Welcome to the May 2024 ARC!
The May, 2024 ARC will take place May 20-24, 2024. WSU's move to Blackboard Ultra is a large focus of this conference, but you will also find valuable information about AI, Microsoft tools, OER options, syllabus review and more. Check out the schedule below! All events are free and open to anyone.
**NOTE** Thursday's sessions (except for the 1 - 2:30 pm workshop) will be hybrid. Attend in person at the Wichita State Connect building (formerly the Wonder school, across the street from Woolsey) or join online via Teams.
Find session descriptions, calendar invites and meeting lInks in the daily sections below. A few days after the conference, the meeting links will be replaced with links to session recordings.
Remember, LinkedIn Learning courses are free for all WSU-associated people including students, staff, and instructors of any rank (including GTAs!). If you have not yet claimed your LinkedIn Learning license, you need to do that first, so follow these instructions using Chrome as your browser. If you are not employed by WSU but you do live in Wichita, Kansas, you can get free access to LinkedIn Learning through the Wichita Public Library so you won't miss out!
| Time | Session Title | Presenter(s) | Recording Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am |
Building an Ultra Course This session covers the basics of building in Ultra. We will start with a blank course and create content from scratch, upload and link files and videos from your computer and the cloud, and copy content from other Blackboard courses, including those in Original format. |
Rachel Bastian |
|
| 10:00 am |
Blackboard Ultra Roadmap Join Fredrik Klemming, Director of Product Management at Anthology, to hear what's ahead for Blackboard Ultra. |
Fredrik Klemming |
|
| 11:00 am |
Blackboard Can't Help Me with In-Person Classes: Change My Mind! Are you sure you don't need the online features Blackboard provides for your in-person classes? Dr. Carolyn Speer, Director of the Office of Instructional Resources is here to (attempt to) change your mind. |
Carolyn Speer | |
| 12:00 pm |
Grading and Gradebook in Ultra Ultra has some fantastic features including flexible grading, inline annotations, and multiple options for instructor feedback. This session will cover those and the sometimes-confusing parts of the Ultra Gradebook, like setting up the Overall Grade. |
Carolyn Speer | |
| 1:00 pm |
All about Ultra Tests and Test Settings Ultra assessments can be simple and straightforward, but there are so many settings that it can be difficult to figure out which to choose. In this session, get ready for a deep dive into Ultra tests, and bring your questions for a Q&A. |
Rachel Bastian | |
| 2:00 pm |
Ultra Labs Do you need one-on-one help with your Ultra course? Ultra labs are come-and-go, with multiple OIR staff members ready to assist you. If we don't already know the answer, we will find it! |
OIR Staff |
|
| Time | Session Title | Presenter(s) | Recording Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am |
Course Video in O365: Recording, Storing, and Sharing If you use video in your Blackboard course, this session is for you. Learn how to record in Teams, Stream, and PowerPoint, how to add captions, how to save your videos to OneDrive (the cloud), and how to share via link or embed your video in Ultra. |
Rachel Bastian |
|
| 10:00 am |
Students and AI Join Dr. Carrie Dickison, John Jones, and Kyle Wilson as they discuss the use of AI among students. |
Carrie Dickison |
|
| 11:00 am |
How to Talk so AI Understands you Communicating with AI takes some practice. In this session, John Jones will tell you how to converse with and give instructions to AI that will yield the most helpful information. |
John Jones | |
| 12:00 pm |
Blackboard Ultra's AI Tools Join this session to see demonstrations of Ultra's AI tools, which can save you time with tests, rubrics, and more! |
Carolyn Speer | |
| 1:00 pm |
Mindfulness for University Life Join Carolyn Speer, certified in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, to learn about how mindfulness and mindful meditation can enhance your work life. This session occurs an extension of OIR's MBSR project for faculty and staff, which includes weekly meditation (Tuesdays at 2pm), a mindfulness newsletter, and recorded meditations via the Quiet Time podcast. Follow the links below for more information. |
Carolyn Speer | |
| 2:00 pm |
Ultra Labs Do you need one-on-one help with your Ultra course? Ultra labs are come-and-go, with multiple OIR staff members ready to assist you. If we don't already know the answer, we will find it! |
OIR Staff |
|
| Time | Session Title | Presenter(s) | Recording Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am |
Ultra Grab Bag: Groups, Feedback, and Peer Review |
Rachel Bastian |
|
| 10:00 am |
Mandatory Accessibility Training This training, offered by John Jones during every ARC, is mandatory for instructors each school year. |
John Jones |
|
| 11:00 am |
AI is Scary to Me. What Do I Need to Know? Demystify AI in this session with Carolyn Speer, who will address privacy, security, and ethical concerns and show you how she uses it in her work and in the classroom. |
Carolyn Speer | |
| 12:00 pm |
I Copied From Bb Original; now what? Help Me Fix My Class! What are all of these exceptions? Where did my stuff go? Copying form Original to Ultra requires a bit of tweaking. Join Rachel Bastian in this session to find out what you need to do to make sure your course looks the way you want it to in Ultra. |
Rachel Bastian | |
| 1:00 pm |
LibreText, OER, and Other Ways to Lower Student Costs Open text resources are a great way to utilize available texts and save your students money. In this session, you will hear from Doug Engliish, Carolyn Speer, and library staff about how to locate the best free resources for your needs. |
Doug English Carolyn Speer |
Watch "LibreTexts, OER, and Other Ways to Lower Student Costs." |
| 2:00 pm |
Ultra Labs Do you need one-on-one help with your Ultra course? Ultra labs are come-and-go, with multiple OIR staff members ready to assist you. If we don't already know the answer, we will find it! |
OIR Staff |
|
| Time | Session Title | Presenter(s) | Recording Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am |
The Shocker Teaching Community of Practice Drawing from research from the Student Experience Project, this session will be an opportunity to learn about the Shocker Teaching Community of Practice as a means for faculty to share evidence-based practices rooted in five key foundational teaching practices for student success. **Attend the special workshop from 1:00-2:30 for in-person training about using your syllabus to promote student equity, belonging, and growth. |
Brett Bruner |
|
| 10:00 am |
Student Success Update and Listening Session This session will include updates about the many student success initiatives happening around campus. After the update, Brett Bruner will offer a listening session where participants can make suggestions about ways the university can better support students. |
Brett Bruner |
|
| 11:00 am |
Myths About Teaching and Learning Ideas about learning are passed around quickly and continue to spread, even when research debunks them. Attend this session to hear about some of the most prominent learning and teaching myths. This is an opportunity to challenge your assumptions and update your understanding about teaching and learning. |
Carolyn Speer | |
| 12:00 pm |
Using Forms in PowerPoint Join trainier extroardinaire, Ali Levine, for this session on adding Forms to your PowerPoint presentations. This new feature allows you to integrate polls, surveys, or quizzes to your slides, and the possibilities are endless! |
Ali Levine | |
| 1:00-2:30 pm |
Shocker Teaching Community of Practice: Your Syllabus as a Tool to Promote Student Equity, Belonging, and Growth When students read your syllabus, they are not just wondering, “Which textbook should I buy?” and “When is the midterm?” They are also wondering, “Can I succeed in this course?” and “Do I belong in this field?” The messages students receive early on can shape their perceived answers to these questions, and impact the way they experience your course throughout the term. Using an evidence-based approach to syllabus development and messaging you can help ensure that students’ earliest experiences in your course promote a sense of belonging and self-efficacy that will support equity, belonging, and growth throughout the term. |
Brett Bruner |
|
| 2:45-3:00 PM |
Mindfulness Meditation Join Carolyn Speer for a short mindfulness meditation. |
Carolyn Speer |
|
| 2:00 pm |
Ultra Labs Do you need one-on-one help with your Ultra course? Ultra labs are come-and-go, with multiple OIR staff members ready to assist you. If we don't already know the answer, we will find it! |
OIR |
| Time | Session Title | Presenter(s) | Recording Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am |
Ultra Labs Do you need one-on-one help with your Ultra course? Ultra labs are come-and-go, with multiple OIR staff members ready to assist you. If we don't already know the answer, we will find it! |
OIR Staff |
|
| 10:00 am |
Ultra Labs Do you need one-on-one help with your Ultra course? Ultra labs are come-and-go, with multiple OIR staff members ready to assist you. If we don't already know the answer, we will find it! |
OIR Staff |
|
| 11:00 am |
Ultra Labs Do you need one-on-one help with your Ultra course? Ultra labs are come-and-go, with multiple OIR staff members ready to assist you. If we don't already know the answer, we will find it! |
OIR Staff |
|