• Campus Resources at Virginia Tech

• Faculty Inquiry Group - Thursday Afternoons
• Faculty Inquiry Group - Friday Mornings
• Friday sessions have been cancelled due to low enrollment

• Acrobat 8: Enhancing PDF Files with Advanced Features
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0: Scanning and Adjusting Images for the Web
• Blogs and Wikis in Higher Education
• Blackboard for New Users: An Introduction to Creating Web-based Courses
• Blackboard 6 (Part One): Creating Web-based Courses
• Blackboard (Part Two): Question Pools and the Gradebook
• Concept Maps:  Using Concept Mapping Software to Teach Complex Concepts
• Did it Help?  Evaluating the Use of Technology in Your Courses
• Dreamweaver 8 (Part One): Web Page Creation Made Easy
• EndNote X.0:  Managing your Research Citations
• ePortfolio:  Virginia Tech's ePortfolio (VTeP) System
• "From the Other Side of the Podium": Student Panel Discussion
• Microsoft PowerPoint: Creating PowerPoint Presentations and Adding Multimedia Enhancements
• Motivating Your Students:  Strategies for Design and Implementation
• Narration: An Easy Way to Add Value to Powerpoint Presentations (Macromedia Breeze)
• Online Student Ratings of Instruction Tool:  Formative and Summative Evaluations
• Podcasting:  Creating Podcasts for Higher Education using Audacity
• Podcasting:  Creating Podcasts for Higher Education using GarageBand (for Mac Users Only)
• Scholar Learning Management System:  An Overview
• Second Life:  An Emerging Online Society with Pedagogical Promise
• Student Response Systems ("Clickers"):  Using Technology to Engage and Assess Students During Class
• Teaching Using Technology: Faculty Panel Discussion

Thursday Afternoon Meeting Times
Meets from 3 pm - 5 pm
The first meeting is in Torgersen 3080.

Friday Morning Meeting Times
Meets from 10 am - 12 pm
The first meeting is in Torgersen 1120.
Friday sessions have been cancelled due to low enrollment

Acrobat 8: Enhancing PDF Files with Advanced Features

1. Monday, February 5
   10am-12pm
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   Windows
   
   
2. Tuesday, February 27
   10am-12pm
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   Macintosh
   
   
3. Thursday, March 29
   10am-12pm
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   Windows


4. Online Course through Element K
   

Are you a user of the PDF file format and would like to know how to extend the capabilities of these files? In this short course, advanced features of Adobe Acrobat will be explored. Topics to be covered include how to add comments (note tool, text editing tool, stamp tool, highlighting tool), and how to use advanced security features (restrict printing, prevent changes to a document, digital IDs, etc.). In addition, creating forms in pdf with Adobe Acrobat Professional (version 7) will be covered as well. Hands-on activities will be an integral part of this session.

NOTE: Element K online tutorials may be substituted for instructor led sessions. You can take these tutorials at any time (starting now). It is not necessary for you to complete all of the modules of the tutorials, but it is expected that you will spend at least two hours in the tutorial. It is also requested that you complete the tutorial by Friday, April 13.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0: Scanning and Adjusting Images for the Web

1. Wednesday, January 31
   10am-12pm
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   Macintosh
   
   
2. Tuesday, February 6
   3pm-5pm
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   Windows
   
   
3. Monday, February 26
   3pm-5pm
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   Windows
   
   
4. Thursday, March 15
   3pm-5pm
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   Windows


5. Online Course through Element K
   

Are you looking for an image editor that produces high-quality results like Adobe Photoshop CS2 but lacks the complexity of that tool? This short course will provide participants with the skills that are needed to prepare images for the web using Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0. Participants in this session will learn how to make image adjustments (color, luminosity, contrast, etc.), create basic layers, apply filters, and adjust image resolution for optimal quality on the web. A full exploration of Elements' tool bar will also be provided during this session. No prior experience with Photoshop or Photoshop Elements is required. Hands-on activities will be an integral part of this session. Please note that Elements 3.0 is the latest version on the Macintosh.

NOTE: Element K online tutorials may be substituted for instructor led sessions. You can take these tutorials at any time (starting now). It is not necessary for you to complete all of the modules of the tutorials, but it is expected that you will spend at least two hours in the tutorial. It is also requested that you complete the tutorial by Friday, April 13.

1. Thursday, 02/08/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
2. Monday, 02/26/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)

Have you explored blogs and wikis and wonder if these technologies could hold value for you in the courses you teach? Might a wiki be useful way to collaborate with colleagues and students on research projects? A blog (short for weblog) is a web-based journal that is typically updated frequently and open for anyone to read. A wiki is similar to a blog; however, ownership of the wiki is distributed to numerous individuals who collectively add and edit web-accessible content. In addition to defining key concepts and related terminology, this short course will provide an overview of the ways in which blogs and wikis are being used in higher education and beyond, and examples, both at Virginia Tech and on the web, will be provided. An exploration of the technologies used to create blogs and wikis will be a key component of this session, and participants will leave the short course with knowledge of the resources on campus that support blog and wiki development. This short course will provide participants with everything they need to know to start their own blog or wiki.

1. Thursday, 02/15/07
   1:00 - 3:00 PM
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
2. Tuesday, 03/27/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)

Have you found that your students sometimes have trouble making the conceptual connections between instructional units within your course? Does your content area require that students have a thorough understanding of smaller, complex concepts in able to grasp or apply larger theories or models? If so, you may find that utilizing concepts maps as part of your instruction will aid with both of these problems and more. Concept mapping is a strategy that provides a visual representation of connections and elements within complex concepts. By reviewing or creating concepts maps of their own, students often come to a better understanding of the concept and the dependencies and relationships therein. This short course will provide an overview of the educational theory that supports the use of concept mapping for a number of instructional applications. Following this foundation, participants will learn to use freely available software to create concept maps and mind maps (a.k.a. idea maps). CmapTools, created by the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, is a concept mapping tool that makes it easy to construct and share concept maps via the internet. Freemind is software that enables the construction of maps that are more dependent upon hierarchies. Via hands-on activities, both of these tools and the types of assistance they provide will be explored.

1. Monday, 03/12/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   1120 Torgersen Hall (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
2. Thursday, 03/22/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   1120 Torgersen Hall (Windows/Macintosh)

One of the greatest challenges for those using technology in higher education is determining if its application in a course has truly had a positive result. For those that are looking to evaluate their use of technology in a class, it is important to note that underlying all instructional uses of technology is an instructional strategy. This short course will provide methodologies for determining if innovative instructional strategies have had an improvement on student learning, and much of the focus of this short course will be upon evaluating instructional strategies that utilize technology. Those who are motivated by continuous instructional improvement will find this short course to be of great interest. Participants will be provided with practical approaches to evaluating instruction, enabling them to ask and answer the right questions to assess the gaps in results and the consequences. While all materials presented in this short course will be grounded in instructional evaluation theory, participants will find the strategies provided to be exceptionally practical and accessible.

1. Tuesday, 01/30/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   3080 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows)
   
   
2. Thursday, 02/08/07
   3:00 - 5:00 PM
   3080 Torgersen Hall
   (Macintosh)
   
   
3. Monday, 02/19/07
   3:00 - 5:00 PM
   3080 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows)
   
   
4. Thursday, 03/01/07
   3:00 - 5:00 PM
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows)
   
   
5. Tuesday, 03/13/07
   1:00 - 3:00 PM
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows)


6. Online Course through Element K

Are you looking for an easy to use method of creating web (HTML) pages? Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 is quite intuitive, creates standard HTML code, and offers numerous tools to create and incorporate the latest technologies (Flash, DHTML, etc.) into HTML web pages. This short course will provide participants with an overview of the process of web site creation, including server information and options on campus. Introductory topics, such as inserting and modifying text, images, tables, and hyperlinks, will be taught. More advanced topics will also be covered, including interactive images, rollover effects, and Flash text. Hands-on activities will be an integral part of this session. Participants are encouraged to bring a zip, floppy disk, or jumpdrive so that they can take their creations with them once this workshop is over.

NOTE: Element K online tutorials may be substituted for instructor led sessions. You can take these tutorials at any time (starting now). It is not necessary for you to complete all of the modules of the tutorials, but it is expected that you will spend at least two hours in the tutorial. It is also requested that you complete the tutorial by Friday, April 13.

1. Friday, 02/02/07
   1:00 - 3:00 PM
   3310 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
2. Tuesday, 02/06/07
   1:00 - 3:00 PM
   3310 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
3. Tuesday, 02/20/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   3310 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
4. Tuesday, 03/06/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   3310 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
5. Tuesday, 03/20/07
   1:00 - 3:00 PM
   3310 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
6. Friday, 03/30/07
   3:00 - 5:00 PM
   3310 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)

Are you looking for a tool that can help you manage bibliographic information across multiple manuscripts and articles? In this short course, you will be introduced to Endnote. The focus will be on creating a database of information that can be easily utilized and cited in your research. In addition to creating a database of your references, you will learn how to connect to remote databases on the web. Through Endnote, you will be able to search these databases and import the results into your EndNote database. You will also learn how to import images, tables, graphs, etc. into your EndNote database; insert references into manuscripts; and chose the appropriate bibliographic format. Hands-on activities will be an integral part of this session.

Please Note: EndNote X.0 for Windows and EndNote 9.0 for Macintosh are now available free of charge to all interested VT faculty, staff, and graduate students. Please visit the Information Technology Acquisitions web site for more information.

1. Thursday, 02/01/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
2. Wednesday, 02/28/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   3080 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
3. Tuesday, 04/03/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)

Virginia Tech's ePortfolio (VTeP) system is a web-based, interactive tool designed to help students create, organize, reflect on, and share evidence of their educational accomplishments, both in courses and extracurricular activities. ePortfolio is also seen as a tool to assist programs and departments with self-studies and accreditation. This short course will explore these and other applications of ePortfolio. The pros and cons of traditional applications of portfolios will be outlined as will a generalized model of the portfolio assessment process. The changes enabled by ePortfolio will be highlighted and ePortfolio?s evolution at Virginia Tech will be discussed. The latest version of ePortfolio is quite flexible; however, faculty wishing to use it must make a number of decisions as they design how they would like the system to work. For those interested in using the latest version, an overview of the designing process will be provided along with documentation and other resources that will aid in their thinking as they move toward using ePortfolio in their courses.

1. Wednesday, 02/07/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   (Macintosh)
   
   
2. Monday, 02/19/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows)
   
   
3. Wednesday, 03/28/07
   3:00 - 5:00 PM
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows)

Have you wanted to learn how to create more effective classroom and conference presentations? This short course is intended for those who are new to PowerPoint or have only utilized its most basic features. Sound PowerPoint design principles will be provided as will strategies that decrease your time investment with the software and increase your focus on your content. Text, image, sound, and movie insertions will be demonstrated as will advanced custom animations and transitions. After the session, participants will be able to analyze good and bad PowerPoint presentations, utilize advanced PowerPoint capabilities (transition, animation, and audio/video insertions), and export PowerPoint slides to various formats (print, WORD, webpage, and PDF). Hands-on activities will be an integral part of this session.

1. Monday, 02/05/07
   09:00 - 12:00 AM
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
2. Thursday, 02/15/07
   09:00 - 12:00 AM
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)

A universal challenge of instructors in higher education is how to motivate and engage students throughout the course of a semester. Informed by motivational research, this short course will provide faculty with a number of course design considerations as well as applicable technology tools that have been found to motivate students to learn. Participants will use a model for motivation and will work individually and in groups to learn about and incorporate several tools for motivation. Among the topics to be discussed are the nine most effective instructional strategies, collaborative and active learning techniques, learning styles, current technology, and rubric development.

1. 1:00 - 3:00 PM
   Wednesday, 02/07/07
   3080 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows)

PowerPoint is an excellent way to present information. Adding narration to your slides can help your students more fully connect to that information. In this short course, you will learn how to use Breeze, one of the newest programs from Macromedia. You will get a chance to create high quality narrated presentations and learn of several ways that your files can be prepared for online delivery.

1. 3:00 - 5:00 PM
   Wednesday, 01/31/07
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
2. 10:00 - 12:00 AM
   Tuesday, 03/27/07
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)

This short course introduces our university community to a new, Online Student Ratings of Instruction Tool that was developed at Virginia Tech in partnership with Columbia University. Participants will be provided with an overview of the status of online student ratings of instruction across higher education, including online rating systems at other institutions. An analysis of the advantages and challenges of online student ratings will be provided. Additionally, a discussion of best practices as well as question formulation suggestions for formative evaluations will be presented. Hands-on training in the use of the tool will be a key component of this short course, and participants will have the opportunity to plan and create a evaluations using the online ratings software.

1. Monday, 02/05/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   3080 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows)
   
   
2. Tuesday, 04/03/07
   3:00 - 5:00 PM
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows)

Have you heard about Podcasting and wonder if it could hold value for you in the courses you teach? ?This short course will provide participants with everything they need to know to begin their own podcast. ?In addition to defining key concepts and related terminology, this short course will provide an overview of the ways in which podcasting is being used in higher education and beyond. ?In addition to this conceptual overview, much of this short course will be spent teaching participants how to record, edit, and save audio in preparation for podcasting using free software called Audacity (NOTE: Audacity is available for the Mac and Windows). Participants will also leave this session with knowledge concerning the podcasting support resources on campus. iTunes U will also be part of this short course as will other podcasting services available to faculty at Virginia Tech. Hands-on activities will be an integral part of this session.

1. Thursday, 02/22/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   (Macintosh)

1. Thursday, 02/01/07
   3:00 - 5:00 PM
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
2. Wednesday, 04/04/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)

Are you looking for new flexible ways to manage your courses, your committees, and your research? Scholar, a new, web-based learning and collaboration system, is making its debut at Virginia Tech during the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semesters. Scholar, based on the Sakai open-source software project, is born from the philosophical ideal of using a tool created by higher education for higher education. Virginia Tech's implementation of Scholar signals a commitment to innovation within our institution as a member of a larger partnership with other institutions of higher education worldwide. This short course will provide an opportunity for faculty to experience this new system from both the user and designer perspectives via a hands-on overview and demonstration. Scholar offers an array of instructional options that can assist users in time management and organization, and many will be discussed during this short course. These features include

• the Announcement area of Scholar, where information may be posted to the site and, with the click of a button, also sent via e-mail to all site users;
• the Assignments area, where new assignments may be created, submitted, and evaluated, complete with the option of posting an assignment notification and due dates on the Announcements page and to the site Schedule; and
• the Discussion tool, where new categories and topics may be discussed and archived by all users.

1. Tuesday, 02/20/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   3060 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
2. Wednesday, 02/21/07
   3:00 - 5:00 PM
   1120 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)

"Second Life," a web-based multi-user virtual environment (MUVE), has a membership of more than 1 million members world wide. This three-year old innovation, made by Linden Lab of San Francisco, has attracted a great deal of media attention since early 2006, when details about its economy and rapidly expanding community started to emerge. A number of educators and universities have also begun to work in Second Life. Is Second Life just a game, though? Is it simply a fantasyland with slick graphics? The answer is that MUVE's like Second Life hold a great deal of potential for traditional and distance-based instruction. This session will introduce educators to Second Life and cover issues related to teaching in virtual environments.

1. Monday, 02/05/07
   3:00 - 5:00 PM
   3080 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)
   
   
2. Tuesday, 02/27/07
   10:00 - 12:00 AM
   3080 Torgersen Hall
   (Windows/Macintosh)

Are you looking for ways to engage ALL of your students, even in large classes? ?Imagine if you could give a pop quiz, on the fly, to a group of 500 students and have it graded as soon as students turn in their answers. ?Student Response Systems (sometimes referred to as Classroom Performance Systems or "clickers") can do both of these things and more. ??The response system concept has been around for decades, but the technology has finally advanced to the point where any faculty member with a laptop or in-class computer can utilize this in his/her courses. ?This short course, led by faculty and FDI staff, will provide participants with an overview of the features and pedagogical applications of student response systems. ?Participants will learn how these systems promote discussion, capture students' attention, and engage every student in class, even those in the back row of large lecture halls. ?In-class quizzing and other assessment features will be shown as well. FDI has been in contact with a number of vendors, including eInstruction, iClicker, Turning Point, and interWrite, and clickers made by each of these vendors will be on-hand during this session.