Preparing your Semester 2, 2018 course

3 Jul 2018
eLearning Update, eLearning Systems and Support
Tuesday 3 July

Order your Semester 2 courses now

You can request your Learn.UQ course for Semester 2, 2018 now!

1. Use the online Site Request form located on the Staff tab in Learn.UQ. This form also allows you to request a copy of course content from a previous semester.

Order course

OR

2. Publish your Electronic Course Profile (ECP) for a blank course template to be created automatically within 48 hours. For content to be copied, request a 'copy' through the Staff tab mentioned above.

For step-by-step instructions refer to the guide on Course Requests.

Learn.UQ Course Site Design

A new Learn.UQ template and course design guidelines were introduced last semester. The video below walks you through the main design features.

Course Site Design

Top 7 Learn.UQ Course Site Design tips

 Menu icon Use the New Menu

The new menu in the Blackboard template has an optimised structure, making it faster and easier for students to use.
video (YouTube, 1m 42s)

Welcome desk icon Welcome

Create a site banner and provide a friendly announcement message to welcome students and increase their engagement with the content. UQ policy requires courses to be available to students at least one week before the first teaching activity.
video (YouTube, 1m 42s)

Course staff icon Course Staff

Provide details and photos of all teaching team members. The Course Coordinator should always be at the top, together with reasons for students to contact them, allowing students to recognise and contact team members.
video (YouTube, 1m 42s)

Help icon Course Help

Provide references to your course's ECP and links to School, Faculty and UQ resources to ensure consistency of communication and policy and answer a range of common student questions.
video (YouTube, 2m 01s)

Calendar icon Weekly Structure

There should be one Learning Resource folder per week or module (titled with the week number and a description of the topic) which includes all relevant content.
video (YouTube, 3m 35s)

Folder icon Assessment Folders

Put all of the information and resources such as assessment items, submission links and instructions into one folder with the same title as in the ECP to provide clarity on the item requirements and submission process.
video (YouTube, 2m 58s)

Wifi icon Publish Promptly

Check and publish your ECP and make sure your site is available in Orientation Week to help students prepare for the commencement of your course.

Refer to the Learn.UQ Course Site Design guide for more detailed instruction.

Course Site Design Exemplar

Access the Course Site Design Exemplar to use as the basis for the Learn.UQ Basic workshop training courses and the student Introductions to Learn.UQ (Blackboard) workshop training courses. The exemplar provides an example of how to structure your course in preparation for the semester.

eLearning Solutions Service - Assistance with Turnitin

The eLearning Solutions Service offers limited one-on-one consultations regarding Turnitin assessment. From 9 July 2018, staff can nominate to use this service. Resource permitting, we will provide assistance for the duration of the semester. To make a nomination please follow the steps on the eLearning Solutions Service website.

Go to the Appointments Page to book a session and an eLearning advisor will make contact with you to arrange an initial consultation. All advisors have either a BEd or GradDipEd.

Start of Semester course availability

Blackboard course sites now need to be available to students at least one week prior to the first teaching activity, with at least a welcome message. Full online course presence is required before the first teaching activity. Refer to the Minimum Presence in Blackboard policy 3.80.01 for more information.

Activation is the coordinator’s responsibility. More details can be found at the Course Availability guide for step-by-step instructions.

Not finished setting up your course? Just hide the menu links and create an announcement to welcome your students.

UQ ePortfolio system - Semester 1, 2019

The UQ ePortfolio system allows students to digitally showcase their work, helping them understand and communicate their employability. The system facilitates tracking student learning and development at course and program level, over time, as well as supporting collaborative, multimodal and reflective assessment practices.

The project team is currently engaging with program leads and course coordinators interested in using the ePortfolio system from the start of Semester 1, 2019 and Semester 2, 2019. To request a meeting to discuss potentials for your course or program, go to the UQ ePortfolio tool page, and choose Request to Meet. Requests for using UQ ePortfolio in Semester 1, 2019 close 20 July.

eLearning Tips

e-Examinations

Robyn Parry discusses how she has used e-Examinations to create more time-efficient and streamlined logistics in her course while also describing the benefits it has had on her students. Watch the video case study to see how e-Examinations have changed how the flexibility in times can be advantageous to staff and students.

Robyn Parry

More video case studies

Surveys

Learn how to create student surveys in Blackboard and have results collated automatically and anonymously. Use them to gather feedback on course content, organisation and learning activities. Watch the video below for step-by-step instructions of how to create surveys (8m 43s).

survey

Grade Security Tips

The use of a central system such as Blackboard Grade Centre improves the security of student grades, as there a number of in-built security features such as logging and activity monitoring. There are also a number of practical strategies you can employ to improve grades management and security as follows:

1. Follow general computer security guidelines such as using strong passwords.

2. Record reasons for any changes made to marks or grades.

3. Review the history of mark changes, to identify potential manipulations and errors before transferring grades to SI-net.

For additional information, refer to the Grades Security webpage.

Blackboard Upgrade

Blackboard will be upgraded over the weekend of 7 and 8 July and will be unavailable for the duration. There will be some new features including an update of the maths editor, and improvements in accessibility. The Blackboard (Learn.UQ) Upgrade project page has more information.

Grade Centre SI-Net Button

New Grade Centre functionality is currently in development to allow direct transfer of grades to SI-net. This will improve the efficiency of grade management at UQ by reducing the need for staff to export grades to a spreadsheet for manual upload. For more information, please refer to the Grades Management project page.

Workshops

eLearning Workshops

The eLearning team are offering a range of practical workshops on eLearning tools during 2018.  For a description of each workshop, dates and to register, visit the Staff Development / Teaching and Learning Technologies site. Upcoming workshops include:

ITaLI Workshops

Active Learning Symposium

The HASS Faculty Active Learning Pathways project (ALPP)'s Active Learning Symposium is where you can hear from about 15 active learning initiatives developed and implemented by academics from all Schools across the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. To register for the 6 July symposium, please visit the Active Learning Pathways webpage.

Posters and Collaboration pitches for QUES 2018

Staff are invited to submit an Expression of Interest to share innovative teaching practice at the 2018 Queensland University Educators Showcase (QUES) which will be held at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs campus on Friday, 28 September. The showcase celebrates and shares practice from teaching and learning university educators, and building networks across Queensland universities. To pitch a collaboration, visit QUES Call for Proposals by Monday 2 July. Registration to the event can be found at the QUES registration page.

Upcoming ITaLI Masterclass

From learning lab to the classroom: Evidence-informed design for learning

Transforming research into teaching practice in a higher education context can be difficult. Join Associate Professor Jason Lodge (SLRC) in this Masterclass on Thursday 12 July to learn about a design approach for evidence-based practice where blended learning delivery examples will be discussed. For more information, please visit the Teaching Masterclass page.

A new UQ framework for mentorship and enhanced learning outcomes

Learn how the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences (HMNS) has developed and successfully implemented a scalable framework (utilising a Students as Partners model) to develop authentic learning experiences and facilitate student engagement across all year levels. To register for the 9 August event, visit the Teaching Masterclass page.

Request Support

To receive a quick response on your eLearning technical problem, log a job with the UQ Staff eLearning Helpdesk using help@learn.uq.edu.au. Alternatively, you may use the Request Support button available inside Learn.UQ.

To enable a timely response please be sure to include as much information as possible with your request.

 

 

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