Google or Yahoo Home Pages

As mentioned in our staff meeting, all IDS staff members should set their Web browser's home page to a customized Google or Yahoo! home page with relevant RSS feeds. Here are some ideas for home page features:

• Google Docs and Spreadsheets feeds for IDS docs
  
• The IDS 'blog feed
• A del.icio.us tab with feeds of your recent sites and the sites of other developers in the unit.
• dictionary.com, babelfish, and wikipedia search widget
• Feeds from various instructional design, ed tech, Web design, and usability lists or Web sites.

Our Weekly Challenge showed off some great examples; talk to Jared, Rick, or Richard for help on setting up your Google or Yahoo home page with some of these useful widgets.

A new widget we plan to add in the coming weeks is a course task/course nitpick widget.

--Jared Stein

WebCT Into Vista Transitional Login

Because we are in the first semester of a 3-semester transition from WebCT CE 4.1 to Blackbloard Vista 4, only part of our DE faculty will be using Vista in the Spring. We need to work out a script that will securely forward and authenticate users--both instructors and students--securely from each course's CE 4.1 home page into the correct Vista 4 course.

The forwarding/authentication process looks like this for most users:

UVLink Portal --> WebCT CE Course --> Blackboard Vista Course

We need this script in place by Jan 1. In the meantime, instructors will access courses by going directly to http://utahelearning.uen.org

--Jared Stein

Instructor Affidavits of Original Work and Release

We'll be requiring all faculty developing a new Distance Education course to sign an affidavit of original work and release, verifying that all content submitted for use in said course is original and that the faculty owns the rights to reproduce and distribute the content for educational purposes.

Janel will maintain these forms.

--Jared Stein

IDS Objectives and Measures for Spring 2007

Based on internal conversations and our discussion board postings, IDS plans to focus on achieving the following objectives during Spring semester 2007:

Objective 1
by Rick C
Complete migration of all UVSC DE courses from WebCT CE to Blackboard Vista.
Measure(s):

• Tracking via Google Spreadsheets.
• Faculty feedback.
• Instructional Designers' review.

Objective 2
by Janel M
Improve tracking and accountability of internal projects and tasks.
Measure(s):

• Review work orders for completion records.
• Instructional Designer satisfaction.
• Developer satisfaction.
• Faculty satisfaction.

Objective 3
by Bryson T
Reduce # of unfinished projects and resist accepting new projects (for one semester only).
Measure(s):

• Shorter Projects list due to completions.
• Manageable developer load.
• Ability to begin training units and staff on finished projects.

Objective 4
by Jared S
Increase DE departmental communication, access to information, and work efficiency by creating a highly usable Distance Education Intranet system for all units.
Measures:

• Staff/area usage statistics and general feedback.

Objective 5
by Richard S
Ensure ongoing quality learning experiences for all IDS staff.
Measure(s):

• Weekly trainings.
• Completion of "new skills" projects.

--Jared Stein

Weekly IDS Meeting Agendas on Google Docs

In addition to all project tracking, we'll be posting weekly IDS meeting agendas to Google Docs. Be sure you have access to this, and feel free to add agenda items or discussion points as needed, while respecting the time limitations of the meeting.

--Jared Stein

IDS Vista Migrants on Google Docs

We'll keep track of our migration from WebCT CE 4.1 to Blackboard Vista on Google Docs. If you don't already have access to this tracking sheet, ask Richard Snapp to add you as a collaborator.

--Jared Stein

IDS Project Sheet on Google Docs

We'll keep our current projects defined and tracked on Google Docs. If you don't already have access to this tracking sheet, ask Rick C or myself to add you as a collaborator.

--Jared Stein

Blackboard Vista Migration Hand-Off Notes

Just some friendly reminders/clarifications/articulations about the Vista migration process:

IDS developers:

- When you complete a Vista migration you need to review it with Janel or myself.

- You must verify the functionality of each tool before we meet.

- Any Web page or content problems or nitpicks discovered during a migration review must be logged by the developer in the DE omni/nitpick system, assigned to the appropriate developer.

- Once all revisions or fixes have been made, you must e-mail Janel and let her know that the migration is complete.

- Upon receipt of e-mail verifying migration completion, Janel will e-mail Marc to let him know that faculty X's course(s) is ready and training can commence.

- Marc and I have agreed that since DE faculty are responsible for updating their assignment and quiz due dates, this task will be addressed in the faculty's Vista training. If IDS has time after all migrations are complete, we will try to go back and update some due dates, however.

We are discovering new issues and tricks all the time, so be sure to ask if you're not certain about any part of the migration process.

Thanks folks.

--Jared Stein

Standard Format for Blackboard Vista Lessons Folders

When creating and working with lessons in Vista, remember the following:

The "Lessons" folder should be 1 column, no icons (for now).

Each learning module's properties should be set to show the table of contents on the left, and start on the first page unless the design of the course dictates otherwise.

Each folder should have the folder script in the header to provide the CSS "look" for the page, as supplied by Rick Chaides. This script is slightly different from the front page script.

--Jared Stein

Using Org Pages/Folders in Blackboard Vista

When a course in Vista has several linked items of a similar category, e.g. Practice Exams or Study Guides, one has a couple design choices:

1. One might put individual links to each of these docs inside a Vista Org Page/Folder

2. One might create an XHTML page that links locally to each of these docs

I recommend using the second choice, simply because this allows us to better maintain a whole structure independent of Vista.

So, as you migrate and review your courses, if you see WebCT Org Pages/Folders that could be replaced with XHTML pages that simply link to those files, please make that a nitpick to change.

The exception would be instances where it's clear that the instructor is doing the edits and updates to the site--in these cases we should leave them as WebCT Folders because that's easier for faculty to edit.

--Jared Stein

Purpose of the 'Blog

I hate 'blogs, but I'm happy to have a place to record and post the internal process and procedure decisions of Distance Education's Instructional Design Services unit at Utah Valley State College.

Though the postings to this 'blog are primarily for the staff of Distance Education at UVSC, I've consciously chosen to make this 'blog public so as to share our own trials, successes, and failures as we work day-to-day in the field of distance learning and technology-enhanced teaching.

So expect boring and sometimes redundant postings on how to name files for an online course, when to use PDF vs HTML, how to tweak the look of Blackboard Vista, and how to handle problems with instructors or designers.

--Jared M. Stein
Director, Instructional Design Services
Distance Education, Utah Valley State College