Category: Uncategorised

D2L Tool Tip of the Week: Creating a News Item

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have previous experience using the News tool or the HTML editor in D2L and will cover the steps involved when you wish to publish all student feedback for a Dropbox activity at one time.  For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

  1. Go to the Homepage of your course.
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Things to remember

Each new News Items will appear at the top of the News widget feed. If you want to reorder your News Items, select Reorder News Items from the News context menu.

Also remember that students can dismiss News Items from their view of the News widget. If you want to make sure that students see your News Item again (if you are worried they have dismissed it), you need to Edit the News Item and select Major edit – send a notification and restore it for those who dismissed it.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) “Slam”

You are Invited to eLearning’s Inaugural “UDL Slam”!

Do you often ask yourself questions like: “Does anyone else at Camosun encounter this same barrier or challenge for students in their classes?” and “What are my fellow instructors trying out in their classes to address these barriers that might work for me too?” Or maybe you have come up with a solution to a barrier and would love to have 5 minutes or less to share your idea with colleagues.  Yes?  This event could be for you!

In the spirit of bringing members of our teaching & learning community together to share creative ideas to address barriers and challenges to student learning, we are excited to invite you to participate in Camosun’s first ever UDL Slam!

Need a little background on what UDL or Slams are before you decide?

UDL

At its core, UDL (Universal Design for Learning) is about proactively designing “barrier free” learning opportunities for students. UDL recognizes that we cannot design learning experiences for a singular type of student. UDL is therefore based on three key principles for providing a diverse community of students with Multiple Means of:

  1. REPRESENTATION.
    This is the “what” of learning and learners differ in how they perceive & comprehend information given to them.
  2. ACTION & EXPRESSION.
    This is the “how” of learning and learners differ in how they navigate a learning environment & express what they know.
  3. ENGAGEMENT.
    This is the “why” of learning and learners differ markedly in the ways in which they can be engaged or motivated to learn.

Slams

“Slams” have long been popular, competitive events in poetry circles where participants recite original works no longer than three minutes long. The idea has been adopted by tech giant, Google, which regularly hosts Demo Slams at its education workshops to encourage members of the public to present short and user-friendly tutorials about the innovative uses they have come up with for a technology. These ideas might be obvious to you but can be amazing and inspiring to others.

Whether or not they are competitive events, in any Slam event participants are required to present a concept to an audience within a tight and enforced timeframe before giving the floor to the next participant in line.

Format for UDL Slam 2016

Are you intrigued? Excited to share your ideas and hear creative solutions from around the College? Here’s what you need to know to participate.

There is no need to prepare formal presentations for a Slam – this is about rapid-fire sharing of ideas and hearing from as many participants in the space of one hour as possible.  There are lots of faculty around Camosun who are using UDL in their teaching practices and our key goal for this event is to collect as many exciting ideas as we can about UDL principles-in-action.

You will have a maximum of 5 minutes to share your UDL Slam story. Your story needs to include:

  1. Your name & the course/s you are talking about;
  2. The barrier to learning you identified in the course (and who it affected);
  3. The solution you designed to address the barrier;
  4. Your assessment of this solution (if you have already implemented and tried it out: Any lessons you learned? Adjustments you’d make?).

Bare-bones format for a UDL Slam story:

“My name is ### and I teach ###. I have decided to do ### project in my course in lieu of a final exam because I found the barriers to success were ####. I hope that the results will be ###.”

Slam! (On to the next participant)

We will not be taking questions in between each Slam story, but will hold 15 minutes at the end of the event for discussion.( Participants can also follow-up with each other as needed, and eLearning will include details about UDL stories in subsequent blog posts.)

For more information about how to participate, visit to our website at http://web.camosun.ca/cetl/content/universal-design-learning-udl-slam.

Top Ten Things for Faculty to Know about D2L at Camosun

We get a lot of questions from faculty members about D2L and how it works at Camosun.  So, I thought:  why not write a post that addresses what we think are the top ten!

What is D2L?

  • Desire2Learn (D2L) is Camosun College’s learning management system. D2L enables faculty who are teaching face-to-face, blended, or completely online to deliver content, manage online activities and group collaboration, as well as provide online assessment options for students.
  • Your D2L site can only be accessed by students registered in your course, eLearning staff, and other Camosun employees you request access for.
  • To get started with D2L, please request a consultation with an eLearning instructional designer. You also check out our current workshop schedule (http://web.camosun.ca/cetl/elearning-workshops) for upcoming D2L learning opportunities.

How are D2L course sites set up?

  • Your course must be flagged for D2L when the course is set up for registration in Colleague. To ensure that it has been flagged, check with the person in your area who sets up courses in Colleague for registration (often the Chair).
  • Approximately 30 days before the course start date, you will have access to your blank D2L course shell (as long as you are listed in Colleague as the instructor of the course).
  • 7 days before the course starts, you will see the names of registered students appear in your D2L course site Classlist. Students are added to and dropped from this list as they are registered in, or unenrolled from, the course through Colleague. Waitlisted and late registering students gain access to their D2L courses the day after they are registered.
  • On the start date of the course (as it appears in Colleague), students will have access to the D2L course sites they are registered in. Students will then have access to the D2L course site for 20 days after the end date of the course (as it appears in Colleague).
  • You, as the instructor of the course, will have indefinite access to your D2L course sites unless you arrange with DESupport to have them removed from D2L. This process requires an email from you to DESupport (Desupport@camosun.ca) clarifying which courses you wish to have removed.

If I teach multiple sections in a term but only want one D2L course site for all my students, what do I need to do?

  • BEFORE your students are added to your D2L course site (which happens 7 days before the start date of your course), contact DESupport and let them know which sections need to be merged into one course site.

What is a DEV course site, and how do I request one?

  • A D2L DEV (development) course site is a static course site that students cannot access. It is a place where you can build and revise your course site before your live course shells become available to you.
  • A DEV site must be associated with a course you are teaching (for example, if you teach Math 100, you can request a Math 100 DEV site).
  • To request a DEV site for one of your courses, email DESupport. To learn more about DEV sites and how they can be used, talk to an eLearning instructional designer.

How do I get access to someone else’s course site?

  • You will need to ask that person to contact DESupport and request/give permission for you to be added to their course site.

Where do I go to get help with D2L?

  • You can ask for help from DE Support (desupport@camosun.ca) or book a consult with an eLearning instructional designer.
  • You can come to an eLearning drop-in session or workshop (http://web.camosun.ca/cetl/elearning-workshops).
  • You can also access our D2L On-Demand Training site. It will see it in your My Courses Widget (when you click on Student) in D2L. If you don’t see it in your course listing, contact DESupport to give you access.

How do I log into D2L?

  • Go to online.camosun.ca and enter your C# and password. You can bookmark this URL to return easily to the Camosun D2L site.

How do I find my courses in D2L?

  • Once you have logged into D2L, you can find a list of all the courses you are registered in by looking at the Select a course… drop-down menu, or the My Courses widget on the main Camosun D2L page.
  • If you have access to fewer than 40 courses, they will all show in your My Courses widget, but if you have more you will only see your 10 most recently accessed courses, and may need to search to find new courses as they are added to your site.
  • You can use the pin icon in the Select a course… drop-down menu to “pin” courses to the top of the list (so that, for example, the course(s) you are teaching right now always appears at the top of the list). You can access instructions for this in the On-Demand Training course site, or by contacting DESupport.

How do I copy course material from one course to another?

  • Use the Import/Export/Copy Components tool in your D2L course site (under Edit Course). You can access instructions for this in the On-Demand Training course site, or by contacting DESupport.

How do I customize my course homepage and navigation bar?

  • Use the NavBars and Course Home tools in your D2L course site (under Edit Course). You can access instructions for customizing NavBars and Homepages in the On-Demand Training course site, or by contacting DESupport.

eLearning Fall Workshops Open for Registration

Don’t forget to register now for eLearning Fall 2016 Workshops. 

The eLearning Workshop Series is designed to assist faculty (beginner to advanced) with incorporating educational technologies into their teaching, as well as with blended and online course/program planning and development.  Make sure to register for the session(s) you would like to attend so that we can notify you if there is a room change or cancellation.

This fall we have an exciting array of new workshops covering everything from D2L, WordPress, multimedia design and integration, and social media, which will include considerations around issues of accessibility, copyright, and inclusion of library resources in your D2L courses.

Visit our website at http://web.camosun.ca/cetl/elearning-workshops to find out more!

Privacy: what’s the least I need to know if I’m using online tools in my teaching?

You want students to blog, work in groups on a wiki, sign up for publisher materials, complete assessments on a fantastic new website that is perfect for your subject matter. Sounds great, but before planning too far in advance, there are some important considerations to keep in mind, one of which involves protecting the privacy of your students.

I’ll avoid going into much detail on the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) – you can read more about it at http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/96165_00.  Instead I am going to give you the basics of how FIPPA could affect what kinds of online tools you can use, and how you can use them in your teaching.

In brief, FIPPA requires that personal information, specifically that of your students, be stored and accessed in Canada only. Therefore, if you wish to utilize third-party, web-based tools that are, for example, running on servers residing in the United States to support your teaching (e.g., social-media tools), there are certain things you need to consider before asking students to use them to complete a course-related activity.

Assuming you already know if the tool you wish to use is on an American server (how to find this out is a topic for another post), AND that students will need to provide personal information in order to use the tool, then you need to consider:

  1. Is the activity mandatory (e.g., is it a required assessment component of the course?)
  2. Is the activity optional (i.e., can students easily complete it without using this tool?)

In either case, you need to provide your students with notice: notice of what activity they will be completing, the tool to be used, what personal information they will be required to provide and why, how the tool’s providers could use the information, etc.

If the activity is mandatory, however, in addition to notice, you must receive informed consent from your students (a written and signed form). If a student does not wish to sign the informed consent form, then you, as the instructor, must provide that student with an alternative to the activity so that they are not penalized for their refusal.

Finally, we also recommend that you provide your students with general information on how to protect their privacy when using third-party, web-based tools.

To find out more about FIPPA as it relates to the use of web-based tools in teaching and learning, go to BCcampus’ Privacy and Security site (http://fippa.bccampus.ca/), specifically the Privacy Guidelines for Instructors PDF (http://www.bccampus.ca/files/2013/08/PrivacyGuideforUsing3rdPartyWebTechnologyinPublicPost-SecondaryCoursesRevisedFeb2011.pdf).

If you are a faculty member at Camosun College, you can also talk to an eLearning instructional designer who can help you determine if the tool(s) you wish to use are compliant with FIPPA, or if you will need to provide your students with notice and/or an informed consent waiver. An instructional designer can also provide you with a notice and/or a waiver template that you can adapt for your own use, and help you prepare a privacy and technology tips sheet for your class.

Note that Camosun College will soon be revising its privacy policy. Updates on this revision will appear in future blog posts.

Reference:  Privacy Guide for Using 3rd Party Web Technology in Public Post-Secondary Courses (PDF, Feb. 2011), BCcampus:  http://www.bccampus.ca/files/2013/08/PrivacyGuideforUsing3rdPartyWebTechnologyinPublicPost-SecondaryCoursesRevisedFeb2011.pdf

D2L Tool Tip of the Week: Deleting Modules and Topics

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have previous experience using the Content tool in D2L, and will cover the steps involved when you wish to delete Modules or Topics in the Content tool.  For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

  1. Go to the Content tool in your course.
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Things to Remember

If you are going to want to re-use the activities or files linked to the Module or Topic you are deleting, make sure to select the FIRST option in the Delete pop-up window!

Also note that it is NOT recommended that you delete other D2L activities (e.g. Surveys, Quizzes, Dropbox, etc.) through Content.  Delete specific activities in their tools!

eLearning Workshops this week

There is still time to register for January eLearning D2L Workshops.  If you can’t attend, or don’t see what you’re looking for, contact desupport@camosun.ca to arrange for a consult with an instructional designer!

Here’s what is on the roster this week:

Using the Content Tool in D2L

Gain hands-on practice on using the Content tool in D2L.  In addition to being given an overview of the content tool, participants will also learn to organize and manage their course files (in the Manage Files area) and how to add modules and topics.

Creating Quizzes in D2L

Learn how to master the Quiz tool in D2L! This workshop will explore ways to create, customize and grade quizzes. We’ll also tackle creating randomized Quizzes and how to effectively set up your questions in the Question Library.

Register from the eLearning website at http://web.camosun.ca/cetl/content/elearning-winter-2016-workshops

eLearning Winter 2016 Workshops Start This Week!!

Don’t miss out!   eLearning D2L Workshops for Winter 2016 start this week.

Here’s what is on the roster this month:

Getting Started with Desire2Learn (D2L)

Designed for new instructors and/or beginners to our learning management system, Desire2Learn (D2L), this workshop will provide participants with an overview of the essential teaching tools available in D2L, and how courses are set up and supported through eLearning Development and Support Services at Camosun College.  Whether you are looking to supplement your face-to-face classes, transition from using a basic course website, or simply want to learn more about how to enhance your current teaching methodologies with using D2L, this session has a little something for everyone. Come explore the possibilities!

Setting Up and Managing Your Gradebook in D2L

This hands-on workshop will focus on setting up your D2L Gradebook from start to finish. Please bring your course outline (or a breakdown of your assessment items) to the workshop if you wish to build your own Gradebook.

Managing your D2L Course

This workshop will provide an overview of how to administer your D2L courses by managing and customizing navigation bars and homepages, copying course component from one course site into another, and using other admin tools in D2L.  In addition, participants will learn how courses are set up and supported through eLearning Development and Support Services at Camosun College.

Using the Content Tool in D2L

Gain hands-on practice on using the Content tool in D2L.  In addition to being given an overview of the content tool, participants will also learn to organize and manage their course files (in the Manage Files area) and how to add modules and topics.

Creating Quizzes in D2L

Learn how to master the Quiz tool in D2L! This workshop will explore ways to create, customize and grade quizzes. We’ll also tackle creating randomized Quizzes and how to effectively set up your questions in the Question Library.

Managing Assignments Using the Dropbox

The Dropbox tool enables students to submit assignments online while streamlining the grading process for instructors. This workshop provides hands-on practice creating, managing and grading assignments using the assignment in-line viewer.

Register from the eLearning website at http://web.camosun.ca/cetl/content/elearning-winter-2016-workshops

D2L Tool Tip of the Week: Setting Final Adjusted Grades

This tutorial is designed for faculty who have previous experience using the Grades tool in D2L and will cover the steps involved when you wish to set the Final Adjusted Grades in your gradebook.  For further information, please contact desupport@camosun.ca for assistance.

Steps

Step 1:  Setting the Adjusted Final Grade to be the Final Grade Released in the Settings area

  1. Go to the Grades tool in your course.
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  6. Click Close to return to the Grades area.

Step 2:  Adjusting your Final Grades so that you can release them to the students

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  7. Click Cancel to return to the Enter Grades area.

Things to Remember

Note that after you save your Final Grades area changes, you will have to click on the Cancel button to return to the Enter Grades area.

eLearning Development and Support Services Fall 2015 workshops

Don’t forget to register now for eLearning Fall 2015 Workshops. 

The eLearning Development and Support Services workshops are designed to assist faculty (beginner to advanced) incorporating educational technologies (including Desire2Learn (D2L) and multimedia) into their teaching.  Please register for the workshop session(s) you would like to attend.  Registration is important as it allows us to notify you if there is a room change or cancellation.

Note:  Our workshop schedule is subject to change.  Please check back to confirm dates, times and locations for the workshops.  Don’t see what you’re looking for?  Contact eLearning Support (desupport@camosun.ca) to book a consult with an Instructional Designer.

Go to eLearning Development and Support Services Workshop Series – Fall 2015 for more information, and to register.