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, and currently, it encompasses approximately 5,500 courses and 30,000 users.  With all our systems, it is important to periodically evaluate whether to continue with the system in use or whether there are alternatives 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.

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

The pilot project will evaluate faculty and student satisfaction with using Moodle, compared to Blackboard. Support, infrastructure requirements, and cost will also 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.

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. Periodic review of evolving campus needs and new tools such as Moodle are part of standard practice and do not indicate any imminent system changes.

There are about 40 courses and 3,200 users in the Moodle pilot system for the Fall 2008 semester. 
For more information about the Moodle pilot, please send an email to moodle@cornell.edu

CIT and the College of Engineering are piloting a system that schedules and records class lectures with presentation files, then automates the process of posting the lectures to the web in a variety of formats. A goal of the pilot is to investigate usage by presenters and their intended audiences and assess the overall need for this type of technology at Cornell.  In 2008, the project installed a capture tool in four rooms, where the system is recording a variety of lectures and seminars.  The pilot team will evaluate the Classroom Capture system, support requirements, usage and audience preferences, then report their findings and recommendations about whether or not to proceed beyond the pilot to broader campus deployment and support.
For more information about the Classroom Capture pilot, please send an email to video-capture@cornell.edu

In partnership with the Center for Teaching Excellence, Faculty Support Services is piloting an educational portfolio and assessment tool using the Sakai Open Source Portfolio software. OSPortfolio provides tools for faculty to collect student work that represents accomplishments, learning, or assignments in a variety of file formats, such as documents, audio, video and other multimedia. OSPortfolio offers instructors tools that support the review of student-submitted assignments, and allow informal feedback or a formal evaluation process.

During Fall 2008, OSPortfolio was piloted for the International Teaching Assistant Program as part of a Faculty Innovation in Teaching Program project.  We are now ready to extend the pilot to a broader audience, and will invite a group of up to ten faculty and courses to pilot the tool during the Spring 2009 semester.
For more information about the OSPortfolio pilot, please send an email to atc_support@cornell.edu

NEW Blog! For news & updates about faculty innovation in teaching projects, events, and research about innovative instructional  technologies that emerge from projects, visit the FIT blog at:
http://blogs.cornell.edu/innovation/.
The Faculty Innovation in Teaching webcasts for Fall 2008 can be viewed online at:
http://blogs.cornell.edu/innovation/fit-speaker-archives/,
or on December 3, visit:
http://cornell2.acrobat.com/innovate to watch a live webcast featuring Philip Krasicky and Erich Mueller discussing their use of digital video to help students understand motion in two and three dimensions.  In early February, keep an eye on your mailbox for listings for the Spring 2009 speaker series.

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

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. Offered on January 13 from 2:30 to 4pm and January 20 from 1 to 2:30pm.

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 January 14 from 1 to 2pm.


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 January 14 from 1 to 2:30pm.

Getting Started with Blogs
This year, CIT is offering a new blog service for academic use. In this workshop you will learn how to use the Blog application offered by CIT and how blogs can be used in education. Offered on January 14 from 3 to 4pm.

Blackboard Assessments and Communication Tools
In this class we will explore some of Blackboard's more advanced features, including grading, creating assignments, and using forums and chat. This class is designed for people who are already using Blackboard or who have attended the Getting Started class. Offered on January 15 from 2:30 to 4pm and January 22 from 1 to 2:30pm.

Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations
A well-designed PowerPoint presentation can help structure your class and add visual interest. This class will cover the elements of good PowerPoint design and will give you ideas for making your presentations a valuable addition to your teaching. Offered on January 15 from 1 to 2pm.

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