Faculty Support Services for Teaching with Technology

Services for Teaching with Technology:

QUICK REFERENCE

Cornell Teaching & Learning Consortium (CTLC) website for teaching w/technology services

Faculty Support Services assistance w/instructional technologies Visit our website for more info or e-mail us for a consultation

Software Licensing CIT Public Labs for instruction Audio/Video Streaming, Webcasting & Videoconferencing CIT OnSite Solutions fee-based support for computers, networks, & security

Visit the Academic Technology Center Computing & Communications Ctr Rm 124, Garden Ave M-F 9am - 5pm

CIT has been supporting Blackboard since 1997, with approximately 5,500 courses and 30,000 users at the present time.  With all our systems, it is important to periodically evaluate whether to continue with the system now in use or whether there are alternatives that are more in line with current campus needs.

In an effort to guarantee we are providing a service that best meets the changing needs of instructors at Cornell, CIT is sponsoring a pilot project to evaluate Moodle, a course management system (CMS) used by many schools as an alternative to Blackboard. Moodle is open source (non-commercial) software designed to help educators create an effective online learning environment.

Moodle Pilot participation

Invitations to join the pilot are being extended to Blackboard users so that participants can make an in-depth comparison between Blackboard and Moodle. The entire Cornell community will be able to follow the Moodle pilot project online.

Our goal for the pilot is to include a cross section of 50 participants with courses that vary according to discipline, size, type and needs. This approach should ensure that Moodle’s features are used thoroughly and enable us to better measure its capabilities.

Blackboard is still available

While this pilot is underway and for the foreseeable future, CIT will continue to maintain, support, and improve Blackboard to meet the needs of Cornell faculty and students. No decision has been made to move away from Blackboard at this time. However, as noted above, campus needs do evolve, the available tools are constantly changing, and periodic review is just good practice.

About the Course Management System evaluation & Moodle Pilot
 
In 2007, a course management system alternatives research project was conducted to compare other systems to our current implementation of Blackboard. The project team, including faculty, Blackboard support partners, and Library and CIT staff, recommended Moodle as the first choice alternative to Blackboard.  After reviewing the four CMS products, Moodle emerged as best able to support and enhance teaching and learning at Cornell. Moodle has a rich set of features that can support instruction and link the delivery of course content and activities to instructional objectives.  The recommendation was based on a balance of technical, support, functional and user considerations. The CMS alternatives review team considered each CMS product in the following areas:

•    Academic: How does the CMS support and enhance the teaching and learning process at Cornell University?
•    Administrative: How well does the CMS perform course management tasks and course administration? How easily can faculty and students be supported?
•    Infrastructure: what are the IT and support requirements? Are they consistent with CU’s IT architecture and support models?

The goal of the Fall 08-Spring 09 Moodle pilot is to answer the questions: How does Moodle compare to Blackboard? And, Is Moodle a viable alternative to replace Blackboard at Cornell?

The pilot project will evaluate faculty and student satisfaction with using Moodle versus Blackboard. Additionally, support, infrastructure requirements, and cost will be evaluated.

Upon completion, data collected from the pilot will be reported with associated recommendations. The report and recommendations will inform future decisions regarding CMS selection, and development for campus.

This past year, Cornell University Library and CIT co-sponsored a blog pilot as a first step in developing a centrally supported blog service. The pilot evaluated the feasibility of supporting blogs for teaching, research, and communication. As a result, CIT and CU Library have decided to offer a joint blog service for campus. Please visit the Blog Pilot site for updates about the coming service: https://blogs.cit.cornell.edu/

Look for a second Academic Technology Center to open on campus in late September in the current G27 Stimson instructional lab space. The current ATC facility will continue to be available on the first floor of the Computing & Communications Center.

Like the original facility, the satellite ATC will provide state-of-the-art computers, software, and other multi-media equipment for faculty and instructors to prepare course materials or to develop technology-based resources for a course. ATC equipment can convert documents, images, 35 mm slides, and audio or video materials into digital formats.
 
The new center will be staffed with students from the Student Technology Assistance Program (STAP), and will include equipment for video digitizing and scanning as well as new Macs and PCs available for use by faculty and academic staff. Stay tuned for more information!

This fall CIT is adding a fifth instructional lab to campus. The lab provides access to academic and research-related resources, including specialized software and hardware.
 
To schedule the instructional lab for a course use the online request form: http://atcsupport.cit.cornell.edu/itrequest/itrequest.cfm

For more information about CIT’s instructional labs visit: http://www.cit.cornell.edu/labs/

Starting on Monday, August 11, SSL will be the only authentication type that can be used to access Newsstand (Usenet Newsgroups, cornell.marketplace, and similar services). Previous authentication types, such as SideCar, will no longer work.

Newsstand provides support for Cornell classes, cornell.marketplace, and Usenet News (also known as Network News). Usenet News is a global system for sharing views and information on a tremendous variety of topics. Each topic has its own newsgroup. There are more than 15,000 newsgroups currently available through Cornell's network news server. In order to view newsgroup postings, you must have a news reader, such as Thunderbird, which is provided free to the Cornell community via Bear Access.

More information about services and instructions on how to configure Thunderbird for SSL authentication may be found at:
http://www.cit.cornell.edu/bearaccess/netnews/index.html.

Please join us on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 4pm in the Statler Lounge for a relaxing and informal discussion about blogs and wikis.  We've chosen the first topic and we hope you'll help us choose the rest.

Starting in September, you are invited to watch and interact with your colleagues as they describe their innovation in teaching projects. The series will be webcast from 12:15pm -1:30pm for your convenience and sessions will be archived for later viewing. Look for a schedule of specific speakers and topics as well as instructions for watching and participating in the webcasts to be coming your way soon.

These hands-on workshops are free and open to academic faculty, researchers, and instructional support staff.

Administering Surveys with Checkbox
Learn how to create and deploy surveys using Checkbox, the new online survey building and deployment tool supported by CIT. Offered on August 19 from 2:30 – 4pm.

Getting Started with Blackboard
Blackboard is an online tool that lets you deliver course materials, online quizzes, and much more. This hands-on workshop will get you started with setting up your class in Blackboard. [Beginner] Offered on August 20 from 1 to 2:30pm and September 2 from 1 to 2:30pm.

Blackboard Communication Tools
The Communication Tools class is an opportunity for people who are already using Blackboard, or who have attended the January 2008 Getting Started class, to explore some of its communication features, including chats, discussion forums, and file sharing. Offered on August 20 from 3:30 to 4:30pm.

Blackboard Course Tools and Assessments
In this class we will explore some of Blackboard's more advanced features, including grading, creating assignments, and accessing library e-reserves. This class is designed for people who are already using Blackboard or who have attended the Getting Started class. Offered on August 20 from 2:30 to 3:30pm and September 2 from 2:30 to 3:30pm.

Getting Started with the Confluence Wiki
The Confluence wiki allows you and your students to easily create, edit, and link web pages for informational or collaborative purposes. In this workshop you will learn how to use Confluence and set up your space so that your colleagues or students can use it for collaboration. Offered on August 21 from 2:30 to 4pm.

For more information or to register, visit cornell.veplan.net/Education/catalog.aspx?c=652

The Faculty Support Services Team is here to help you with instructional technologies: Blackboard course management system atc.cit.cornell.edu/blackboard/ Course web sites atc.cit.cornell.edu/course/instructional/index.cfm Audio and video on the web atc.cit.cornell.edu/course/streaming/index.cfm Course communication tools (such as discussion boards) atc.cit.cornell.edu/course/communications.cfm Web-based surveys & quizzes atc.cit.cornell.edu/course/surveys/index.cfm Assistance with creating course materials atc.cit.cornell.edu/course/consultation.cfm If you have questions about using course technology or would like an overview of which technologies are available for teaching and learning, please contact us: See our website for more information atc.cit.cornell.edu/ E-mail us for a consultation atc-support@cornell.edu Visit the Academic Technology Center Computing & Communications Center Room 124, Garden Avenue Weekdays 9:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.

Cornell Teaching & Learning Consortium (CTLC) website for teaching w/technology services teachingconsortium.cornell.edu/

CIT services for faculty: Software Licensing cusoftware.cornell.edu/ CIT Public Labs for instruction www.cit.cornell.edu/labs/ Audio/Video Streaming, Webcasting & Videoconferencing www.cit.cornell.edu/services/av/ CIT OnSite Solutions fee-based support for computers, networks, & security www.cit.cornell.edu/services/onsite/

archived Teaching with Technology newsletters atc.cit.cornell.edu/news/index.cfm