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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.  

May 2024 Week-at-a-glance calendar

Suggested LinkedIn Learning Challenges

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!

 

Monday Sessions
 
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

Watch "Building a Course in Ultra" 

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

Watch "Blackboard Ultra Roadmap"

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

Watch "Blackboard Can't Help Me with In-Person Classes"

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

Watch "Grading and Gradebook in Ultra"

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

Watch "All About Ultra Tests and Test Settings"

2:00 pm

Ultra Labs
Honorlock demo at 2:05pm

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

 

Tuesday Sessions
 
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

Watch "Course Video: Recording, Storing, and Sharing" 

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
John Jones
Kyle Wilson

Watch "Students and AI"

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

Watch "How to Talk so AI Understands You"

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

Watch "Blackboard Ultra's AI Tools"

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

Watch "Mindfulness for University Life"

2:00 pm

Ultra Labs
Gradebook 2 ways - List and Grid Views demo at 2:05

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

 

 

Wednesday Sessions
 
Time Session Title Presenter(s) Recording Link
9:00 am

Ultra Grab Bag: Groups, Feedback, and Peer Review

Rachel Bastian

Watch "Groups, Feedback, and Peer Review"

10:00 am

Mandatory Accessibility Training

This training, offered by John Jones during every ARC, is mandatory for instructors each school year. 

John Jones

Watch "Mandatory Accessibility Training"

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

Watch "AI is Scary to Me. What do I Need to Know?"

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

Watch "Help Me Fix My Class!" 

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
Adding videos to announcements and feedback demo at 2:05

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

 

 

Thursday Sessions
 
Time Session Title Presenter(s) Recording Link
9:00 am

The Shocker Teaching Community of Practice
Hybrid session: 
Attend in-person at WSU Connect or online

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
John Hammond
Sara Mata

Watch "The Shocker Teaching Community of Practice" 

10:00 am

Student Success Update and Listening Session
Hybrid session: 
Attend in-person at WSU Connect or online

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

Watch "Student Success Update and Listening Session" 

11:00 am

Myths About Teaching and Learning
Hybrid session: 
Attend in-person at WSU Connect or online

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

Watch "Myths About Teaching and Learning"

12:00 pm

Using Forms in PowerPoint
Hybrid session: 
Attend in-person at WSU Connect or online

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

Watch "Using Forms in PowerPoint"

1:00-2:30 pm

Shocker Teaching Community of Practice: Your Syllabus as a Tool to Promote Student Equity, Belonging, and Growth
In-Person Only: Attend at WSU Connect

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
John Hammond
Sara Mata

Add to Calendar

2:45-3:00 PM

Mindfulness Meditation
Hybrid session: 
Attend in-person at WSU Connect or online

Join Carolyn Speer for a short mindfulness meditation. 

Carolyn Speer

Join Meeting 

Add to Calendar

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  

Join Meeting

 

Friday Sessions
 
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

Join Meeting 

 

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

Join Meeting 

 

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

Join Meeting