NSCC EDGE newsletter #25

2016

AWARDS TO 29 FACULTY

I

MEMBERS IN DECEMBER 2015 In 2015 the Technology Across the Curriculum (TAC)

Far left: Maolis Gardens Rock Temple, Maolis Road, Nahant; Rocks Along Maolis Road with Little Nahant in Background; photography by Kurt Eddy for the Poetry of Places website created as a T.A.C. project by Carl Carlsen (one of the NSCC projects featured in the upcoming computer kiosk exhibit at the Lynn Museum)

committee received more applications than ever before, and we funded a record 29 projects. Our budget, however, prevented us from funding a number of worthy projects. We were able to fund all of the technology integration projects, but the online and hybrid course development projects are expensive per contractual requirements, and so those were the ones that we were forced to limit. (continued on p. 2)

C ON TE NT S TAC Projects

Cre d i t s The Edge is a publication of Technology Across the Curriculum. The editor is Terri Whitney, professor of English and faculty coordinator of TAC. Layout is by Ejyo Katagiri from the marketing department. Photography is by Kurt Eddy of Media Services. Contributors to this issue are Andrea Milligan, Lance Eaton, and TAC award recipients.

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2

Blackboard Learn

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TLO

14

NSCC Literary Websites 16

29 FACULTY MEMBERS (cont. from p. 1) We submitted all applications for online and hybrid course development that were approved by the committee to the academic deans and asked them to make the final determination based on the needs in their divisions. With the expectation that we will continue to see a high number of applications to develop online and hybrid courses, we hope the administration will increase the funding, but the current level of staffing in Instructional Technology and Design also limits the possibility of increasing the numbers of approved projects, so we hope that the administration will address that problem as well.

The Edge received replies from all of the current award recipients who were invited to comment on their plans for these projects. Those comments appear in the lead story along with photographs of the recipients.

Also in this issue, Andrea Milligan, Director of Instructional Technology and Design, and Lance Eaton, Coordinator of Instructional Design, have contributed two articles, one on the Teaching and Learning Online TAC training program for faculty developing online and hybrid courses, and another entitled “Blackboard Learn Tool Spotlight.� That article describes two features on Blackboard Learn that may be new to faculty; SafeAssign, a tool to help prevent plagiarism, and Rubrics, an assessment tool. Finally, Terri Whitney, TAC Coordinator and editor of The Edge, has written an article about the upcoming installment of a NSCC Literary Websites kiosk at the Lynn Museum which will feature three literary websites developed at NSCC, two with TAC grants.

The EDGE: 25th edition

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TAC PROJECTS: COMMENTS

BY AWARD RECIPIENTS

DEBORAH BEDELL,

YVONNE BEIRNE,

I am developing a hybrid version of Introduction to Microbiology, a course which involves the study of viruses, bacteria, protozoans, and the lower fungi with special emphasis on their environmental and medical implications. This course is a requirement for many of the allied health programs.

These health programs require tight scheduling demands as the students need to have time for their clinical requirements off campus. With a hybrid course, the students can work at their own pace, spending more time on the areas that are more challenging for them. Our diverse student population has many work and family commitments, and a hybrid course will allow more flexibility and time learning the lecture content. Moreover, the hybrid design will allow the students to use the online environment without losing the hands-on aspects of the lab portion of the course.

I have been teaching Administration and Supervision of Early Childhood Programs (ECE 206) for five years.

Students in this class are usually eager to upgrade their state certification level for work advancement. The hybrid version of the course which I am developing will cover a broad range of topics, and students will need to manage themselves and their time within the constraints of a 15-week semester. They will compile resources and networks to further assist them in their future or current administrative role.

Department of Natural Sciences

Adjunct, Early Childhood Education Program

Most participants work full time while attending school as well as managing families and multiple jobs. My goal for creating this hybrid course is to enable participants to understand the role of an administrator through online work, activities, discussions, field work and a minimum of face-to-face classes.

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JOHN BOSCO,

Department of Business

DIANNE MCDERMOTT CERASUOLO,

NATHAN CHIO,

Social Media Goes Social One of the fastest growing careers in business today is social media marketing. In response to the demand, the NSCC business department launched the Social Media Marketing Strategy course in the fall of 2015. This course helps students develop actionable critical thinking skills as well as the strategic and hands-on experience required for today’s social media marketing careers.

With my TAC grant this semester I’ll be working on putting together an online section of my World History 1 course. I hope to use this opportunity to create an online class that takes full advantage of the wealth of online historical content, virtual museum exhibitions, and primary historical resources to make an online educational experience for students that ideally will surpass the in-class version in significant ways.

Department of Business I developed an updated version of the hybrid course Financial Accounting (ACC108). This updated course incorporates the use of Connect which is the McGraw-Hill online learning management system. Also, Connect is fully integrated into Blackboard, so students access all course assignments in Connect through Blackboard. In addition, student scores on assignments are automatically downloaded into Blackboard for use in the Grade Center. The course is divided into 15 weekly modules. Each module requires the students to review interactive presentations, complete a quiz, and complete a homework assignment. The use of a textbook is required.

Launched as an on campus ‘flipped’ class, the course will be available this fall online. It only makes sense that this course be offered online as students who intend to pursue marketing careers must be familiar with independent research, analysis, and application of theories to practical situations. New for the fall, students who complete the course will also be credentialed as “Hootsuite Certified.” NSCC is on the forefront of offering this level of advanced course.

Department of History, Government, and Economics

“

One of the fastest growing careers in business today is social media marketing. In response to the demand, NSCC business department launched the Social Media Marketing Strategy [online] course.

” McDermott Cerasuolo — Dianne

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STEVE CHISHOLM,

LARRY DAVIS,

PAT DEMERS,

The Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Department is excited to begin offering its second online course beginning this summer. The course, Prevention of Substance Abuse (DRG106), includes an overview of substance abuse prevention methods, substance abuse prevention research, and a focus on prevention within school systems and businesses. It is expected to run annually and will fulfill open elective requirements for students at large.

I’m looking forward to creating World History 2 online. I plan to use narrated lectures in my course. These lectures are PowerPoint-based and include my voice narrating each slide. I have used similar lectures in my other online courses, and the response from students has been overwhelmingly positive. I also plan to require students to use the JSTOR and Ebrary databases as part of a “Controversies in World History” project. They will choose scholarly articles and books and then will learn how to review these works. My course will be an Open Educational Resources (OER) course, whereby all assigned readings will be free to access online.

The majority of my courses are OER, which expose students to quality material online without the cost of a hefty textbook.

Medical Terminology is often a “gateway course” for students interested in the Health Professions. Medical terminology introduces the student to the specific language, medical specialties and the basics for communicating in the healthcare arena.

Department of Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation

Department of History, Government, and Economics

adjunct, Department of Office Administration

Offering the Medical Terminology course online will provide flexibility for the first time, health student. In particular, those interested in health science may be working, raising families and seeking an opportunity to determine if a rigorous health career is the right option. Introducing this course in a convenient option is a good choice, not to mention that much of the medical world uses a variety of technology similar to the learning management platforms of online learning.

“

Offering the Medical Terminology course online will provide flexibility for the first time health student. Introducing this course in a convenient option is a good choice, not to mention that much of the medical world uses a variety of technology similar to the learning management platforms of online learning.

”

Demers

— Pat

adjunct, Department of Office Administration The EDGE: 25th edition

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PAT DUBE,

Department of Mathematics

WALTER STONE,

Department of Mathematics Walter Stone and Patricia Dube are developing Intermediate Algebra (MAT 094) in a hybrid format. This course is intended for students entering the STEM pathway who need developmental instruction in mathematics before entering the college level mathematics courses which prepare students to take calculus.

The desired outcome of offering this course in a hybrid format is to increase student success and course accessibility by embedding face-toface support from a faculty member within the context of online content.

Offering the course in this way addresses the second strategic priority of Goal 2 of the Master Academic Plan. While the present face-to-face and online offerings of this course focus on helping students build on their written algebra skills, a hybrid course can provide an opportunity for deeper concept development through activities, peer instruction, and other learning experiences that are not easy to accomplish within the constraints of a traditional 70-minute class or in an online-only environment.

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Spring 2016

Under this grant, online and faceto-face course material will be developed so that students will be able to complete the course objectives for MAT 094 and have the opportunity to complete the course objectives for MAT 151. This can help students shorten the path to the college level math needed for their program by one semester if they place into MAT 094.

Since students will be able to accelerate their learning, we will plan differentiated learning activities for groups of students, depending on their progress through the course, for each face-to-face meeting.

We plan to adopt the textbook used for MAT 151 and 152 since it has the material covered in MAT 094 in its early chapters. Students will not have to purchase an additional textbook for these courses, and they will become acclimated to the online homework portal and the style of text. Blackboard will be used to organize and present online and in-class learning activities.

IRENE FERNANDEZ,

Department of Cultural Arts I’ve been busy searching for highquality Open Educational Resources (OER) and developing activities to make them part of my lessons in Intermediate Spanish 2. During this process, I’ve found educational materials that can be integrated into my project. By taking advantage of the educational technologies the school already has in place, I will adapt these materials in new formats and means of distribution. It is my hope students will benefit from these low-cost educational materials that will be specific to what they need to learn during a one-level course semester.

If the course meeting time is chosen appropriately, this course can be a good candidate for dual enrollment of high school students. The materials developed can also be useful for teaching this course under the Early College program.

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room format (F2F). This course delivery method is not always convenient for students who work, have school aged children, or lack transportation. Several students have asked me if there would ever be an online option for this course, and I believe that it is time to offer such an option for those students.

DR. MARGARET FIGGINS-HILL, Women in Transition Program

I am developing an online section of The Human Service Worker course.

This course is required in several of the human service programs so many students need to take it. Currently, it is only offered in a class-

The Human Service Worker (HUS 101) course description states that it “[p]rovides the instruments to explore and evaluate personal values, motives, feelings, needs, attitudes, interests and personality traits especially as they pertain to awarenesses which will help a Human Services worker; and explores personal and societal prejudices, stereotyping behaviors, and biases.�

Although the delivery of the course

would vary, the goals and objectives of the course would not differ significantly from the current face-to-face model.

I am confident that this Human Service Worker course can be taught, with success, online. It is true that, for some people, this may not necessarily be their optimal method of course learning.

But it can be an option, a good one, for others who need to take this course and want to take it online. I firmly believe people should have options, and this is an option not yet offered for this course at NSCC. I look forward to developing and teaching this course online.

ANNE JEROME,

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

SUSAN LIZOTTE,

adjunct, Occupational Therapy Assistant Program I am using my TAC grant to convert the Orientation to Occupational Therapy course to a hybrid format. I am doing this with Susan Lizotte, an adjunct professor in my department.

The course will be a 50-50 hybrid.

We plan to use online time to introduce students to the history, philosophy and principles of Occupational Therapy via PowerPoint, videos and Screencasts. During face-to-face class meetings students will engage in simulation exercises designed to develop the interpersonal skills needed to be effective health care professionals.

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YOUNG BAE KIM,

BETTY KELLY,

Tourism and Hospitality Program I proposed a hybrid version of The Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality course because offering more hybrid courses within the TGD program will increase flexibility for student scheduling, give students more choices, and the students in the TGD program still will continue to benefit from direct interaction with the professor and at the same time use other instructional methods.

The objective of the Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality hybrid course is to move some of the current readings, research, and case studies using the publisher’s technology called My Hospitality Lab into the online hybrid format. This will allow for more class time for industrybased lectures and scenarios.

Currently I use my knowledge of the industry to supplement material which is not in the text and not easily transferred to online methodology at this time. Therefore, the classroom sessions will be devoted to an increase of sharing and analysis of industry knowledge, instructor’s “homemade cases” and quizzes and/or projects.

Department of Natural Sciences

The NSCC biotechnology program has been offering only one section of General Biology 1 (BIO 105) each year, usually in the fall. Because of the limited offering, and also because the course was designed for science majors, it was rather challenging for an instructor to find a relevant and adequate textbook for a reasonable price.

I have been eager to generate custom-made course material, but even if I generate slides and handouts, there have always been some copyright issues because the course material relied heavily on figures and videos from publishers. This was the biggest stumbling block for me in generating my own course materials, even with different textbooks.

My project, therefore, aims to integrate readily available Open Education Resource (OER) materials and multimedia resources into the class, making use of online sites and learning tools such as prezi or screen-o-matic. This project will not confront any copyright problems and will bring a low-cost learning opportunity to students who register for the course. At the same time, it will also provide a wider variety of learning activities for the class because all learning materials will be readily accessible and available online.

This project will also provide the course instructor, the college, and the department with a fail-proof teaching option even in the case of class cancellation due to sickness of the instructor, college internet issues, instructor changes and, above all, snow days. In any situation, students could study at their own pace at their own place. Moreover, considering that the NSCC BIO 101 course is an easier version of BIO 105, this material could also be used for the BIO 101 course with minor modifications.

“

This project will not confront any copyright problems and will bring a low-cost learning opportunity to students. At the same time, it will also provide a wider variety of learning activities for the class because all learning materials will be readily accessible and available online.

— Young

” Bae Kim

Department of Natural Sciences

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JOE MANSELL,

CARLOS MARIN,

The Radiologic Technology program is excited to announce a new course called Radiographic Pathology. This hybrid course will educate the Rad Tech student in identifying pathology within the images they produce.

It will also teach the technical considerations that need to be understood before imaging a patient with a particular pathology. Pathology associated with the respiratory, skeletal, gastrointestinal and other body systems will be discussed. This new hybrid course will blend online learning that includes x-ray images with the learned pathology as well as class time where students will discuss scenarios and be able to practice their skills in a lab setting.

This course will be available in summer session II of 2016.

My project, developing Open Educational Sources (OER) for a Race, Gender and Social Class course, aims to replace the required textbook by a set of open source materials (writing, audio, visual and interactive) to lower costs for students and engage them in an active and fun learning experience.

Radiological Technology Program

Department of Behavioral Sciences

MARY BETH NELSON, Department of Business

I am developing Intermediate Accounting, which is a graduation requirement in both the accounting degree and accounting certificate programs, as an online course. This offering is driven by student demand.

The prerequisite courses, Basic Accounting 1 and Basic Accounting 2, are both available online.

I am also developing Taxation, which is also a graduation requirement in both the accounting degree and accounting certificate programs, as an online course. This offering, too, is driven by student demand.

The prerequisite course, Basic Accounting 1, is available online.

“

[The new Radiographic Pathology] hybrid course will educate the Rad Tech student in identifying pathology within the images they produce.

— Joe

” Mansell

Students who feel comfortable with distance learning and prefer the convenience of online course will have the opportunity to enroll in these courses. When both Intermediate Accounting 1 and Taxation are available online, students will have the opportunity to complete the entire the 27-credit accounting certificate online.

Radiological Technology Program

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ANNE O’SHEA,

Department of Mathematics Since returning last spring from my sabbatical, I have been teaching Calculus 1 and Precalculus 2 in a flipped format. This model, as I had hoped, has allowed more time for in-depth class discussion and student collaboration. I was awarded a TAC grant to explore Learning Catalytics, an extremely robust type of “clicker” or “dip-sticking” tool where instructors are no longer limited to asking students multiple choice questions. I was extremely impressed with the flexibility

ALEXA SINGER, Aviation Science Program

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in the types of questions that can be designed using the software and with the level of student engagement that it supports. Since smart devices are used, students can submit an answer in the form of a diagram or even a graph, which is extremely useful in a math course as well as many other courses at the college.

I think many instructors have become discouraged by the increased student use of smart phones for non-educational purposes during class. I find it very exciting to take students’ enthusiasm for technology and put it to a better use. The immediate feedback to students is invaluable and can lead to further discussion and debate when a group of answers is displayed simultaneously. Since Learning Catalytics can be used asynchronously, I hope to eventually incorporate the software into my online course.

The Aviation Department is adding hybrid classes to the curriculum in both semesters starting in the fall semester of 2016. The Law and Safety class will be converted into this format to allow the students the ability to complete research and assignments in the online environment, while still allowing for the opportunity for the traditional classroom setting. This type of learning is so valuable for the aviation students as it allows them the flexibility they need to schedule and complete flight hours and requirements. New England

DANIELLE SANTOS, Department of Communication Skills

I have decided to find Open Educational Resources for my English Composition I course.

Recently, I have switched textbooks from a basic reader to a more source-based instruction, but in so doing I lost all of the great essays I used to use in class, so I want to find ways of bringing those in through alternative means. Additionally, due to the high costs of textbooks for students, I would ideally like to find enough resources to eventually substitute for a textbook altogether.

weather can be very challenging for a flight student, and the hybrid format is a fantastic way to aid them in achieving their goals. They will participate in the online portion of the course through various methods such as discussion boards, journals, and assignments.

They will still have the valuable classroom time they need to connect via group projects and to see a host of aviation professionals and speakers that are a part of the course. The department is very excited to provide this upgrade to the program.

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JANIS SOFERR,

Department of English Thanks to a TAC grant, I am currently creating an online World Literature I course. The course will use primary literature texts, secondary literary criticism and historical background sources, videos and, hopefully, maps, art inspired by ancient, medieval and Renaissance literature, and a bit of music as well. The course will have seven modules starting with Gilgamesh and ending with Hamlet. It will be writing intensive with weekly discussion board posts and bi-weekly reflective essays.

My primary goal is to create a warm, helpful and lively learning community in which students can openly explore the great themes of world literature.

A possible goal is to eventually move away from expensive literature anthologies by using online primary sources and Open Educational Resources (OER) for secondary sources.

Though I’m starting from scratch, the Teaching and Learning Online (TLO) course with its emphasis on best practices, the Blackboard open labs, and the gallery of online courses have been of great help. Many thanks to the more than competent and always patient Academic Technology staff.

TAD SUITOR,

FRANK TWISS,

I received a TAC grant to implement Open Educational Resources (OER) in my class, Television: The Big Picture (MDA108). My goal is to eliminate the need for the textbook and to get students to subscribe to a video streaming service instead. Commercial streaming services are cheaply available, but the challenge will be finding one with a greater amount of television that is relevant to class themes. My biggest anticipated challenge is finding high-quality articles and videos that relate to class themes, and that historicize class topics while also being contemporary and timely, as students are often unfamiliar with television more than 5-10 years old.

My TAC project involves the creation of an online course entitled “Fundamentals of Fire Prevention.” This important course centers around the critical importance of fire prevention and the responsibility of every firefighter to invest in a commitment to reduce firefighter and civilian deaths and injuries. As firefighters, we must make an investment in ourselves, our department, and our community to establish a level of fire prevention effort that meets the needs of our city/ town. The class is structured around the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) Model Curriculum and focuses on many aspects of fire prevention, code enforcement, and public fire and life safety education.

adjunct, Cultural Arts Department

LYNN WERMERS,

Department of Computer and Information Sciences My TAC grant was to create a hybrid section of the CPS 100, Information The EDGE: 25th edition

Spring 2016

adjunct, Department of Fire Protection and Safety Program

Technology and Its Applications, course. Having taught CPS 100 both online and on-campus, I realized that some students would be well-served with the flexibility a hybrid section provides. With help from the Academic Technology Department, the CPS 100 hybrid course was designed to meet one day each week on campus with the remainder of the coursework completed online. Two hybrid sections were offered this spring, providing an additional option for students taking this course.

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RYAN VAUTOUR, adjunct, Department of English

The goal of my TAC grant project is to present my students with options that meet their academic needs without busting their budgets in today’s ever-evolving world.

Anthologies—even the best of them—are generally cumbersome, formulaic, and, perhaps worst of all, expensive! Therefore, I’m determined to implement a more affordable, portable, and succinct means of disseminating information to my classes.

TERRI WHITNEY,

Department of English My TAC grant is to create Open Educational Resources (OER) for my online Short Story class next fall.

Because so many of the works I assign in this class are out of copyright, I

The EDGE: 25th edition

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I propose to achieve this goal by sourcing the necessary materials for my Ancient World Literature course from Open Educational Resources (OER).

By compiling the most accessible and authoritative available versions of only the material included on my syllabus, my students will be equipped with a sleek and condensed anthology made available digitally, via Blackboard, and in print, via Amazon.com. The practical benefits of this OER approach are manifold: First and foremost, my students will save real money. Second, those who prefer to use tablets will now have the opportunity to do so.

Third, either one’s tablet, or the streamlined print version of this anthology, will no doubt be less burdensome to bring to class (and thus, less apt to be “left at home”). And finally, having all the course material available online for download before the semester even begins leaves no excuses for add/drop week unpreparedness! I want my students engaged and learning from class one.

MARIA VAZQUEZ, Department of Behavioral Sciences

I am very excited to be working with the Instructional Technology and Design Team and the North Shore Community College Library on the development of an online Introductory Psychology course that uses Open Educational Resources (OER). These are educational resources that have a Creative Commons License and can be shared with others for free. I am hoping to create an amazing learning experience for those who venture into the world of psychology, whether it be in the classroom (where I will also use OER) or online. I am also very pleased with the significant reduction in the cost of textbooks that this project will generate for my students.

thought that this class might be the one I teach that is best suited to using OER. I knew that I would face difficulty with the more contemporary stories, but Lance Eaton and Christine Goodchild have been very helpful in coming up with solutions that I hope will work. My goal is, of course, to save money for students, but in the process I want to make sure not to undermine the academic integrity of the class by relying on inferior translations, for example. I have nearly completed the new syllabus and am optimistic that the OER approach will work. Fingers crossed.

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SAFEASSIGN SafeAssign is one of those new tools.

Blackboard Learn defines SafeAssign as “a tool used to prevent plagiarism and to create opportunities to help students identify how to properly attribute sources rather than paraphrase. SafeAssign is effective as both a deterrent and an educational tool.” SafeAssign is a lightweight version of the popular plagiarism checker known as TurnItIn. It does not have all of TurnItIn’s features but does produce originality reports that identify where content may have been strongly influenced by or taken word-for-word from other sources on the Internet or at least one online database. It is far from perfect, but it can be a useful tool for both faculty and students.

BLACKBOARD LEARN TOOL

W

SPOTLIGHT

by Andrea Milligan and Lance Eaton

When the college moved to Blackboard Learn,

we ended up with a few new features that many faculty may not be familiar with but might be interested in trying: SafeAssign, an anti-plagiarism feature, and rubrics, the interactive grading tool.

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Spring 2016

For students, SafeAssign can help identify areas that they need to work on around understanding the difference between quoting and paraphrasing as well as where they may have forgotten or misunderstood the expectations about citing and quoting. For faculty, SafeAssign can save time in trying to determine if a paper is using original content or material from other sources. It can also help faculty quickly see if and how much a student has drawn upon the course content or other resources which can vary in importance depending on the assignment.

Currently, SafeAssign works with any Word and PDF documents that students submit through the Assignment feature.

Though SafeAssign cannot currently be used with discussions, journal entries, or blog posts, faculty can always copy and paste content to submit through the DirectSubmit option.

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TO MANUALLY SUBMIT CONTENT TO SAFEASSIGN: 1. In the course Control Panel, select Course Tools and then click SafeAssign 2. Click DirectSubmit.

3. Click Submit Paper (over to the right).

4. Select Upload File or Copy/Paste Document. a. Browse for the file if you have the Word or PDF document or enter a *Paper Title and paste content under *Paper Text.

5. Click Submit.

6. Wait a couple of minutes and then refresh the DirectSubmit page.

7. Click the green checkmark across from the paper title to view the originality report.

You can learn more about using SafeAssign in Blackboard Learn at http://en-us.help.blackboard.com/ Learn/9.1_2014_04/Instructor/100_Assignments/025_Use_SafeAssign

RUBRICS Another great tool in Blackboard Learn is the interactive grading rubrics.

Rubrics are an assessment tool that can be a “useful and effective way for faculty to convey assignment criteria to students as well as provide feedback to students on their submitted work.”

Rubrics provide clear and substantive evaluation criteria with achievement levels for an assignment by “dividing the assigned work into parts and providing clear descriptions of the characteristics of the work associated with each part, at varying skill levels.”

Since rubrics can be made visible to students before submitting an assignment, they can help students understand the assignment requirements and the expected level of work necessary to reach a performance standard or attain the desired grade.

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Faculty can use rubrics to help them grade student work more consistently and objectively as well as provide detailed feedback and explain grade rationale. Through this feedback, rubrics can also help provide a clear explanation of areas where students excel or need to work on.

Rubrics can be associated with a variety of gradable items in Blackboard Learn — discussion forums; assignments; journals, blogs, and wikis; essay and short answer test questions — as well as a column in the Grade Center. The rubric tool in Blackboard Learn provides faculty with an easy-to-use point and click interface to grade from. Faculty can even provide feedback at the specific criteria level. Since all criteria are associated with point values, the grade calculations are done automatically by the rubric and the final grade is immediately stored in the Grade Center. Rubrics can be created, edited, and managed from the Course Tools area of the Control Panel.

TO CREATE A RUBRIC: 1. In the course Control Panel, select Course Tools and then click Rubrics.

2. Click Create Rubric.

3. On the Create Rubric page, set up the rubric. a. Enter a name for the rubric and give it a description (optional). b. Select rubric type (percentage or points). c. Add, edit and rearrange the criteria (rows) and levels of achievement (columns). d. Add specific criteria descriptions or competencies. e. Adjust weights to each row or column.

4. Click Submit.

Once a rubric has been created, it will be listed on the Rubrics page.

The rubric will then need to be linked to an actual assignment, discussion forum, etc.

TO LINK A RUBRIC: 1. Go to the course Content Area where the item to link a rubric to is.

2. Click the chevron to the right of the item’s title and select Edit.

3. In the Grading section, enter the number of points possible.

Click Add Rubric and then Select Rubric.

4. On the Select Rubrics window, check off the rubric you want to use with the item. Click Submit.

5. The rubric will now appear in the Associated Rubrics section.

6. Set the Show Rubric to Students option. The default is No. A recommended option is Yes (with rubric scores).

7. Click Submit.

You can learn more about using Rubrics in Blackboard Learn at http://help.blackboard.com/en-us/ Learn/9.1_2014_04/Instructor/120_ Grade_Center/020_Grading/010_Rubrics.

Have questions? Want to learn more?

Please contact Instructional Technology and Design at itd@northshore.edu.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING ONLINE (TLO)

by Andrea Milligan and Lance Eaton

T

The first phase for faculty who wish to design and develop an online or hybrid course at North Shore Community College is participation in a six week online Teaching and Learning Online (TLO) professional development course. TLO is designed to encourage faculty to reflect on their current teaching practices and learn instructional design best practices and strategies that will allow them to successfully translate their teaching style and course elements to the online or hybrid environment.

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Participation in TLO provides faculty with a dedicated opportunity to: • Reflect upon their teaching practice that can impact even face-to-face courses.

• Learn about NSCC’s expectations for online and hybrid courses.

• Hear from colleagues and share ideas, resources, and pedagogical strategies.

• Actively start working on the development of their online or hybrid course and receive feedback from peers.

• Be exposed to the most recent trends in online and hybrid pedagogy and instructional technologies.

• Gain insight, ideas, and feedback from experienced and knowledgeable instructional design professionals.

• Further connect with the NSCC community.

We are continually revising TLO to update resources, incorporate recent examples, implement current strategies, and integrate new technologies.

Currently, we are embarking on a project to add short videos from veteran online and hybrid faculty on how they have implemented different best practices and strategies into their own courses as well as provide tips and suggestions to new faculty members just starting on the path to teaching and learning online. To get a sense of what we are trying to accomplish, here is Dr. Kara Kaufman’s short video discussing an assessment in her course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwAOCzm88cY.

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FEEDBACK Feedback from faculty who have participated in TLO (both as new to online teaching and those who have taught online before at other institutions) has been very positive: • “ My attitude about how I will teach the course has changed. I had gotten in a bit of a rut with the online course I teach, and am now considering ways to allow for more interaction, flexibility, and room for tangents.”

• “ I’m familiar with online learning both as an instructor and as a student. However, I haven’t taken an online course as a student in several years, so the experience has reminded me of what it was like from a student’s perspective.

One of the things that I was reminded of was how important prompt feedback was in ensuring that I felt ‘supported.’ Andrea and Lance always provided very prompt feedback and addressed questions right away.”

• “ . . . all of it was refreshing and certainly has made me reflect on my teaching styles and how much room for improvement there is in all my courses. I have already re-written some assignments as a result of this course experience.”

• “ Finally, I do think that this course will change my F2F teaching. I will incorporate more technology in my F2F classes and will be spending lots of time to refresh my existing PPT presentations to include video clips, as one example.

Thank you all for this experience!”

The EDGE: 25th edition

Spring 2016

• “ This also was my first online class, and it really made me think of how I can improve my F2F classroom with this wide array of technology that we were introduced to in this class.”

• “ Personally, this course helped me to reflect upon the different aspects of teaching, including student-to-student interaction, faculty-student interaction, etc.

It also gave me the opportunity to interact with other teachers and learn from their work. In general, I enjoyed the time I spent in working for this course, as it broadened my perspective and allowed me to learn both as a teacher and as a student.”

“

[This course] helped me to reflect upon the different aspects of teaching, including studentto-student interaction, facultystudent interaction, etc.

”

• “ I think the deepest learning that I participated in was not confined to the online/hybrid format, but can be applied to a F2F course as well. It was a joy and an eye opener to be in the student position rather than the faculty. It was fun to observe my thought processes around completing assignments, due dates, and giving and receiving feedback.”

At this time, TLO is offered twice a year, once in January-February and again in May-June. The winter session is primarily reserved for faculty who have received a TAC grant while the summer session is generally open to all interested faculty.

“

Finally, I do think that this course will change my F2F teaching.

”

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NSCC LITERARY WEBSITES KIOSK

Lynn Museum, 590 Washington St., Lynn, MA

IN THE LYNN MUSEUM

by Terri Whitney

T

The Lynn Museum and NSCC are in the final stages of arranging for the installation of a computer kiosk at the museum which will feature three literary websites developed at NSCC: Poetry of Places in Essex County John Greenleaf Whittier: Essex County’s Famous Son Hawthorne in Salem

The EDGE: 25th edition

Spring 2016

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The Poetry of Places in Essex County website was developed by Carl Carlsen (Professor Emeritus, Department of English) and Julie Riley (former Instructional Technology Specialist at NSCC);

The John Greenleaf Whittier: Essex County’s Famous Son website was developed

by Sue Herman (Professor Emerita, Department of English) and Julie Riley (former Instructional Technology Specialist at NSCC); The Director of the Lynn Museum, Drew Russo, says that he is excited about the project, especially as it conforms to the museum’s mission of providing cultural information related to Essex County, and all three of these literary sites focus on writers from Essex County.

The Hawthorne in Salem website was developed with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

by Terri Whitney in collaboration with the Peabody Essex Museum, the House of the Seven Gables, and the Salem Maritime National Historic Site as well as with the help of scholars and professors around the country (including

The EDGE: 25th edition

Spring 2016

Joseph Modugno, Department of English at NSCC). Sandy Carriker (Professor Emerita and former Dean of Academic Technology) served as co-director of the project; web design was by outside consultant, David Masher; and site programming and other technical help were provided by faculty, staff, and former students at NSCC.

NSCC has supplied the equipment for the kiosk, and the Hawthorne in Salem programmers will copy the three sites to the local machine. The computer will not be connected to the Internet and will run in kiosk mode so that the browser cannot be closed. This should reduce the risk of technical problems.

We anticipate having the exhibit installed by the end of April or early May, though we are still working with the NSCC administration on signage.

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