Below is a collection of local and Internet resources to assist faculty in the teaching and learning process, from course planning to assessment to publishing scholarship on teaching and learning.
Tutorials and Guides
Online Final Grade Submission: UCF is transitioning to online submission of end-of-term grades to the Registrar. Through Fall 2008 all instructors will have a choice of using the traditional Final Grade Roster paper forms, or entering the grades online through myUCF. In Spring 2009 and beyond, plans are to accept final grades only via online submissions. This tutorial provides information on how to use the online submission process and whom to contact for assistance.
Downloading Your Class Roster: Download your roster in MS-Excel by following the steps in our tutorial.
Printing Photos of Your Students: Faculty members have access to the photographs taken for student ID cards, which can be useful in helping to learn the students' names, perhaps even before the semester begins. Our tutorial explains the steps.
The Crestron Control Panel in Every Classroom: The majority of classrooms at UCF are equipped not only with a console computer, but other technology (DVD, VCR, etc) as well. The Crestron unit at the top of the podium functions as a hub so that you can control what is displayed on the main screen overhead. This tutorial with screenshots will explain the system's capabilities and how to use them.
ScanTron Information / Test Scoring Services: Instructors may use the free ScanTron scoring services from Academic Computing Support if they are utilizing raspberry-colored ScanTrons (which must have the UCF logo on it) in their classes. Test results will be automatically uploaded to myUCF Grades, with a turnaround time of two days or less. Visit the Test Scoring Services website for information and required forms.
myUCF Grades: An option for reporting informal grades to your students electronically, this pagelet will automatically synchronize with official class rosters and allow instructors to manually input grades, import from Microsoft Excel, or report grades uploaded directly from Test Scoring Services (without the intermediate step of burning results to a disc). Students will be able to view their, and only their, grades through the UCF portal. This grade posting system is an alternative to the current methods of giving students grades (in class or using the WebCT grade book). We have developed an extensive tutorial for using myUCF Grades.
Creating a Grade Book Using MS-Excel: Learn how to use Excel to store and manage your grades, and to use formulas to calculate grades automatically. This tutorial includes a template, explanations of possible variations, and videos to guide you through the process.
Classroom Response Systems: Sometimes known as audience polling technology (or even just "clickers"), classroom response systems promise numerous benefits in large classes, including improved student engagement, enhanced formative feedback for instructors, easy quizzing tools, even a means to take attendance. Learn about the system UCF has chosen as its standard and how to order this system for your own class.
Effective Use of PowerPoint: Slide presentation software such as PowerPoint has become an ingrained part of many instructional settings, particularly in large classes and in courses more geared toward information exchange than skill development. PowerPoint can be a highly effective tool to aid learning, but if not used carefully, may instead disengage students and actually hinder learning. Our tutorial provides suggestions, samples, and tips for best practices.
Posting Websites to the Pegasus Server: Faculty who wish to post publicly-viewable course webpages or syllabi that remain active beyond the end of the semester could use the Pegasus server, which has allotted space for every faculty member. This tutorial is designed to help UCF faculty members activate and use their Pegasus accounts.
Turnitin.com: This online service, free to both students and instructors at UCF, assists in the detection and prevention of plagiarism in student essays. To get started with turnitin.com at UCF, faculty members need to contact the Office of Student Conduct to make an appointment: (407) 823-4638. Students can gain access after the faculty member has set up the account with the Office of Student Conduct.
Podcasting: Using mp3 compression to make audio files small enough to be broadcast, downloaded, or emailed around the Internet offers possibilities for disseminating lectures or even essay feedback. Our how-to guide includes step-by-step instructions for how to get started.
Recording a Lecture Using PowerPoint and Audio: Instructors can record audio simultaneously while giving a PowerPoint-based presentation using its own built-in audio recorder. PowerPoint can record audio and slide timings while a lecture is in a slideshow, and can save this information in the presentation. Instructors can then deliver them to students via Webcourses or another website. Click here to see the tutorial.
Transform PowerPoint presentation into video: Instructors can make videos of their PowerPoint presentations, including their own voiceover, and then deliver them to students via Webcourses or another website. In addition to PowerPoint, you'll need to download free software called AuthorPoint Lite. A 'full version' of AuthorPoint, which is not free, would offer the ability to add webcam video and create chapter points in the video.
Blogs: Post short updates, articles, and Internet links on your blog. Many students will use an 'RSS Reader' to view blog entries from many different sources, including their instructors. Learn about how to create and post a blog for your students.
Wikis: Students can create and update a communal website, an ideal venue for group projects and class simulations. This tutorial explains how to use wikis.
Basic Computer Skills: The College of Business maintains tutorials on basic computer skills, including MS-Word, MS-Excel, MS-PowerPoint, and MS-Access.
External Links
"ADEC Guiding Principles for Distance Teaching and Learning"
- American Distance Education Consortium
http://www.adec.edu/admin/papers/distance-teaching_principles.html
This site offers basic assumption and principles for creating online courses and characteristics of quality web-based courses.
"Resources for Online Learning"- University of Maryland, University
College
http://www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/ctla/resources_art.html
The meta-site provides tons of links to websites dealing with the pedagogical issues surrounding online learning.
"Teachnology and Webagogy" - Rick Ellis, University of Washington
http://staff.washington.edu/rells/teachnology/
Ellis provides a collection of articles, commentary, and websites that inform instructors in the computer-mediated classroom.
"Talk About Teaching and Learning" - Almanac, University of
Pennsylvania
http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/v50/n22/teaching.html
Faculty members offer advice on teaching with technology.
"Alternative Teaching and Learning Strategies: Lessons from an Introductory
Psychology Course" - John A. Boeglin et al. Interactive Multimedia
Electronic Journal of Computer-Enhanced Learning
http://imej.wfu.edu/articles/1999/2/06/index.asp
The authors provide an "overview of some of the problems that were encountered, their resolution, as well as perceived changes in teaching and learning styles" when teaching an online course.
"Merlot Teaching and Technology" - Multimedia Educational Resource
for Learning and Online Teaching
http://www.merlot.org/Home.po?discipline=Teaching_and_Technology
MERLOT provides a searchable database of contributions from faculty that teach with technology, including best practices, strategies, and instructional materials to facilitate learning in online environments.
"Teaching With Technology" - Enhancing Education at Carnegie
Mellon, Carnegie Mellon University
http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/technology/
Carnegie Mellon's website provides a comprehensive list of resources addressing teaching with technology, including best practices, tools, and example assignments.