleague (or an instructional designer in eLearning) to attend with you to help you practice!

This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.Icons by the Noun Project.

Setting Email and Mobile Notifications in D2L – A Student D2L Tutorial

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to have notifications about course activities (news additions/updates, new content, dropbox feedback, etc.) sent to your personal email or to your mobile device. Make sure to do this if you are not logging into D2L regularly so you don’t miss any important information posted by your instructor! For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

Log into D2L.
Click on your name to open your personal drop-down menu, and select Notifications.
To set up email notifications, click Enable email notifications. Then in the pop-up box, select Use custom email, enter your personal email, and click Save.
To set up mobile notifications, click Register your mobile. Then in the pop-up box, select your Country, Mobile Carrier, and enter your Mobile Number. Click Save.
Scroll down to the Instant Notifications section, and select the notifications you would like to receive, and how you would like to receive them. Note that you can also go to the Exclude Some Courses section to prevent receiving notifications from selected courses. Click Save when you have finished.

Things to Remember

You can return to Notifications at any time to make changes to your settings. Note that you will receive notifications for ALL courses you are registered in unless you choose to Exclude Some Courses.

Create a Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Session in D2L

This tutorial will cover the steps involved when you wish to create and configure a new Session in your Blackboard Collaborate Ultra room that you’ve set up access for in your D2L course. For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

Go to the location in your course site where you have linked to your Blackboard Collaborate Ultra room (for example, in the Content tool). For information on how to set up this link, see the tutorial Create a Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Room in D2L.
Click on your Blackboard Collaborate Ultra link to open your Blackboard Collaborate Ultra room.
Click Create Session.
Give the Session a Name (for example, Week 1 Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Session).
Under Event Details, add Start and End dates for the Session. Select No end if you want an open session with no end, or Repeat session if you want to have a session repeat at selected intervals (for example, Daily, Weekly, Monthly). Select an Early Entry time so participants can come in early and configure their audio and video. You can also select No early entry, but we advise allowing participants a bit of time to ensure technical issues are dealt with before the session starts.
Under Session Settings, select a Default Attendee Role (you can choose Participant, Presenter, or Moderator. See the tutorials Understanding Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Session Roles for more information about the three roles). Select Recording options and Moderator permissions if needed.
Scroll down to select options for Participants can, select Enable session telephony (recommended), and select Private Chat options (to prevent completely private chatting between students). Click Save.
You will be able to click on the session to edit the settings, but you and your students will NOT be able to enter the session until the start day/time.

Things to Remember

For information on how to manage and facilitate a Blackboard Collaborate Ultra session, see the relevant tutorials.

How to use Kaltura with your students: Part 1 – Assignments

This post will show you how your students can submit videos (or audio files) that have been uploaded to Kaltura, as assignments using the Assignments tool.

If you have the My Media link to Kaltura added to your course Navbar, students can access their own personal media space and upload or create a video or audio file. If the video/audio is stored in Kaltura, then it is easy for students to embed them as assignment submissions. Here’s how:

First, you need to set up your Assignment folder as a Text submission assignment – see the tutorial Submission Options in Assignments for further information.

Once your students have added their assignment media to Kaltura (see the tutorial Uploading Media to My Media in D2L for information you can give to your students), they would

Go to the Assignments tool in your course.
Click on the title of the assignment they wish to submit to.
Click the Insert Stuff icon at the top, left of the Text Submission box.
Click Add from My Media.
In the Add from My Media box, click Embed next to the media (video or audio) you want to embed into the Text Submission box.
Check the preview to make sure it’s the right video, then click Insert.
The video/audio will be embedded in the Text Submission box. Click Submit to submit your assignment.
Click Done.

Once your students have submitted their video/audio assignments, you can go to the Assignments tool and view/listen to them right in the Assignments Submissions area. Add your feedback into the Feedback box, or attach your own media piece as feedback to your students.

If you have any questions about this, or want to talk to someone in eLearning about this, email desupport@camosun.ca.

Making Your Print Materials Accessible for All Learners Brochure (and Website)

Those of you who were at our annual Walls Optional conference last spring will remember the launch of a new brochure, designed by our own Sue Doner, called Making Your Print Materials Accessible for All Learners. Well, this brochure is now available electronically at the Download Brochure page on the website, also created by Sue, Practical Applications of Universal Design of Learning (UDL).

In Sue’s own words:

“This website, Practical Applications of Universal Design of Learning (UDL), is one of the outcomes of a 2018/2019 project for UDL-based resources @ Camosun College and was made possible by funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training.

The background research into and outcomes of the 2018/2019 project are intended to help build capacity & awareness at the college for UDL and other accessibility and inclusive design guidelines.

The focus on Accessible Print Materials is the first-phase of this website.”

I encourage you to take a look at the brochure as you start thinking about your next term of teaching (and perhaps even for your fall courses). Sue Doner and her instructional designer colleagues s in eLearning are available to provide support for you or answer questions about how to redesign your print materials for accessibility, as well as to show you how you can use some of the new tools in D2L to help make this a bit easier for you.

You can contact eLearning support at desupport@camosun.ca to book an appointment with an instructional designer at either campus, or contact Sue directly at doners@camosun.ca

Don’t forget we have eLearning drop-ins and consults

Happy new term from eLearning at Camosun!

We wanted to remind you that if you need any help setting up your D2L course sites, or have any questions now or during the term about D2L or how to use (or why you might want to use) any of its tools, we are here for you!

Our eLearning (D2L and other tools) Support team is available from 8:30-4:30, Monday-Friday by phone (250-370-3488) or by email (desupport@camosun.ca) or even by in-person in the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) offices in the Lansdowne Library. And they are available for your students to, so be sure to direct them to eLearning Support if they have technical issues with D2L (like logging in!)

We also have 5 instructional designers who are available to help you by appointment at both campuses, or during our eLearning drop-ins at Interurban. These drop-ins, in our CETL offices in the Liz Ashton Campus Centre, room 251J, are:

August

Tuesday, August 27, from 2:00pm-3:00pm
Wednesday, August 28, from 1:00pm-2:00pm
Thursday, August 29, from 2:00pm-3:00pm
Friday, August 30, from 11:30am-12:30pm

September

Tuesdays, September 3, 10, 17, 24, from 11:00-12:00pm
Thursdays, September 5, 12, 19, 26, from 11:00-12:00pm
Fridays, September 6, 13, 20, 27, from 11:30am-12:30pm

October 4 to December 13

Fridays, from 11:30am-12:30pm

If you would like to contact an instructional designer to schedule a consult regarding a specific question you are having around using D2L, or for information on how to use a specific D2L tool, or with any questions you may have about using other educational technologies to support your teaching (or even if you have a pedagogical challenge and are wondering what educational technology might help you with your challenge), contact eLearning support (desupport@camosun.ca) and we can set you up!

You can also find out more about who is available to help you with your eLearning needs by visiting the Contact Us section of the main CETL website (http://camosun.ca/about/teaching-learning/contact-us.html) and email an instructional designer directly.

We look forward to hearing from you – and good luck with your term!

Create a Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Room in D2L

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have previous experience using the Content tool in D2L, and who have had some experience with Blackboard Collaborate Ultra (BBCU) (e.g., attended an information session or a hands-on session), and will cover the steps involved when you wish to set up a link to a BBCU room in D2L through the HTML editor (for example, in News item or a Content page) or a Topic link in the Content tool. For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps for Linking to a BBCU Room in a Content Page (HTML editor)

Go the Content tool in your D2L course.
Click on the title of the Module you want to add the BBCU room to, or create a New Module.
Click Add New and select Create a File.
Add a Title, then add contextual and/or instructional text into the HTML editor box. Highlight the words you want to link the BBCU room to, and click the Quicklink icon.
Select External Learning Tools (you may need to scroll down in the list).
Select Blackboard Ultra.
The link to the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra room has now been created. Click Publish. When you click on the link in the page you just created, and your BBCU room (named for the D2L course) will appear.

Steps for Adding BBCU Room as a Content Topic (HTML editor)

Go the Content tool in your D2L course.
Click on the title of the Module you want to add the BBCU room to, or create a New Module.
Click Add Existing Activities and select External Learning Tools.
Select Blackboard Ultra.
The link to the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra room has now been created, and when you click the Blackboard Ultra link, your BBCU room (named for your D2L course) will appear.

Next week I will show you how to create scheduled sessions within your Blackboard Collaborate Ultra room.

ETUG Fall Workshops – save the dates

For today’s post, a quick reblog.

The Educational Technology User Group Fall workshop will be in two parts this year: Friday, October 18^th face to face in Vancouver at SFU Harbourside, and virtually on Friday, November 1^st! Mark the dates now – more information and registration will be coming up soon.

Find out more at the ETUG website:

https://etug.ca/2019/06/20/save-the-dates-etug-fall-workshops-2019/

Want to know more about ETUG and how you can get more involved? Contact Emily Schudel, Chair of the Stewardship Committee for ETUG, at schudele@camosun.ca

Ethical Dimensions of Educational Technology: Part 2 – Some important ethical issues to keep in mind

It’s been awhile since the first post about this workshop, and now it’s time for the second revolving around some important ethical issues that came up during the face to face session. So, for today’s post, I am going to introduce and briefly discuss six big ethical issues we decided need to be considered when integrating educational technology into teaching and learning. This will not be an exhaustive (or exhausting) discussion of these issues – rather, I will introduce each one (in no particular order) and point you to more resources both here at the college, and outside.

Privacy

When you use an online tool, do you and your students have to set up accounts? Do you need to provide the tool with your name and/or email address? What happens to this information (and any material you work with in the tool) and who owns it? Privacy is about keeping your personal information or intellectual property safe. While Camosun has a Privacy Policy (http://camosun.ca/about/policies/operations/o-6-information-management/o-6.1.pdf), it does not directly address the use of cloud-based tools to support teaching and learning. For that, we need to turn to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in BC (http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/96165_00).

In a nutshell, if you are asking students to provide personal information to a third-party for any purpose (for an activity, assessment, content access, etc.), you need to inform them of FIPPA, give them the option to opt-out, and be prepared to give them an alternate way of accessing the material if they choose to opt out.

Accessibility

Can your students access your course material? Can they see or hear it? Do they have access to the right equipment or software to engage with it? Do they have access to support and training for the tools you are using? Accessibility/inclusivity involves incorporating a variety of instructional formats, assessment strategies, etc. to support any number of issues, including visual, auditory, learning, mental health issues, and access to technology.

Consider how to make your courses accessible by designing your course materials ahead of time rather than waiting for someone to ask for an alternate format later (which is accommodation). When adopting a tool, review any accessibility features it promotes. If you can’t find any information, send them an email. An instructional designer in eLearning can help you assess the tool you are wanting to use.

To find out more about WCAG (Web content Accessibility Guidelines), see https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag.

Want to go further? Learn more about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) https://sites.camosun.ca/fair/diversity/universal-design-for-learning-udl/ UDL Guidelines: http://udlguidelines.cast.org /

Also, see Camosun’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion policy (http://camosun.ca/about/policies/governance/g-2-organizational-goals-and-accountability/g-2.1.pdf) for information on how the implementation of UDL principles supports college priorities.

Learning Analytics

Do you like to know what your students are doing in your online course site, for example, how often they logon, how long they spend reading materials, how engaged they are in course activities, their overall progress through the course? These are learning analytics, and while they can be useful for knowing who is doing what with your online tools, and for ensuring that your students are completing the tasks you have given them, using them comes with ethical concerns.

We need to consider transparency and consent, as well as how we interpret and act on analytics. (https://elearningindustry.com/7-ethical-concerns-with-learning-analytics some of the considerations)

Online classroom ethics

Like the face to face classroom, the online classroom should also be a place where students feel safe interacting with their instructor and fellow students. Some things to keep in mind:

If you are adding others to the course (for example, another faculty member, or an assistant of some kind), let your students know who they are, and why they are there.
Discuss Netiquette with the whole group, or have students draft class or group/team codes of conduct for engagement in the online classroom.
Address any concerns or questions students may have about anonymity.
If you are using student or class progress tools in D2L, let students know you are tracking them.

Some college policies which support conduct in our teaching and learning environments include

Standards of Conduct (employees) (http://camosun.ca/about/policies/operations/o-1-college-systems-and-resources/o-1.5.pdf) and Student Conduct (http://camosun.ca/about/policies/education-academic/e-2-student-services-and-support/e-2.5.pdf) policies
Sexual Violence and Misconduct policy (http://camosun.ca/about/policies/education-academic/e-2-student-services-and-support/e-2.9.pdf)
Electronic Communication with Students policy (http://camosun.ca/about/policies/operations/o-1-college-systems-and-resources/o-1.5.pdf)
Acceptable Technology Use policy (http://camosun.ca/about/policies/operations/o-1-college-systems-and-resources/o-1.1.pdf)

Indigenization

I am in no way qualified to discuss indigenization, but I can point you towards those at Camosun who are!

According to our Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning website:

“Indigenization is the process by which Indigenous ways of knowing, being, doing and relating are incorporated into educational, organizational, cultural and social structures of the institution. The goal is to create a more inclusive environment through the presentation of a different world view, and to enhance and enrich the educational and cultural experience of the educational community. This does not mean the institution is Indigenous-centred, but it does mean that consideration of Indigenous issues comes “naturally”.”

And you can find out more about Indigenization initiatives, and who to contact for support, at http://camosun.ca/about/teaching-learning/initiatives/indigenization.html and http://camosun.ca/about/indigenization/

Digital identity

Closely connected to privacy, a person’s digital identity is their footprint online. Every time you sign up for a tool using your personal information, this information is saved and sometimes passed on to others, with or without your knowledge or permission. It is not enough for us to say that “all students use Facebook” so they know how to protect themselves because even if students are using cloud-based social media tools already, it is still our responsibility as instructors and as an institution to inform them of how to protect themselves from cyber-bullying, identity theft, etc.

Ask yourself “What do my students know about their digital identity?”, then ask yourself what do you know about your own digital identity.

In addition to one’s personal digital identity, consider how you and your students can protect your intellectual property. When using a cloud-based tool to host course or research materials, as yourself Who owns it? Who is using it, and how are they using it? Check the privacy settings, the copyright/ownership information, and don’t’ be afraid to send an email to the company to find out more. These are things you need to know before asking or suggesting students to use these tools

To learn more about digital identity, and for tools to help you and your students navigate this complex issue, go to UBC’s Digital Tattoo site (https://digitaltattoo.ubc.ca /)

Of course, there are many other ethical issues to keep in mind when adopting educational technology, including:

Social Justice, human rights, and equality with regards to the non-neutral nature of (educational) technology (for example, silencing, constraints, access, power structures, openness (or not), etc.)
Digital literacy and fake news
Emotional wellbeing (digital detox) and online addiction

If you ever want to talk more about the ethical issues raised here, or any others that come to mind, our instructional designers in eLearning would love to talk to you! Contact desupport@camosun.ca to arrange for a consult.

In the next post (the third of four) about this workshop, I will talk about some of the outcomes from the discussions and things participants wanted to do or learn more about!