Contributed by Sam Houston, Learning Technology Administrator Zoom bombing refers to the unauthorized intrusion into a Zoom virtual meeting by an individual or group with the intent to disrupt the session. This can take many forms, such as using vulgar or offensive language, displaying explicit or disturbing images, and hijacking the screen to share inappropriate content. In some cases, zoom bombers might also use the opportunity to steal sensitive information, such as passwords. Zoom bombing has become a growing concern as the use of Zoom, and other video conferencing platforms has skyrock ..read more

Contributed by Henry Newkirk, Instructional Designer II (HSH) What is a rubric? A Canvas rubric is an assessment tool used in the learning management system (LMS) Canvas. It allows teachers to create a set of criteria for evaluating student work and assign point values to those criteria. The rubric is then used as a guide for grading and provides a clear and consistent framework for evaluating student performance. The points are summed up to arrive at a total score, which provides a quantitative measure of the student's performance on a particular assignment or project. Why would I use a rub ..read more

This week we're sharing an online resource from Dr. Luke Hobson, a Senior Instructional Designer and Program Manager at MIT, an Online Instructor for SNHU, and the Founder of Instructional Design Institute. In our team's newsletter, we've previously discussed what instructional designers do in higher education. In his blog post and video, Dr. Hobson describes some common misconceptions about 5 Myths About Instructional Design in Higher Education. Note that he provides the information in the following three formats: Blog Post: 5 Myths About Instructional Design in Higher Education (est. 5 min ..read more

Contributed by Aubrie Grass, Instructional Designer I (BUS) While there are a lot of similarities and differences that we will all be experiencing with the Canvas transition in the upcoming months, I want to start by discussing basic terminology. In many ways, the Canvas interface is very user-friendly, and because we all are familiar with Blackboard, it is even more so as they do look very similar. With that being said, some things may look familiar, but are called something different. This can make it confusing at times when you start to practice with the new system. Below I have included c ..read more

Contributed by Izaak Diefenbach, Instructional Designer I (COE) This is the third article in my series on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in higher education. In the first article, I used an AI tool called GPT-3 to write the introduction to the article, then went on to discuss it and other similar AI tools and how their use could affect higher education. In this article, I am going to discuss one specific new tool, ChatGPT. You may have already heard about ChatGPT. It has been all over the news since its introduction in late November. ChatGPT is a chatbot built on top of GPT-3 ..read more

Our team prepares a weekly newsletter that is emailed to faculty and staff every Monday night. This page contains links to the Sways of all previously distributed newsletters for 2023. Please use the hyperlinks below to open any of these archives. The previous years' newsletter archives are available on the blog posts, IDT Newsletter Archives (2020), IDT Newsletter Archives (2021), and IDT Newsletter Archives 2022. Volume 4, Issue 1 - Week of January 11, 2023 ..read more

NOTE: The following information is also available in the IDT team's full Canvas Post-Announcement Newsletter in Sway. Our Transition Plan UHCL is in the very early stages of transitioning from Blackboard to Canvas. University Technology Advisory Committee (UTAC) reviewed a tentative plan in October 2022. Below is the high-level visual timeline for the UHCL transition plan. We expect to complete our transition by the end of Spring 2024. The following additional resources outline UHCL’s tentative transition timeline and plan: [Document] Blackboard to Canvas: Transition Plan (October 2022 ..read more

NOTE: The following information is also available in the IDT team's full Canvas Post-Announcement Newsletter in Sway. Provost’s Message from the Academic Affairs Update 10-24 Email - Learning Management System (LMS) Update The University Technology Advisory Committee (UTAC) has explored options for transitioning from Blackboard to Canvas. The process included a survey among faculty to determine the needs of the LMS as well as familiarity with Canvas. UTAC has unanimously approved a recommendation to transition to Canvas. The Provost has accepted their recommendation and will p ..read more

Contributed by Jenni Willis-Opalenik – Director, Technology Learning Services Recently, the IDT team assisted the University Technology Advisory Committee (UTAC) in disseminating the university’s LMS Survey. In reviewing survey data, we saw some open-ended comments that suggest a need for more information about a few existing tools and capabilities of which some instructors are unaware. Live video classroom capabilities…to have class online and in person at the same time. Two options are available to faculty from within Blackboard while teaching: (1) Zoom integration with Zoom to set up and ..read more

Contributed by Sam Houston, Learning Technology Administrator Faculty: For information on Respondus LockDown Browser, please click “Faculty Information” on our Online Proctoring Resources page. Under “Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor” you will find links for various help sources including how to configure a Blackboard test to use LockDown Browser and a quick start guide for Respondus LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor. Note: When directing your students to information about Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor, please remind them to visit the IDT team's web page, Online Proctoring ..read more