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Welcome to the August 2024 ARC!


The August, 2024 ARC will take place August 5-9 and 12,  2024. 蹤獲扦's move to Blackboard Ultra is a large focus of this conference, but you will also find valuable information about AI, Microsoft tools, OER options, syllabus review and more. Check out the schedule below! All events are free and open to anyone.

**NOTE** We have a special, extra ARC day this conference! Monday, August 12 will include some online and some in-person only sessions. 

Find session descriptions, calendar invites and meeting lInks in the daily sections below. A few days after the conference, the meeting links will be replaced with links to session recordings.  Some of our sessions align with National Institute for Student Success (NISS) recommendations, and that is noted in the session description. Certificates for NISS-aligned content will reflect the relevant NISS goal for 蹤獲扦 University.

Table indicating the schedule for the August 2024 ARC
Suggested LinkedIn Learning Challenges

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Monday, August 5th Sessions
 
Time Session Title Presenter(s) Meeting Links
9:00 am

Opening Plenary

President Muma will open the confernece, and Provost Lafever will follow with a campus update and listening session.

President Rick Muma, Provost Shirley Lefever

10:00 am

 Getting Started with Blackboard

This session will introduce you to the Blackboard Ultra environment and show you how to copy your materials from previous Blackboard classes to your new Blackboard Ultra course. Remember: copy, don't convert!

Rachel Bastian

11:00 am

Building an Ultra Course

This session covers the basics of building in Ultra. We will start with a blank course and create content from scratch, upload and link files and videos from your computer and the cloud, and copy content from other Blackboard courses, including those in Original format. 

Carolyn Speer

12:00 pm

Setting up a Blackboard Gradebook

The Gradebook is a powerful tool, but there is a learning curve. This session will cover how to set up a Gradebook and the "Overall Grade" column. We will also discuss some common pitfalls and some tricks and tips for successful Gradebook use.

Carolyn Speer

1:00 pm

What Do I Do with my Videos? 

Videos work a little differently in Ultra; in this session we will dive into the best ways to share course video, whether through Panopto, Teams or Zoom meetings, or OneDrive recordings. 

Rachel Bastian

2:00 pm

Blackboard Tests and Test Settings

Assessments in Blackboard can be simple and straightforward, but there are so many settings that it can be difficult to figure out which to choose. In this session, get ready for a deep dive into Ultra tests, and bring your questions for a Q&A. 

Rachel Bastian

3:00 pm

Grading Workflows in Blackboard

Ultra has some fantastic features including flexible grading, inline annotations, and multiple options for instructor feedback. Come to this session to see how grading works from student submission to posted grades.

Carolyn Speer

Tuesday, August 6th Sessions
 
Time Session Title Presenter(s) Meeting Links
9:00 am

What's Coming in Blackboard

Join Lisa Clark from Anthology to hear what's ahead for Blackboard Ultra. 

Lisa Clark, Anthology

10:00 am

Mandatory Accessibility Training

This training, offered by John Jones during every ARC, is mandatory for instructors each school year. This session marks the first training for the 2024-2025 year. 

John Jones

11:00 am

OneNote in the Classroom: New in Blackboard

Microsoft OneNote has many uses, among them managing and organizing student work. In this session, you will learn how and why you might use it for yourself or with your class. Bonus: Ali will introduce you to Blackboard's OneNote integration. 

Ali Levine

12:00 pm

How the Library can Help with T & P

Getting ready for the T&P process can be daunting, but the library can help! This session will familarize contracted faculty with the in's and out's of library support for T&P.

Brent Mai

1:00 pm

Faculty Success Annual Reports and T & P Applications

There is new software coming that will help contracted faculty work with their annual reports and T&P applications. This session will provide an overview for the software and answer faculty questions about what to expect.

Rachel Crane, Emma Ray

2:00 pm

Course-Level Blackboard Reporting

Your Blackboard course has a lot of student data that you, as the instructor, can access. By understanding student behavior better, you can support student success, and even save yourself some time in those efforts.  Aligned with NISS recommendation #1.

Carolyn Speer

3:00 pm

Open Labs

Do you need one-on-one help with your Blackboard course? Labs are come-and-go, with multiple OIR staff members ready to assist you. If we don't already know the answer, we will find it!

OIR Staff

 

 

Wednesday, August 7th Sessions
 
Time Session Title Presenter(s) Meeting Links
9:00 am

Using Adobe's AI Features to Support Your Classroom

蹤獲扦 employees have free access to powerful Adobe software, and it's getting more powerful every day. This session will show you how included AI tools can make your creative efforts easier and more impressive. This was a VERY popular session last year, and we know you will not want to miss it this year.

Eric Rowse, Adobe

10:00 am

Blackboard Ultra's AI Tools

Join this session to see demonstrations of Ultra's AI tools, which can save you time with tests, rubrics, and more!

Carolyn Speer

11:00 am

Copilot and Generative AI

Are you unsure what generative AI is or how to use it? This is the session for you. Join Carolyn as she shows you how to access a protected generative AI instance and how to use it once you get logged in.

Carolyn Speer

12:00 pm

AI Panel

Curious or concerned about generative AI on campus? Come hear the Chief Privacy office and Chief Information Security Officer discuss AI at 蹤獲扦.

John Jones, Gina Riggs, Mark Rodee, TBA

1:00 pm

AI, Integrity, and Assignments

Professors have been reporting an uptick in AI-generated student submissions since the spring term. What does generative AI mean for academic integrity? And what "evidence" do professors need to have to make an academic integrity violation claim?

Imran Musaji, Kyle Wilson

2:00- 3:30 pm

Note different time

Introduction to Mindfulness Workshop

Nicole Libschik Nasser is pursuing teaching certification in mindfulness at the prestigious Brown University Mindfulness Center. She will be sharing her expertise in this special 1.5 hour session that will introduce participants  to mindfulness and offer opportunities to practice. Aligned with NISS recommendation #3

Nicole Libschik Nasser

 

 

Thursday, August 8th Sessions
 
Time Session Title Presenter(s) Meeting Links
9:00 am

Shocker Teaching Community of Practice

Brett Burner will introduce participants to a new initiative on campus that is bringing together instructors of all ranks and contract types to form a community of practice around improving teaching. Come to this session to learn more and to get some practical tips for the classroom. Aligned with NISS recommendation #1

Brett Bruner

10:00 am

Safe and Inclusive Classrooms

In this session, Sara Mata will provide some guidance and insight into how to make the classroom safe and inclusive for all learners. Aligned with NISS recommendation #1 and #3

Sara Mata

11:00 am

Fostering In-Person Student Discussion 

In-Person discussion is a valuable learning opportunity, but it can be challenging to get discussions started and keep them going in ways that support learning. Magi will provide information about how to improve in-person discussion. Aligned with NISS recommendation #1 and #3

Margaretha Penner-Hiebert

12:00 pm

Fostering Online Student Discussion 

Online discussion can be very difficult to foster and manage. Thankfully, Aaryn Ludens has personal experience and researach to help uncover some especially valuable design and method ideas to improve your online discussion experience. Aligned with NISS recommendation #1 and #3

Aaryn Ludens

 

1:00 pm

Make an Impact with Instructor Feedback

Meaningful and actionable feedback is central to helping students learn. But what makes feedback meaningful and actionable? There's a lot of research to help guide those answers! Aligned with NISS recommendation #1

Rachel Bastian

2:00 pm

Supporting Students in Blackboard

If you use Blackboard when you teach,  there are things you can do to help support the student experience. From automatic notifications when a student is starting to struggle, to personalized messages to celebrate success, Blackboard can do a lot to support students. Aligned with NISS recommendation #1 and #3

Carolyn Speer

2:00 PM

Open Labs

Do you need one-on-one help with your Blackboard course? Labs are come-and-go, with multiple OIR staff members ready to assist you. If we don't already know the answer, we will find it!

OIR Staff 

 

 

Friday, August 9th Sessions
 
Time Session Title Presenter(s) Meeting Links
9:00 am

Using Teams in Blackboard

Blackboard and Teams are closely integrated, and that integration might be just the thing you need to take your classes to the next level. This session will explain how the integration works and what it unlocks for your courses. Aligned with NISS recommendation #1

Rachel Bastian

 

10:00 am

OneDrive and Blackboard: a Match Made in the Cloud

蹤獲扦 provides everyone access to Microsoft Office 365 software including access to OneDrive. Have you struggled to find videos, lectures, tests, and other content from previous versions of your courses? OneDrive, and especially the integration between OneDrive and Blackboard could be your ticket to better organization and less stress each semester.

Rachel Bastian, Lisa Garcia

 

11:00 am

No-Cost ePortfolios

Whether you think an ePortfolio would benefit your class, program, department, or college, this session is for you. Why spend money on an ePortfolio solution when 蹤獲扦 already provides you all the pieces for free. Come to this session to learn how these tools are being leveraged in departments around the university.

Rachel Bastian

 

12:00 pm

Using PowerPoint for Polling, Quizzes, and Attendance

Is attendance-taking a drag? Would you like a way to incorporate quick and targeted pop quizzes into your lectures? Would you like a polling solution?  Have we got a PowerPoint for you! It's easy, it works, and it's free. Ali will tell you more at this session. Aligned with NISS recommendation #1

Ali Levine, Rachel Bastian

1:00 pm

Create and Store Course Video for Free

If you use video in your Blackboard course, this session is for you. Learn how to record in Teams, Stream, and PowerPoint, how to add captions, and how to save and organize your videos in OneDrive (the cloud).  

Rachel Bastian

2:00 pm

Academic Integrity 101

Academic integrity violations are serious and require documentation to pursue. This session will address academic integrity and especially from the perspective other AI: generative AI. 

Kyle Wilson, Christine Yim

 

Monday, August 12 Sessions
 
Time Session Title Presenter(s) Meeting Links
 

 

 

 

9:00 - 10:30 am

Introduction to Mindfulness Workshop

Gu-ian Kang is pursuing teaching certification in mindfulness at the prestigious Brown University Mindfulness Center. She will be sharing her expertise in this special 1.5 hour session that will introduce participants  to mindfulness and offer opportunities to practice. Aligned with NISS recommendation #3

Gu-ian Kang

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10:00 am

Common Read*

For the 2023-2024 academic year, the 蹤獲扦 Common Read committee has selected  by Quiara Alegria Hudes. As a common read experience, all new students receive a copy, and the novel will be incorporated into , Honors 101 as well as various programs outside of the classroom.

Book Discussion for My Broken Language at 10AM on Monday, August 12, 2024 in the Digital Scholars Commons on the first floor of Ablah Library. Conversation will focus on themes and activities to take back to the classroom. Use this link below to save event to your calendar and receive an email reminder with RSVP. 

*In-Person Session! 

Library Staff

11:00 am

Open Labs

Do you need one-on-one help with your Blackboard course? Labs are come-and-go, with multiple OIR staff members ready to assist you. If we don't already know the answer, we will find it!

OIR Staff

12:00 pm

Retention Fellows Panel Discussion

The Retention Fellows host the popular "Teaching Matters" series each year. In this panel discussion, learn about the high points from last year's Teaching Matters sessions and then hear what's coming this year. This is a great opportunity to join the discussion and influence the kind of programming you would like to see over the next academic year.

Cindi Mason, TBA

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1:00 - 4:00 pm

DFW Institute*

If you are interested in attending this in-person session that will focus on skills necessary in high DFW courses as well as all other courses, please fill out so we know you are coming to this three-hour institute. Anyone who is interested is welcome! Topics for the day include: improving syllabus language to make the syllabus a more welcoming document, creating a safe and inclusive classroom, impactful teaching practices, and a little Blackboard training to round it out.  Refreshments will be available throughout the afternoon. Aligned with NISS recommendation #1 and #3

In-Person Session held in the 蹤獲扦 Connect Building, east of the Media Resources Center parking lot, and west (and across the street from) Woolsey Hall

Brett Bruner, Carolyn Speer, John Hammond, Sara Mata

 

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