During this presentation by Jason Rhode at the 12th annual SLATE Conference on 10/23/14, we explored suggested best practices included in the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Rubric for designing engaging online courses. Jason shared practical tips from his experience building a course in Blackboard that meets the established ECP quality benchmarks. We also covered the steps and associated deadlines for faculty interested in submitting their course for consideration as a Blackboard Exemplary Course. This session was geared toward an audience already familiar with the basic online teaching tools available in Blackboard Learn. While the examples shared were specifically of courses in Blackboard, the principles can be applied to developing quality online courses in any learning management system.

Resource Links

• Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Info
• Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Rubric
• Sample Course Playlist on YouTube
• Sample Captioned Course Welcome Video
• Sample Screencast Course Tour
• Sample Screencast Group Tour
• Sample How-To Screencast for Video Discussion
• Exemplary Course Tours
• Exemplary Course Program Gallery on Coursesites.com
• Self-enroll in the Sample ETT 510 Exemplary Course

On October 22-24, 2014, I’ll be attending and presenting at the 12th Annual SLATE (Supporting Learning And Technology in Education) Conference, hosted at Northern Illinois University, Naperville. This conference invites all faculty, system administrators, CIO’s, Web developers, instructional designers, librarians, students, and user support staff from institutions that are deploying and/or currently using any Web-based tools, applications or programs, in their teaching and learning. Presentations offer a wide variety of best practices for incorporating and supporting technology in teaching and learning.

I’ll be involved in giving three different presentations during the conference. For those who will be attending the conference, I hope you’ll join me for any of these topics that may be of interest to you:

Designing Exemplary Online Courses in Blackboard

Presenter: Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University
Thu, 10/23, 11:00-11:50am, Auditorium
Join us to explore suggested best practices included in the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Rubric for designing engaging online courses. The presenter will share practical tips from his experience building a course in Blackboard that meets the estab- lished ECP quality benchmarks. We’ll also cover the steps and associated deadlines for faculty interested in submitting their course for consideration as a Blackboard Exemplary Course. This session is geared toward an audience already familiar with the basic online teaching tools available in Blackboard Learn.

Contemporary Issues in Higher Education and Online Learning

Presenters: Carol Scheidenhelm, Loyola University Chicago; Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University
Thu, 10/23, 2:00-2:50pm, Room 162
At a recent meeting of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association Center for Online Leadership & Strategy, the presenters participated in a roundtable discussion of issues relevant to online teaching and learning in higher education. Participants had the opportunity to share their experiences with issues, policies and road blocks to educating “contemporary” students, resulting in a recently-released federal policy brief. We thought it would be productive to bring this type of discussion to our SLATE Conference participants and provide them an opportunity to come up with a listing of the most pressing issues in higher education today. The list will be shared with the SLATE leadership and may help guide topics for discussion in the 2014-15 SLATE meetings.

Where eLearning Meets Faculty Development: Providing Seamless Online Program Development Support Services

Presenters: Aline Click, Northern Illinois University; Jason Rhode, Northern Illinois University
Thu, 10/23, 4:00-4:50pm, Room 162
While there is no single strategy for effectively supporting online teaching and learning, common faculty support needs related to online teaching practices and online course development exist at every institution. Join us for this panel presentation to learn about one institution’s collaborative approach to providing comprehensive support for new online program development. The conversation will focus on the specific online course development services as well as online teaching support programs, resources, and services offered for faculty.

For those in the Chicago area, there is still time to register to attend the conference in person, details at slategroup.org/conference/register. There is even a single-day option available for those who want to just come for 1 day. For those who can’t attend in person, feel free to follow the conference @slateconference and hashtag #slate14