Adding Audio to Your Course Sites
Posted on November 27, 2007
Filed Under Collaboration, Communication, Content areas, Discussion board
In this podcast episode, we introduce new tools and suggest ways that you might use them in your courses. Voice Tools is a suite of tools that allows you to present content and communicate with your students using audio recordings within Blackboard. Using a simple interface, you and your students can record and listen to recordings without additional software.
The Wimba Voice Tools that facilitate presentation of content include:
- Voice Announcements,
- Voice Recorder,
- Voice Presentation.
Voice Tools that facilitate communication and collaboration include:
- Voice Email,
- Voice (discussion) Board,
- Voice Direct (chatroom),
- Wimba Podcaster.
Podcast
Download audio-only podcast episode (duration 7:29)
Download video podcast episode (duration 7:29)
Related Documents
Wimba Building Blocks for Blackboard 6.3-7.2 User Guide
Step-by-step instructions for Wimba Voice Tools created by WimbaUsing Wimba Voice Tools in BlackBoard
Handout introducing Wimba Voice Tools at Hunter
Related Workshop
Related Website
Wimba Support and Services
Wimba’s support website for instructors and students. Includes documentation, online workshops and quick start videos.
Creating and managing Blackboard Groups
Posted on April 10, 2007
Filed Under Collaboration, Communication
Many instructors encourage their students to share ideas or work together on projects. Blackboard has several features that support student collaboration. We have talked about some of these features - discussion boards, blogs, and wikis - in previous podcast episodes. This week we introduce Blackboard’s Group Manager. The Group Manager supports collaboration by allowing you to divide your class into smaller groups, each with its own discussion board, file exchange, chat room, and email. In the podcast episode, we share some ideas for ways of using Blackboard Groups, including study groups, peer review activities, and group projects. The accompanying document provides step-by-step instructions for creating, managing, and accessing Blackboard Groups. The links to additional resources include tips for creating successful group assignments and examples of online group work.
Podcast
Download podcast episode (duration 5:49)
Related Documents
Related Workshops
Introduction to Blackboard Communication Tools - May 4, 2007
Additional Resources
Teaching with Blackboard
Professor Karen Greenberg created this Blackboard community for Hunter faculty interested in learning about strategies for developing and teaching online courses (particularly those in which students are required to do some writing). It contains examples of group work on Blackboard and a wealth of other information about teaching and learning with Blackboard. You can request to join the community by emailing Professor Greenberg at kgreenbe@hunter.cuny.edu.Collaborative Learning: Group Work and Study Teams
This web page has tips for designing, organizing, and evaluating group work and for setting up study teams. Excerpt from the book Tools for Teaching.Enhancing Experiences of Group Work
A resource kit to help instructors manage and motivate student groups, from the University of Technology, Sydney. Contains information about designing group assignments, preparing students for group work, forming effective groups, monitoring and assessing groups, and more.Facilitating Group Work
Links to several other sites with information about effective group work.Making Group Work Count
One instructor’s experience grading group work based on student self-assessments.Assessing Group Work
Five models for assessing group work.
Have an idea for a Blackboard tip? Email us at training@hunter.cuny.edu.
Assessing Students’ Contributions to Discussion Boards
Posted on April 3, 2007
Filed Under Collaboration, Communication, Discussion board
In our last two podcast episodes, we focused on encouraging discussion board participation and managing discussion board posts. When you integrate discussion boards in your class, you might also want to make participation part of students’ grades. In this third and last podcast episode on discussion boards, we discuss different ways to assess students’ contributions to discussion boards and present a sample rubric for assessing the quality of students’ posts. We also offer some tips about Blackboard features that can facilitate discussion board assessment.
Podcast
Download podcast episode (duration 5:55)
Related Documents
Additional Resources
If you Build It, They will come: Building Learning Communities through Threaded Discussions
Article published in the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. Contains an assessment rubric and three examples of students’ posts graded using the rubric.
Sample Evaluation Rubrics
This handout, prepared by Middle Tennessee State University, contains 6 examples starting on page 5.
Evaluating Students’ Participation in Online Discussions
This paper examines some theories related to encouraging online participation and reviews a range of qualitative and quantitative methods for assessing students’ participation.Understanding Rubrics
This web page explains what a rubric is and provides guidelines for designing rubrics.
Have an idea for a Blackboard tip? Email us at training@hunter.cuny.edu.
Managing Discussion Board posts
Posted on March 27, 2007
Filed Under Collaboration, Communication, Discussion board
Managing large numbers of posts is a challenge faced by many instructors using discussion boards. In this podcast episode, we give you some suggestions about how to address this problem. Potential solutions include creating well-defined roles for you and your students, collecting new posts for viewing on a single page, and changing the order in which discussion forums appear.
Podcast
Download podcast episode (duration 5:07)
Related Documents
Additional Resources
Sample Q & A forum
Designating specific forums for certain kinds of discussions can help forums stay organized and focused. In addition to content-related forums, you might create one called “water cooler” or “student lounge” for topics not strictly related to class content. Professor Donna Nickitas of Hunter College has a forum for general questions about the course.
Sample student-led discussion forum
Many instructors initially think that they need to respond to every student posting. Sometimes, however, it might be pedagogically sound to have students respond to each other and only intervene at key moments. In this example, professor Donna Nickitas of Hunter College gives a group of students the responsibility to design discussion questions and moderate the forum.
Have an idea for a Blackboard tip? Email us at training@hunter.cuny.edu.
Encouraging participation in Discussion Boards
Posted on March 20, 2007
Filed Under Collaboration, Communication, Discussion board
Discussion forums in Blackboard allow collaboration and communication among instructors and students beyond the confines of the classroom. Two common challanges that instructors face when using discussion boards is lack of student participation and managing large numbers of posts. In this podcast episode, we discuss strategies to encourage participation.
Podcast
Download podcast episode (duration 8:28)
Related Workshops
Additional Resources
Managing Online Discussions Tutorial
Resources and strategies by the Educational Technology Center at Northeastern University.Eight Ways to Get Students More Engaged in Online Conference
Suggestions by W.R. Klemm of Texas A&M University.Pedagogical Roles and Implementation Guidelines for Online Communication Tools
Results of study published by Funaro and Montell in ALN Magazine.Online Discussion Guidelines for Students
Suggestions from Northeastern University.Blackboard Threaded Discussion Guidelines
Adaptation of materials created by Prof. Karl Soehnlein of Seton Hall University. The document includes instructions for students on how to participate in discussion forums and evaluation criteria.Blackboard Threaded Discussion Guidelines
Sample discussion board assignment by Prof. Alan Aycock of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He frames and poses discussion questions, specifies a follow-up activity and debriefs in class.Sample discussion board instructions
From Prof. Donna Nickitas of Hunter College.
Have an idea for a Blackboard tip? Email us at training@hunter.cuny.edu.
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