Keeping students engaged in synchronous online classes can be a challenge! However, recent advances in technology can enable a truly collaborative environment that allows for students to perform groupwork and for instructors to seamlessly monitor progress and give feedback.

• Professor Kate Savelberg – How she uses Office 365 and Zoom to enable groupwork online

All Michener courses have an online presence in our Learning Management System, Blackboard Learn. Using Blackboard, instructors can post their Learning Plans (including documents, presentations, animations and short streaming video clips) to enhance the delivery of their course and enable student learning. Backboard supports seamless communication between students and between instructors and students through the use of discussion boards, e-mail, synchronous chat and Virtual Classroom tools, blogs, wikis, journals and more! Student performance can be evaluated using Blackboard’s many Assessment tools, including tests, quizzes and assignments. Instructors can manage and evaluate student performance through the Grade Centre which can be used in Blackboard Learn or exported for offline editing in a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel.
Access Michener’s Blackboard Learn system (Registered users only).

Resources

• Michener’s Blackboard User Guide
• Blackboard Learn videos for instructors.
• Michener’s Blackboard Support
• Contact mailto:adeoliveira@michener.ca (Learning Systems Administrator) for all of your Blackboard Learn needs, including:
  • Course Administration
  • Training and technical support
  • User Management
  • Drop-in Hours
  • Workshops
  • Consultations

iClicker is a wireless, interactive student response system.  Instructors can create a series of questions with multiple choice responses and get instant feedback from students.  No hardware or software installation is required and your questions can be created in the software of your choice such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or an old fashioned overhead projector sheet.  Results are compiled into an easy to read Excel spreadsheet for further review.  Michener has 200 iClickers available for use in your class on a first-come-first-served basis.

Interested in using iClickers or another student response system in your course?  Contact adeoliveira@michener.ca (Learning Systems Administrator) for more information.

CAE LearningSpace is an audio-visual system that is used in healthcare simulation to record students in order for them to observe and reflect on their performance. Recording infrastructure is installed throughout CASE, and in select discipline-specific labs, including CT, general X-ray, Ultrasound, Radiation Therapy, Nuclear Medicine, and Respiratory Therapy.
Interested in using LearningSpace for your course? Contact tchipman@michener.ca (Production Coordinator) for more information.

Digital media and video production services are available to faculty and staff to support the delivery of course content in-class and online through Blackboard Learn. Services available to faculty and staff include:

Digital Media:

• Digital Imaging
• Photography

Audio/Video Production:

• Audio/Video Production (on-site or on location)
• Video Streaming
• Video for DVD
• Audio Production (recording & narration)
• Video Conversion

Interested in adding audio, video or other digital media content to enhance your course? Contact adeoliveira@michener.ca (Production Coordinator) for more information.

Zoom is a videoconferencing product that integrates seamlessly into Blackboard, and offers a number of functions that are highly useful for education, including:

• Stable performance in low-bandwidth situations
• World-wide call-in numbers, for participants who do not have a stable internet connection
• Breakout rooms (up to 50)
• Shared whiteboard and image markup tools
• Audience polling

Zoom does require setup to enable all education features and connect to Blackboard:

• How to configure your account and connect Zoom to your Blackboard course(s) .

Tips on how to best use Zoom for class sessions:

• Schedule, start, and record Zoom sessions in Blackboard
• Use screen sharing, annotation, and polling
• Use breakout rooms
• Present Powerpoint slides on a single screen while keeping the notes section, Zoom chat, & presenters tab viewable

Zoom may also be used for remote exam invigilation (please consult with your Program Chair for clearance).

• Process for invigilation

Technical support for Zoom is being provided by the Helpdesk (helpdesk@michener.ca)

For questions about educational features, or for guidance on how to conduct invigilation or integrate Zoom with Blackboard, please contact adeoliveira@michener.ca.