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Browse Help Articles Submit a TicketFaculty Training
The Center for Online Learning & Teaching Technology will be offering various training on Quality Matters, Blackboard Learn and other supported tools. These sessions are open to all UTRGV faculty interested in learning more about Blackboard Learn and how they can apply it to their courses and beneficial for faculty who are currently teaching or will be teaching fully online or hybrid courses in the near future.
The training that we offered are listed below, please check the training services website for specific dates and times. If you need to request a special training session for a group of faculty or staff, please submit a Faculty Help Request.
Note: To receive full credit for attending training sessions, you need to be present for the entire duration of the session. Attendance will be tracked on the UTRGV Training Services portal for our departmental professional development records.
Applying the Quality Matters Rubric Workshop
This workshop goes over the Apply the Quality Matters Rubric and how to apply it in reviewing the design of online and blended courses. This rubric introduces participants to best practices, instructional design, and research-based design principles of an online/hybrid course to ensure quality assurance. This workshop is required if you are planning to teach online.
| Date | Modality | Location | Sign Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 10 | F2F | Brownsville (BMAIN 1.514) | Register Now! |
| Mar. 3 | F2F | Edinburg (ELABS 142) | Register Now! |
| Apr. 21 | F2F | Brownsville (BMAIN 1.514) | Register Now! |
Getting your Blackboard Course Ready
The purpose of this training is to get your online/hybrid/face-to-face course ready for next semester. Ensure you have all the essential elements to have an excellent online/faculty presence and show you how to create a course copy, manage course dates, and add/edit course content as needed such as updating your course syllabus.
This session will also cover adding Zoom into your course and setting up virtual meetings in preparation for the first two weeks of remote and synchronous learning.
| Date | Time | Brownsville Campus | Edinburg Campus |
| Jan. 10 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Online | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar. 28 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Online | Online |
| May 2 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Online | Online |
Blackboard Basics
This training is designed to help faculty members develop the basic knowledge and skills necessary to use Blackboard Learn. This training covers the basics of Blackboard navigation, creating, editing, and deleting items, folders, manage discussion boards, etc.
| Date | Time | Brownsville Campus | Edinburg Campus |
| Jan. 17 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Online | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 14 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Online | Online |
| Mar. 7 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Online | Online |
| Apr. 4 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Online | Online |
Blackboard Advanced (Gradecenter)
Empower yourself to teach with maximum efficiency by understanding Blackboard Learn’s powerful Grade Center. The Grade Center is more than just a location to record students' grades--it is an interactive tool that allows faculty to filter, sort, and access data, calculate grades, and monitor student progress. Join this session to learn the basics of efficiently managing your columns, creating a weighted column (final grade), creating smartviews and generating reports.
| Date | Time | Brownsville Campus | Edinburg Campus |
| Jan. 24 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Online | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 20 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Online | Online |
| Mar. 14 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Online | Online |
| Apr. 18 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Online | Online |
Panopto Basics
The Basic Training Webinar is designed for new users and beginners who would like to learn how to use the Panopto software. This webinar will cover creating, managing, and editing sessions as well as navigating the Panopto interface.
| Date | Time | Brownsville Campus | Edinburg Campus |
| Jan. 31 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Online | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 28 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Online | Online |
| Mar. 21 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Online | Online |
| Apr. 25 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Online | Online |
Respondus LockDown Browser & Respondus Monitor
This comprehensive training webinar is intended for instructors who plan to use LockDown Browser and/or Respondus Monitor with online exams. The session provides a detailed demonstration of both applications, including enhancements that make Respondus Monitor even more effective and easy to use.
| Date | Time | Format |
| Jan. 26 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 31 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Online |
| Feb. 2 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Online |
| Feb. 7 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Online |
| Feb. 15 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Online |
Respondus 4.0 and the Test Bank Network
Find out how Respondus 4.0 allows you to create and manage exams that can be printed to paper or published directly to your LMS, and how the Test Bank Network enables instructors to create online tests from official publisher test banks.
| Date | Time | Format |
| Feb. 1 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Online |
|---|
Top Hat
Engage Your Students in Any Environment with Top Hat
Sign up for Top Hat webinars and tutorials. Learn how to use Top Hat for engaging students into active learning.
Turning Technologies
Join Turning Point webinars. Learn how to setup Turning Point, how faculty use the receiver, how to create a polling presentation in PowerPoint, and how to integrate or create sessions.
Engagement Tools for Online/Hybrid Learning
Would you like to learn new technology tools to increase student engagement in your courses? We'll discuss different tools that will help you collaborate with your learners, increase interaction, and enhance learning.
| Date | Time | Brownsville Campus | Edinburg Campus |
| Jan. 26 | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Online | Online |
|---|
Cognitive Bias: I Make Bad Decisions, Do You?
Everyone has a bias; it’s how we reflect and leverage them to optimize learning that matters. Explore what guides us and our learner’s decisions and why we make choices that make us go, wait, what?!?
| Date | Time | Brownsville Campus | Edinburg Campus |
| Feb. 16 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Online | Online |
|---|
Motivation in Online Courses: How the ARCS Model Can Help
Do you feel that your students are disengaged or unmotivated? Well, we know that motivating students in an online setting can be challenging. If you’re looking to learn more about Motivation, join us in our virtual session that covers the ARCS Model of Motivation by John Keller! In this session, you will be able to incorporate essential motivational skills that will improve not only your course design, but your online motivational presence. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
| Date | Time | Brownsville Campus | Edinburg Campus |
| Mar. 9 | 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM | Online | Online |
|---|
Leveraging Blackboard Technology in Online Courses
One of the best ways to provide clear and effective communication is to leverage readily available blackboard technologies. This session will provide tips and best practices that aim to elevate communication with students by providing effective Announcements and engaging Discussion Boards; it will also demonstrate how to provide effective feedback through rubrics and grade center features found in Blackboard.
| Date | Time | Brownsville Campus | Edinburg Campus |
| Mar. 2 | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Online | Online |
|---|
Empowering Learning Through Student Engagement
This session will provide strategies and resources that can be used in your courses to cultivate student engagement. The strategies to incorporate and encourage student participation will be discussed along with technology tools and useful resources that can be adapted for both online and face to face learning.
| Date | Time | Brownsville Campus | Edinburg Campus |
| Feb. 9 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Online | Online |
|---|
Student Activity Reports in Blackboard
Interested in seeing how your students are interacting with the content in your course? In this session, you can look forward to exploring multiple activity reports, Grade Center history, content statistics reports, and test attempt details. Join us to build your skills in accessing these reports in Blackboard, interpreting the data, and using it to manage your class and make teaching decisions.
| Date | Time | Brownsville Campus | Edinburg Campus |
| Feb. 2 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Online | Online |
|---|
Nociones basicas de accesibilidad y diseño universal en cursos en linea.
Ven y acompañanos! En este curso reconoceremos las leyes de Accesibilidad y Diseño Universal. Exploraremos los Elementos que debemos considerar en Accesibilidad y Diseño Universal de Cursos en Linea. Tambien, aplicaremos los pasos necesarios para corregir problemas de accesibilidad en nuestros cursos en Linea.
| Fecha | Hora | Brownsville | Edinburg |
| TBA | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Online | Online |
|---|
La presencia del profesor en el aula virtual. Lo que los estudiantes quieren.
La cantidad de estudiantes que abandonan un curso en línea se encuentra entre el 60% y el 80%. Estudiar en línea exige tiempo, motivación, y una mayor responsabilidad. Acompáñanos a descubrir como influir positivamente en el aprendizaje de nuestros estudiantes en el aula virtual.
| Fecha | Hora | Brownsville | Edinburg |
| Apr. 20 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Online | Online |
|---|
Las mejores prácticas para enseñar un curso híbrido o en linea.
¿Qué prácticas aplica cuando enseña en un entorno híbrido o en línea? Aprendamos y apliquemos las mejores estrategias para que el aprendizaje sea más significativo.
| Fecha | Hora | Brownsville | Edinburg |
| TBA | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Online | Online |
|---|
