SoftChalk Short Courses now available!

Do you want to learn more about specific features of SoftChalk Cloud and Create? Then these Short Courses are perfect for you! These live, one-hour webinars include a presentation and examples, as well as an opportunity for you to ask questions and receive assistance from the instructor.



Upcoming Short Courses in April

• An Overview of SoftChalk Cloud
• An Overview of SoftChalk Create
• TextPoppers, Images and Hyperlinks
• Navigation Features and Sidebars
• Embedded Media
• Interactive Learning Activities: The Presentation Group
• Interactive Learning Activities: The Scoring Group
• Quizzes, Quiz Groups and SoftChalk ScoreCenter

Visit our Short Courses page for details and register today!

Engaging Lessons with EdPuzzle

Recently, I was in a course review and an instructor was sharing her course (Amy Wernette) and she showed us lessons she created in SoftChalk, but also a tool she used called EdPuzzle.

EdPuzzle, provides instructors with a great tool to edit videos to keep students engage. EdPuzzle allows you to create interactive points in a lesson and engages the student in the content area being delivered. The features of EdPuzzle can be mastered quickly and both students and instructors can benefits from it's use.

An article from EdTechReview gives backs up the claim of boosting engagement with students.

There is even a mobile app for it. So try it out!!!

KCTCS Teaching & Learning Institute

KCTCS Teaching & Learning Institute

Change: The Next Generation

Somerset Registration Extended – Deadline Feb. 11

Owensboro Registration Now Open 

Join us for the spring KCTCS Teaching & Learning Institute as we share expertise and best practices. Together we can successfully progress through change!

This institute’s focus is Change: The Next Generation – Building on Past Success to Address the Future (the impact of internal and external changes on colleges in near future).

Locations: This is a regional institute. You may attend any of the following campuses locations:

Somerset      February 13 (registration closes February 11)   Register

Owensboro    March 6 (registration closes March 1)  Register

Big Sandy      April 10 (registration not open yet)

Integrate Action Mapping in eLearning Courses

eLearning professionals are always looking for ways to keep the eLearning course design process well organized and as productive as possible, even if this may seem like a next to impossible feat in some cases. The great news is that there is a technique you can employ to identify your learning goals and to develop interactive eLearning experiences that go beyond mere virtual presentations. This technique is known as Action Mapping.

Read more on how to Integrate Action Mapping in eLearning Courses from eLearning Industry.

Basic Blackboard Training Session

A follow-up to the Basic Blackboard Training session held on November 14, 2014, will continue with a session scheduled for December 15, 2014, from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon, on the Hazard Campus, JCC (Jolly Classroom Center) Room 110. If you did not get to attend the session in November, and interested in learning more about Blackboard, you are encouraged to attend. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Blackboard Extended Maintenance – Bb Learn Update and New Features

KCTCS eLearning (Blackboard) will be unavailable Friday, December 19, at 8:00 PM ET through Sunday, December 21, 8:00 PM ET for general maintenance and upgrade to the latest version of Blackboard.

The latest version of Blackboard is installed on a staging server and is available for testing. The URL is https://kctcs-stage.blackboard.com. Please use your KCTCS credentials to login to test the new features. When you first access the staging environment, you will see a module on the left that lists a description of the new features with links to help documents and videos. There is also a place on the portal to submit any issues you find with the latest release of Blackboard. See the module titled “Report a Bug or Request a Feature” to email eLearning Services.

Learn on Demand: If you are teaching a Learn on Demand course during this time, you may need to adjust dates on assignments, tests, etc. or make other accommodations for students to successfully complete. It is recommended that you download your grade center before the system is taken offline for quick access (if needed). You are welcome to archive your course as well if you’d like. But, please remember to delete the course archive after you download it to your computer as it can take up a lot of space.

Prepare for Spring: Here are a few reminders as you prepare for the spring semester.

• All Blackboard functional questions, technical support, and performance issues should be reported to Bb Technical Support at 1-866-590-9238 or http://bbcrm.edusupportcenter.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=8158
• Please provide tech support with as much detail as possible. Helpful details include:
• Course ID:
• Student ID:
• Operating system, browser & version:
• Concise problem statement:
• Steps to reproduce:
• Results:
• Expected results:
• Be sure to check out the Known Issues (located in Blackboard) for common problems https://elearning.kctcs.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/Blackboard/KnownIssues.pdf

• To ensure you are using a Blackboard certified or compatible browser, please visit KCTCS browser information page located at: http://elearning.kctcs.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/Blackboard/SupportedBrowsersLearn9.1.pdf
• Review the “Beginning of Semester” check list on KOLTS
• It is your responsibility to open the course to students. You can do this at any time prior to the course start date. Click here for instructions.
• Course Duration should not be changed, doing so will remove the course from students’ Blackboard page. This setting should remain on Continuous.
• Login to your course(s) with your student account to verify the class is functioning as you intended.
• Use the “Add Test Student” tool to add (and remove) your student account in a class, and reset your student password. Click here for instructions.

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we continue to improve the KCTCS eLearning experience.

eLearning Services
KCTCS

December Short Courses now available! Register today!

SoftChalk Short Courses now available! Do you want to learn more about specific features of SoftChalk Cloud and Create?  Then these Short Courses are perfect for you! These live, one-hour webinars  include a presentation and examples, as well as an opportunity for you to ask  questions and receive assistance from the instructor. Upcoming Short Courses in December An Overview of SoftChalk Cloud An Overview of SoftChalk Create TextPoppers, Images and Hyperlinks Navigation Features and Sidebars Embedded Media Interactive Learning Activities: The Presentation Group Interactive Learning Activities: The Scoring Group Quizzes, Quiz Groups and SoftChalk ScoreCenter Visit our Short Courses page for details and register today! We look forward to seeing you in class! The SoftChalk Team www.softchalk.com www.softchalkcloud.com Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter