Heads-up on a few upcoming things . . . .

It's been very busy the last month or so, so I've been a little slow posting updates to the blog, and I apologize for that. It's looking like by the end of this week I'll have some time to breathe a bit and provide you with more information on a variety of things. Watch for more postings next week.

For now, here are a few things to think about:

1. Planning for 2011/12 - Chris G., Sue, and I have been meeting with programs to discuss their needs and requests for next year. We'll be compiling a list of recommendations, much like we did last year, that will help to guide our priorities through 11/12.

2. You will all be involved in planning at a variety of levels for next year, and this will happen in June. More info to follow . . .

3. We're headed into the time of year when we need to complete performance reviews. Here's a question for you to think about for now: How can we transition the focus from a review to an opportunity for personal and professional growth? Again, more information will follow in the next couple of weeks.

Enjoy May! Before you know it, it will be June.

One more staffing change . . .

As some of you already know, Chris Aitken has accepted a position with Alberta Health Services and will be leaving EET. His last day will be June 3.

Congratulations, Chris, on your new position and we wish all the best with your new position. We'll miss you in our work environment. You've been a strong fit on the ID and PD teams, and you've certainly made a difference working with the more specific development teams.

And yes, your spamming legacy will live on forever!

Jackie - new Instructional Development Coordinator

We're very fortunate to have Jackie moving into the Instructional Development Coordinator position. We interviewed for this position last week, and Jackie was the successful candidate.

Jackie's teaching and technology background combined with her experience in EET and strong instructional design / project management skills made her a good fit for this position. I'm thrilled to have Jackie move into this role. This position takes affect on July 1, and we'll provide more information on her specific responsibilities in June.

Congratulations Jackie!

EET and reFresh Conference

Following the keynote address at the reFresh Conference on Wednesday, I started thinking about all the EET staff who helped make this day a great day:

• Debbie, Julie, Donna, and Chris G were all on the organizing committee (along with others) that put this amazing day together! Liz also jumped in to help when needed.
  
• Lorne, Heather, Jamie, and Tyler produced the amazing video that we watched at the end of the day. I've been hearing comments about the video ever since! Amazing!!
• Elio, Darwin, and Ryan were busy making sure all the AV was set up, including the audio for the keynote and streaming a session following the keynote.
• Several people presented . . . Jackie, Chris A, and Tyler on Connective Learning; Ian and Diana on 5 Easy Pieces (ways to blend a course)
• Others did GIFT sessions: Connie on View from the Field; ; Tyler on screencasting; Jackie on Aha Presentations!; even I did one on the Student Technology Survey.
  
• Mark and Tyler also had the new EET website ready for the follow up PD sessions.
• Darcie, Rebecca, and Lyle all helped to develop the visuals for the printed cards and for the digital screens

Many of us were involved in some way, and it really illustrates the service we provide for academic initiatives like this. You should all be very proud of the work that you do!

Twitter at the reFresh Conference!

It would be great if everyone who attends the reFresh conference today could add some tweets to the reFresh Twitter account that we've set up for this week. The hash tag is this: #refresh@lc

Happy tweeting!

New EET website!

If you haven't heard already, the new EET website has gone live! Mark and Tyler put a lot of work into the redevelopment - and guided us through the process of designing a website very nicely. Both Chris G. and Chris A. played a role in this as well.

Our goal was to have the site ready to promote all the PD sessions in May, and we achieved this.

We still have some work to do on the site, so it will evolve over the summer as we add more visuals, including social media tools, and more examples of our work.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen!

http://eet.lethbridgecollege.net/

Message from Chris G. re Angel . . .

Here is the message from Chris G. that was sent out to all faculty this week:

As the school year winds down, I wanted to take a moment to provide some updates around the College's Learning Management system. We are noticing the results of everyone's effort to add a blended learning component to their courses. Thanks! Your work is appreciated.

College Usage
We've broken the million mark for student log-ins during a single semester! Over the last few years, we've seen the average number of student log ins go from 855,670 in the Fall of 2009 to 1,060,417 last Fall.
The maximum number of users logged on at a single time is now up near 1200. For a College our size, this is impressive!

System Stability
Your patience this Spring, as our hosting service struggled to keep up to the demands placed on its Angel server, is appreciated. We have moved from a single load bearing server to three load bearing servers. We now have the ability to add additional servers without requiring a system outage for the process. The future looks good.
Special thanks to everyone who took extra time to communicate to our hosting service encountered errors. This helped ferret out ghosts & glitches.

Angel Updates
Over the summer we will be updating Angel from 7.3 to 7.4. This is considered a minor update. For instructors, things will look and feel the same.
Updated features include a more comprehensive learning object repository, enhanced rubrics, and some additional back-end features for our system administrators. Gradebook functionality will not change. Blackboard also provides support for a very functional mobile app.
The update process will require a day or more of summer downtime to transfer and test data.

PD Workshops
The month of May is a great opportunity to attend workshops on Angel, blended learning and other instructional topics. Check out the new EET website for registration information.

Angel - Blackboard - Moodle
Since Blackboard bought out Angel, institutions like Lethbridge College have been eager to pinpoint merger implications. Support for Angel 7.3 ends this Fall. As previously communicated, we'll launch the formal consultation process for a new Learning Management System (LMS) in the Winter/Spring of 2012. This positions us for full implementation to the new LMS for Fall 2013. We continue to conduct lots of background research on the two main replacement options: Blackboard Learn & Moodle.


FAQ: Should I Add Content to Angel if We're Migrating in a Few Years?

Definitely!
The major features in major Learning Management Systems are very similar. The type of activities you create, such as quizzes, content pages, discussion forums, surveys, etc. transfer well from one system to another. Creating content is the most labour intensive part of any online course.

Our students won't wait. A recent Lethbridge College student surveys show students expect their instructors to use a Learning Management System. Students indicate, among other things, Learning Management Systems are extremely useful for keeping track of grades, submitting assignments, accessing sample quizzes and accessing online course outlines.

The more you use Angel, the better decisions we all can make about which Learning Management System best meets your needs. Usage also helps identify the type of support resources required for a seamless transition.