BeachBoard - ITSS Faculty News

BeachBoard Upgrade Summer ‘08

2008-05-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

To improve BeachBoard’s stability and to support updated Microsoft Office products more effectively, BeachBoard will be upgraded to a newer version beginning this summer. Most of the changes and new features will not greatly affect the look and feel of BeachBoard’s tools. However, communication tools such as announcements, email and the discussion boards will reflect new enhancements.

For information regarding the features in the new version, please see the following URL:
http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/bb/faculty/bb73.html

If you have any questions, please contact us at 562.985.9218.
Leslie Kennedy

Elluminate Live! Live Demos

2008-02-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

Elluminate Live! is a real-time online classroom environment designed for both distance education and online collaboration. Instructors can use Elluminate Live! to add real-time interaction to distance learning, extend the boundaries of the traditional classroom, and engage more students in more ways.

Live Demos Available

Join these live, online demos for a look at how Elluminate works and how you can use it in your classes

Friday, 22 February 2008, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Friday, 7 March 2008, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

BeachBoard System Updates

2008-02-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

System Status and Reported Issues are being posted to the following URL:

http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/bb/faculty/bb_service_updates.html

_________________________________________

562.985.9218 or http://www.csulb.edu/library/Common/SubmittedForms/BeachBoardEmail.html

Spring 2008 - Welcome Back

2008-01-30T11:04:00.000-08:00

The latest from ITSS is the following:

Workshops
(including creating podcasts and instructional videos. Calibrated Peer Review (CPR). Online real-time presentations via Elluminate, etc.)
BeachBoard How-to Videos
BeachBoard Tips and Tricks
e-Learning Consultants
Instructional Resources
Computer lab for training and ParSCORE
Making Instructional Materials Accessible

Any questions? Please contact Instructional Technology Support Services (ITSS).

All the best in the new year!

BeachBoard Unavailable Dec. 26-28

2007-12-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

BeachBoard will be unavailable because of routine maintenance between Wednesday, December 26, and Friday, December 28, .

Our decision for the Dec. 26-28 maintenance was based on fact that this time period is when the campus is closed, finals have concluded, and instructors are able to post grades until January 4th.

Please let me know if you have questions. Sincerely, Leslie 985.9218 or lkennedy@csulb.edu

Winter and Spring 2008 Courses Created

2007-12-20T11:43:00.000-08:00

The winter 2008 courses have been created and students are being populated in to those courses.

Spring 2008 courses have been created. Students will be populated approximately two weeks before the term begins.

If you have any questions, please contact BeachBoard Services. 985.4745 or factech@csulb.edu

Thank you.
Leslie

Spring 2008 Workshops Available

2007-12-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/bb/faculty/workshops_2008.html
In addition to workshops on BeachBoard, Elluminate and Respondus are new technologies that are available. Please see the descriptions below.

Elluminate Live! is a real-time virtual classroom environment designed for both distance education and online collaboration. Instructors can use Elluminate Live! to add real-time interaction to distance learning, extend the boundaries of the traditional classroom, and engage more students in more ways. For more information on Elluminate, please visit the following URL: http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/bb/faculty/elluminate.html

Respondus is a Windows application that lets instructors create and manage exams and surveys that can be printed to paper or published directly to BeachBoard. Instructors create exams and assessments offline using a Windows interface, spell check the exams, preview the questions, and then publish the exams or surveys directly to a BeachBoard course. In addition, over 1,000 publisher test banks are available to instructors who use Respondus. For more information on Respondus, please visit the following URL: http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/bb/faculty/respondus.html

BeachBoard Maintenance Nov. 27

2007-11-27T11:52:00.000-08:00

BeachBoard will be unavailable this evening, 11/27 from approximately 9:45 to 10:30 p.m. If you have any questions, please call 985.4745 or email factech@csulb.edu.

Using Wikipedia for a Writing Assignment

2007-10-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

"When Wikipedia is the Assignment" - A professor and a technology specialist discuss their attempt to bring term papers out into the open with the resource many faculty members abhor.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/10/29/wikipedia

Interesting perspective!

Enhancing Instruction with CSULB's Educational Technologies

2007-10-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

To enhance your instruction via e-learning tools, the following workshops continue to be available:

BeachBoard Basics, Assessment/Gradebook, and Communication
Using the Turnitin plagiarism prevention tool
BeachBoard Collaboration ["BeachBoard 2.0"]
Providing Equitable Experiences for Distance Students
Using Calibrated Peer Review (CPR), a web-based writing and peer review tutorial
Creating Digital Media ["A Picture is Worth 1K Words"]
Creating Quick Instructional Videos with Adobe Captivate
Extending Your Class Boundaries with Elluminate Web Conferencing Software

For detailed workshop information, please visit http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/bb/faculty/workshops_2074.html

Additional training resources:

Drop in to the BeachBoard Services Center, M-Th 8-7, F 8-5
Call the BeachBoard help line at 562.985.4745
Email the BeachBoard help desk at factech@csulb.edu
Contact an e-learning consultant at http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/design/elearn_consultants.html

Any Questions?

BeachBoard Services
CSULB Library lower level, room 012
(562) 985-4745

BeachBoard Quiz and Survey Tips and Tricks

2007-09-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

Per popular request, please see the following URL for BeachBoard Quiz and Surveys Tips and Tricks.

http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/bb/faculty/instructorquiztips.html

Fall 2007 Faculty Technology Workshops Posted

2007-08-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

To learn more about how you can use BeachBoard, Turnitin, etc. to enhance your instruction, please join us at the workshops listed at the following URL:

http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/bb/faculty/workshops_2074.html

The schedule will be updated to include additional topics regularly.

If you have any questions, please email beachboard@csulb.edu or call 985.4745.

Preparing for Fall 2007

2007-08-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

The BeachBoard fall courses have been created and are being updated with student enrollment daily. If you have any questions regarding your BeachBoard courses, please contact factech@csulb.edu or 562.985.9218.

BeachBoard End of Term Recommendations

2007-05-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

End of Term Recommended Activities

Compile the Discussion postings to create a file of all interactions, which is easy to read and does not require you to work online once you save the compiled file.
Post final grades in the BeachBoard gradebook (if being used).
Post final grades in MyCSULB. (Required)
Create and run a course survey to get instant, anonymous feedback from the students. (Optional)
- Your college or department may have a standard student feedback survey.
- If you are creating your own for personal use, you can be very specific in your questions about activities, assignments, and level of perceived learning. Surveys can help you to collect valuable feedback for improving your course for future students, and they are anonymous.
Download a copy of the BeachBoard gradebook for personal record-keeping purposes. (Highly recommended)
Export the course(s) for personal reference in the future and save it to a personal hard-drive. (Optional)
- BeachBoard Services will make all courses unavailable to the students approximately two weeks after the term has ended. However, past courses will remain available to instructors on BeachBoard for five semesters.
- We will also create an archive of the courses for record retention purposes. After five semesters, we remove the courses from BeachBoard, but store them off-line for one additional year. After two years, the courses will be purged.

Questions? 562.985.4745 or factech@csulb.edu

BeachBoard Summer 2007 Workshops

2007-04-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

BeachBoard and Turnitin Workshops are available!

BeachBoard’s summer workshop schedule has been posted to
http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/bb/faculty/summerworkshops2007.html

Topics include:

- The Instructor’s Guide to BeachBoard Basics: Creating and Posting Course Documents

- Assessing Student Performance using BeachBoard’s Quizzes, Surveys, and Gradebook

- The Instructor’s Guide to Turnitin: Detecting and Discouraging Student Plagiarism using Turnitin and BeachBoard

- Communicating with your Students using BeachBoard

Workshop location: Library, 1st floor, Spidell Computer Classroom
No reservations required.
Any questions? Please call 562.985.4745 or email factech@csulb.edu

Leslie Kennedy & Patrick Crispen
Instructional Technology Support Services
http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/index.shtml

BeachBoard Services has Moved

2007-04-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

BeachBoard -ITS Services has moved to the lower level of the library. We are located in Rooms 11-16+. The + stands for the area where we have collected the ParScore, scanner and computers. This area is available to instructors during the library's open hours. If for some reason the room is locked, please inquire at the Circulation desk for someone to unlock the door for you.

For more information about the lab's resources, please visit the following URL:
http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/design/itsslab.html

Any questions, please let us know.
http://apps.library.csulb.edu/itss/itEmail2ITSS.aspx

Sincerely,
Leslie
lkennedy@csulb.edu
562.985.9218

Example of Google Earth in Instruction

2007-04-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

This post talks a professor and his students are using Google Earth in their course work.
http://bhoffman.edublogs.org/2007/02/04/google-earth-archaeology/

Welcome Back to the Spring 2007 Semester

2007-01-31T08:34:00.000-08:00

The following are things to consider at the beginning of the term when working in BeachBoard:

Make the tools you aren't using during this semester "unavailable." To make unused tools unavailable, go to the Control Panel, and click on "Manage Course Menu." Click on "Modify" located next to the tool that you aren't using, and uncheck the box that is marked "Available for Student/Participant users."
Post your syllabus so that is easily accessible to students. Go to Control Panel > Syllabus > Item.
Create announcements. While instructors in a conventional classroom environment make periodic ”in-class” announcements, the same type of communication can take place effectively in BeachBoard. The homepage is usually the first page students see when they access their course, and BeachBoard provides an area to post regular course announcements. Such announcement/messages might include event or quiz reminders, assignment due dates, course milestones or notification of schedule changes. Changing these announcements regularly keeps students alert to course happenings and encourages them to revisit and read the homepage. Go to Control Panel > Announcements > Add Announcement.
Track students' activities. Identifying students who have logged in to your course and which areas they have accessed which could provide you valuable feedback to areas in the course that is and is not visited by the students. Go to Control Panel > Course Statistics > Overall Summary of Course Usage.
Send Email. Go to Control Panel > Send Email. Students can also communicate with one another via this tool.
Set up a discussion forum with the Discussion Board. You can set expectations that the students need to discussion amongst themselves specific course information or use this method to answer course content questions which everyone in the class can benefit from. Go to Control Panel > Discussion Board > Add Forum. Keep in mind that you will need to monitor the forum(s) in order to keep them on task and relevant.

We hope the beginning of the semester runs smoothly for you. If you have any questions, please contact BeachBoard Services at 985-4745 or at factech@csulb.edu.

BeachBoard - End of Term Checklist

2006-12-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

At the end of the term, it is recommended that an instructor do the following:

Post final grades in the BeachBoard gradebook (if being used).
Post final grades in MyCSULB. (Required)
Create and run a course survey to get instant, anonymous feedback from the students. (Optional)
Download a copy of the BeachBoard gradebook for personal record-keeping purposes. (Highly recommended)
Export the course(s) for personal reference if needed and save it to a personal hard-drive. (Optional)

BeachBoard Services will make all courses unavailable to the students approximately two weeks after the term has ended. We will also create an archive of the courses for record retention purposes. However, past courses will remain available to instructors on BeachBoard for five semesters. Then we plan to remove the courses completely, but store them off-line for one additional year.

For more recommendations on teaching and managing BeachBoard.

Leslie

What is a Wiki?

2006-11-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

Wikis support the use of the Web for composition and the posting of content by non-technical users. A wiki can be utilized in many ways; however, in the instructional environment, it can be used by students to become the "experts" as they format and generate a wiki on a classroom-based topic. This process gives the students ownership and includes them in the participation of the generation of knowledge with their assignments.
Example: Wikis are being utilized at CSUN.
The following is a visual image of how discussion boards, blogs, and wikis overlap ... interaction vectors and its outlier resources. The images can help put these social networking tools in perspective.

The keynote speaker at a recent conference I attended was Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia , a free encyclopedia built collaboratively using wiki software. Wales continues to expand the concept of wikis to a broader sphere of knowledge-sharing and collaboration. For example, he mentioned a new wiki initiative called http://www.wikia.com/. Wikia will provide a space in a centralized wiki-community for anyone. This could be a space where an instructor can set up an instructional wiki. It is worth a look!

www.wikibooks.com has been created to begin to provide an alternative to textbooks with free, open-source wiki-books. If you are interested in such an alternative, you might discover some instructional options at this site.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Leslie

Faculty BeachBoard Training Still Available

2006-11-21T12:38:00.000-08:00

Every Friday, an FCPD eLearning consultant visits the ITSS computer lab in room 219 on the 2nd floor of the library to be available for drop-in consultations with instructors. They have also offered workshops on BeachBoard tools, Turnitin (a plagiarism prevention software), and Calibrated Peer Review aka CPR. For more information, please visit the following URL: http://www.csulb.edu/lats/itss/design/workshops.html

If you have any questions, please let me know.
Leslie

Educause 2006 & Faculty Training

2006-11-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

Educause, the premier conference on educational technology, showcased the concept of how faculty want to learn about technology (and how our students approach learning in the classroom especially from their socially networked worlds - but that's another posting.) Per Carl Berger, Univ of MI, faculty want to learn or be trained from the WINWINI – “What I need, when I need it" perspective.

So, we at ITSS continue to explore the implementation of instructional technology support models to meet the faculty's needs. Currently, there are drop-in sessions scheduled for every Friday afternoon in the ITSS computer lab where the eLearning consultants are available to consult on BeachBoard-related issues. The equipment in the computer lab is state-of-the-art with multiple software products to support the generation of instructional materials. For a complete list of the computer lab's software, please click on this link. Because of the library remodel, we are limited in the ability to provide hands-on workshops, but we hope to provide more online "WINWINNI" training. For example, we have created and posted BeachBoard Help files with step-by-step assistance in using BeachBoard tools so that they can be accessed outside of BeachBoard and also when logged in to BeachBoard. This is our first step in the process of providing "just in time" training services, and we plan to provide more training options in the future. Leslie

Welcome to the BeachBoard/ITSS Blog

2006-11-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

This is a blog from CSULB Instructional Technology Support Services (ITSS) administration for CSULB instructors.