-Instructional Technology News – Center for Instructional Technology

September 2024 Instructor News from The Center for Instructional Technology

September 6th, 2024
in -Instructional Technology News

Greetings from your Center for Instructional Technology! CIT provides training, support, and consultations for UA’s instructional technologies and technology accessibility. Visit cit.ua.edu to find step-by-step guides with pictures, discover upcoming workshops and webinars, or book an appointment. You can also reach us at cit@ua.edu or 205-348-3532 or visit us in A203 Gordon Palmer Hall.

‌This month’s CIT Instructor News features Ultra Course Content page changes and summer Ultra happenings; Blackboard and Turnitin highlights; and other information and resources to support teaching and learning.

Get on Blackboard Day

Thanks to the UA Student Government Association and Cassidy Matwiyoff, SGA VP of Academic Affairs, for hosting Get On Blackboard Day on Tuesday, August 27 in The Student Center Forum. Targeted to new students who need assistance on how to access vital academic resources, the event offered information about Student IT Resources, instructional technologies and support, and instruction on Blackboard Basics for Students.

CIT Instructional Technologist Melissa Fortson presents at Get on Blackboard Day

Meet the Simpler, More Modern Blackboard – Blackboard Ultra

‌‌Blackboard Ultra Course View (“Ultra”) offers a simple, modern, intuitive, and consistent interface across devices and a more streamlined experience for instructors and students. All Blackboard courses will be designed and delivered in Ultra by Spring 2026, and instructors of non-OTIDE-supported courses can teach with Ultra now (OTIDE-supported courses are designated as OL or OLM). Visit the CIT site to learn more about Ultra and UA’s plans, join or watch a recorded demonstration/information session, or request a practice course: Blackboard Ultra Course View

Ultra Course Content Page Changes

‌Ultra’s latest update includes some exciting user interface changes to the Course Content page that serves as the home page and entry point for all Ultra courses. The most apparent change is that areas previously on the left side of the page -Course Faculty, Details & Actions, etc. – have shifted to the right.

Student view: Course Content page

Other improvements include:

‌Greater visual depth – subtle gradients and softer edges, a more cohesive color palette, intuitive navigation which reduces cognitive load
‌Improved page structure
‌Differentiation among course elements – improved differentiation among learning modules, folders, and content items
‌An enhanced presentation of top-level and nested content

‌Learn more about these improvements by reading Anthology’s release notes: Course Content Page Enhancements– 3900.100

Ultra Good Summer

Summer is a great time to explore or prepare to teach with a new technology! This summer, we shared tips, tricks, and things to try in Ultra in a dedicated channel of the Ultra Team (a Microsoft Team that serves as a community of practice for those teaching or working with Ultra). Here’s an abbreviated list.

‌Ultra Good Summer Tip #1: Favorite your Ultra course(s)

View your Ultra course(s) quickly: If you access a course frequently, select Add to your favorites, represented by a star icon that turns purple. This will pin the course at the top of your course list.

A favorited course at the top of the Blackboard course list

‌To “un-favorite” a course, select the same star button so that it is no longer purple. This will unpin the course from the top of your course list.

‌This tip comes to us from CIT’s Instructional Technology knowledge base: How do I organize my list of courses?

Ultra Good Summer Tip #2: Set up a banner for your Ultra course

Instructors and administrators can upload an image to be the course banner inside courses in Blackboard. The course banner also appears in the grid view of the Courses page of Blackboard’s base navigation.

Course banner for the Introduction to Humanities course

‌Course banners have many uses:

Improve the way your Ultra Course View landing pages appear
‌Provide a visual identity for your course for students who are visual learners
‌Bring consistency between what the base navigation displays and the actual course
‌Help your students to identify your course and locate course details

‌Ready to give it a try? Follow these step-by-step instructions, with pictures, to set up a banner for your Ultra course: Set up a banner for your course

‌Ultra Good Summer Tip #3: Navigate inside your Ultra course

Ultra boasts a simpler, more modern course experience for students and instructors. Workflows and tools are easy to find and use in Ultra. Learn more about the Ultra environment by watching a video and exploring specific features.

Video: Navigate Inside a course – Blackboard

‌Explore:

Ultra Good Summer Tip #4: Create a Document

Ultra users can create Documents that combine a variety of materials to view together, such as text, multimedia, and attachments. Select the plus sign to create a Document and design it by selecting from a variety of block types, including Knowledge check (a multiple choice/multiple answer question to check comprehension) and Convert a file (converts PDF, PowerPoint, and Word files to Ultra Documents).

Video: Create Document – Blackboard

‌Explore:

Ultra Good Summer Tip #5: Copy Content from Other Courses

In the Ultra Course View, you can copy content from other courses you teach. You can copy entire courses and/or select individual items from other courses you’re teaching or have taught in the past. You can also combine items from multiple courses with a full course copy or individual item copies by selecting the checkboxes. Try copying an item to your Ultra course!

Video: Copy Content in Blackboard

Explore:

Panopto in Ultra

You can now use Panopto content and folders with Ultra Course View! From the CIT Knowledge Base:

‌You can also Embed a Video into a Blackboard Ultra Course anywhere you have access to the text editor. Additionally, you can allow students to record videos by creating a video assignment in Blackboard Ultra or using assignment folders. Panopto’s complete guide is available here: How to Use Panopto with Blackboard Ultra for Instructors

Turnitin Now Available for Blackboard Ultra Assignments

Instructors can now enable the Turnitin Originality Report when creating or editing a Blackboard Ultra assignment, allowing student submissions to be matched against the Turnitin database. When grading assessments, the Turnitin Originality score will appear in the Assessment Content panel of a student submission.

‌From the CIT Knowledge Base:

‌Blackboard Help resources:

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

‌Blackboard

Known Issue – Sporadic invalid format error for third-party tools – Some student users are receiving an “Invalid locale format: false.” error when accessing third-party tools in Blackboard. Visit the knowledge base for a workaround.

‌Turnitin

Enhanced Similarity Report – You can now choose between new and classic views of the Turnitin Similarity Report. See Using the New Similarity Report for an overview of the redesigned look and feel and new match groups, and check out a sample report here: View the New Similarity Report in Action

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Learn with us! CIT regularly hosts workshops and webinars on UA instructional technologies and technology accessibility. We are also pleased to offer individual consultations and group instruction by request.

‌09.10 | Getting Started with Panopto webinar

‌09.10 | People.ua.edu workshop

‌09.19 | Meet the New Blackboard: Blackboard Ultra webinar

‌Partner events include offerings from Blackboard (Ultra User Group), Panopto (Weekly Q&A, Basic Training Webinar), Respondus (Lockdown Browser, Respondus Monitor, Respondus 4 and the Test Bank Network), and more. You can find a complete list of CIT and partner offerings on the CIT website and UA Events Calendar.

Additional Faculty Development Resources at UA

Instructor News from The Center for Instructional Technology – #FirstDayUA Edition

August 22nd, 2024
in -Instructional Technology News

Executive Director Dr. Ivon Foster-McGowan and Big Al at New Faculty Orientation

First Day UA Center for Instructional Technology

First Day UA greetings from CIT!

Karen kneels next to a UAPD officer and their dog

Program Manager Dr. Karen Burns and UAPD friends

Instructional Technologist Melissa Fortson leads a Faculty Prep Days session.

Squeeze elephants and a crimson and white shaker

CIT staff handed out elephants, mugs, and other goodies during welcome events.

CIT Director Dr. Rachel Thompson presents at New Faculty Orientation.

Greetings from your Center for Instructional Technology! Happy #FirstDayUA and best wishes for a successful semester to students and instructors starting classes today.

CIT provides training, support, and consultations for UA’s instructional technologies and technology accessibility. Visit cit.ua.edu to find step-by-step guides with pictures, discover upcoming workshops and webinars, or book an appointment. You can also reach us at cit@ua.edu or 205-348-3532 or visit us in A203 Gordon Palmer Hall.

If you’re receiving CIT’s Instructor News for the first time, you may wish to read the August edition, which reports on several summer updates: August 2024 Instructor News from the Center for Instructional Technology

This #FirstDayUA edition features information and resources to support teaching and learning needs, with a focus on getting started and getting help with UA’s instructional technologies.

A Strong Start

Thanks to those who attended Faculty Prep Days, held August 15 & 16, 2024 in Gordon Palmer Hall and online. Faculty Prep Days is a CIT event designed to help you get your courses ready with in-person and virtual workshops and one-on-one help. Over 80 faculty members and other instructors registered to join two days of in-person and virtual workshops and one-on-one help. We are working on adding session recordings to our website and will email registered participants and share with the instructor listserv when they are available.

It’s Nice To Meet You

New Faculty Orientation was held August 19 & 20, 2024, at the Bryant Conference Center. In addition to offering Simple Syllabus and Blackboard sessions, CIT staff shared information about technology resources and support and welcomed new faculty to our table for conversation and giveaways. Many thanks to The Office for Academic Affairs for inviting us to join you in informing, guiding, and welcoming new faculty.

CIT also participated in Graduate Assistant Orientation and the Graduate Orientation and Welcome (GROW) social event at the Cypress Inn Pavilion, welcoming new graduate students to our table, sharing information about instructional technologies and supports for grad students and those teaching while learning. Thank you to the Graduate School for the opportunity to meet and greet incoming students (and give away many red elephants).

The CIT Knowledge Base – Tutorials, Known Issues, and Best Practices

The CIT Knowledge Base (“KB”) features quick answers to frequently asked questions and step-by-step instructions for common tasks, such as:

Getting Started with Blackboard Learn how to navigate your courses; create content; use discussions, course messages, announcements and other features for communication and engagement; create Blackboard and Turnitin assignments and tests; enable with accessibility features; continue your learning though workshops and webinars; and other start of semester essentials.
Using the Blackboard Browser Checker to find out whether your browser supports the most recent release of Blackboard.

How can I communicate with students? Options include the Blackboard Announcement, Course Messages, and Send Email tools and myBama roster email.
How do I organize my list of courses? Find, favorite, hide, and more.
How can I remind students to submit an assignment? Send email reminders from the Grade Center.
How do I add extended-time or provide another test accommodation in Blackboard? Use exceptions to provide accommodations to students with disabilities and others who might benefit from additional testing time for technology, language, or other needs.

The knowledge base also includes articles you can share with your students, such as Getting Started for Blackboard with Students and Testing Tips for Students. You can also correct or suggest a KB article. We welcome your input!

Simple Syllabus

Simple Syllabus – Per the UA Syllabus Policy, Fall 2024 syllabi must be published by the first day a class meets. Visit UA Simple Syllabus support site for workshops, and other resources.

Need help getting started with Simple Syllabus? Getting Started with Simple Syllabus
Need help publishing your syllabus? Publish the syllabus
Need help adding your syllabus to a course? Add a syllabus link to your Blackboard course
Issues with course materials listed in Simple Syllabus? Confirm that the right texts are listed with University Supply Store, textbook@ua.edu. If the correct materials are listed with the SUPe Store, they will update in Simple overnight. Email cit@ua.edu if they do not update in Simple.
Two new optional components have been added to Simple Syllabus. Instructors may include one or both of the following in their syllabi as they deem appropriate. These optional items will not be displayed on the syllabus if no information is entered in the respective components.
- Generative AI Tools: Instructors may include a syllabus statement regarding the use of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT. In the Help section of this syllabus component, instructors may review and select one of three suggested statements to be included on the syllabus based on their preference. These statements can be copied and pasted into the component text box.
- Controversial Topics: Instructors may also include a statement in the syllabus if they believe there are topics in the course which may be considered controversial. The sample statement listed in the Help section of this component may be copied and pasted into the component text box.

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Our most recent newsletter reports on many summer updates: August 2024 Instructor News from the Center for Instructional Technology

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

08.22 | Blackboard Learn Ultra User Group (partner event)

08.26 | Teaching with Blackboard: Blackboard Original Basics (webinar)

08.27 & 08.28 | Web Accessibility in Mind Virtual Conference (partner event)

08.30 | Meet the New Blackboard: Blackboard Ultra (webinar)

About This Message

All UA instructors of record are automatically subscribed to updates about Blackboard and other instructional technology. UA community members who would like to be added to the communications list for CIT news can email cit@ua.edu.

August 2024 Instructor News from the Center for Instructional Technology

August 5th, 2024
in -Instructional Technology News

Join CIT for the 2024 Faculty Prep Days, August 15 & 16

Get your Fall courses polished and ready to go! CIT will host Faculty Prep Days, two days of in-person and virtual workshops and one-on-one help to get you ready for the Fall semester. Register to join us Thursday, August 15 and Friday, August 16, in Gordon Palmer Hall and online.

Sessions and locations are subject to change; we will share a final schedule with in-person session locations and webinar links shortly before the event.

New Faculty Orientation

New Faculty Orientation will be held August 19 & 20, 2024, at the Bryant Conference Center. In addition to offering a “Blackboard 101” session, CIT staff will share information about technology resources and supports. New faculty, we look forward to welcoming you to our table for conversation and giveaways!

Course Retirement

Academic courses in Blackboard Learn are subject to removal two (2) years following the end of the semester in which they are taught per UA’s LMS Course Retention Policy. For example, courses taught in Spring 2023 will be removed after May 2025. Spring 2022 and prior courses are being removed in September 2024. Non-academic courses, referred to as non-integrated courses, are subject to removal following two (2) years of inactivity.

‌Courses that will be removed are listed under the “Courses to be retired” term on the Blackboard Courses page. Instructors should save any needed course content or student grades. Students should save any necessary coursework as well. Steps to save content are linked below.

‌More information on the policy and instructions for backing up Blackboard content are available in the LMS Course Retention Policy FAQ.

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Blackboard

New and Updated Integrations – Integrations connect third-party resources with Blackboard. CIT recently added or updated these publisher content integrations: CSePub, McGraw Hill SIMnet, McGraw Hill ALEKS. Find a complete list of current integrations: Current Blackboard Integrations & Technical Support
Anthology Rebrand – Blackboard’s parent company, Anthology, has unveiled a visual rebrand that includes an updated logo and tagline. UA’s learning management system is now simply “Blackboard” (formerly Blackboard Learn).
Courses to Be Retired – On the Blackboard Courses page, courses slated for removal from the system are shown in their own Term “Courses to be retired.” Instructors should save any needed course content or student grades.
Known Issue – Emails for Old Blackboard Announcements – Users may receive email notifications for old, scheduled Blackboard course announcements.
Ultra Rollout Continues – All courses will be designed and delivered in “the new Blackboard” by Spring 2026. Learn more, request a practice course, or teach with Ultra: Blackboard Ultra Course View

Flip

Known Issue – Changes to Flip – The Flip platform is no longer available in mobile app stores and the Flip website has transitioned to view-only mode. Download existing Flip videos until September 30, 2024 and locate alternatives to Flip on the CIT website.

‌Gradescope

‌Gradescope announced an improved guidance site: guides.gradescope.com. The new site features restructured content, better navigation and findability, and some new content such as Release Notes. Visit their orientation page to get familiar: Gradescope Guides orientation page

‌Panopto

A new retention policy was created: Panopto recordings will be archived 2 years after their last viewed date, and recordings will be permanently deleted 2 years after they are archived. Read complete details here: Panopto Retention Policy
Panopto recordings managed by OTIDE are subject to a separate policy that follows their MOU agreements. Read complete details here: Panopto Retention Policy – OTIDE content
CIT updated the method used to connect Blackboard and Panopto and enabled the ability to use Panopto content and folders with Ultra Course View (see How to Use Panopto with Blackboard Ultra for Instructors).
Panopto released Panopto 15.0, which included changes to the appearance and management of folders.

‌Perusall

The Perusall interactive social learning platform is now integrated with Blackboard, making it easier to create assignments, sync student groups and rosters, and sync your gradebook. Check it out: What is “Perusall” and How Do You Use It? (3:30)

Simple Syllabus

Did you know? You can access Simple’s Instructor Quick-start Guide using password: simple. This video guide provides a user-friendly introduction to the online syllabus platform from the instructor perspective.
Your courses and course materials may take 24-48 hours to appear in your syllabus in Simple Syllabus. Simple Syllabus receives nightly updates from Banner/myBama for instructor and student enrollment and course/section creation. Course materials listed with the University Supply Store may not appear in Simple Syllabus for 2 days. If Simple is not updated after 2 days, use the Simple Syllabus Help button or contact cit@ua.edu to open a support request.

‌Turnitin

Instructors can now choose between new and classic views of the Turnitin Similarity Report. Using the New Similarity Report for an overview of the redesigned look and feel and new match groups.
We are working to enable Turnitin with Ultra Course View, allowing instructors to use Turnitin for Ultra assignments.

News from CIT’s Technology Accessibility Team

‌Web Resources Accessibility Policy Reminder

‌The University of Alabama is committed to making its digital resources accessible to all users and welcomes suggestions on access improvements. The Web Resources Accessibility Policy applies to anyone responsible for creating, dissemination, selecting, or purchasing web resources on behalf of UA (students, faculty, staff, contractors, and volunteers). Please report access issues, comments, or suggestions to accessibility@ua.edu.

Accessibility Forum

If you work with digital resources or are just interested in tech accessibility, join the Technology Accessibility team in the Accessibility Forum for occasional meetups and frequent Teams conversations. The Accessibility Forum aims to unite the campus community and share accessibility wins, updates, and other accessibility-related information. The Accessibility Forum will reconvene this fall in person and online. To join the Accessibility Forum in Microsoft Teams and receive the fall schedule, please email accessibility@ua.edu.

‌Blackboard Ally

‌Blackboard Ally is enabled in all Blackboard courses. Ally helps make digital course content accessible by automatically providing alternative formats (such as immersive reader, semantic HTML, audio, ePub, and electronic Braille) and providing instructor feedback and guidance on fixing accessibility issues in a course. If you have questions about Blackboard Ally, please contact accessibility@ua.edu.

‌As you are working to create new content or revise current content, please keep accessibility in mind. Accessibility extends beyond basic alt text. Equidox has shared a helpful article, Beyond Basic Alt Text – Charts, Maps, and Diagrams.

If you have questions about accessibility or the accessibility of your course content, please contact us at accessibility@ua.edu or visit http://accessibility.ua.edu.

News from OIT

‌These Office of Information Technology updates are of particular interest to instructors.

New DUO Operation System Requirements – The DUO two-factor security authentication required to access myBama accounts has new operation system requirements.
‌Mobile Application Management Deploying to UA Staff – You will see a notification prompt that says, “Your IT Administrator is now helping you protect work or school data in this app.”
‌‌Artificial Intelligence Approved and Prohibited Services List – As we embrace AI technologies, OIT is developing guidance and processes to ensure safe and ethical use.

‌Upcoming Learning Opportunities

08.15 & 08.16 | Faculty Prep Days – In-person and virtual workshops and one-on-one help

08.19 & 08.20 | New Faculty Orientation

08.08 | Blackboard Learn Ultra User Group (partner event)

08.13 | People.ua.edu workshop

08.22 | Blackboard Learn Ultra User Group (partner event)

June Instructor News from the Center for Instructional Technology 

June 20th, 2024
in -Instructional Technology News

Hello from your colleagues in CIT! Below, you’ll find announcements and events to assist you with teaching and learning needs.  

Introducing Our New and Improved Newsletter!

‌Thank you to each and every one of you who participated in our recent CIT Newsletter Survey. Your feedback has been instrumental in shaping our revamped newsletter, and we’re thrilled to share the exciting changes with you!

‌

What’s New?

‌Tailored Content: We’ve listened to your preferences and fine-tuned our content to better suit your needs. Whether you’re interested in technology policy updates, best practices, or monthly workshops, our newsletter now delivers exactly what you’re looking for.

‌ Sleek Design: Our fresh design is not just eye-catching; it’s also user-friendly. Navigating through the newsletter is now a breeze, allowing you to focus on the content that matters most to you.

‌We believe in continuous improvement. Keep sharing your thoughts, and together, we’ll make this newsletter even better.

‌Thank you!

Ultra Good Summer!

Summer is a great time to explore Ultra or prepare to teach with Ultra in the fall! Request a live course or request a practice course if you need a space to build or play, and follow along in our Ultra Team as we share tips, tricks, and things to try in Ultra this summer. We’ll invite you to the Team when we create your course.

Changes Coming to Flip Discussion and Video Sharing App

Starting July 1, 2024, the Flip platform will no longer be available in mobile app stores, and the Flip website (Flip.com) will transition to view-only mode. Users will still have access to download existing Flip videos until September 30, 2024.

CIT is currently assessing how these modifications will impact UA instructors. Additionally, they are exploring alternative tools that can offer instructors similar functionality to what Flip provided.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out at cit@ua.edu.

There’s more to Learn with Ultra – Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View

From the simple, modern, intuitive, and consistent interface across devices to the streamlined experience for instructors and students, there is more to Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View. Instructors of non-OTIDE courses can teach with Ultra now, and all Blackboard courses will be designed and delivered in Ultra by Spring 2026. Visit the CIT site to learn more about Ultra and request a practice course: Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View

Ultra Good Features

You can allow anonymous discussion posts in ungraded discussions if you’d like students to feel freer to share their thoughts without judgment. You can turn anonymous posts on and off as the discussion progresses. Any posts made while anonymous keep their anonymity if anonymous posts are later turned off. Select the Discussion Settings button to customize your discussion.

Anonymous discussions

An anonymous post in a discussion

Printing for assessments

‌Instructors can now print assessments, a convenient solution for:

Accommodating students with specific needs or limited technology access
Providing a printed assessment for testing in designated centers
Backup and record keeping
Conducting offline assessment
Documentation and compliance
Maintaining security and integrity

The print option is available in Forms, Tests, and Assignments with questions. Printing also provides the option to save as PDF.

‌To print an assessment, from Content and Settings, select Print.

Image 1. Print option from a test

Image 2. Select desired print options

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Respondus

New Sensitivity Levels in Respondus Monitor

Controlling your sensitivities is a good thing. That’s especially so in Respondus Monitor. The flagging system in Respondus Monitor now supports three sensitivity levels: Strict, Standard, and Relaxed. The default setting is Standard, and it produces results like before. The Strict sensitivity setting detects when portions of the face have moved outside of the video frame, or when both eyes of the test taker aren’t visible. When this occurs, a Partial Missing flag will appear in the proctoring results.

With the Relaxed setting, what you’ll notice most is that it reduces the sensitivity of Missing flags. If the face or eyes are partially missing from the webcam video but Respondus Monitor can still detect the student is there, the Missing flag is less likely to trigger.

To learn more about Respondus, visit cit.ua.edu/technologies/respondus/.

How does the CIT User Support Services Team support the tool?

“‌Respondus Lockdown Browser creates a secure web environment for online tests. Instructors seem more comfortable allowing tests outside of the classroom when they require the use of this browser. Our support team can help students of instructors use this tool and troubleshoot any issues they are having.”

‌

Erin Warner

Instructional Technology User Services Program Manager

Center for Instructional Technology

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

06.06 | Build a digital portfolio and personal website

06.12 | Live polling with Microsoft Forms

06.18 | Getting started with Panopto

06.20 | Meet the New Blackboard: Blackboard Learn Ultra Demonstration and Information Session

May Instructor News from the Center for Instructional Technology 

April 30th, 2024
in -Instructional Technology News

Join us for the 2024 Global Accessibility Awareness Week celebration!

Please plan to join us on May 13 – 17, 2024 as we celebrate advancements in accessibility at UA! Let’s build knowledge, skills, and community together. Visit accessibility.ua.edu/GAAD for more details about the week’s activities and to register for an accessibility learning session. Thank you for being an ally; your dedication makes UA better for all!

Five ways to boost digital accessibility at UA

Design for accessibility – Convey content in multiple ways; don’t just use images, color, video, or audio. Always use headings and lists when available, alternative text for images, descriptive link text and when using colors or graphics to help communicate a message, be sure to check the color contrast of designs. Use tools like the Webaim color contrast checker to check color contrast and Wave to check the accessibility of a webpage.
Provide captioned or transcribed versions of any media you use – Captioning grants are available to caption and/or transcribe UA-owned video and audio. Contact accesibility@ua.edu or visit accessibility.ua.edu to learn more about captioning and to have your recordings captioned.
Build accessibility into your work practices – Take advantage of Acrobat, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook’s built-in accessibility checkers for any content you create or share.
Communicate clearly and concisely – Keep the lines of communication with your users open and available. Avoid “click here”, “read more”, or other generic link/menu text. In addition, communicate to vendors/publishers/third parties that accessibility is important and ask how they are planning for accessibility. You can find suggested questions to ask vendors on the Technology Accessibility website.
Attend UA’s Global Accessibility Awareness events – Join the Center for Instructional Technology (CIT) and the UA Technology Accessibility team during the week of May 13 – 17 to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day. CIT and the Technology Accessibility team will be hosting virtual and in-person events that can help the UA community address accessibility needs and create a more inclusive campus. Learn more online at https://accessibility.ua.edu/GAAD/.

Reminder: Blackboard Course Retention Policy

Academic courses in Blackboard Learn are subject to removal two (2) years following the end of the semester in which they are taught per UA’s LMS Course Retention Policy. For example, courses taught in Spring 2023 will be removed after May 2025. Fall 2022 and prior courses are being removed in May 2024. Non-academic courses, referred to as non-integrated courses, are subject to removal following two (2) years of inactivity.

Instructors should save any needed course content or student grades. Students should save any necessary coursework as well. Steps to save content are linked below.

More information on the policy and instructions for backing up Blackboard content are available in the LMS Course Retention Policy FAQ.

Eduroam Certificate Expires Thurs 5-2

The current Eduroam certificate expires on Thursday, May 2, and must be replaced. If your computer prompts you to accept a new Eduroam certificate on Thursday, please accept/trust the new certification to continue an uninterrupted Wi-Fi experience.

For more information and assistance, please contact UA’s IT Service Desk.

Explore the new Blackboard – Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View

All Blackboard courses will be designed and delivered in Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View (“Ultra”) by Spring 2026, and instructors of non-OTIDE courses can teach with Ultra now. Ultra boasts a simple, modern, intuitive, and consistent interface across devices and a more streamlined experience for instructors and students. Learn more about Ultra on the CIT site and by exploring Blackboard Ultra for Instructors and Blackboard Ultra for Students in the Instructional Technology Knowledge Base.

Ultra Good Summer

Ultra Good Feature

Anonymous posts for Discussions

Discussions play a pivotal role in nurturing peer-to-peer interaction and critical thinking. Instructors can now make Ultra discussion posts anonymous to help students feel more free to share their thoughts without judgment. You can turn anonymous posts on and off, and any posts made while anonymous keep their anonymity. You can’t grade anonymous discussions. Try it out — select the Discussion Settings button to begin!

Ultra Accessible

In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Week, explore Ultra features you can use to make course content more accessible and usable for all: the Ultra Accessibility Checker and Ally. Both automatically scan your original content, identify accessibility issues, and offer explanations so you can make your content more accessible. Ally also generates alternative formats for students to download so they can access the information they need in the way they need or want it.

Learn how Ally can help faculty and students in the short video below:

Introducing Anthology Ally for LMS

The Anthology Ally team is also joining the celebration! Register for their free Accessibility and Inclusivity in Technology webinar (5/14) and check out their upcoming Accessibility Fundamentals course (coming soon): Anthology Ally – Global Accessibility Awareness Month.

Ultra Panopto changes coming

CIT will update the Panopto integration the week of May 14, adding the ability to use content and folders with Ultra. We’ll share more information after the update, but, for now, you can see a preview here: How to Add Panopto to Your Blackboard Ultra Course

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Turnitin

Turnitin plays a pivotal role in preventing plagiarism. It compares student-submitted work against various sources, including student papers, web content, and academic journals. Upon submission, Turnitin generates a detailed report highlighting text matches and relevant data. Instructors benefit from grading tools like rubrics, voice comments, and mobile grading. Grades entered in Turnitin automatically reflect in the Blackboard grade center, and it also facilitates peer reviews among students. Overall, Turnitin enhances academic integrity and streamlines the grading process for educators.

Upcoming Learning Opportunities 

New to one of our instructional tech tools? We would love to guide you step-by-step or provide tips and ideas for using technology in your class. Just let us know how we can help!

05.02 | Teaching with Gradescope: Gradescope Basics webinar

05.02 | Build a digital portfolio and personal website

05.02 | Teaching with Turnitin: Understanding Similarity Reports and Scores webinar

05.03 | Teaching with Blackboard: Using Groups in Learn Original webinar

05.06 | Live Polling with Microsoft

05.07 | People.ua.edu Workshop

05.21 | Introduction to Panopto

05.22 | Simple Syllabus Information Session

05.23 | Meet the new Blackboard: Blackboard Learn Ultra Demo and Info Session webinar

As always, we are available Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:45 PM to help you. We look forward to working with you soon.

Email – cit@ua.edu | Phone – 205-348-3532 | Website and Knowledge Base

April Instructor News from the Center for Instructional Technology   

April 1st, 2024
in -Instructional Technology News

Hello from your colleagues in CIT! Below, you’ll find announcements and events to assist you with teaching and learning needs.  

We are ready to make changes: Share Your Insights on CIT’s Monthly Instructor Newsletter

CIT is dedicated to keeping you informed and engaged with instructional technology news. As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance communication and resource sharing, we kindly request your participation in a brief (5 question) survey online at https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=jnIAKtDwtECk6M5DPz-8p5goneL_t95MgGXO0gwnZ6BURUxDMFZBTkhFQUhCMlBTWEY1UzVLODdLTi4u.

This survey aims to gather your valuable input on how we can tailor the CIT monthly instructor newsletter to best suit your preferences and needs. Your feedback will significantly influence the content, format, and delivery of the newsletter, ensuring that it becomes a valuable and enjoyable source of instructional technology news every month.

We sincerely appreciate your time and insights as we strive to create a better newsletter for UA faculty, instructors, and academic administrators.

Save the Date: Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2024!

Please plan to join us on May 16, 2024 as we celebrate advancements in accessibility at UA! Let’s build knowledge, skills, and community together. We will soon share more details about the day’s activities. Thank you for being an ally; your dedication makes UA better for all!

Meet the new Blackboard – Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View

Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View (“Ultra”) offers a simple, modern, intuitive, and consistent interface across devices and a more streamlined experience for instructors and students. All Blackboard courses will be designed and delivered in Ultra by Spring 2026, and instructors of non-OTIDE courses can teach with Ultra now. Visit the CIT site to learn more about Ultra and UA’s plans, join or watch a recorded demonstration/information session, or request a practice course: Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View

Ultra Good Features

Unsplash royalty-free image service

You can now easily search for and add royalty-free, high-quality images to your Ultra course! No more hunting for good visuals or copyright concerns – simply select the Image button in the content editor, choose Stock images from Unsplash as the image source, enter keywords to search, and select images to add.

Insert image options for Unsplash. The search terms are autopopulated from your text, but you can select the X (close) button and use your own search terms if you’d prefer.

Try it out by creating a course banner using Unsplash.

Anthology Community

YOUR VOICE MATTERS! Ask and answer questions, engage in user groups and programs, submit product feedback and more – join the Anthology Community to connect with Blackboard users around the world! Create a Community account and participate in Teaching & Learning discussions, join product or user groups, and subscribe to blogs. Here are some highlights from the Community.

Blackboard Learn Ultra User Group

The Blackboard Learn Ultra User Group is a favorite among CIT staff. Teaching or thinking about teaching with Ultra? Check out these group meetings, led by Ultra users, that feature presentations, panels, workshops, and Q&A with institutions and experts.

Blackboard Learn Ultra Course Seminar

Ready to start preparing your course in the Learn Ultra Course View?

This program, comprised of two 1-hour sessions, will provide you with the information and best practices to start building and preparing your course in the Learn Ultra experience. We’ll explore the Learn Ultra course features and functions within two primary areas:

Setting up and designing a Learn Ultra course.
Using the course for assessment, interaction, collaboration, and learner support.

This program is for instructors, course builders, instructional designers, and others who support educators in the design and execution of their courses.

Upcoming webinars:

April 17 & 18 | 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. EDT
May 14 & 15 | 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. EDT
June 12 & 13 | 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. EDT

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Adobe Portfolio

Adobe Portfolio is a tool that empowers both students and instructors at The University of Alabama to showcase their work, build their personal brand, and enhance their professional profiles. Adobe Portfolio offers a versatile platform to curate and present your achievements. Let’s explore some exciting ways to leverage this resource:

Showcase Student Work: Students can create digital portfolios to display their class projects, artwork, and other accomplishments.
Highlight Coursework: Whether it’s essays, presentations, or multimedia projects, a portfolio provides a professional platform to exhibit students’ academic work.
Internship and Job Search: Students can curate their portfolios to include internship experiences, relevant skills, and career aspirations.
Personal Branding: Instructors and students alike can use Adobe Portfolio to establish their online presence.
Project Documentation: Adobe Portfolio allows users to document and present their work in an organized manner.
Collaborative Projects: Instructors can encourage collaborative projects among students. Teams can create joint portfolios to showcase group work, collaborative research, or interdisciplinary efforts.

Members of the UA community have free access to Adobe Portfolio through our Adobe Creative Cloud license.

How are UA Instructors using the tools?

“Adobe Portfolio allows Hospitality Management students to create digital portfolios that showcase their internship experiences. Students show creativity, knowledge, and professionalism through their projects.”

Morgan Milstead

Morgan Milstead | CFCS, CPF

Senior Instructor and Academic Advisor

Hypothesis: Social Annotation in Action

Cerritos College and Hypothesis: Revolutionizing Engagement, Retention and Student Outcomes

“The retention shot up in that class in particular, it was transformative.,” – Professor Francie Quaas-Berryman, Cerritos College.

Don’t just take our word for it! Hear the story from faculty at Cerritos College and how they implemented Hypothesis that resulted in increased engagement, grades, and retention.

Learn more here.

Upcoming Learning Opportunities 

New to one of our instructional tech. tools? We would love to guide you step-by-step or provide tips and ideas for using technology in your class. Just let us know how we can help! 

04.04 | Meet the New Blackboard: Blackboard Learn Ultra Demonstration and Information Session

04.08 | Live Polling with MS Forms

04.08 | Turnitin Basics

04.08 | Understanding Similarity Reports and Scores

04.09 | Getting Started with Panopto

04.11 | Gradescope Basics

04.16 | Doing more with Panopto

04.17 | AnnotatED 2024 – a Hypothes.is event

04.18 | Meet the New Blackboard: Blackboard Learn Ultra Demonstration and Information Session

04.25 | Turnitin Basics

04.25 | Understanding Similarity Reports and Scores

04.26 | Fostering Student Engagement in Blackboard Learn Original

04.29 | Meet the New Blackboard: Blackboard Learn Ultra Demonstration and Information Session

March Instructor News from the Center for Instructional Technology   

March 4th, 2024
in -Instructional Technology News

Hello from your colleagues in CIT! Below, you’ll find announcements and events to assist you with teaching and learning needs.  

Launch of UA Accessibility Forum

UA’s Technology Accessibility Team is excited to announce the launch of the Accessibility Forum. The forum aims to unite the campus community and share accessibility wins, updates, and other accessibility-related information. All UA faculty and instructors are invited to participate in the forum to learn more including accessibility in all aspects of teaching and learning at UA. Please join us for the first forum meeting scheduled for March 5 in A232 Gordon Palmer at 9:00 am.

Kristen Kaylor, Sr. Accessibility Instructional Designer in UA Online Teaching Innovation and Digital Education (OTIDE) will be the guest speaker for this month’s meeting. She will present A.I. Unleashed: Transforming the Accessibility of Images, Graphics, and Math Through Alt Text Automation. The team will also share important accessibility updates for the campus community.

We are looking forward to seeing you at our first Accessibility Forum meeting!

CIT at OLIS

CIT was thrilled to participate in the Online Learning Innovation Summit, a professional development conference that brings together faculty, staff, graduate students, K-12 teachers and administrators from The University of Alabama and the region. Held March 1 at the Bryant Conference Center, OLIS featured presentations, workshops, demonstrations, and discussions around online learning and teaching technologies.

Visitors to the CIT table were greeted with giveaway items and discussions of creative and effective ways to integrate instructional technologies into their classroom or online course. CIT staff Melissa Fortson and Dr. Rachel Thompson presented Artful Achievement: The University of Alabama’s Blackboard Learn Ultra Journey, a session on UA’s rollout of Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View.

There’s more to Learn with Ultra – Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View

Ultra Good Features

Forms

Do you need to collect information to place students in clinical experiences? Survey your class to gauge interests or opinions? Conduct formative assessments? Instructors teaching with Ultra can now create Forms! 

Ultra’s Forms page showing the dropdown menu for question types .
 
Available question types include Essay, Likert, Multiple Choice, True/False, Text, Local File, and File from Cloud Storage. Among other settings, you can adjust the due date, grade category, whether the form is graded or not, and how many attempts students have to complete the form. You can work with the responses in Learn or download them as a CSV file. 

Class Conversations

Teaching with Ultra? You can enable Class Conversations for individual content items so students can discuss the content with you and their classmates: asking for help, sharing sources, or answering questions others have. As the conversation develops, it appears only with the relevant content. Conversations don’t appear on the discussions page. 

Conversations layer in an Ultra course 

You can enable conversations for these content items: 

Documents 
Assignments 
Group assignments 
Tests 
Group tests 
Offline submissions 
Links to teaching tools

Check out Forms, Class Conversations, and other Ultra good features: Request a Blackboard Ultra Practice Course.   

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Flip

Did you know that 84% of educators see greater engagement from their students when using Flip.

Here are some simple ways to use Flip to prompt student creativity throughout the school year:

Introductions - A great way to start off the semester is to create an Introduction topic (assignment or activity) via Flip so students can share information about themselves and their learning goals.
Prompt students to share their opinions and build presentation skills – Flip provides students with ongoing opportunities to share their experiences, opinions, or reflections any day of the year via videos vs writing.
End of semester reflections - Ask students to set goals for themselves at the beginning of the semester and then revisit those at the end the semester.

How are UA Instructors using the tools?

“I’ve found Flip to be a game-changer in my graduate-level courses! I currently use Flip for my in-person and online courses for class discussions, assignments, and project presentations. Flip has fostered a more dynamic learning environment where everyone actively participates, and I’m truly impressed by its impact on my teaching and student learning. I’ve been particularly impressed by how much my graduate students enjoy using Flip for discussions. The asynchronous nature of Flip allows them to contribute thoughtfully on their own schedules, fostering deeper reflection compared to traditional in-class discussions. They also appreciate the increased accessibility, allowing students juggling work and personal commitments to fully participate. The low-pressure video format has been especially helpful for students who might otherwise feel hesitant to speak up in class, leading to richer and more diverse discussions. Overall, Flip has created a more inclusive and engaging learning environment for my graduate students, and they consistently express their positive experiences with the platform.”

Elizabeth McDonald, Elizabeth A. McDonald, Ph.D. Assistant Director for Instructional Design UA Online, Teaching Innovation and Digital Education

Elizabeth A. McDonald, Ph.D.

Assistant Director for Instructional Design

UA Online, Teaching Innovation and Digital Education

Respondus Monitor

Respondus Lockdown Browser is a browser that locks down a testing environment within Blackboard. Respondus Monitor is an add-on feature for Lockdown Browser that uses a webcam to record student exam sessions and flags suspicious behavior for instructor review.

Screen Recording

Sometimes you want to see what’s happening on a student’s screen during an online assessment. Perhaps it’s to investigate a suspicious behavior or to verify a student’s claim that a question didn’t display properly. You might require students to provide an oral explanation of a spreadsheet or watch them type a translation. There are many ways to take advantage of the new screen recording feature in Respondus Monitor: Screen Recording for Respondus Monitor

Show Your Work

An optional setting in Respondus Monitor, the “Show Your Work” feature allows students to show their written work or notes at the end of an online exam by taking pictures of the written materials with their webcam. Submitted photos appear in the proctoring results. Learn more: Using the “Show Your Work” feature in Respondus Monitor

Video embed: Respondus Monitor: Show Your Work Feature, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU-kf23JGTU

Live Chat Help

Live chat help for students is available within LockDown Browser when using the Respondus Monitor webcam proctoring feature. Chat agents can assist test takers with pre-exam issues related to the webcam and microphone. Live chat is accessible within the pre-exam steps (select “It’s not working” at any time) and within Help Center (select the “Need More help?” button). Both options will walk users through troubleshooting steps before beginning a chat with an agent.

Upcoming Learning Opportunities 

New to one of our instructional tech. tools? We would love to guide you step-by-step or provide tips and ideas for using technology in your class. Just let us know how we can help! 

03.04 | Doing more with Panopto webinar

03.04 | T eaching with Blackboard: Creating Assessments in Learn Original webinar

03.05 | People.ua.edu workshop

03.07 | Build a digital portfolio and personal website

03.07 | Teaching with Blackboard: Fostering Student Engagement in Learn Original webinar

03.07 | Meet the New Blackboard: Blackboard Learn Ultra Demonstration and Information Session

03.08 | Teaching with Blackboard: Using Groups in Learn Original webinar

03.18 | Teaching with Blackboard: Creating Accessible Course Content webinar

03.19 | Live polling with Microsoft Forms

03.21 | Teaching with Turnitin: Turnitin Basics webinar

03.22 | Meet the New Blackboard: Blackboard Learn Ultra Demonstration and Information Session

03.26 | Flip Tech Support Office Hours

03.28 | Teaching with Gradescope: Gradescope Basics webinar

03.29 | Teaching with Blackboard: Blackboard Learn Basics webinar

Launch of UA’s New Accessibility Forum

February 16th, 2024
in -Instructional Technology News

We are excited to have Kristen Kaylor, Sr. Accessibility Instructional Designer in UA Online Teaching Innovation and Digital Education (OTIDE) as our guest speaker. She will be presenting A.I. Unleashed: Transforming the Accessibility of Images, Graphics, and Math Through Alt Text Automation. We will also be sharing important accessibility updates for the campus community.

We are looking forward to seeing you at our first Accessibility Forum Meeting!

February Instructor News from the Center for Instructional Technology   

February 5th, 2024
in -Instructional Technology News

Hello from your colleagues in CIT! Below, you’ll find announcements and events to assist you with teaching and learning needs.  

Safeguard your and your students’ rights and data.

Please ensure that all official UA communications, including email communications between students and faculty, are conducted via approved tools such as Blackboard or your UA email account. The use of personal email accounts for conducting University business is prohibited by the Terms of Use of University Technology Resources.

Please contact cit@ua.edu if you need assistance with communication with students via Blackboard or if you have any questions or concerns.

Simplify your Blackboard Learn course – Ultrafy it!

Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View (“Ultra”) offers a simple, modern, intuitive, and consistent interface across devices and a more streamlined experience for instructors and students. All Blackboard courses will be designed and delivered in Ultra by Spring 2026, and instructors of non-OTIDE courses can teach with Ultra now. Visit ultra.ua.edu to learn more about Ultra and UA’s plans, join or watch a recorded demonstration/information session, or request a practice course.

Ultra Good Feature: Course Activity Report

Table view of the Course Activity Report in an Ultra course.

Table view of the Course Activity Report in an Ultra course.

Ultra’s Course Activity Report helps you understand how well your students are performing and how much they are interacting with your course. When you use the report in conjunction with the Overall Grade, you can:

Identify potentially struggling students based on their overall grade, missed due dates, the number of hours they spend in your course, and the number of days since their last access.
Message students who are falling behind and encourage them to increase their course activity.
Congratulate students performing well in your course and ask them to be mentors.
Customize your course alerts to identify potentially struggling students when their overall grade drops below a specific value, they’ve missed due dates, or they haven’t accessed the course for a certain number of days.
Download data to analyze with other tools or share with other instructors or mentors of the course.

Check out the Course Activity Report and other Ultra good features: Request a Blackboard Ultra Practice Course.

Adobe Academic Essentials for UA Faculty

Looking for ways to explore how you can supercharge your creativity in Higher Education and learn the essentials of digital creativity, focusing on presentations, podcasting, video, data visualization and how Adobe tools can support student outcomes? The Adobe Academic Essentials series is for you.

Join us starting on February 6 for the Academic Essentials learning series hosted by Adobe’s Authorized Training Professional Learning Partner EdgeGain.

This series is free, with workshops from 60 to 90 minutes, created by faculty for faculty.

Go to Adobe’s live Professional Learning calendar and sign up today.

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Hypothesis

Looking to increase student engagement? Check out the upcoming events hosted by Hypothesis, UA’s platform for social annotation.

AI and the Future of Learning – Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

This session is designed to offer valuable insights on AI in your classroom and provide strategies for AI and social annotation for 2024. Expect to gain practical tips and immediately applicable strategies for your courses.

Feb 15, 12:00-1:00 pm

CIT Knowledge Base

Need a quick answer? There’s a guide for that.  

You’re in luck, CIT offers a self-serve information library called the Knowledge Base. The CIT Knowledge Base supports all UA users seeking help or answers to instructional technology questions.  

Upcoming Learning Opportunities 

New to one of our instructional tech. tools? We would love to guide you step-by-step or provide tips and ideas for using technology in your class. Just let us know how we can help! 

  A few workshops are highlighted below.  Keep up to date on all the training sessions at https://cit.ua.edu/workshops/ 

  Teaching with Blackboard Sessions 

Blackboard Learn Ultra Demonstration and Information Session

- Thursday, February 8, 11 – 11:30 AM, Online
- Monday, February 19, 2 – 2:30 PM, Online

Blackboard Learn Basics

- Thursday, February 15, 2 – 3 PM, Online

Creating Accessible Course Content

- Friday, February 9, 10 – 11 AM, Online

Fostering Student Engagement in Learn Original

- Friday, February 2, 10 – 11 AM, Online

Grading and Managing the Gradebook in Learn Original

- Thursday, February 29, 2 – 3 PM, Online

Using Groups in Learn Original

- Thursday, February 8, 2 – 3 PM, Online

Teaching with Turnitin Sessions 

Turnitin provides tools for grading and peer review and helps deter and prevent plagiarism by checking student-submitted work against an extensive online database.

Turnitin Basics

- Tuesday, February 5, 2 – 3 PM, Online

Thursday, February 22, 2 – 3 PM, A232 Gordon Palmer Hall
- Friday, February 23, 10 – 11 AM, Online

Understanding Similarity Reports and Scores

- Monday, February 12, 2 – 3 PM, Online

Teaching with Gradescope Sessions 

Gradescope helps instructors quickly grade and provide feedback on paper-based and online assessments: exams, quizzes, bubble sheets, homework, problem sets, programming assignments (graded automatically or manually), and more.

Gradescope Basics

- Thursday, February 22, 11 AM – 12 PM, Online

People.ua.edu Workshop

Create your professional faculty website using our easy, drag and drop web platform. In this session, you’ll learn how to add text and pictures, create column layouts, add video, audio, and hyperlinks, and add and rearrange pages.

Wednesday, February 7, 10 – 11:30 PM

Introduction to Panopto

This webinar aims to cover the basics of using the lecture capture and video platform, Panopto.

Thursday, February 8, 1 – 2 PM

Flip Tech Support Office Hours

Join CIT for a virtual Flip office hour pop-in session. Drop-in at any time during the virtual session to receive personalized assistance or guidance for using Flip.

Tuesday, February 27, 2 – 3 PM

Join the FLip Support Office Hours for February.

As always, we are available Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:45 PM to help you. We look forward to working with you soon.

Email – cit@ua.edu | Phone – 205-348-3532 | Website and Knowledge Base

January Instructor News from the Center for Instructional Technology 

January 4th, 2024
in -Instructional Technology News

Happy New Year from your colleagues in CIT! Below, you’ll find announcements and events to assist you with teaching and learning needs.  

Join CIT for the 2024 Spring Faculty Prep Days

Save the date for the Center for Instructional Technology’s 2024 Spring Faculty Prep Days on Jan. 8 & 9. Join CIT for two days of workshops and one-on-one technical and pedagogical assistance to get you ready for the Spring semester. View the full schedule of events online.

UA instructors can now teach with Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View! Schedule a demo and info session for your area.

A simpler, more modern Blackboard is here! An alternative to the traditional Blackboard Learn experience, “Ultra” offers a simple, modern, intuitive, and consistent interface across devices and a more streamlined experience for instructors and students. CIT and the Office of Teaching Innovation and Distance Education (OTIDE) have established a goal of having all courses designed and delivered in Ultra by Spring 2026. Learn more about Ultra and UA’s plans: Blackboard Learn Ultra Course Pilot

We invite you to learn more and begin to prepare by scheduling a demonstration and information session for your department, program, or area. Contact CIT to request a presentation. We will also host several open sessions this term:

Friday, January 19, 10 – 10:30 AM, Online
Monday, January 22, 2 – 2:30 PM, A232 Gordon Palmer Hall
Thursday, February 8, 11 – 11:30 AM, Online
Monday, February 19, 2 – 2:30 PM, Online
Thursday, March 7, 2 – 2:30 PM, A232 Gordon Palmer Hall
Friday, March 22, 10 – 10:30 AM, Online
Thursday, April 4, 11 – 11:30 AM, Online
Thursday, April 18, 2:00 – 2:30 PM, A232 Gordon Palmer Hall
Monday, April 29, 2 – 2:30 PM, Online

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Hypothesis

Learn from experience! In this short article, learn how an English professor at Modesto Jr. College uses Hypothesis to ensure their students actually read the syllabus.

Annotate the Course Syllabus Assignment – https://web.hypothes.is/resources/annotate-the-course-syllabus-assignment/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=285655738&utm_content=285652686&utm_source=hs_email

Panopto

Panopto is rolling out significant enhancements to its user design and interface, focusing on refining the overall look and styling of key components, along with a few helpful updates in the form of stability improvements for its Blackboard integration and Remote Recorder features used by some UA colleges. For further details, visit Panopto’s Community page. https://community.panopto.com/discussion/2226/14-10-ui-ux-changes?mkt_tok=NTc1LUJLRi00MTQAAAGQJrdsP8PNuSI-9G-dB6b_b84vnP8vdbhnGMVGNVp-LWibDuKAO0BSZ9XioCVpJTNZLkGJCdDACC1BTahQS53o-Z-sIh7nAhtxAr0M1XUq6T3X0Q#latest

Upcoming Learning Opportunities 

New to one of our instructional tech. tools? We would love to guide you step-by-step or provide tips and ideas for using technology in your class. Just let us know how we can help! 

  A few workshops are highlighted below.  Keep up to date on all the training sessions at https://cit.ua.edu/workshops/ 

Teaching with Blackboard Sessions 

These CIT-led workshops and webinars aim to help you get started with and get the most out of Blackboard Learn, UA’s learning management system.

Blackboard Learn Ultra Demonstration and Information Session

Friday, January 19, 10 – 10:30 AM, Online
Monday, January 22, 2 – 2:30 PM, A232 Gordon Palmer Hall

Blackboard Learn Basics

Thursday, January 11, 11 AM – 12 PM, Online

Grading and Managing the Gradebook in Learn Original

Friday, January 12, 10 – 11 AM, Online

Creating Assessments in Learn Original

Thursday, January 25, 2 – 3 PM, Online

Teaching with Turnitin Sessions 

Turnitin provides tools for grading and peer review and helps deter and prevent plagiarism by checking student-submitted work against an extensive online database.

Turnitin Basics

Thursday, January 25, 11 AM – 12 PM, Online

Teaching with Gradescope Sessions 

Gradescope Basics

Monday, January 29, 2 – 3 PM, Online

Simple Syllabus Session

Learn how to navigate and add your Spring 2024 syllabus content to Simple Syllabus, UA’s new syllabus tool. By default, Simple Syllabus will populate section information and materials, as well as instructor information, from other UA systems, such as CourseLeaf and Banner. We’ll learn how to add and rearrange content, and how to publish and share a syllabus.

Face-to-face sessions are held in Gordon Palmer Hall, Rm. A232.

Tuesday, January 9, 10 AM
Monday, January 15, 10:30 AM

Virtual sessions are held via Teams webinar. Please click on the appropriate link to register.

Monday, January 8, 1:00 pm. Register for the Jan 8th virtual session.
Thursday, January 18, 11:00 am. Register for the Jan 18th virtual session.

Editing Videos in Rush

Tuesday, January 23, 10 – 11 PM

Learn the essentials of creating video presentations using images, video, and audio in Adobe Rush. Develop your storytelling skills whether it be for a class project, department presentation or personal story.

Introduction to Panopto

Thursday, January 25, 2 – 3 PM

This webinar aims to cover the basics of using the lecture capture and video platform, Panopto.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Check out more instructional technology workshops at https://cit.ua.edu/workshops/  

As always, we are available Monday-Friday, 8:00-4:45 to help you. We look forward to working with you soon. 

Email – cit@ua.edu Phone – 205-348-3532 Website and Knowledge Base 

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Category: -Instructional Technology News

Category: -Instructional Technology News

Get on Blackboard Day

Meet the Simpler, More Modern Blackboard – Blackboard Ultra

Ultra Course Content Page Changes

Ultra Good Summer

‌Ultra Good Summer Tip #1: Favorite your Ultra course(s)

Ultra Good Summer Tip #2: Set up a banner for your Ultra course

‌Ultra Good Summer Tip #3: Navigate inside your Ultra course

Ultra Good Summer Tip #4: Create a Document

Ultra Good Summer Tip #5: Copy Content from Other Courses

Panopto in Ultra

Turnitin Now Available for Blackboard Ultra Assignments

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

‌Blackboard

‌Turnitin

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Additional Faculty Development Resources at UA

A Strong Start

It’s Nice To Meet You

The CIT Knowledge Base – Tutorials, Known Issues, and Best Practices

Simple Syllabus

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

About This Message

Join CIT for the 2024 Faculty Prep Days, August 15 & 16

New Faculty Orientation

Course Retirement

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Blackboard

Flip

‌Gradescope

‌Panopto

‌Perusall

Simple Syllabus

‌Turnitin

News from CIT’s Technology Accessibility Team

‌Web Resources Accessibility Policy Reminder

Accessibility Forum

‌Blackboard Ally

News from OIT

‌Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Introducing Our New and Improved Newsletter!

Ultra Good Summer!

Changes Coming to Flip Discussion and Video Sharing App

There’s more to Learn with Ultra – Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View

Ultra Good Features

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Respondus

How does the CIT User Support Services Team support the tool?

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Join us for the 2024 Global Accessibility Awareness Week celebration!

Five ways to boost digital accessibility at UA

Reminder: Blackboard Course Retention Policy

Eduroam Certificate Expires Thurs 5-2

Explore the new Blackboard – Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View

Ultra Good Summer

Ultra Good Feature

Ultra Panopto changes coming

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

We are ready to make changes: Share Your Insights on CIT’s Monthly Instructor Newsletter

Save the Date: Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2024!

Meet the new Blackboard – Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View

Ultra Good Features

Anthology Community

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Adobe Portfolio

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Launch of UA Accessibility Forum

CIT at OLIS

There’s more to Learn with Ultra – Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View

Ultra Good Features

CIT Technology and Tool Highlights

Flip

How are UA Instructors using the tools?

Respondus Monitor

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Safeguard your and your students’ rights and data.

Simplify your Blackboard Learn course – Ultrafy it!

Upcoming Learning Opportunities 

Upcoming Learning Opportunities 

Upcoming Learning Opportunities 

Upcoming Learning Opportunities 

  Teaching with Blackboard Sessions 

Teaching with Turnitin Sessions 

Teaching with Gradescope Sessions 

Upcoming Learning Opportunities 

Teaching with Blackboard Sessions 

Teaching with Turnitin Sessions 

Teaching with Gradescope Sessions 