Spring Classes – Blackboard & Canvas
All spring classes are available to faculty now in Blackboard, and will also be in Canvas within the next few days. Remember, MiraCosta will support Blackboard, Moodle, and Canvas through spring of 2018, with full conversion to Canvas by summer 2018. Please see the TIC page on Canvas for lots of great resources if you wish to begin exploring Canvas now; you may also be interested in the video of the fall Flex “Goodbye Blackboard and Moodle, Hello Canvas” webinar featuring MiraCosta faculty Billy Gunn and Curry Mitchell. Also, if you have not seen the FA’s update on the Canvas transition, it is recommended reading.
Online Teaching Conference
After a few years in San Diego, the CCC Online Teaching Conference will be held in Anaheim June 19-21. The call for presentations is open until November 30, and the Office of Online Education will fund travel costs for all MiraCostans who have presentations accepted at the conference.
Blackboard Quiz/Test Bug
If you give Blackboard quizzes or tests that include open-ended questions, and that present all questions at once, please review the details about a problem with students using Internet Explorer 11 to take your quiz or test.
Turnitin Unavailability this Saturday, Nov. 5
Turnitin has scheduled maintenance this Saturday from 6-11 am which means Turnitin will not be available during that time. Please share this with your students if they might be trying to hand in work via Turnitin this weekend.
Blackboard Archive Access
Access to the Blackboard archive server, which contains courses from spring 2015 and earlier, is now restricted to AIS helpdesk staff. You may view directions for requesting an export of courses from spring 2015 or earlier.
Online Education Initiative (OEI) Update
MiraCosta is one of 24 pilot colleges in the OEI. Pat James, the OEI’s first executive director, is retiring in January and recently provided a thorough look back at all the OEI has accomplished and a look ahead at what is to come.
Professional Learning Opportunities
- Take a 4-5 week online teaching class starting January 9 from @One. The Introduction to Teaching with Canvas course is free for MiraCosta faculty with the OEIfree4U code.
- Get up to speed on 3CMediaSolutions, a great resource for storing, streaming, and curating instructional video.
- Watch an archived online Flex workshop led by me or Karen Korstad from this fall or past semesters.
- Santa Barbara City College is hosting a free event, Pedagogy to Increase Student Success: An Unconference for Online Educators on Feb. 25, 2017.
Jim Julius, Ed.D.
Faculty Director, Online Education
Vice President, Academic Senate
