March Online Ed News You Can Use

Happy Spring!

Blackboard email Issues

Last spring, AOL and Yahoo changed some of their email rules (aka “DMARC”) to try to cut down on spam. Email messages with return addresses from AOL and Yahoo-family domains which did not actually originate from one of their servers are rejected by email systems following the DMARC rules, meaning that for some people, email they send from Blackboard is not received by others. We expect AIS to put a workaround in place over spring break. It does not fix email generated by Blackboard from tools such as announcements, grade center, and discussion boards. Email from these areas should be fixed during the next major Blackboard version upgrade, which is planned to take place between the spring and summer semesters.

Online Teaching Conference: Call for Proposals

The Online Teaching Conference will again be in San Diego, June 18-19. The call for proposals is open until March 15. As in recent years, I anticipate being able to help fund attendance, especially for accepted presenters, so please let me know if you are interested. (Note that because this conference is outside of the fall/spring semesters, it is not Flex-eligible for associate faculty.)

Online Education Initiative (OEI) updates

See the latest update on the OEI from executive director Pat James, with details about the selection of Canvas as the OEI common course management system, and insights from an OEI professional development summit held in San Diego last month (which was attended by four MiraCostans). Upcoming opportunities to learn more about the OEI include an ASCCC online education meeting on March 21, an OEI Town Hall at the Campus Technology conference in Long Beach on April 8, and the Online Teaching Conference in San Diego, June 18-19.

Late Start Online Learning Orientations for Students

This spring’s last two Student Orientation to Online Learning sessions will be held on the OC campus 3/24, and online 3/25. Details are on the TASC student success workshop site.

Professional Learning Opportunities – All Flex-Eligible

Jim Julius, Ed.D.
Faculty Director, Online Education

February Online Ed News You Can Use

Online Education Initiative (OEI) updates

OEI has made its selection of a common course management system: Canvas. Read more about the selection, or put on your hype goggles and learn about Canvas. We do not know when Canvas might become widely available, but we do expect that our OEI pilot courses will be offered via Canvas beginning next spring. MiraCosta’s first two OEI pilot courses are running this semester, taught by Curry Mitchell (English) and Christopher Sleeper (History). See also the latest general update on the OEI from executive director Pat James, and you can also review MOE’s OEI FAQ.

Online Learning Orientations for Students

Over 220 students attended online learning orientations this spring, nearly doubling the total attendance since these began to be offered last spring. Students mentioned more than 35 faculty as referring them to this workshop. Two more sessions will be available after spring break. If you are an instructor who would like to see the list of attending students, let me know.

Professional Learning Opportunities – All Flex Eligible

  • Check out an archive of a MiraCosta online ed workshop.
  • The ASCCC (Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges) is holding free Online Education regional meetings. The southern CA meeting is March 21 at Mt. San Antonio College. Learn more and sign up here.

The Online Teaching Conference will again be in San Diego, from June 18-19. The call for proposals is not yet open, but should be soon. As in recent years, I anticipate being able to help fund attendance, so please let me know.

Jim Julius, Ed.D.
Faculty Director, Online Education

November Online Ed News You Can Use

Online Education Initiative update

Last Friday, the MiraCosta Online Educators committee, in collaboration with the Academic Senate and Faculty Assembly, held a forum to address questions and provide more details about the OEI. Ric Matthews and Bonnie Peters from the OEI were on the panel along with Mike Fino, Jonathan Cole, Curry Mitchell (English faculty member who is participating in the OEI pilot), and me. Please see the OEI FAQ developed by MOE. (which is posted on MOE’s new website, also worth a look)

Remind Students – Great Online Support Resources

As the end of the semester approaches with term papers, final projects, and finals, please remind your students to take advantage of online tutoring, our online writing center, and the 24×7 ask-a-librarian service (under Ask Us at top right).

Please Update Spring Online Class Schedule

The spring class schedule is available, which means it’s time for online and hybrid class instructors to make sure their class info is updated on the Online Class Schedule site. (Thanks to those who already have!) Students use this supplemental schedule to learn more about the details of online classes. A more detailed email will go out to all spring online instructors next week.

Professional Learning Opportunities – Get Flex Credit

  • National Distance Learning Week is Nov 10-14! The US Distance Learning Association is running free webinars all week. Additionally, the Online Learning Consortium has a free Google Hangout at noon on 11/10: Distance Learning Best Practices for Community Colleges, and the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources has a free webinar at 10 am on 11/12 called Opening up Pedagogy in Communications and History Class.
  •  MiraCosta is now a member of the Instructional Technology Council, a national professional organization focusing on distance education in community colleges. See their most recent newsletter and explore their website. Many resources are publicly available but some require a member account – just let me know if you are interested in ITC credentials.

Jim Julius, Ed.D.
Faculty Director, Online Education

Bonus Fall Online Education News You Can Use

Online Education Initiative (OEI) Forum next Friday, 10/31

The MiraCosta Online Educators committee has organized an OEI forum next Friday, 1:30-2:30 pm, in the Little Theater (OC 3601). The event takes place following a Faculty Assembly meeting for full-time faculty. Food will be available starting at 1:15 outside the Little Theater and may be taken inside during the forum. As you likely are aware, MiraCosta is one of 24 CCCs selected as a pilot school in the Online Education Initiative. This forum will give an opportunity for open discussion about the OEI’s goals and timelines, MiraCosta’s participation, faculty interest and concerns, etc.

Bb Grader app for iPad now available

Blackboard has released a free iPad app for instructors that makes grading assignments via an iPad simple and powerful, and our Blackboard system is now configured properly to enable its use. You can use a stylus to annotate papers as well as giving audio or video feedback. This video demonstrates the capabilities. If you’d like to try it out but don’t have an iPad, remember that the TIC has some iPads available for 2-week checkout. Contact Karen Korstad to learn more.

Student Orientations to Online Learning complete for fall           

Last week the final two fall Student Orientation to Online Learning sessions were offered. 156 students attended this semester, bringing the total attendance since spring to 260 students. If you are incentivizing student attendance, please contact me for a list.

Professional Learning Opportunities – Get Flex Credit

Jim Julius, Ed.D.
Faculty Director, Online Education

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