eLearning Technologies

This month's faculty spotlight features Jennifer Tyler, who recently completed the Foundations of Online & Hybrid Course Development training and is now certified to teach online at GVSU. In this video, Jennifer shares how the Foundations course strengthened online and in-person teaching. Highlights included building confidence with video creation, using Blackboard tools like discussions, and exploring Panopto for interactive learning. Their biggest takeaway? The power of engagement and designing assignments and activities that connect students with their instructor, each other, and the course material.

This summer, faculty members Raymond Higbea and Julia Vandermolen explored new possibilities in teaching and learning through our Blackboard AI Design Assistant pilot. These short videos share how they used the tool to refresh and enhance their curriculum and the ideas they're eager to incorporate into their courses. Visit our Blackboard AI Design Assistant website to learn more about the available tools, browse frequently asked questions, and view a sample syllabus statement we recommend including to promote transparency with students.

In this video, Lidia Ponce de la Vega, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, shares how she incorporates HTML into her Blackboard course design to enhance student engagement and improve learning experiences. Explore this approach and learn how to use HTML in your own Blackboard course design here. She will also present on this topic at the 2025 Technology Summit.

Microsoft's built-in readability tools—Read Aloud and Immersive Reader—make it easier for students to access and engage with course content. Read Aloud is available in Microsoft Edge and Word, allowing students to listen to assignments and adjust voice and speed settings. Immersive Reader lets users customize text appearance, background color, and spacing, making reading more comfortable and personalized. These features are easy to access and can make a big difference in student confidence, engagement, and success.

The eLearning team is proud to once again be partnering with the Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center to offer a faculty learning community focused on Quality Matters. In this special May intensive learning community, participants will gain experience applying internationally recognized and research-driven standards for online and hybrid courses. They will explore each of the eight standards that make up the 7th edition of the Quality Matters rubric and apply those standards to one of their existing courses. Meetings will include a discussion of the QM rubric's content and a dialogue among participants based on their experiences teaching in both digital and non-digital environments.

Those interested in participating can register on the FTLC Learning Community website. If you have questions, please email Matt Roberts ([email protected]) or Glenna Decker ([email protected]).

Blackboard's Knowledge Check tool is a powerful way to reinforce learning, provide immediate feedback, and help students assess their understanding of course material. Unlike traditional quizzes, Knowledge Checks are designed for formative assessment, allowing students to practice concepts in a low-stakes environment without grade penalties. This encourages active learning and helps instructors identify areas where students need additional support.

To learn how to add Knowledge Checks to your course:

• Learn more from this Knowledge Base article in our Service Portal or
• Submit a consultation request and work with your liaison for support!

Padlet is a dynamic virtual bulletin board that allows users to seamlessly integrate colors, GIFs, web links, documents, videos, and comments. It's an excellent tool for fostering collaboration, facilitating group work, enhancing icebreakers, sharing resources, engaging in social annotations, and conducting video discussions.

Interested in incorporating Padlet into your teaching? Check out these helpful resources:

• Integrating Padlet into your Blackboard course
• How to use Padlet for students

You can learn how to use Blackboard's Rubric Design Assistant with this Knowledge Base article from our Service Portal.

Our Service Portal is filled with Knowledge Base articles to help get you started using Hypothesis, the social annotation tool:

Create Hypothesis-Enabled Readings in Blackboard Ultra

Create a Hypothesis GVSU Save - VitalSource Assignment

Create a Hypothesis JSTOR Assignment

What to start learning about how Blackboard's analytics tools can help you get a handle on your students' learning? We recommend starting with this Knowledge Base article from our Service Portal.