NEWS & EVENTS

Innovation In Education Awards Program 2012: Grant Proposal Planning Assistance
LTC Releases New Article 16. Rich Media Capture Technology for Student Feedback [Curto & Laudato, Pittsburgh]

The Learning Technology Consortium (LTC), is a partnership of nine institutions with similar instructional goals, strong technology Read More >

LTC Releases New Article 15. Sir Fopling Flutter 2.0 [Laura Rosenthal, Maryland]

The Learning Technology Consortium (LTC), is a partnership of nine institutions with similar instructional goals, strong technology and faculty support Read More >

LTC Releases New Article 14. Towards the Paperless Class [Angst & Crutchfield, Notre Dame]

The Learning Technology Consortium (LTC), is a partnership of nine institutions with similar instructional goals, strong technology and faculty support Read More >

LTC Releases New Article 13. Teaching the Principles of Web 2.0 to Computer Science Students [Pérez-Quiñones, Virginia Tech]

The Learning Technology Consortium (LTC), is a partnership of nine institutions with similar instructional goals, strong technology and faculty support Read More >

WORKSHOPS

8 February 2012 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm

A series of 90 minute lunchtime discussions by faculty, for faculty, addressing barriers to diversity and strategies for inclusive teaching.

 

Our Experiences in Teaching about Organized Racism
February 8, 2012, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
815 Alumni Hall


Kathleen Blee, PhD
Professor of Sociology

Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research

Kelsy Burke
PhD Candidate

Sociology

Teaching about race raises difficult questions for instructors as they consider how students will react.  How can faculty respond to students who are hesitant to participate or who blurt a response perceived as volatile?  These challenges prompted Blee and Burke to collaborate on a recent publication, Teaching Race in the 21st Century.  They stress that their research is useful in any discipline that addresses the topic of racism.

Register for Our Experiences in Teaching about Organized Racism: Spring 2012 Workshop Registration


9 February 2012 - 10:00am - 11:30am

Are you curious about legal issues related to sharing materials in CourseWeb?  Laura Hillock of the University Office of General Counsel will discuss how to create a course using copyrighted materials.  This workshop meets in B23 Alumni Hall.

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

  • Identify copyright protected works
  • Determine who owns copyright materials
  • Apply the concept of “fair use” to third party course materials
  • Determine whether a license or other permission is necessary to use the copyright material you desire
  • Identify how distance education and other electronic access via iTunes University and Department electronic platforms may change how you may use materials
  • Get answers to questions you may have about copyright

Register today!

15 February 2012 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm

Looking for a way to move beyond traditional slides or add new life to old presentations?  Prezi is an easy-to-use presentation tool (as easy to use as PowerPoint) that provides a fresh, new, interactive way to present information to your students.  Driven by Flash animation, Prezi allows you to organize course content in logical ways, while at the same time establishing multiple connections between multiple fields of knowledge.   You can use Prezi to give a presentation in a predetermined “Path,” or explore instead, in response to student interactions.  You can even have your students navigate, contribute to, or create a Prezi on their own.  Prezi also easily integrates media.  (For sample Prezis, see: http://prezi.com/explore/.)  This interactive workshop will familiarize you with the pedagogical and technical aspects of working with Prezi.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • identify some of the advantages of Prezi over traditional presentation tools, like PowerPoint;
  • use best practices in teaching with Prezi;
  • create their own new Prezi or convert an old PowerPoint presentation into a Prezi;
  • and avoid common pitfalls in the creation of Prezis.

This workshop meets in the ETC training room, in B-23 Alumni Hall. Seating is limited. Register today!

15 February 2012 - 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Have you, like many other instructors, been frustrated with the quality of your students’ writing assignments? This workshop will share best practices for assignments and activities that use writing to learn as well as to demonstrate learning. Participants will have opportunities to practice and get feedback on clearly explaining expectations, providing feedback and grading. Please bring your ideas and experiences to share in response to the following questions: What kinds of writing activities have you assigned or would you like to assign? What has gone well? What would you like to improve about these assignments? What problems have you encountered?

This workshop meets in 815 Alumni Hall, and will be offered again on Saturday, February 18, 9:00 - 10:30 AM.

Don't wait, register today!

24 February 2012 - 12:00pm - 2:00pm

The Provost’s Advisory Council on Instructional Excellence and CIDDE are pleased to announce that Susan Ambrose, Associate Provost for Education, Director of the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence, Teaching Professor in the Department of History at CMU, and co-author of How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching, will facilitate another book discussion with Pitt faculty this Spring.

Susan joined CIDDE and Pitt faculty for a book discussion on October 7, 2011. We received such positive feedback that we have invited Susan to facilitate another session:

  • I want to be Susan Ambrose! She was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, personable, practical, and modeled everything she presented.
  • This was helpful and inspiring. [The discussion] touched on many issues common across the disciplines.
  • Great material. Great speaker - made material accessible and interesting. Initiated and promoted lively discussion.
  • This book discussion was fabulous! I loved the book and the speaker/author was outstanding. I am going to apply these principles in my teaching and my efforts to teach doctoral students how to teach effectively.

For more information about this well-attended session, read the Teaching Times article.

Books will be provided to all registered faculty, and there will be a light lunch.  Seating is limited.

Register today!

1 March 2012 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm

Come join your colleagues for a discussion of the article What Students Don't Know, by Steve Kolowich, from Inside Higher Ed published on August 22, 2011.

Kolowich briefly explains: The ERIAL (Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries) project -- a series of studies conducted at Illinois Wesleyan, DePaul University, and Northeastern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois’s Chicago and Springfield campuses -- was a meta-exercise for the librarians in practicing the sort of deep research they champion. Instead of relying on surveys, the libraries enlisted two anthropologists, along with their own staff members, to collect data using open-ended interviews and direct observation, among other methods.

The goal was to generate data that, rather than being statistically significant but shallow, provided deep, subjective accounts of what students, librarians and professors think of the library and each other at those five institutions. The resulting papers are scheduled to be published by the American Library Association this fall, under the title: “Libraries and Student Culture: What We Now Know.”

One thing the librarians now know is that their students' study habits are worse than they thought.

This article discussion will be facilitated by Hillman Reference Librarians. Lunch is provided, and seating is limited.

Register today!

CALENDAR

17 January 2012 - 10:00am - 11:15am
23 January 2012 - 11:00am - 12:15pm
12 January 2012 - 10:00am - 11:00am
26 January 2012 - 2:00pm - 3:30pm

DIRECTORS' BLOG

Summary Image
3 Jan 2012
Welcome to the second annual list of the most SHOCKING Moments in Online Education! In keeping with end of year list making here are a few things that I found surprising in 2011. Read More >
Mouse and hand
8 Nov 2011
The EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR) released the results of its annual national study of undergraduate students and information technology a few weeks ago, and the message is clear: “Technology could be used much more strategically to engage students in academic life.” Read More >
Image Announcing that CIDDE eBook Report is Now Available
19 Sep 2011
With the goal of informing faculty about new instructional options resulting from the proliferation of eBooks, CIDDE staff have been investigating eBook and eTextbook technologies. The team’s report is now available in several eBook formats. Brief articles based on the report will be published in the online Teaching Times newsletter. Read More >
Bb World 2011
23 Aug 2011
A few of us from CIDDE had the opportunity to participate in Blackboard World 2011. Blackboard World is the global conference about the systems and services provided by Blackboard. CourseWeb, Pitt’s online course management system is offered through Blackboard. Read More >
beach image
10 Jun 2011
Our Center staff members are busy this summer - consulting, planning, delivering workshops, and much more. Read More >
Summary Image
6 Jun 2011
With the upgrade of CourseWeb to the newest version of Blackboard, version 9.1, the University has implemented Blackboard Mobile Learn. Bb Mobile Learn enables students to access and interact with their CourseWeb courses from their mobile devices, in a form consistent with their other native mobile applications, and allows faculty to perform some basic course development functions. Read More >
Map with pins in locations
26 Apr 2011
Last week, on Wednesday, April 20 to be exact, all of us in distance education breathed a little easier. The Department of Education released a revised “Dear Colleague” letter regarding the state approval requirement for distance education. Read More >

BLACKBOARD 9

22 Jul 2011
Do you have questions about the CourseWeb/Blackboard 9.1 Upgrade? Read More >
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