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New Year and a new way to learn
Over the course of 2010, Distance Learning worked closely with a variety of stakeholders, including Information Technology, Student Services, LCSC Faculty, and Blackboard, to install and test the latest release of Blackboard, Blackboard Learn. After more than a year of preparation, the Distance Learning office is pleased to announce the pilot launch of Blackboard Learn for the 2011 spring semester.
Pilot faculty are led by Natural Science and Mathematics Division Chair Matt Johnston and represent a wide variety of disciplines across campus. Pilot faculty are Randy Eriksen and Michelle Sotka from the Business Division; Melinda Butler and Gary Mayton from the Education Division; Brenda Volk from the Humanities Division; Julie Bezzerides from the Natural Science & Mathematics Division; Michele D'Arcy-Evans and Sharon Strand from the Nursing and Health Sciences Division; Brian Christenson and Eric Martin from the Social Sciences Division; and Janice Raykovich from the Business Technology & Service Division. In addition faculty new to the Blackboard Course Management System will use Blackboard Learn. In total, 17 faculty will teach 23 sections using Blackboard Learn this spring. The majority of courses with online components will still be delivered through Blackboard Campus Edition; over the next two semesters many more will become available through Blackboard Learn. By spring of 2012, all courses with online components will be delivered using Blackboard Learn.
Blackboard Learn boasts many new features for faculty and students alike, including an improved text editor for text creation, the ability to add links, images, videos, and attachments to discussion posts, and an improved grading center. In addition, new tools like Blogs, Wikis, Journals and Wimba Pronto Chat provide increased opportunities for student-faculty interactions. Another, highly anticipated, feature for students and faculty is the ability to log in directly to Blackboard Learn, eliminating reliance on WarriorWeb to access online classes.
Several seminars have been scheduled for the spring semester, in which Instructional Designer/Trainer Angela Wilson will introduce faculty to Blackboard Learn. Topics include an overview of Blackboard Learn, the new tools, and the grade center. In addition there will be a seminar on using Camtasia Relay to create video recordings. Additional information regarding these seminars can be found on the Professional Development website.
For more information on Blackboard Learn, visit the Faculty Resources page on the Distance Learning website, or contact Distance Learning Course Management at bbce@lcsc.edu.
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