Category: Training & Professional Development

Elevating Faculty Excellence: Credly Badging System and Professional Development Workshops at the Forefront

Elevating Faculty Excellence: Credly Badging System and Professional Development Workshops at the Forefront

In the dynamic landscape of higher education, staying abreast of evolving teaching methodologies and technological advancements is crucial for faculty members. Recognizing this imperative, Loyola is increasingly leveraging innovative approaches to enhance professional development opportunities for academic staff.  

The ITRS Pathways professional development series encompasses a diverse range of topics, including Sakai assessment tools, communication tools, and integrated tools. These workshops stand as pillars of enrichment for faculty members, providing flexible opportunities year-round to refine teaching strategies, integrate new technologies, and engage with contemporary pedagogical approaches.  

A noteworthy initiative in conjunction with these professional development workshops is the integration of the Credly badging system. 

Credly is a leading digital credentialing platform that has revolutionized the way accomplishments and skills are acknowledged in the academic sphere. The Credly badging system enables individuals to earn and showcase digital badges, which serve as verifiable and portable representations of specific skills, achievements, and competencies. For faculty members, Credly badges have become a powerful tool for illustrating their professional journey and expertise. 

Credly badges are easily shareable across various online platforms, such as LinkedIn and academic profiles. Faculty members can effortlessly carry their achievements beyond the workshop setting, enhancing their digital presence and professional networks. Faculty can register for a single session or complete all four sessions in a series to earn a digital badge. 

For more details about our upcoming professional development series, kindly visit https://www.luc.edu/its/itrs/itrspathways/. Explore the enriching opportunities that await you on your journey of continuous learning and professional growth with Loyola University Chicago’s ITRS Pathways. 

Coming Soon…ITRS Workshops for Summer Faculty

Coming Soon…ITRS Workshops for Summer Faculty

Attention LUC Faculty!

It is our pleasure to announce an upcoming series of academic technology webinars. Please join ITRS for the following events (select the links in the session titles to register):

Monday, April 25th, 11-11:30am 

Zoom Basics –  Learn how to get started with Zoom, set up a recurring meeting for your Sakai course, configure security settings, and more.

Tuesday, April 26th, 12-12:30pm 

Introduction to Labster for Faculty – Discover Labster, a virtual science lab boasting a catalog of over one hundred lab simulations for various scientific disciplines.

Wednesday, April 27th, 4-4:30pm

New Features in Panopto for 2022 – An overview of exciting new tools available in Panopto.

Thursday, April 28th, 10-10:30am

Statistics in Sakai – Learn how to use the Statistics tool in Sakai for evaluating student engagement.

Friday, April 29th, 1-1:30pm

Advanced Zoom: Polling & Breakout Rooms – This session provides an introduction to using these tools for facilitating student engagement in Zoom meetings.

We hope to see you at these sessions. In the meantime, please send any questions to itrs@luc.edu or book a Zoom meeting with a member of the ITRS team here.

New Features in Panopto for 2022

New Features in Panopto for 2022

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Panopto has updated with new and exciting features to significantly improve the processes of editing, sharing, and and viewing recorded sessions. The following features are now active and/or available:

  • Video Reference Copies – The process of copying a session has improved significantly with Reference Copies, or copies that are connected to the original session. After recording and editing a video, Panopto users can create reference copies of the video in different folders to share with different courses/sections. When a user edits the original recording, the changes are applied to all reference copies of that session (if any). Please note that non-Reference copies can still be made in the video settings.
  • Discussion Notifications – All users now have the option to receive a daily summary email of discussion activity on their recordings. These notifications can be activated and managed to preference in the User Settings section.
  • Audio Descriptions – Users can create or upload audio descriptions to their recordings in order to increase accessibility using Panopto Editor. If viewing a recording with audio descriptions added, users can turn them on/off using a button in the Panopto Viewer. When toggled, the video will automatically pause and read audio descriptions.

With these changes, we hope that you will have an even better experience in creating and viewing sessions. For more information on Panopto, be sure to take a look at the ITRS Panopto Site.

If you need assistance with Panopto, feel free to book a live Zoom session with ITRS using this link.

Join ITRS for Summer Learning Opportunities

Join ITRS for Summer Learning Opportunities

Loyola faculty, did you know ITRS offers year-round, free professional development opportunities? That’s right: while you’re sipping a tropical drink by the pool this summer, login for some learning!

A tropical drink that makes you think of ITRS

ITRS is offering the Instructional Technologies Course (ITC) from July 19th-August 13th. This course covers the basics of Sakai and Zoom, increasing participants’ comfort with the tools while prompting reflection about how to integrate technology into curriculum in a meaningful way. While any faculty or teaching-adjacent staff can benefit from this course, it is best suited for those who have little or no Sakai experience. Check out the promotional video to learn more about the course. Registration for the Summer 2021 cohort closes on July 15th.

If you’re no Sakai newbie, or are looking for bite-sized learning opportunities, check out the ITRS workshops schedule. Live sessions on Zoom, Panopto, and Labster are offered throughout the summer. We can’t wait to see you there!

 

We’re Here for You: Introducing ScheduleOnce

We’re Here for You: Introducing ScheduleOnce

Do you need help setting up your Sakai site? Are you curious which instructional technologies will help your online learning vision come to life? Just need a friendly face to talk you through some tech troubles? ITRS is here for you and we’re happy to introduce a new tool to streamline the experience.

Visit the ITRS ScheduleOnce hub to book a one-on-one appointment with a member of our team, comprised of Instructional Designers, Learning Design Engineers, and more! Appointments are offered via Zoom and you will receive a link to the Zoom meeting when our team confirms your appointment.

How to schedule a consultation

To get started, visit the ITRS ScheduleOnce hub. You can also find a link to the hub on any of our web pages.

This widget appears on all ITRS webpages!
Top Hat Training: Discover Interactive Learning Software

Top Hat Training: Discover Interactive Learning Software

Top Hat

ITRS is proud to announce a series of trainings on Top Hat, a web-based platform that allows students to use their smartphone, tablet, or other mobile devices to participate in and engage with in-class activities.

Top Hat’s student-centric experience engages and motivates learners with captivating virtual classroom features, interactive course content, and built-in assessment capabilities. Instructors can choose between seven different poll question types for instant feedback, create an online discussion board, explore a fun tournaments option, and access an enhanced gradebook.

To learn more about Top Hat, register for a training session or visit the ITRS Top Hat Page.

ITRS Updates: February 2020

ITRS Updates: February 2020

Greetings!  

Here is a list of upcoming events, services, and other updates from the ITRS team.  

Upcoming Events

The 5th Annual Information Technology Showcase will take place on February 20th from 9am to 3pm in the Damen Student Center on the 2nd floor. Stop by for a program featuring optional breakout sessions and service provider partner presentations on Zoom, LOCUS, Top Hat, VoiceThread, and many more. We encourage you to register for the showcase for free catered lunch and prize opportunities. 

Training & Support

We offer training sessions for SakaiPanopto, and Zoom.  

For 1:1 assistance, please feel free to utilize our drop-in hours or contact us to schedule an appointment: 

ITSservicedesk@luc.edu 

773.508.4487 

*No drop-ins will be available on February 18th and 20th due to staff conferences and events.  

Preparing for Sakai 12

Preparing for Sakai 12

What’s New in Sakai 12?

On May 12th, Loyola’s learning management system will be upgrading to Sakai 12. In this upgrade, students, faculty, and staff will see a few updates. Some of these changes include:

  • Improved features in the Assignments, Gradebook, and Lessons tools
  • Accessibility improvements
  • Auto favorite new sites
  • An updated text editor

How to Learn More

Register for Training

If you would like to learn more about the Sakai 12 changes, please register for one of the “What’s New in Sakai 12?” training sessions. We will hold training sessions throughout the next few months. For dates and links to registration, please visit our Sakai 12 Upgrade page.

Attend an Open Forum Discussion

Join one of the Open Forum Discussions on the following dates:

  • March 29th, 2019 – 11:00am – 12:00pm
  • April 26th, 2019 – 11:00am – 12:00pm

To access the open forums join us online at https://luc.zoom.us/my/dropin. Registration is not required– just stop by!

If you are unable to make a training session or an open forum discussion, feel free to contact us at ITRS@luc.edu, so we can schedule another time to present the updates in Sakai 12.