Welcome to the eleventh installment of the BGSU eLearning Newsletter! IDEAL, BGSU’s Office of Distance Education, has had a busy and productive fall semester and we look forward to the myriad of opportunities for the growth of distance education during the spring semester and beyond!
Did you know that:
Almost 3.5 million U.S. students were taking at least one online course in the fall semester 2006, a 10% increase from the previous year? *
Changing student expectations and technologies continue to drive the demand for alternative course delivery. Through distance education, BGSU can respond to student needs, expand options for achieving educational goals, utilize the power of current technology to develop interactive, engaging, and pedagogically sound courses, and provide a means to obtaining a BGSU degree or certificate.
Online options benefit students by providing access and convenience to education to those who cannot… or do not want…to travel to campus for all or part of their coursework. Online options benefit the institution and support the University System of Ohio Master Plan in that increased availability and access will increase opportunity for educational attainment and expand our student population.
If you are interested in teaching online or have ideas for online courses or programs, we encourage you to contact IDEAL. IDEAL is a resource to the BGSU community for the leadership, development, and support of distance education. The IDEAL staff has online instructional design expertise as well as technological and pedagogical experience. We are strongly committed to helping build high-quality, academically rigorous, interactive, and creative online courses and programs at BGSU.
We look forward to working with you!
Sincerely,
Connie Molnar
Director, IDEAL
Bruce Edwards
Associate Dean, Continuing & Extended Education
*Source: “Online Nation: Five Years of Growth in Online Learning”, I. Elaine Allen and Jeff Seaman, Sloan Consortium and Babson Survey Research Group.
Learning 2.0: IDEAL Faculty Lunch Hour Series
Are you interested in taking your online course to the next level? Then join the staff of IDEAL for the Learning 2.0 Faculty Lunch Hour Series! The series will feature informative and collaborative sessions with opportunities for faculty and staff to learn about current distance education technologies as well as pedagogical and administrative practices. Bring your lunch and interact with colleagues across campus. Seating is limited: contact IDEAL at IDEAL@bgsu.edu or 2-6792 to register!
IDEAL Lunch Hour Series Topics – Spring 2008 February 13, 2008
Online Social Networking Opportunities in Education
The term “social network”, an association of people drawn together by common interests, topics, and ideas, was first coined by professor J. A. Barnes in the 1950s, who defined the size of a social network as a group of about 100 to 150 people. With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies, social networking has exploded in our society and online social networks such as MySpace and Facebook abound. In this presentation, participants will learn how Ning, a technology available for creating social networks, was used to develop a social network for online teachers, instructional designers, and others in the field of education.
Location: TBD
Time: 11:30 – 1:00pm
March 27th, 2008
Using the Creative Commons
“Share, reuse, and remix…legally”! The Creative Commons provides free tools that let authors, scientists, artists, and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry. In this presentation, learn how to change copyright terms from "All Rights Reserved" to "Some Rights Reserved." In addition, participants will gain knowledge on how Creative Commons licensed works can be used in online courses and the correct ways to attribute the items used.
Location: BTSU 201A
Time: 11:30 – 1:00pm
April 16th, 2008
Orientation to Distance Education at BGSU
This presentation is designed to provide information and discussion on the development of online and blended courses and programs at BGSU. Topics include:
* What does an online classroom look like? View a demonstration of a current BGSU online course and learn about opportunities for teaching and learning using web-based delivery.
* Where and how do I start? Receive an introduction to IDEAL including checklists for online course and program development at BGSU, an overview of the logistical process of converting a course to an online format, and information about pedagogical and technical support available for faculty.
Location: College Park, Room 2
Time: 11:30-1:00pm
Seating is limited: contact IDEAL at IDEAL@bgsu.edu or 2-6792 to register!
IDEAL makes it easier to transition your face to face class to an online class!
New resource available... The IDEAL “Online Course Sample Syllabus” can be used as a template in the design of your online syllabus. The template provides a suggested outline that can help organize course content, student expectations, communication information, and technical information. It can be customized as needed specific to the course content and online delivery. The syllabus can then be easily uploaded into Blackboard as a word document or copied and pasted into the information in one of the course areas.
IDEAL staff will be presenting two sessions at the ninth annual Ohio Digital Commons for Education (ODCE) Conference. ODCE, The Convergence of Learning, Libraries and Technology, will be held March 2-4, 2008, in Columbus, Ohio. The conference features presentations, technology demonstrations, and pre-conference workshops in the following areas:
* Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century
* Student Success
* Moving Ohio Forward
* Transforming Technologies
Michael Kudela, instructional designer, will be presenting a workshop on the “Creative Commons: Share Your Work, Keep Your Rights and Learn From Others ”. Connie Molnar, IDEAL director, and Carolyn Matzinger, instructional designer, will be presenting on “The Metamorphosis of Biology 101: Face-to-Face to Online Course Delivery”.
ODCE is a collaborative initiative of the Ohio Learning Network, OhioLINK and the Ohio Supercomputer Center/OSCnet that develops leading-edge education resources, services, and capabilities in Ohio.
In addition to presenting at the conference, IDEAL will have opportunity to attend a keynote presentation by Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut as well as participate in sessions and network with colleagues from across the state, including faculty, librarians, instructional designers, distance learning directors, professional development personnel, campus and college technology coordinators, student support personnel and others interested in technology.
As an Ohio Learning Network member institution, BGSU faculty and staff can utilize a few “free” seats to attend Sloan-C online workshops. There are over 20 workshops planned for 2008 and the list of workshops can be viewed here: http://www.sloan-c.org/workshop/ BGSU has ten free passes and registrants are accepted on a “first come, first serve” basis.
The Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) helps learning organizations continually improve quality, scale, and breadth of their online programs according to their own distinctive missions, so that education will become a part of everyday life, accessible and affordable for anyone, anywhere, at any time, in a wide variety of disciplines. For more information about the Sloan Consortium, see: http://www.sloan-c.org.
Contact IDEAL at 2-6792 or IDEAL@bgsu.edu for registration information if you are interested in participating in one of these online workshops.
School of Communication Studies Roundtable
The Emerging Media Research Cluster of the School of Communication Studies presents "Web-based Teaching Roundtable" on Feb 4, 2008, 10:30 a.m. West Hall 310. Five experienced faculty members of the cluster will share their web-based course teaching experiences with examples and tips on developing and running an effective online course.
Faculty participants include:
Paul Cesarini, Assistant Professor, Department of Visual Communication Technology
Radhika Gajjala, Associate Professor, Department of Interpersonal Communication
Ellen Gorsevski, Assistant Professor, Department of Interpersonal Communication
Louisa Ha, Professor, Department of Telecommunications
Canchu Lin, Assistant Professor, Department of Interpersonal Communication
Please RSVP to Research Cluster Coordinator Dr. Louisa Ha at louisah@bgnet.bgsu.edu if you are interested in attending.
IDEAL Staff Update
IDEAL will be losing a good friend and colleague in January. Garrett Whitehead, an instructional designer in IDEAL, will be leaving Bowling Green for a new position at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Garrett has helped faculty at BGSU in developing materials for online course delivery and in converting courses to an online format. In addition, he has provided technical and pedagogical support, assistance in developing and implementing online student evaluations, delivered numerous training workshops and consultations, and has kept the Ohio Learning Network’s OhioLearns catalog (a state-wide catalog of online courses and programs) updated on a semester basis for BGSU.
IDEAL extends their thanks and appreciation to Garrett for his hard work and contributions over the years and we wish him and his family all the best in his new endeavor!
Do you want to teach online but don't know how to get started? Contact Connie Molnar, IDEAL Director at cmolnar@bgsu.edu or 419.372.7900 for assistance.
IDEAL Podcast #3 - Interview with Amanda McGuire Rzicznek by: Terence Armentano
Assistant Director - IDEAL, BGSU
Listen to this lively and informative 13 minute interview with Amanda McGuire Rzicznek, a BGSU English Instructor and Terence Armentano, IDEAL's Assistant Director. Amanda and Terence discuss preparation in building an online course, interaction with students online, and offer tips for getting started.
Creative Commons: Some Rights Reserved by: Michael Kudela
Instructional Designer - IDEAL, BGSU
What is the Creative Commons
The Creative Commons is an organization interested in the idea of sharing user created content, without giving up all rights associated with that content. Creative Commons Licenses allow creators to keep their copyright but allow other users to copy and distribute the work, provided they give the creator the credit. All Creative Commons licenses require attribution. This means that others may share your work so long as they credit the original author.
Creative Commons licenses give you the ability to dictate how others may exercise your copyright rights—such as the right of others to copy your work, make derivative works or adaptations of your work, to distribute your work and/or make money from your work. They do not give you the ability to restrict anything that is otherwise permitted by exceptions or limitations to copyright—including, importantly, fair use or fair dealing—nor do they give you the ability to control anything that is not protected by copyright law, such as facts and ideas. Creative Commons licenses attach to the work and authorize everyone who comes in contact with the work to use it consistent with the license.
Creative Commons licenses are non-revocable. This means that you cannot stop someone, who has obtained your work under a Creative Commons license, from using the work according to that license. You can stop offering your work under a Creative Commons license at any time you wish; but this will not affect the rights associated with any copies of your work already in circulation under a Creative Commons license.
Why Use Creative Commons
There can be great reward behind the idea of open information. The main idea behind the Creative Commons allows others to build upon your creative work. Currently, you are given full copyright over any creative content you make. This includes: literature, art, music, photographs, and video. Having copyright over your content means that other people can not use your content unless they have permission from the copyright holder. Creative Commons allows a person to legally share their content and still maintain some rights over how their content is shared. Other people can add to your work, and then redistribute it for other people to add more knowledge or create something entirely new based on your material.
By entering content into the Creative Commons, Instructors can allow their peers to build upon that knowledge. The Creative Commons opens the door for collaboration, while still maintaining ownership. Adding your work to the Creative Commons is not the only reason of interest. Creative Commons also offers a wide gamut of content that can be legally used by education. Educators can search for pictures and use them in class presentations. Creative Commons hosts other resources like movies, music, and more that can be used to create new content for the classroom. Instructors can search the collection of educational Creative Commons materials, ranging from articles to lesson plans, that are ready for classroom delivery.
Creative Commons Licenses have been translated into many different languages and jurisdictions around the world, so content can be shared internationally. This opens up the idea for global communication and sharing between nations. http://creativecommons.org/international/
Types of Licensing
Creative Commons Licenses state the limitation and freedoms that you apply to your creative work. Listed below are the four main categories.
Licenses - http://creativecommons.org/license/
Attribution. You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work — and derivative works based upon it — but only if they give credit the way you request.
Noncommercial. You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work — and derivative works based upon it — but for noncommercial purposes only.
No Derivative Works. You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it.
Share Alike. You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.
There are many combinations of licenses under the Creative Commons that a person can choose from -
Attribution (by)
This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licenses offered, in terms of what others can do with your works licensed under Attribution.
Attribution Share Alike (by-sa)
This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial reasons, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. This license is often compared to open source software licenses. All new works based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also allow commercial use.
Attribution No Derivatives (by-nd)
This license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to you.
Attribution Non-commercial (by-nc)
This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge you and be non-commercial, they don’t have to license their derivative works under the same terms.
Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa)
This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. Others can download and redistribute your work just like the by-nc-nd license, but they can also translate, make remixes, and produce new stories based on your work. All new work based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also be non-commercial in nature.
Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd)
This license is the most restrictive of the six main licenses, allowing redistribution. This license is often called the “free advertising” license because it allows others to download your works and share them with others as long as they mention you and link back to you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially.
Participate in the Creative Commons
If you are interested in the Creative Commons, think about licensing you work under one of the many Creative Commons options. After you licence your work, there are many available sites under the Creative Commons where you can share and promote your work. Currently, I have around 2000+ licensed images on my flickr site under the Creative Commons. http://flickr.com/photos/mkudel/
Most importantly, continue to educate yourself and others about Creative Commons.
Creative Common Resources
Science Commons [http://sciencecommons.org/] - an organization working toward the advancement of Science by removing unnecessary legal and technical barriers to build collaboration and innovation.
iCommons [http://icommons.org] - an organization with a broad vision to develop a united global commons front by collaborating with open education, access to knowledge, free software, open access publishing and free culture communities around the world. iCommons will feature projects that encourage collaboration across borders and communities, and promote the tools, models and practice that facilitate universal participation in the cultural and knowledge domains.
ccLearn [http://learn.creativecommons.org/] - a division of the Creative Commons which is dedicated to realizing the full potential of the Internet to support open learning and open educational resources (OER). Our mission is to minimize barriers to sharing and reuse of educational materials — legal barriers, technical barriers, and social barriers.
ccMixter [http://ccmixter.org/] - a community music site featuring remixes licensed under Creative Commons, where you can listen to, sample, mash-up, or interact with music in whatever way you want.
Search [http://search.creativecommons.org/] - search engine that looks through Google, Yahoo, flickr, blip.tv, OWL music search, and SpinXpress to find Creative Common resources.
Blackboard Tips and Tricks
Organizing Course Areas: Part 3 - Discussion Boards by: Carolyn Matzinger Instructional Designer - IDEAL, BGSU
So far in this series, I have shown you a few ways to simplify your Blackboard classroom, by stripping down the course menu, merging similar content areas, and transforming content into easy to read modules. If you've ever used the discussion board, you might find this article useful. Since a bulk of student interaction and learning takes place in the discussion board, it's important to pay attention to how the forums are set up. In this article, I will show you how to organize your discussion board to maximize usability and interaction.
Step 1: Understanding the Structure
Before jumping into the discussion board, it is important to understand how the Blackboard discussion board is organized. Here is the basic hierarchy of a typical discussion:
1. Forum- A forum is a way to organize your discussion based on what is being discussed and the type of questions that will be answered. You may think of this as a folder that contains the related discussions.
2. Thread- A thread is the actual question/idea that will be discussed within the forum. The instructor sets up the thread, and then the students can reply to that thread. Each forum may have multiple threads.
3. Reply- Within each thread, instructors and students can reply to the original thread or to each other's responses.
Step 2: Organizing the Forums
Once you understand how the discussion board works, you then decide how to organize the content. How often will students participate (once a week, every day, etc.)? How many different topics will be discussed? There are four main types of forums that you may use in your discussion board.
Social - This is a place for the students to interact more casually. Many instructors like to begin with a thread for "Introductions" where everyone can post interesting facts and a picture of themselves. Resources, articles, and helpful materials can also be posted in this area to spark more casual conversations. Some instructors like to post "current event" articles or YouTube videos to help students connect the dots from their course topics to the real world.
Weekly - Shorter classes, or seminars may benefit from creating weekly discussion forums. Each week, students can participate in multiple discussions relating to material in the corresponding weekly module. Example: In the first week of the Online Faculty Training course, participants learned about the importance of setting expectations, designing an online syllabus, and using Web 2.0 features in their course. Throughout that week, participants discussed various issues relating to this content in the forum titled "Week 1".
Topical - Longer classes may benefit from creating a few forums based on sub topics or themes related to the main content. You may still have a discussion question each week, the set up will just be a little different. Each discussion question would fit into one of the sub topics, but are not necessarily arranged chronologically. You'll find that as the semester goes on, more and more of the discussions overlap, illustrating how these topics relate to the bigger picture. Example: Early in the semester, students in Biology 101 discussed biochemical cycles in a forum called "Basic Ecology." Later in the semester students learned about pollution, and were asked to discuss pollution and the effects it has on biochemical cycles within the "Basic Ecology Forum."
General - This type of forum is good for administrative discussions. An instructor can create threads called "Questions for Instructor" and "Feedback about Course" to avoid answering the same common questions over and over again through email. This forum is great for answering basic technical questions and getting feedback from the students about what they liked or what could be changed within the course.
Step 3: Stay Involved
Take the lead the first few days/weeks, by facilitating the conversations, responding frequently to student posts, and offering ample feedback. Once your students are comfortable in the discussion board, you can assume more of a "monitor" role. Let the students take control. If discussions become dull or students are not participating fully, chime in with some thought provoking question to get them talking again. Also, make sure they stay on topic and respect any ground rules you set in the syllabus (frequency and quality of posts, netiquette, etc.).
IDEAL's 3 week Online Faculty Training Course
The Next 3 Week ONLINE Faculty Training Course: 2/11-2/29, 3/10-3/28
What BGSU faculty are saying:
“All of it was valuable. Perhaps most useful was seeing what could be done, the detailed instructions, and being in a position of being forced to complete assignments........seeing it through the eyes of the student.”
“Overall, I found this extremely valuable and will recommend it to colleagues.”
An online course is much more than a repository of information. It is an interactive, collaborative, and informative method of instruction. What better way to learn how to teach effectively online than to experience it from the student's point of view. Join your colleagues for 3 weeks in learning how to harness the power of online instruction by participating in a completely online course via Blackboard and facilitated by a distance learning specialist. Just like most distance courses, this course works around your schedule rather than vice versa. After completing this course, you will receive an IDEAL Certificate of Training and join the ranks of other leaders in e-Learning at BGSU as a member of the BGSU e-Learning Colloquium.
Click Here to learn more and enroll in the Online Faculty Training Course or for more information call 419-372-6792, or e-mail IDEAL@bgsu.edu
NOTE: This course is most beneficial for instructors somewhat new to facilitation and course design in the online environment.
The Distance Learning newsletter is published bi-monthly by IDEAL (Interactive Distance Education for All Learners) to provide faculty with current news and initiatives in online learning at BGSU. Each newsletter will contain online pedagogy articles, training and workshop dates, online teaching tips, online teaching resources, and interviews with BGSU faculty or staff who teach online.
"BGSU is accredited from the North Central Association for its distance learning programs at BGSU and has also been granted the "Best Practices in Student Services" designation by the Ohio Learning Network."
IDEAL makes it easier to transition your face to face class to an online class! 
IDEAL Staff Presents at 2008 ODCE Conference
Free Sloan-C workshops for BGSU faculty and staff 
School of Communication Studies Roundtable 
IDEAL Staff Update
Subscribe to the IDEAL Podcast Feed (
Attribution. You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work — and derivative works based upon it — but only if they give credit the way you request.
Noncommercial. You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work — and derivative works based upon it — but for noncommercial purposes only.
No Derivative Works. You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it.
Share Alike. You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work. 
