Erik Palmore, Faculty Development Center

Webster has initiated a phased upgrade to Blackboard 9, the software behind WorldClassRoom. The multi-year plan to move to the next generation learning platform will provide new opportunities to enhance the online experience of the Webster University community.

A page has been created to serve as an information clearinghouse to keep users up to date on the process as we move through this multi-year plan.  This page includes news about the transition, important details about how faculty may be affected, and ample support resources to make the transition as seamless as possible.

One key milestone that faculty should be aware of is the move to new servers that will be needed to better accommodate the growing number of faculty and students making use of WorldClassRoom.  This transition has already occurred, and faculty should be aware that the ‘My Files’ section of the old server will need to be moved by the instructor.  Full details and instructions are available at the Blackboard 9 project page.

While more details about the Blackboard 9 upgrade will be released over the academic year, faculty can rely on the current version of WorldClassRoom that runs on Blackboard Vista to continue to meet faculty and student needs, offering a place to easily share course content, facilitate communication, and assess student learning.

To learn more about changes to Blackboard 9 tools visit:

Elvir Mandzukic, Faculty Development Center

Every semester, faculty spend a lot of time in preparation for classes. For some instructors, teaching involves consuming reams of paper and transporting these materials to classrooms.

Students today expect instructors to incorporate technology into the classroom. Some students prefer to receive materials electronically whenever possible. There is also a greater awareness of different learning styles, and technology you choose can be customized to meet different needs.

WorldClassRoom, a learning content management system, provides an easy way to electronically share information, ideas, and opinions outside of classroom time, allowing more time to focus on active learning in the classroom.

WorldClassRoom offers centralized storage for both the student and the instructor. As an instructor using WCR, you may post materials to any course you teach on-ground (face-to-face) or fully on-line.  You can provide your syllabus, reading materials, assignments, quizzes, surveys, and other classroom tools.  New information and assignment updates can be made quickly and easily.

You can easily e-mail your class, post links to subject related websites, initiate discussions via a classroom message board, and more fully explain and clarify assignments.  The communication between instructor and student is two-way, and the possibilities are endless.  Your “classroom” is open around-the-clock for the convenience of all. 

Tiffany Smith, Faculty Development Center

There was a time, not long ago, when reading and writing were the major requirements for academic success. If a student could read (decode and comprehend) text and then record their findings and analyses, then the student was guaranteed access to the world of learning. The responsibility of the educator was merely to tell the story, to verbally deliver the information. That coupled with a textbook was the only facilitated instruction students received.

Reading and writing are still the prerequisites for acquiring information, yet how students learn and apply knowledge has begun to shift. Gallini (2001), of New Mexico Highlands University, stated that learning has “shift(ed) from the traditional view of learning as an act of cognition of the individual to an act of enculturation as individuals begin to conduct their thinking as a part of a community in mediated social contexts” (p. 140).

Technology in the classroom can consist of many things. Smart boards, overhead projectors, student laptops, and teacher computer workstations are some of the most visible items in today’s classrooms. Also, there is a wide array of computer programs and software applications available to students via the Internet. In higher education, one of the most studied and effective uses of technology includes the learning content management system, e.g., Blackboard or WorldClassRoom, that comes fully equipped with options to integrate technology both during class sessions and beyond the regulated class time.

The list of ways to use WorldClassRoom is almost endless.  However, the question still remains: why? “Are students walking away from courses that use advanced technology feeling that they have learned more compared to courses in which advanced technology is not used?” (D’Angelo, 2007, p. 462). Research shows that “…educators who capitalize on the relationship between technology and education reform can help students develop higher-order thinking skills and function effectively in a world beyond the classroom” (Goddard, 2002, p. 25).  The learning environments that once consisted of only chalkboards, chalk and a knowledgeable instructor are not enough to reach the students that comprise our higher education institutions today.  “It is the students’ future toward which educators must turn their eyes, without making predictions of what might be.  Teachers must prepare students for the changes they will certainly face.  The teacher’s responsibility is to discover the judicious use of technology as another tool in the arsenal of teaching that will guide students to exploration, discovery, practice, appreciation, and wonder at the world they inherit” (Goddard, 2002, p. 26):  “…technology can create new avenues of interaction that will meet the needs of a changing student population” (Fitch, 2004, p. 77).

D’Angelo, Ph.D., Jill M. & Sherry Ann Woosley, Ph.D. (2007). Technology in the Classroom: Friend or Foe. Education 127(4), 462-471. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.

Fitch, James L. (2004). Student Feedback in the College Classroom: A Technology Solution. ETR&D 52(1), 71-81. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.

Gallini, Joan K. & Daniel Barron (2001-2002). Participants’ Perceptions of Web-Infused Environments: A Survey of Teaching Beliefs, Learning Approaches, and Communication. Journal of Research on Technology in Education 34(2), 139-156. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.

Goddard, Mark (2002). What Do We Do with These Computers? Reflections on Technology in the Classroom. Journal of Research on Technology in Education 35(1), 19-26. <http://web.ebscohost.com>.

Elvir Mandzukic, Faculty Development Center

Dr. Roy Tamashiro, Professor in the School of Education, discusses his research and practice with collaborative technology for transforming students for global citizenship.

How do you use blogs in your classes and what is the name of your blog?

In the “Global issues: Japan” course every student set up a personal blog, on Blogger, a public blog. It is a learning log, in which they record what they are encountering on the topic of the course. It is also a travel journal in which they write on places the class visits. The travel journal-blog may also include their photos and videos of these locations. Finally they write reflections of what the seminars meant to them as a part of their learning blog. They reflect on their experience, on their discussions and on the readings. And they look at each other’s blogs and certainly learn from that, learn about new resources that other students find. They can comment on other students’ blogs as well.

I see that you used wikibooks. What were the instructions and how did students go about creating a wikibook?

We had two kinds of assignments on wikibook. One was to do reports on particular people or places that we were studying and that we were going to be visiting during the international travel component of the class. The students picked topics ahead of time, researched these topics and posted their findings on the topics in the case reports area for the wikibook. And when we got to the location, the student gave oral reports on the topic they researched and posted on the wikibook.

 In addition each student wrote a major chapter for the wikibook, which is like a textbook. So instead of students purchasing a text book, they researched the topics and wrote chapters for the textbook, made chapter quizzes that classmates took, and graded their peers on how well they learned material from the chapter they authored.

So how did this course impact your students and what were some of their reactions with the course tools that they had to use from the non-traditional approach to teaching?

 I think they were hesitant at first, but they welcomed them. One of the convenient ways for putting photos of their experiences was to use these a web photo-sharing tool like Flickr, Picasa, and Facebook. Three students used Facebook as their photo album to share their experiences about the course and reflect on them. They used Facebook spontaneously without my suggesting or requiring it.

So if you had to recommend this to other faculty, what would be their starting point?

 It all comes back to the Webster University mission statement to “...transform students for global citizenship.” Publishing on the web demystifies the professional publishing process. It empowers students to have their voices heard in the global community. This enables both faculty and students to be full participants in the global dialogue and fulfills the mission to transform students for global citizenship.

How do faculty, especially new faculty, find all these resources? Where can we find these new examples?

They come to you! They come to Faculty Development Center!  They can go to professional conferences, look at the journals where these innovations are being reported or do a search on Google.com or Scholar.Google.com for wiki textbooks.

Thank you Dr. Tamashiro.

To see examples of Dr. Tamashiro’s work, visit:

Eve-Ann Cox, Online Learning Center

Have you heard the buzz about the software being used to create and manage exams in WorldClassRoom? Respondus is a time saving utility provided by Webster University that allows an instructor to import or create an exam for use with online or web-enhanced classes.

If you have exams that you created in Microsoft Word, Respondus 3.5 is a software program provided by Webster University that allows you to manage your exams offline and synchronize them with WorldClassRoom within a matter of minutes.

Respondus is easy to use and has great features that assist in improving performance. The timesaving features include the following:

• Questions can be  created in a portable format that integrates with WorldClassRoom.
• Questions can be copied from other Respondus files.
• Calculated and algorithmic formulas can be included.
• Graphics, audio, and video can be embedded without HTML links.
• Same quiz/exam/survey can be uploaded into multiple courses.
• Questions can be previewed before publishing them to a server.

How to get more info?

If you are an instructor teaching a web-enhanced class, you can find assistance from the Faculty Development Center by calling 314-246-8243 or 866-963-8243.

In addition, an instructor teaching a fully online course can find assistance from the Online Learning Center at 314-246-8754 or eveanncox26@webster.edu.

Brad Wolaver, Faculty Development Center

@Tweet, ReTweet, Tweet-up, followers... what is this? There are not ten minutes that go by on CNN Headline News that they don’t mention “follow us on Twitter.”

Twitter, a micro-blogging web service, enables users to post frequent messages of up to 140 characters on their profile page using the Twitter web service, a Smartphone/iPhone, a text message, or desktop applications that communicate with Twitter. Your profile can be followed by others that might share your discipline, course activity, or group interests.

Twitter asks you one question - what are you doing/thinking? “Twittering has offered me a real extension to my learning via connection with policy makers, media and anonymous but vital audience who directly respond to my tweets,” says Benjamin Akande, Ph.D, Dean of the School of Business and Technology. Twitter offers new and exciting ways to open up the lines of communication in the classroom for enhancing teaching and learning opportunities. Here are some ways you can use Twitter:

Facilitate getting to know one another

Collaborate on research, conferences, projects or assignments

Share ideas anytime and anywhere

Poll your students

Increase classroom participation and attentiveness

Give it a try. Twitter with us at http://www.twitter.com/fdcwebsteru or @fdcwebsteru to learn more about ways to use Twitter in the classroom and other FDC ideas, events, services and more.

Here are some other Webster schools and faculty Twitters to check out: @websteru,

@websteru_biz, @benjamin_akande,

@bumbaugh,  and @garygottlieb.

Kathy Gaynor, Library

Helping students become more information literate is a university-wide goal, one that the library is helping to achieve.  Through a recent reorganization, Dean Laura Rein has created the Instruction and Liaison Services Department (ILSD) to work with faculty to integrate instruction in using research resources to promote information literacy in programs offered at Webster. As defined by the Association of College and Research Libraries:

“Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information…It enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning.”

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm#ildef

 A special focus of this initiative will be examining specific courses in each program (e.g. introductory, research methods, and capstone) to determine likely candidates for our instruction.  We will also be revising the library’s online tutorials and using webconferencing technology such as Adobe Connect to provide instruction to faculty and students at our extended campuses.  We encourage faculty input and look forward to working with faculty individually as well as within departments and committees. 

 For more information about the library’s instructional services and information literacy plan, visit:

Holly Hubenschmidt, Library

Need to find an article?  Need to find a book or video?  Need help with citation?  Since it first came online, the Webster University Library website has offered task-oriented access to information.

When given some flexibility with the library link in WorldClassRoom, the librarians tried a different path – access by subject.  This option proved successful particularly with online and extended campus students. 

This fall your liaison librarians are piloting enhanced subject access with Library Subject Portals.  Nursing is the first subject to be uploaded, offering links to resources specific to the discipline.  The Databases link will lead directly to the Nursing Databases page and Tutorials will bring up “Doing Research in Nursing” video tutorials.  The library liaison will be spotlighted with contact information and a photo.  A library blog for nursing students will allow the liaison to highlight resources and provide useful reminders and bits of instruction to encourage students to navigate the Library’s information resources efficiently and effectively.

The portal project was born from collaborative efforts between nursing faculty and Holly Hubenschmidt, the nursing liaison librarian, in conjunction with the department’s plans to offer the RN-to-BSN program as an online option.  The goal is to provide access for students to a library subject specialist and the resources, instruction and assistance that liaison can provide.

Look for Library Portals in other subject areas to come online throughout the 2009-2010 year.

Mary Anne Erwin, Library

To support Webster’s curriculum, the library liaisons selected new databases.  As the databases come online, full descriptions are added to the A-Z Database Descriptions and each is added to the appropriate Databases by Subject list(s) linked from Articles & Databases.

 You may also discover over 700 new academic eBooks in all subject areas (©2007-2008).  These titles are linked from individual library catalog records or are fully searchable (including the full-text of the book) from the NetLibrary database.

 These new databases were made possible through savings from cancellations following a review of databases, print journals, and standing orders. During this review, liaisons looked at usage statistics, overlapping content, and changing curricular needs.   Some databases that we had received as part of a consortial membership were canceled by the consortium (MOREnet).  However, you should not see any noticeable degradation in online title linking from the following Ebsco databases as they are mainly subsets of Academic Search Premier:  Alt-Health Watch, Health Source (Consumer and Nursing editions); Master File Premier; and Military & Government Collection.

Erik Palmore, Faculty Development Specialist, Matt Wier Library

Faculty Development Center (FDC) and Library staff will gladly prepare audio and video materials for Webster faculty that are headed to teach abroad!  With input from faculty, we’ve developed a media duplication process that lets us create playable copies of media (free of international format problems) in accordance with Webster’s Fair Use Guidelines, and in a manner that minimizes the impact on other Library patrons.

 Michael Erickson, faculty in the English Department, recently took advantage of this service to take more than a dozen films for the classes he was teaching in London.   Michael said, “I simply provided the call numbers for the videos and DVDs I wanted to use in London.  The FDC staff pulled the materials I wanted from the library and had them translated to the European format well before I left for the Regents campus.  Easy.  My DVDs worked perfectly in London.”

 Karen Trinkle, faculty in the Music Department, spent time organizing complete films and exerpts around common themes to make her time in class more efficient.  Karen said, “The DVDs for my ‘Women and Music’ class at the Vienna campus were very effective for presenting complex material.  Each DVD was organized around a specific theme, and individual video excerpts were clearly identified on each DVD.  During my lecture, I did not waste time searching for particular tracks on multiple DVDs.  Instead I could efficiently access and replay specific tracks.  There was also an added benefit:  because the visual material was already prepared on a single DVD, I was inspired to follow my lecture plan more efficiently than ever in the classroom.”

 If you are teaching abroad this academic year and have videos or other media that you would like to take with you, we encourage you to consult with Faculty Development Center staff to learn what your options are and to begin the process of converting your media.  We ask that you provide us with six weeks or more to prepare your materials, especially if you have several items that must be prepared.  For more information on this service, contact the Faculty Development Center 

 Any faculty member who is planning to teach abroad should also consider using the Library’s eReserves system.   With the eReserves system faculty members have the opportunity to easily create a customized home page for their courses. The system accepts and displays documents in any format, including PDF, HTML, word processor files, spreadsheets, PowerPoint Presentations, and audio or video files.  Faculty may also use eReserves in conjunction with the WorldClassRoom page for their course.  If you’re interested, please contact Webster’s Electronic Reserves Coordinator Greg Kettinger via email at kettigre@webster.edu  or by calling (314) 246-7813.

Q: Who/what is User Services?

A: User Services is an IT department devoted to the service and support of technologies used by faculty, staff and students on the main campus as well as the extended sites. User Services is comprised of a number of areas including the Help Desk, Desktop Technical Services, the Media Center, Lab and Classroom Technology Support, ResTech Student Services and A/V support. The goal of User Services is to provide knowledgeable and responsive solutions through communication and service. The User Services Help Desk provides an initial point of contact for all technology related issues.

Q: How often are computers replaced?

A: The replacement cycle is need based, not time based. Most of the labs usually need to be replaced every three to five years to keep hardware and software current. Most faculty computers are also replaced every three or five years since their hardware and software needs coincide with the labs. Staff computers are upgraded or replaced with newer computers as they break down or no longer meet our hardware standards or the needs of the user.

Q: How do I get email when I am away from the office?

A:  There are three different ways to retrieve your email while out of the office.

1. You can set up Outlook (or another email client) on your home computer.  If you do decide to do this, be aware of the differences between POP and IMAP. IMAP means where all of your messages are stored on the mail server and you are able to access them anywhere you like.  Having your email set up as POP means once they are downloaded at your office computer you can no longer access those messages using the web clients.  You can only get the new messages sent.

2. You can use Connections.  Open a web browser and type in Webster’s site (www.webster.edu). Click on the Connections button.  Type in your user name and password.  Then click the Email button located in the top right side of the screen.

3. You can use Webmail (webmail.webster.edu).  Type in your user name, your password, and the server your email is located, then log in.

Q: Does Information Technology drive when lab software gets updated?

A: No.  The curriculum drives when software is updated.  IT usually can’t update software until the books come out, and major upgrades such as Adobe Creative Suite or Microsoft Office needs to be tested to make sure it is stable before it is rolled out.  Software upgrades must be planned in advance due to hardware requirements and testing needs.

Q: When is the University going to switch to the new Vista operating system?

A: The University has no plans to upgrade to the Microsoft Vista operating system.  As new hardware and software requires upgrades, Information Technology will evaluate options. 

Q: Can I request an upgrade or new software for the class I am teaching?

A: Yes, but the earlier you plan the better!  If you have a software need for an upcoming class, let your department chair or program facilitator know, and contact the Specialist/Coordinator in the Faculty Development Center that represents your College or School.  The Specialist/Coordinator will work with you to identify your goals to create a proposal to be used early in the planning process, and can also make you aware of alternatives and current developments underway that might affect your class.  If you find yourself with an software need for a class you are teaching this term, check with your Specialist/Coordinator to determine the best way to meet your instructional needs.

Contributed by Terri Lucas, Christine Arteaga, Emir Alisic, Nermina Mandzukic-Sinanovic, Ron Pointer, and Jennifer Holtmann of User Services.

Kate Sprague, Online Learning Center

A Professional Learning Network (PLN) is an environment that you create to expand your knowledge in a particular area of interest. No longer are we just dependent on knowledge acquisition from local sources. Through the use of technology, we can expand our reach around the globe. Finding other professionals in your field is the basis for the development of a network of peers who can encourage you to learn quicker and become more effective in your position. It is a place to connect, collaborate, and contribute.

There are many benefits to creating your own PLN. You will become aware of new research in your chosen area, learn new strategies, and find new ideas to bring effective change to teaching and learning. Becoming connected to other people around the world who share your common interests will enable you to continue the lifelong learning process while you share knowledge and resources.  There are many tools on the Internet to use to create your PLN. Here are some of the places where you can begin the process:

• Blogs- blogger, wordpress, edublogs
• Social bookmarking-deli.cio.us, diigo
• Wikis- pbwiki, wetpaint
• Collaborative workspaces- google docs, SlideShare
• Photo Sharing-Flickr, Picasa, Shutterfly, Snapfish
• Social networks: Facebook/Facebook groups, Ning, LinkedIn
• Other: StumbleUpon, Twitter

So how do you go about starting this Professional Learning Network? Find national, state and regional professional organizations websites. Look for links within websites or blogs to other people or other postings on the topic. Do a search (using Google, etc.) with your chosen area of interest as the keyword(s).

 Use Google Reader to aggregate the websites and blogs that you find so that you don’t have to go out to find them again.

The Faculty Development Center (FDC) at Webster University exists to support and promote the achievement of excellence in teaching, learning, and scholarship of Webster’s worldwide community of faculty.

 The FDC strives to support the foundations of excellence in teaching and learning by inspiring and empowering all faculty to identify opportunities to improve student learning, investigate and employ appropriate strategies and techniques, evaluate outcomes, and share experiences in an effort to create environments in which all students learn.

The FDC strives to achieve this by:

• building resources for instructional improvement
• contributing to organizational effectiveness for teaching and learning
• identifying, promoting, and measuring best practices
• providing equitable resources to all Webster locations, and
• celebrating faculty successes

 The FDC offers a workshop series to provide faculty opportunities to learn new skills that can be applied to teaching and  a round table series that allow faculty opportunities to meet and share teaching experiences.  The FDC also provides instructional development, design, assessment, and technology consultation to maximize teaching effectiveness and student learning.  In addition, FDC also provides support for the use of WorldClassRoom, Webster’s state of the art learning management system, for the Web Enhancement of face to face courses.

 The FDC suite, located in Emerson Library Rm. 420 at the Webster Groves campus is available to all faculty and provides them with a private space for working or meeting with other faculty.  The bright, spacious suite has tables for work, general and special purpose technology stations, and couches and chairs arranged to suit individual and team work.  The suite is also home to large balcony overlooking the university’s quadrangle.

 To learn more about the FDC and how they can assist you, please visit: