Virginia Blackboard Users Group Annual Conference 2014
Session Listings
FIRST SESSION: 10:15 – 11:00
1. Blackboard Learn and Collaborate Roadmap
Connie Weber, Customer Success Advocate, Blackboard, Inc.
Blackboard Learn continues to build innovative tools to engage learners and enable instructor
efficiencies. However, we are moving forward to an entirely new user experience that will transform
how courses are built and how students interact online. In this workshop, Customer Success Advocate,
Connie Weber, will share the latest Blackboard Learn and Collaborate Roadmap outlining what you can
expect in 2014 and early 2015.
Connie Weber is a Customer Success Advocate at Blackboard. Joining the company since 2005, she was
also an integral part of the Blackboard Consulting team for 9 years. With a background in education,
Connie was an Associate Professor and Distance Learning Coordinator for 5 years prior to joining
Blackboard. Connie earned an MA in English from the University of Kentucky and a BA in English from
Florida State University, Connie has a background in distance learning and teaching
2. Blackboard as a Tool for Early Career Professional Development
Cory Anderson, Educational Technologist, Liberty University
Susan Crabtree, Educational Technologist, Liberty University
Schools at all levels struggle to find ways to effectively and efficiently deliver professional development
opportunities that are beneficial and measurable for all involved. In this session, we will demonstrate
one way of using Blackboard to deliver professional development content, track faculty progress, afford
faculty an opportunity to be the student in a course while fulfilling university contractual requirements.
Early Career faculty work at their own pace during their first 3 years at Liberty to complete content
delivered in multiple formats addressing a variety of areas such as; teaching and learning, writing,
technology and faith learning integration. The Grade Center records compliance and a certificate of
completion is sent to the faculty member at the end of each year.
Come be part of the discussion on how Blackboard might help your school address this common
challenge.
Cory Anderson is new to Liberty University. He has 15 years teaching and working in private boarding
schools as well as 8 years in educational technology. Cory's specialty is in the audio/visual arts. He enjoys
helping integrate video into classroom projects for greater student engagement as well as peer to peer
collaboration and to help faculty meet their pedagogical goals.
In his free time, Cory enjoys keeping up with his 3 busy kids with sports and school activities. His is a
native of Bedford, VA and a graduate of James Madison University.
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Sue Crabtree has been at Liberty for 9 years working in several different capacities all involving faculty
technology training and support. She and Cory team together in the Center for Teaching Excellence to
support over 600 resident faculty for both face-to-face technology training as well as field all resident
faculty Blackboard support help tickets. The CTE is responsible for all faculty professional development
and conduct over 100 workshops each year. In Sue's free time, she enjoys running and visiting her
children and grandchildren.
3. Make Faculty’s Instructional Time More Effective with Online Technology Training
Kari Houle, Integration and Implementation Specialist / Assistant Director for Center for Curriculum
Development, Atomic Learning
Bailey Anderson, Assistant Director of Instructional Technology, Liberty University
Today’s colleges and universities require faculty to focus more on their subject-matter expertise to
provide students with the skills they need to succeed. Liberty University has been able to utilize online
training to help faculty and students – both online and on-campus – understand how to use Blackboard
Learn and other common technology tools and make faculty instructional time more effective. Find out
their strategy as Bailey Anderson, Assistant Director Center for Curriculum Development, shares her
online learning expertise and best practices as well as answer questions on how your campus can
increase the effectiveness of its instructional time.
Kari Houle has over 15 years of experience in providing customer support and over a decade specializing
in technology training and coaching. In her role with Atomic Learning, Houle has partnered with
educational institutions around the world to create and implement successful technology training,
support and integration initiatives.
Bailey Anderson has been working for Liberty University since 2007. She’s had the honour to serve in the
online department as an Admissions Consultant, New Enrollment Specialist, Academic Advisor, and
Manager of Financial Aid and Admissions departments. For the past few years, Bailey has been working
in the Center for Curriculum Development, which is responsible for the creation, support, and
maintenance of all Liberty University online courses. In addition to her past work experience, Bailey has
presented at multiple conferences and seminars and is in the final stages of her dissertation for the
Doctor of Education.
4. Welcome to the Virtual World
Susan Jones, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Jefferson College of Health Sciences
David Halpin, Instructional Designer, Carilion Clinic
To improve patient outcomes and meet the challenges of the U.S. health care system, the Institute of
Medicine (IOM) recommends higher educational attainment for the nursing workforce. In October 2010,
the IOM released its landmark report on The Future of Nursing, which called for increasing the number
of baccalaureate-prepared nurses in the workforce to 80% by 2020 (IOM 2011). In order to meet this
need, Jefferson College of Health Sciences (JCHS) offers an online learning program for associate degree
nurses to return to school and obtain their BSN. In 2012, JCHS’s RN-BSN faculty and members of the
Carilion Instructional Technology department collaborated to identify best practices in online education
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and to address areas for improvement in the use of technology. The use of Blackboard Collaboration
was implemented in the online courses. Collaborate is utilized for online virtual: class orientation, office
hours, student presentations, lectures, skill demonstrations, student demonstrations of physical
assessment skills, guest speakers, polling and assessments of knowledge. Student engagement is
essential for satisfaction with online education. Blackboard collaboration is the key to the success of
JCHS’s online education.
Susan Jones is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Jefferson College of Health Science and teaches in the
online RN-BSN program. Her practice focuses on critical care nursing, on line education, and
interprofessional collaboration. Ms. Jones obtained her MSN from University of Virginia. She is a Clinical
Nurse Specialist and Certified in Critical Care Nursing.
David Halpin is an instructional designer at Carilion Clinic who assists faculty at Jefferson College of
Health Sciences and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine with employing research-based
learning principles and best practices related to technology and instructional design. He earned a
Bachelor’s degree in Media Arts from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s degree and PhD in
Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech. He has over 25 years of experience in course design and
media production.
SECOND SESSION: 11:15 – Noon
5. Applying the Voice of the User, How Blackboard Applies Design Research
Andy Jacobson, Sr. Director, User Experience Operations, Blackboard, Inc.
Blackboard incorporates user feedback throughout the design process. Come and hear from two leaders
on our user experience team about how we apply the knowledge we learn from our users in our designs
and share ideas on how to incorporate design research in building solutions.
Andy Jacobson has been at Blackboard for over 10 years. He began his career by leading the
documentation team. Andy oversees a variety of functions on our User Experience team. He is
responsible for making sure that Blackboard products are usable by everyone through our localization
and accessibility programs. Andy also enables our research-driven design approach by working with
designers to develop research plans and helping them connect with users.
6. Scaling Openness: Leveraging the Community College System to Reduce Textbook Costs
Richard Sebastian, Director of Teaching and Learning Technologies, Virginia Community College System
One of the attractions of Virginia’s Community Colleges is the low cost of tuition. Providing an affordable
pathway to a college education is an essential part of the overall mission of Virginia’s Community
Colleges. Students who attend one of Virginia’s community colleges can receive a quality education at
about ⅓ of the cost of a public four-year college in the Commonwealth.
However, many first-time community college students suffer something akin to sticker shock when they
discover that much of their savings in tuition are eaten up to pay for textbooks.
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The rising cost of college course materials is not unique to community colleges, or to Virginia. Over the
last decade, the average cost of college textbooks has risen at four times the rate of inflation. If you look
back a few more decades, the statistics are even more striking: since 1978, the price for educational
books has risen a staggering 812%, more than the cost of medical services, new home prices, or the
consumer price index.
During this session you will find out what Virginia’s community colleges are doing to reduce the cost of
college course materials, from expanding bookstore textbook rentals and library resources to developing
free course materials for high enrollment courses. You'll also learn how these resources are being
shared across the system with a new Blackboard learning object repository called xpLor.
Richard Sebastian is the Director of Teaching and Learning Technologies for Virginia’s Community
Colleges. Dr. Sebastian leads system-wide initiatives to identify and promote educational technologies
that improve student outcomes and foster deeper engagement in learning. He is currently focused on
expanding the use of open educational resources, promoting effective online and blended learning, and
increasing the digital literacy skills of VCCS faculty and staff. Dr. Sebastian lives in Richmond, VA with his
wife, son, and Treeing Walker Coonhound, Wayne. He has a doctorate in Educational Technology. He
spends his free time singing in a glam rock cover band and spending long nights in the cold woods to
confirm once and for all the existence of Bigfoot.
7. Exercising your Blackboard Skills
Johanna Ferguson, Assistant Professor & Clinical Coordinator for Health & Exercise Science Program,
Jefferson College of Health Sciences
This presentation will cover how what I teach my students in the classroom comes full circle with what I
do in my own fitness business with our clients. I will cover how I utilize a variety of Blackboard tools to
simulate what students will do in the fields of fitness and exercise science. This includes use of an online
journal to promote behavior change and track progress toward a goal, use of blogs and videos in
assignments based on how I use these tools in our business, and finally using Blackboard to manage our
Clinical program. Attendees will gain insight in how to use Blackboard's tools and functionality in fun and
interactive ways that help prepare students for "real world" skills in their chosen professions.
Johanna Ferguson currently works as the Clinical Coordinator and Assistant Professor in the Health &
Exercise Science Bachelor's program at Jefferson College of Health Sciences. She obtained a Bachelor of
Science degree in Biology from the College of William and Mary and a Master of Science degree in
Exercise Physiology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. Johanna also works as a presenter
with Fitness Education Network teaching preparatory workshops for the ACSM Personal Trainer and
Health Fitness Specialist certification exams. She has worked in a variety of fitness and wellness settings
including YMCAs, corporate gyms, and community based wellness centers. She currently co-owns
Ferguson Fitness with her husband Anthony offering personal training, P90X training and online fitness
coaching promoting healthy lifestyles through fitness, nutrition and support. She is an ACSM Certified
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Exercise Specialist and hold a variety of group fitness certifications. She is married with 2 beautiful and
energetic children ages 5 and 2.
8. Implementing Blackboard Collaborate - Project Management Method or MADNESS!!!
Margie Vest, Director, Online Learning, Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Lisa Allison-Jones, Dean for Academic Affairs, Jefferson College of Health Sciences
So after the product demos are over and the functionality scoring sheets are tallied, you have finally
selected a tool that meets your web conferencing and virtual classroom needs….Collaborate. So what’s
next? How do you successfully move from product selection to implementation and finally to end user
adoption without pulling your hair out? Margie Vest and Dr. Lisa Allison-Jones will share their project
management methodology and lessons learned for successfully implementing Blackboard Collaborate
for Jefferson College of Health Sciences.
After a decade of implementing complex enterprise projects, Margie Vest has a unique perspective for
successfully leading projects in higher education, healthcare and big business. She is an experienced
educator with 15 years of IT experience leading teams that include Academic Technology, IT Security,
Project Management, and Technology Service Center for a 1.5 billion dollar company.
Lisa Allison-Jones is the Dean for Academic Affairs as Jefferson College of Health Sciences. She came to
Jefferson in 2003 after working for the Virginia Community College System. As Dean, she has focused on
the development of new and strengthening of existing academic programs at the College. She is keenly
interested in opportunities to improve the learning experience for students through the use of
technology. Lisa earned a PhD in Education Leadership and Policy Studies from Virginia Tech, a Master of
Science in Nursing from University of Virginia, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Lenoir-Rhyne
College. She is a native of Roanoke, VA, where she now lives with her husband, Bruce.
THIRD SESSION: 1:00 – 1:45
9. Where is All of that Data, and How Can I Use It?
David Halpin, Instructional Designer, Carilion Clinic
Christopher Heisen, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Educational Assessments Corporation
As students interact with Blackboard, they generate an enormous amount of data. Test scores track
student progress toward outcomes and standards, and survey data provides valuable information for
facilitating the decision-making process. If you are not leveraging this data, you may be missing out on a
valuable resource. This session will share the process we went through at Jefferson College of Health
Sciences to implement EAC Outcomes as the primary course and instructor evaluation tool. The EAC
building block facilitates the evaluation process through Blackboard and generates detailed reports on
student feedback at myriad levels. It also helps facilitate a review process whereby students are able to
provide feedback on the performance of their peers. The result of the implementation has been a
smoother and more efficient evaluation process.
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During the discussion, we will describe the many ways EAC integrates with Blackboard to retrieve and
push out data. The session will then demonstrate EAC Visual Data, which provides accreditationrequired reliability statistics on Blackboard tests and rubrics and which generates detailed reports on
student performance along course, program, and institution-level student learning outcomes across
departments and over time. EAC Visual Data was designed in close collaboration with health science
programs, particularly nursing schools, to help them transition from paper and pencil exams to online
testing in Blackboard while meeting stringent ACEN and CCNE test analysis and SLO tracking
requirements.
David Halpin is an instructional designer at Carilion Clinic who assists faculty at Jefferson College of
Health Sciences and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine with employing research-based
learning principles and best practices related to technology and instructional design. He earned a
Bachelor’s degree in Media Arts from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s degree and PhD in
Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech. He has over 25 years of experience in course design and
media production.
Christopher Heisen is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Educational Assessments Corporation, which
has been working with Blackboard Learn™ institutions since 2009 making the work of assessment and
the process of continuous quality improvement easier, more efficient, and less expensive. Prior to cofounding EAC, Mr. Heisen worked with many institutions including San Jose State University, Texas A&M,
and the University of Virginia to implement authentic assessment and tracking of student learning
outcomes through the Waypoint Outcomes Assessment Engine. Mr. Heisen earned a BA in History from
the University of Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the Law School at the University of Chicago.
10. Preparing Students for Clinical Training using Blackboard
Laura Link, Program Director, Assistant Professor, Jefferson College of Health Sciences
More and more programs of study are being offered as distance learning opportunities. This puts
colleges and universities in a unique position to support their institution’s departmental need to find
better ways to present material in an online learning environment. This is especially true for health
science colleges whose programs rely heavily on clinical instruction and hands-on experiences. Jefferson
College of Health Sciences Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) is a program designed to prepare students
to achieve competency in all areas of the MLS field, including the practice of phlebotomy. PowerPoint
presentations, videos, and self-directed lessons were delivered via Blackboard to prepare MLS students
before attending lectures and clinical rotations. The material included theory, technical information,
patient care instructions, and background information about the MLS and healthcare fields.
Because there are a variety of resources available, and the MLS Program Director felt very strongly that
personalized videos would be more effective, a Camtasia-enhanced lesson to supplement the
Phlebotomy lecture portion of students’ distance education was developed and added to the course
Blackboard site. Camtasia software allowed for creativity and flexibility to incorporate the PowerPoint
presentations, videos, and an embedded quiz to enhance student viewer engagement and retention of
the material. These students were then asked to view the lessons and complete surveys employed
through Blackboard to gather their perceptions on the usefulness and effectiveness of the two lesson
formats. Information gathered to date shows that the use of Camtasia-enhanced lessons may improve
students’ understanding of techniques used in successful Phlebotomy procedures.
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Laura Link is Program Director of the Medical Laboratory Science Program at Jefferson College of Health
Sciences in Roanoke, VA. She previously worked at Virginia Tech, first as a microbiologist at the Virginia
Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and later as the director of the microbiology teaching
laboratories in the Biological Sciences Department. Laura graduated from the program at which she is
now Director and has a Master’s degree in Education/Public Health Education from Virginia Tech.
11. Teaching Introductory-Level Psychology Online: Facilitating Ease of Use for Student and
Instructor
Scott Debb, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Norfolk State University
Introductory psychology is one of the most frequently registered courses at the undergraduate level, for
both psychology and non-psychology majors alike. For majors, the introductory course sets the stage for
all future psychology courses, while for non-majors, it may be the only psychology course they are
exposed to during the entirety of their higher education experience. Although many students have had
experience in online courses throughout their secondary education, this is no guarantee of success in a
course where students sometimes assume the material is easy, straight-forward, and essentially an
extension of common sense. Especially for students who are often early in their academic career, an
online course such as this has the capacity to catapult the student to the next level of their education;
however a poorly constructed online environment can negatively impact student progression, leaving
them vulnerable during this critical time period in their academic development.
When developing an online course, student interaction and engagement throughout the semester are
paramount. Although focused on less often yet also important, is the facilitator’s ability to administer to
course effectively and efficiently. For students, navigating course requirements, documents, and
assignments on a weekly basis is essentially for optimal performance and hopefully long-term retention
of essential information. For instructors to facilitate this type of learning environment, a well-designed
course framework helps guide students on this journey, while still allowing for the requisite time to
oversee an often high-enrollment course, moderate assignments, and provide the timely and consistent
feedback that students tend to thrive on.
This session will demonstrate the design and administration process of a recently development
introductory psychology course. Focus will be given to the instructor’s perspective of setting up the
course parameters semester-to-semester, with some focus on student comments and feedback.
Scott Debb is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Norfolk State University, in Norfolk, VA. In addition
to teaching traditional face to face lecture courses, Dr. Debb is heavily involved with the Psychology
department’s online program and developing undergraduate online psychology courses at the school. In
addition to his interests regarding best-practices for teaching psychology online, he has been developing
a conflict studies course focusing on the intersection of social and individual components that set the
stage for both every day and intractable conflicts around the world. Dr. Debb is a Licensed Professional
Counselor and as such focuses on the underlying systems in a society that serve to mitigate or exacerbate
these obstacles and opportunities.
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12. Beyond Digital Materials – The Advantages of Integrated Course Solutions (Cengage)
Bailey Anderson, Assistant Director of Instructional Technology, Liberty University
Cindy Bridges, Implementation and Training Specialist, Cengage
Jessica Bright, Engagement Specialist, Cengage
Many discussions and articles about the digital classroom focus on student preferences of print vs.
eTextbooks, the velocity of industry migration to digital content, and the impact of digital content or
eTextbooks on outcomes and student completion of reading assignments. However, many industry
experts see eTextbooks and digital solutions as a transition strategy, particularly in the higher education
market, as publishers and educators build out their libraries of integrated, student-centric course
solutions that are specifically designed to improve outcomes.
This presentation provides an overview of the features of integrated course solutions that are currently
on the market today and their benefits to both students and instructors, discusses some of the research
that has led to the adoption of the latest generation of these solutions, and concludes with an outline of
features that instructors and school administrators should look for when choosing a provider of
integrated, student-centric course solutions.
This session will be co-facilitated by Bailey Anderson of Liberty University and Cengage Learning, a
provider of digital course solutions. Cengage is dedicated to delighting students and faculty with learnercentric and outcomes-based products. One means of achieving this is by investing in transitioning
products from online content to fully integrated course solutions within a learning management system
such as Blackboard.
Bailey Anderson has been working for Liberty University since 2007. I’ve had the honour to serve in our
online department as an Admissions Consultant, New Enrollment Specialist, Academic Advisor, and
Manager of Financial Aid and Admissions departments. For the past few years, Bailey has been working
in the Center for Curriculum Development, which is responsible for the creation, support, and
maintenance of all Liberty University online courses. In addition to her past work experience, Bailey has
presented at multiple conferences and seminars and is in the final stages of her dissertation for the
Doctor of Education.
FOURTH SESSION: 2:15 – 3:00
13. Video, Video, Video Everywhere
Shaoyu Chi, Instructional Designer, Northern Virginia Community College
Rong Zhu, Instructional Designer, Northern Virginia Community College
Videos are increasingly becoming a preferred mode of communication in instructions. The use of videos
engages and motivates students and helps establish an instructor’s social presence in an online
environment.
Blackboard Video Everywhere works with YouTube seamlessly to allow you to record, edit, caption, and
embed videos into your courses. It enables you to create your own ADA-compliant videos to make them
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an integral part of your course. This presentation will provide an overview of these easy-to-use features
and walk you through the steps to create and caption the videos for your courses.
Dr. Shaoyu Chi has more than 17 years of professional experience in instructional design, development,
and delivery. As an Instructional Designer at the ELI-Distance Learning Center at Northern Virginia
Community College, Dr. Chi has been working closely with faculty to design quality online courses and
provide pedagogical consultation, instructional design support, and software instruction. She has also
trained faculty on how to develop and deliver successful and effective online, hybrid, and technologyenhanced courses.
Rong Zhu has more than 8 years of professional experience in online course design and development. As
an Instructional Designer at the Extended Learning Institute of Northern Virginia Community College, she
works with faculty to design and develop quality online courses by creating various multimedia and
engaging learning activities to support learning. She also facilitates online workshops to provide faculty
professional trainings on various topics, including writing learning objectives, facilitating online
discussions, captioning media, etc.
14. Improving Your Course with Exemplary Course Rubric
Connie Weber, Customer Success Advocate, Blackboard, Inc.
Cheryl Brindle, Lord Fairfax Community College
The Blackboard Exemplary Course program provides guidelines for designing an effective course through
its detailed course standards rubric. In this workshop, Customer Success Advocate, Connie Weber, will
explain the elements of the Blackboard Exemplary Course program, outline the details of the rubric, and
present some samples of Exemplary Course Program winners. In addition, she will give you some
practical tips for revising your own courses to better align to the rubric whether you plan to submit your
course for an award or just want to improve your instruction. Cheryl Brindle, of Lord Fairfax Community
College, ECP winner, will also share some highlights from her winning course as well as best practices for
creating a course.
Connie Weber is a Customer Success Advocate at Blackboard. Joining the company since 2005, she was
also an integral part of the Blackboard Consulting team for 9 years. With a background in education,
Connie was an Associate Professor and Distance Learning Coordinator for 5 years prior to joining
Blackboard. Connie earned an MA in English from the University of Kentucky and a BA in English from
Florida State University, Connie has a background in distance learning and teaching.
Cheryl Brindle is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the Fauquier campus of Lord Fairfax
Community College. She teaches classes ranging from developmental math to Applied Calculus and
Statistics. This is her 4th year as a full-time faculty member. Prior to that, she taught high school for 3
years and has over 25 years of experience as an adjunct instructor. Her husband was in the Army for 22
years, so she had the opportunity to teach at a variety of colleges from Germany to Hawaii. She is a
recipient of the 2014 Blackboard Catalyst Award for Exemplary Course Design.
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15. Using Blackboard to Promote a Culture of Safety in the Academic Laboratory: A Workshop
Michael L. Slaughter, Assistant Professor, Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Susan A. Tolliver, Science Laboratory Coordinator, Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Laboratory safety in the academic science and research laboratory is not a new concept. However, in
recent years, due to unfortunate and preventable accidents, there has been increased scrutiny by both
industry and government of safety within the laboratory. An important element of lab safety is
education and training of lab participants. With many faculty teaching in different disciplines students of
disparate backgrounds, consistency, comprehensiveness and documentation of safety education to the
students can be challenging. All students in the sciences laboratories at Jefferson College of Health
Sciences are required to complete a pre-course safety in-service, acknowledge the conditions of
participation, and take a post in-service safety quiz. These activities are administered through
Blackboard. This Blackboard based practice produces a permanent documented electronic record of
what was in-serviced and a permanent record of post in-service test assessment. This electronic record
exists in perpetuity and can be used to defend the institution in case of student injury.
Michael Slaughter specializes in Anatomy and Physiology and in the local flora of Virginia. His research
interests are focused on Laboratory Safety and Academic Integrity. He worked for eleven years at
Virginia Western Community College, where he taught Anatomy - Physiology and Microbiology. He then
spent thirteen years in pharmaceutical sales, where he focused on the treatment of acute myocardial
infarction with thrombolytic therapy and growth hormone therapy for growth hormone deficient
children. His teaching philosophy is to be clear with learning expectations, thorough with detailed
explanations of scientific principles, and to hold himself and his students to a high level of professional
behavior.
Susan Tolliver's career has been in medical and academic laboratories. As lab coordinator, her focus is
supporting faculty and students to create a safe and positive learning environment.
16. More Interaction to More Satisfaction: Enhancing the Online Experience with Blackboard
Collaborate
Diana Willeman-Buckelew, Jefferson College of Health Sciences
From new student orientation until graduation, online learning experiences for students can be
enhanced by using Blackboard Collaborate. Students taking online courses may feel isolated from other
students and disconnected from the instructor and college. Incorporating Blackboard Collaborate into
courses allows students to interact with each other and the instructor in synchronous discussions,
resulting in a more satisfying online learning experience. This presentation will provide ideas for
incorporating Blackboard Collaborate in to new student orientation, online courses, and academic
advising. Tips for introducing Collaborate to new users, managing small to large synchronous sessions,
overcoming obstacles for first time users, using Collaborate for assignments, academic advising for
online students, and feedback from students who used Collaborate will be some of the topics touched
upon during this presentation.
Dr. Diana Willeman-Buckelew is the Director for the Health Sciences program at Jefferson College of
Health Sciences. She has several years of experience with online learning, both as a student and as a
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professor, and has built upon these experiences to design online courses that incorporate synchronous
and asynchronous components to address the different learning styles and needs of students. Dr.
Willeman-Buckelew has taught online courses in public health, epidemiology, research methods,
capstone, service learning, chemistry, and interprofessional education. She has a PhD in Public Health
with a specialization in Epidemiology, Master’s degrees in both Public Health and Forensic Science, and a
BS in Biology/Chemistry.
FIFTH SESSION: 3:15 – 4:00
17. How George Mason University Has Enhanced the Education Experience with the Kaltura
Online Video Platform
Jim McLean, Instructional Technologist, George Mason University
Ken Taylor, Director of Education for Kaltura in Virginia,
Today’s active learning experience has created an expectation among students for an engaged learning
experience. Nine out of ten students have shared that video improves their learning experience which
generally creates improved learning outcomes and higher retention rates. The challenge exists in that
most instructors do not feel as if they are equipped with adequate video capture and management
tools, in particular those with an intuitive LMS integration or that can guarantee an elegant,
uninterrupted playback experience anytime on any device.
Video can only succeed when joined with native features that ensure compliance with accessibility,
allow for video assets to be easily discovered by users, readily tagged with metadata, and quickly shared
within the school. Join Jim McLean from George Mason University and Ken Taylor from Kaltura as they
walk through the emergence of video in today’s e-Learning environment and learn how George Mason
University has addressed this opportunity by partnering with Kaltura, the world’s only open-source
video management platform.
Jim McLean is an Instructional Technologist specializing in multimedia at George Mason University. He
managed the successful enterprise rollout for Kaltura at Mason and is responsible for training faculty,
staff, and students. His high performance team, Online Learning Resources, actively assists GMU faculty
and students with all aspects of teaching and learning by providing instruction and support with the use
of Blackboard and various other learning technologies. Jim has 20+ years of multimedia experience as a
professional commercial photographer, filmmaker, and educator. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Film
and Electronic Media from American University.
Ken Taylor is the Director of Education for Kaltura in Virginia and is responsible for creating awareness
behind Kaltura as the world's only Open Source Online Video Platform, bringing connectivity and
engagement in education through video. Our education platform offers native capabilities for video
ingestion, accessibility, publishing, sharing, live streaming, mobility, capture, responsive and adaptive
playback, and integrations with other education technologies, including a user-friendly mashup in
Blackboard Learn. Ken holds a business degree from James Madison and an MBA from Darden and lives
in Alexandria with wife and two young children.
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18. Jefferson College Tech Divas: Lessons Learned!
Gillian A. Rai, Assistant Professor, Interim Program Director MSOT Program, Jefferson College of Health
Sciences
Courtney N. Miller, Distance Education Librarian, Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Suzanne Smith, Instructional Designer, Carilion Clinic
Three digital divas collaborate to share their lessons learned, sometimes the hard way, about bringing
together the different aspects of their roles. Taking on the perspective of instructor, distance education
librarian, and instructional designer and how they come together to create a dynamic learning
experience for the students.
Presenters will share:
1. Learning challenges encountered through Blackboard and Technology Integration.
2. Lessons learned throughout the process
Come unleash your inner diva! Share your lessons!!
Dr. Gillian Rai teaches Pediatrics and Research in the Occupational Therapy Program at Jefferson College.
She has experience with curriculum and course design, teaching, and providing consultations in the
integration of effective practices in special education, including technology solutions into the curriculum
& instruction, to meet the needs of students with mild to severe disabilities. Interests include researching
the sensory aspects of the environment and its impact on occupational performance, participation and
community-based interventions. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy with a
major in Psychology from the University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. She earned her Master’s degree
in Special Education (with a Learning Disabilities concentration) from Virginia Tech, where she also
worked as full time faculty in a special education research program. Dr. Rai earned her doctoral degree
in OT (Pediatrics Specialization) at Temple University, Philadelphia. She has more than 18 years of
combined clinical and teaching experience here and abroad in the field of Pediatric Occupational
Therapy, serving children and families in private practice, school systems, early intervention, and at the
college level.
Courtney N. Miller serves as the Distance Education Librarian at the Jefferson College of Health Sciences
Library. With both public and academic library experience, she now focuses on online learning
librarianship and how to integrate library services into the digital classroom. Courtney has a BA in
Communication from the University of South Florida Honors College and her Master of Library and
Information Science from San Jose State University.
Suzanne Smith has a Bachelor’s degree from Ferrum College in Marketing/Management and a Master’s
degree from Hollins University concentrating in studio arts. Her diverse educational background and
experience teaching online brought her into the field of Instructional Design. Her career began at
Clemson University and brought her to Carilion Clinic a little over a year ago. Suzanne is a Blackboard
Admin and specializes in assisting faculty with educational technologies online and in the classroom.
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19. Personalize Classes with Journal Assignments
Trina L. Daniels, Adjunct Faculty, Virginia Commonwealth University
This session will discuss how to integrate Blackboard technology into the classroom experience for both
instructor led and online classes via the use of journal assignments. Journals provide a tool for
professors to:
 get to know their students' learning strengths and needs
 personalize the learning experience
 manage large classrooms with a personal touch
 become acquainted with online students
 gauge students' progress, to name a few.
Journal assignments can be time consuming to grade, however, there are keys to creating manageable
assignments. Here are a few considerations:
 goals
 assignments
 schedules
 rubric/grading
 feedback
Dr. Trina L. Daniels (PhD, Regent University, 2014) has been a user of Blackboard technology since 2010,
both as a student and a professor. As an interactive professor, she has combined journaling assignments
with instructor led and online classes to personalize students' learning experiences. She believes students
learn best and retain information when they can personalize theories and concepts.
INTERACTION ZONE AND BLACKBOARD USER LAB
User Experience Research Lab (10:15am – 2:15pm)
Andy Jacobson, Sr. Director, User Experience Operations, Blackboard, Inc.
Blackboard designers will be showing off their new ideas for Learn and Collaborate in their User
Experience Research Lab. Come by to test out prototypes and tell Blackboard what you think about what
they are building. Your feedback will be used in the design process to make Blackboard products better.
Blackboard Focus Group (2:15pm – 3:00pm)
Andy Jacobson, Sr. Director, User Experience Operations, Blackboard, Inc.
Blackboard will be conducting a focus group with faculty to learn more about the day-to-day operations
of a course and faculty views on education in general. Participants in this session will be selected
through an invitation process to keep the group small and the conversation lively.
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