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

October Online Ed News You Can Use

Are we really halfway to winter break already?!?

Student Support, Online – especially for midterms!

Please remind your students about MiraCosta’s free online tutoring, online writing support, and 24×7 Ask-A-Librarian (under Ask Us) services available to all students.

Final Fall Student Orientations to Online Learning

10/14, 1-2 pm in OC 1201, and 10/16, 5:30-6:30 pm online. See TASC’s site for details and links to sign up for and attend the online session.

Blackboard Issues

Two concerns have come up more frequently this fall with Blackboard. One: anyone with an AOL or Yahoo email address sending out email to class members via Blackboard (or Moodle) will find that many will not receive that email due to changes that AOL and Yahoo made last spring to reduce spam. Two: cutting-and-pasting into the text editor in Blackboard yields inconsistent results. This is a complex issue involving browser security settings as well as Blackboard-specific bugs, and the details vary greatly depending on context. Contact me if you’d like more information about either of these.

Online Education Initiative (OEI) Update

The statewide Online Education Initiative continues. As one of 24 pilot colleges, a handful of MiraCosta departments/faculty are considering applying to offer classes through the pilot this spring, incorporating new student readiness resources the OEI is developing. Other key initiatives of the OEI at present are the selection of an online tutoring service and a common course management system. The MiraCosta Online Educators committee is hoping to host a faculty forum on the OEI in the next several weeks – look for more information soon.

Professional Learning Opportunities – Get Flex Credit

  • San Diego CCD invites your participation in a faculty-led Distance Learning Summit on 10/24 – more info and sign-up link here.
  • Sign up for a webinar (Oct. 15, 12 pm) on how to store and share media and other files with 3CMediaSolutions.
  • Participate in free webinars this fall from the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources and from Turnitin (many offerings Oct 7-10).
  • Review an archived MiraCosta online ed workshop.

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

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