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Training

FITL offers training workshops for faculty on academic technology in use at NYU-Poly.  Workshops typically last 1 to 1.5 hours and are offered onsite and online.  Please see our list of offerings and descriptions below, and see our Workshop Schedule to find a time that works for you.

Semester Workshops

If you are interested in a topic not listed here, you can Request a Workshop.

Classroom Technologies

Blackboard Collaborate

This workshop will introduce users to Blackboard Collaborate version 12, a great option for holding online office hours, meetings and classes.  We will demonstrate how to get started with this web conferencing tool and focus on the interactive features essential to conducting a session.  We will cover the Participant Panel, Video Broadcast, Chat Panel, Audio Features, Whiteboard, Application Sharing, Web Tour and Interactive Recording. back to list

Blackboard Collaborate for Wimba Users

This training workshop introduces Blackboard Collaborate, the next generation of the virtual classroom environment Wimba.  Designed for users familiar with the Wimba tool, this session focuses on features that are new or different between the two systems, and seamlessly making the transition to Blackboard Collaborate. back to list

Teaching with Wimba

This workshop will introduce Wimba, the fully featured, synchronous virtual classroom solution with audio, video, application sharing, presentations and whiteboarding. We will explore the Wimba interface and demonstrate the components and functions, learn how to set up a Wimba Classroom in Blackboard, and add and manage Live Classroom content. Wimba is a great option for holding online office hours, meetings and classes. back to list

NBC Learn

In Fall 2012, we will be running a pilot program of the NBC Learn building block in Blackboard.  NBC Learn is an educational tool that provides direct access to over 12,000 archived NBC video stories, images, and primary source materials dating back to the 1920s.  This training workshop will introduce the NBC Learn tool and explore pedagogical approaches to using this powerful teaching resource. back to list

Teaching in Smart Classrooms

Become acquainted with the interactive technologies available for teaching in the Smart Classrooms on campus.  This two-part workshop series includes an introduction to the audio, video, collaboration and distance learning components available in our Multipurpose Smart Classroom, RH 418, and our Specialized Smart Classrooms, with special focus on the eno Interactive Board and SMART Podium Interactive Pen Display:

eno Interactive Board

The first half of the Teaching in Smart Classrooms series, this workshop introduces the multimedia and interactive components in our Multipurpose Smart Classroom, including the eno Interactive Board.  Learn about this three-in-one whiteboard: traditional dry-erase, magnetic ceramic steel, and interactive performance. This workshop will demonstrate how to use the Bluetooth-enabled stylus to create and annotate course content, and store content for later use. back to list   

SMART Podium Interactive Pen Display

The second half of the Teaching in Smart Classrooms series, this workshop demonstrates the SMART Podium Interactive Pen Display and the interactive components in one of our Specialized Smart Classrooms, RH 215. Learn how to use the tethered pen on the SMART Podium interactive screen to operate your computer, write over applications in digital ink and save your notes.  This workshop will also introduce the SMART Meeting Pro collaborative learning software and the SMART Notebook Math Tools add-on. back to list

Accessing Clickers

This 30-minute orientation provides all the information you need to access clickers for use in teaching, tracking, surveys, and more. back to list

Introduction to Clickers

With the release of the brand new TurningPoint 5.0 student response software, this training workshop has been updated to include new features and enhancements, including a streamlined user interface; unified content, participant list, and session files; smarter session management, and more a robust integration with Blackboard/MyPoly.  

Learn about the Student Response System at NYU-Poly, AKA "clickers."  Beginning with an introduction to the software and hardware involved, this workshop covers preparing your system for teaching with clickers, creating clicker polls, and using the technology to enhance student engagement and learning. back to list

Tracking and Reporting with Clickers

Learn to use powerful session management tools in TurningPoint 5.0 to track student performance. This 45-minute workshop presents tools necessary to gather response data and run analysis reports. back to list

Writing Good Clicker Questions

This workshop presents strategies for effectively using the Student Response System to enhance teaching and learning.  Workshop discussion different types of multiple choice questions for use with clickers, including recall, conceptual understanding, application/computation, critical thinking, and student perspective questions. back to list

Blackboard 9.1

Getting Started with Blackboard 9.1

This workshop introduces the basic features of Blackboard. Beginning with a student view of the interface, instructors learn what they need to get started, focusing on content presentation and organization, course customization, and preparing for the first day of class, including creating announcements, a syllabus, and a discussion board. back to list

Introduction to the New Blackboard Course Template

Starting in Fall 2012, new Blackboard courses will be built on a new organizational structure. The new default template is designed to make creating and accessing content easier for you and your students, and to help make your Blackboard course more interactive and effective overall.

This workshop will introduce you to the new course template, provide strategies for transferring existing course content into the new structure, and discuss customizing your Blackboard space to fit your pedagogical objectives. back to list

Developing a Blackboard Course

This workshop introduces instructors to the FITL Course Development Template, a guide for planning and organizing a Blackboard course.  With the goal of effective student learning, users walk through the process of assessing and planning content, and learn strategies for building a robust and engaging online course or course supplement.

Prerequisites:  It is recommended that participants take Getting Started with Blackboard 9.1 prior to attending this workshop. back to list

Assessments I: Assignments in Blackboard

This three-part workshop addresses the role of assessments in promoting student learning, and teaches instructors how to assess student work using Blackboard.  Part I of the workshop walks instructors through the process of assessing student work using the Assignment feature of Blackboard.  Emphasizing course development and strategies for presenting content, instructors learn to create, review and grade assignments in Blackboard.

Prerequisites:  It is recommended that participants take Getting Started with Blackboard 9.1 prior to attending this workshop. back to list

Assessments II: Tests and Surveys in Blackboard

Part II of the Assessments workshop focuses on assessing learning using the Test and Survey features of Blackboard.  Continuing the discussion of the importance of assessments in learning, instructors learn to build, review, and grade tests and surveys that students can complete through Blackboard.

Prerequisites:  It is recommended that participants take Getting Started with Blackboard 9.1 prior to attending this workshop. back to list

Assessments III: Interactive Tools in Blackboard

  • Discussion Board
  • Blogs & Journals
  • Wikis

Part III of the Assessments series introduces the interactive Discussion, Blog, Journal and Wiki communication and assessment tools in Blackboard. Each of these 30-45 minute Feature Workshops provides the tools instructors need to integrate these interactive tools, promoting student work and optional grading in these areas.

Prerequisites:  It is recommended that participants take Getting Started with Blackboard 9.1 prior to attending this workshop. back to list

Collaborating with Groups in Blackboard

This 45-minute Feature Workshop introduces the Groups tool for student collaboration.  With a discussion of the benefits of collaboration in learning, users learn to establish and support groups, and create and grade group assignments.

Prerequisites:  It is recommended that participants take Getting Started with Blackboard 9.1 prior to attending this workshop. back to list

SafeAssign in Blackboard

This workshop explores the SafeAssign tool in Blackboard, and focuses on preventing and recognizing plagiarism within academic essays. Instructors will be introduced to the anti-plagiarism tools available on Blackboard, learn to create a SafeAssignment and review student submissions to encourage academic honesty.

Prerequisites:  It is recommended that participants take Getting Started with Blackboard 9.1 prior to attending this workshop. back to list

Grade Center I

This workshop introduces faculty to monitoring and communicating student progress using the Grade Center in Blackboard 9.1. Topics covered include grading assignments, working with grading columns, and customizing the Grade Center view. Advanced features are explored further in the Grade Center II workshop.

Prerequisites:  It is recommended that participants take Getting Started with Blackboard 9.1 prior to attending this workshop. back to list

Grade Center II

Advanced users will be interested in the dynamic aspects of the Grade Center tool. This second workshop explores more in depth features of the Grade Center, including grade weighting, letter grade schemas, and working with grading periods.

Prerequisites:  It is recommended that participants take Grade Center I prior to attending this workshop. back to list

Grading with Rubrics

This 30-minute Feature Workshop introduces the new Rubrics feature in Blackboard, which can be used to objectively evaluate student work through Blackboard and provide concrete grading criteria to students.

Prerequisites:  It is recommended that participants take Grade Center I prior to attending this workshop. back to list

Early Warning System

Blackboard's Early Warning System tool can be used to identify and notify at-risk students before they slip through the cracks.  In this 30-minute Feature Workshop, learn to create warning criteria rules, notify students, and track warnings all through Blackboard.

Prerequisites:  It is recommended that participants take Grade Center I prior to attending this workshop. back to list

Digital Media

Faculty Media Studio

This workshop session introduces faculty to the Faculty Media Studio, a dedicated workspace for multimedia project development and collaboration with colleagues.   This workshop is an overview of the services and projects available to faculty and staff, as well as the Studio's top-of-the-line hardware and software. back to list

Educational Podcasting

This intensive 90-minute session of hands on digital media integration will offer participants the chance to record and produce their own podcast. Participants learn to identify the different types of podcasts, understand the basics of combining several forms of digital media together and are guided through the steps of producing a podcast at the Faculty Media Studio. back to list