Going Google at USP - Preview

Join us for a Webinar on April 23

The University of the Sciences is rolling out Google Apps for Education on April 29. This optional resource will give all faculty, students and staff a state-of-the-art communication and collaboration platform to supplement our existing e-learning infrastructure. We will have the ability to share and collaboratively edit documents compatible with Word, Excel and PowerPoint. We can create unlimited Wiki websites (Sites in Google parlance) and stream videos from our own private branded YouTube-like site. All content resides in our own protected domain and will require a login and password. Content is not exposed to the public through search engines.

Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/149845666

Title: Academic Tech Webinar Series: Going Google at USP Preview Date: Friday, April 23, 2010 Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT Where: Your Desktop After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Certification Course for Teaching Online

Online Courses: Step-by-Step is a new program to help faculty members teach online comfortably and confidently. Have you wanted to incorporate online teaching into your course? Are you interested in bringing your passion for teaching into the virtual world, but uncertain how to get there? Are you concerned about a long and painful learning curve? Or are you teaching online now, but the experience is less than what you expected?

You don’t need to be a technology whiz … you don’t need to be a programmer … you don’t need a sophisticated understanding of the online world. You simply need to be a committed educator interested in reaching students in this exciting new way.

Online Courses: Step-by-Step is a three-module program developed in partnership with program designer John Orlando, Instructional Resource Manager of Norwich University’s School of Graduate Studies and a ten-year veteran of online faculty training. The focus is on the three areas critical to your success in moving online:

• The pedagogy of online teaching.
• The “tools of the online trade.”
• How to get your course up and running.

You’ll complete one module per week for three weeks, developing a thorough understanding of virtually every aspect of the online teaching experience.

If you are interested in taking the course, please contact Dr. Rod Murray. Although this is not an instructor-led course, Rod will be available throughout the course to answer questions and participate in online discussions.

NOTE: Do not sign up on your own on the Magna Publications website -- the University gets a group discount.

Next Frontier: Innovation, Trends & Realities of Online and Blended Education

If you missed the Drexel E-Learning 2.0 Conference on March 25, it's not too late to learn from some of our colleagues. The highlight of the Conference was the keynote presentation by Dr. Kristen Betts. Don't miss this Mediasite recording of the Keynote:



Other presentations that I attended and would highly recommend are:

• The Many Avenues to Quality Assurance In Online Education
• Education 2.0: Leveraging Collaborative Tools for Teaching
• Connecting With Online Students Using Web-Conferencing Technologies
• Lowering the Bar: Simple Tools for Online and Blended Courses

The complete listing of the conference presentations can be found at Conference Presentations.

Drexel e-Learning 2.0 Conference

Register today for the 8th annual e-Learning 2.0 Conference! 

Date: Thursday, March 25, 2010
Time: 7:30 am – 4 pm
Location: Drexel University’s Creese Student Center.

Click on the following link to view a short, 4-minute video preview from  keynote speaker, Dr. Kristen Betts, Associate Clinical Professor of Higher Education at Drexel’s School of Education: http://rmcp.dcollege.net/playlists/18337/202408.html. 

The video presents highlights of the conference as well as an overview of the keynote address, which will discuss the idea of “Online Human Touch” and cover national data trends and new technologies in online and blended education.  To view a longer version of the video, visit the keynote speaker page on the conference website at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/events/eLearningConf/keynote.

To access the preliminary conference program and to register, visit the conference website at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/events/eLearningConf. 

The registration fee of $100 ($25 for students) includes welcome materials, access to the presentations, a continental breakfast, lunch, and chances to win fabulous door prizes including an Apple iPad!  If you have any questions, email el2n@drexel.edu.

Virtual Symposium: Education for Everyone: Expanding Access through Technology

The 2010 Virtual Symposium is co-organized by Drexel University School of Education and Wainhouse Research, and co-hosted by the World Bank Institute's Global Development Learning Network, in Beijing.

This year's theme is "Education for Everyone: Expanding Access through Technology." The event will include on-demand presentations and interactive blogs from presenters in North America, Europe and Asia, beginning on March 1st. Live presentations and panel discussions will begin on March 22.

Here is a sample listing of presentation titles in the higher education area:

• Accreditation & Assessment in Online Learning – Radical Change Breeds Global Access
• E-Portfolios as a Capstone Experience for Online Learners
• Examining Faculty Use of Social Networking in Teaching and Community Building
• Leveraging Technology for Synchronous Instruction – Using Web-based Conferencing as a Course Delivery System
• Critical Success Factors for Building Distance Education Programs
• Developing Effective Online Teaching Strategies in Leadership Courses
• Mathematics on a Digital Napkin
• Preparing Students for the Cognitive and Meta-cognitive Demands of Online Learning
• Leveling the Playing Field with ePortfolios
• The iPhone as an Academic Tool

Register Now - FREE

We hope you can view some of these on-demand recorded presentations (now) and participate in live sessions and panel discussions starting March 22.

University of the Sciences is Going Google!

The University of the Sciences will be rolling out Google Apps for Education soon. This optional resource will give all faculty, students and staff a state-of-the-art communication and collaboration platform to supplement our existing e-learning infrastructure. We will have the ability to share and collaboratively edit documents compatible with Word, Excel and PowerPoint. We can create unlimited Wiki websites (Sites in Google parlance) and stream videos from our own private branded YouTube-like site.

All content resides in our own protected domain and will require a login and password. Content is not exposed to the public through search engines.

View this 30 minute recorded webinar to get oriented to the features of this new offering:



Stay tuned for additional posts as we prepare for the official roll-out.

Organizing Blended Courses for Optimal Student Engagement

Mark you calendar! Join us and participate in this Academic Tech Webinar Series event.

Despite the growing acceptance and recognized benefits of online education, many instructors and students discover they miss the dynamics of a face-to-face class. A blended course, which combines traditional class time with online learning elements, has emerged as a powerful solution that provides the best of both worlds.

When done correctly, a blended (or hybrid) course leads to more productive in-class time and more engaged learning outside of class, ultimately improving learning outcomes. Plus, as an added bonus, blended learning provides much-needed relief for overbooked classrooms at a time when most capital improvement projects have been put on hold.

Faculty Focus invites you to join Dr. Ike Shibley of Penn State for a live video seminar guaranteed to inspire you to think more creatively about how to use blended course delivery to get students actively involved with their course material.

Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Time: 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

Where: Griffith Hall Room 110-C

In Organizing Blended Courses for Optimal Student Engagement, Dr. Shibley will address the unique pedagogical challenges of blended learning, and the proven strategies and technologies he uses with his students.
This online seminar will cover:

• Effective blended techniques before, during and after class
• Using clickers to create a more active classroom
• Ways to reach higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy with clicker questions
• How to write quiz questions that encourage students to rehearse material
• Best methods to increase engagement through blended course design
• How blended learning makes assessment easier

There’s never been a better time for blended learning. Sign-up for this strategy-filled seminar today!