Center for Online Learning Workshops

Our workshops are designed for faculty who want to learn technology tools in the context of how they can be used in college classrooms, using examples of how they have been used by Hunter colleagues. We update them each semester as technology tools and instructors’ needs change. Workshops are listed below by date offered. You can also view them grouped on our Workshop Categories page.

Please use the registration links to let us know that you will be joining us. We change registration links to links to resources or recordings after the date of the workshops.

Upcoming Workshops

Date & Time	Workshop	Links
Thurs. 03/23/2023 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Setting up your Blackboard Grade Center Become a power user of the Grade Center! This workshop can save you time and eyestrain, especially if you are teaching a large class. Join us to learn how to customize your “instructor view” of the Grade Center. Choose what columns to see and in which order they appear. Create and assign categories so that each assignment gets its correct weight in the final grade. Finally, use smart views and color-coding to view the grades of small groups of students and find out who might need special attention.	Register
Wed. 03/29/2023 11:00 - 12:00 PM	Padlet for resource collection & interactive activities What can Padlet NOT do? It is a versatile tool for collaborating and posting notes that include text, images, links, and videos. At Hunter, Padlet is widely used for ice-breaker activities, for sharing resources, and for collecting student work. In this workshop, we will review samples of successful and innovative activities designed by Hunter professors, and discuss appropriate formats and settings for different kinds of assignments.	Register

2023 Workshops

Date & Time	Workshop	Links
Thurs. 03/09/2023 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Creating tests in Blackboard and choosing test settings Blackboard Tests have been commonly used as review exercises, self-assessment tools, and low-stakes quizzes. This is an introductory workshop on how to create a test, add questions, and make it available to students. We will help you choose appropriate settings for how to present the test, when to take it, how long to keep it open, and what feedback to show students when they submit their answers.	Creating Tests
Fri. 03/10/23 9:00 - 10:00 AM	Hypothesis and ChatGPT: Leveraging Social Annotation in the Age of AI The emergence of cutting-edge technologies, like ChatGPT, has sparked a critical conversation throughout the education industry. In this workshop, Christie from Hypothesis will show you how to leverage social annotation to encourage authentic, process-oriented engagement with your course materials. She'll also share best practices for using social annotation with AI writing tools and demonstrate how to set up Hypothesis-enabled readings in Blackboard. Participants can expect to leave the webinar armed with concrete assignments to implement in your courses right away.	Hypothesis & ChatGPT Slides
Mon. 03/13/2023 11:00 - 12:00 PM	DIY captioning for Zoom, VoiceThread, and YouTube Adding captions is no longer an onerous task for professors creating videos. Many tools that we use now generate automatic captions that can be quickly reviewed and easily edited for 100% accuracy. Join us for a workshop on where to find captions and how to edit them on Zoom, VoiceThread, and YouTube.	DIY Captioning for Busy Professors
Wed. 3/15/23 3:00 - 4:00 PM	Grading & Feedback with Hypothesis While there are multiple options for grading in Hypothesis, the importance of incentivizing participation cannot be overstated. To help spark interest in annotation, instructors need to provide clear guidelines that reward high-quality contributions. In this workshop, Christie from Hypothesis will present foundational components in creating either an analytic or holistic rubric for annotation, as well as establishing a framework for effective feedback. Social annotation lends the ideal format for assessing and promoting continuous learning, so join this session to gather ideas and tools to take your grading and feedback practices to the next level.	Hypothesis Grading & Feedback Slides
Thurs. 03/16/2023 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Creating question pools for quizzes that draw questions randomly This is an advanced workshop on Blackboard’s testing functions. Giving tests that draw questions randomly from a bank of questions can be one strategy to mitigate cheating. These tests go beyond presenting questions or answer choices in different orders. When questions are drawn randomly from pools of questions, each student gets a different test. Question pools require careful preparation with questions grouped by difficulty level and topic. Let us help you tackle this challenge!	Question Pools Recording
Thurs. 03/23/2023 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Setting up your Blackboard Grade Center Become a power user of the Grade Center! This workshop can save you time and eyestrain, especially if you are teaching a large class. Join us to learn how to customize your “instructor view” of the Grade Center. Choose what columns to see and in which order they appear. Create and assign categories so that each assignment gets its correct weight in the final grade. Finally, use smart views and color-coding to view the grades of small groups of students and find out who might need special attention.	Register
Wed. 03/29/2023 11:00 - 12:00 PM	Padlet for resource collection & interactive activities What can Padlet NOT do? It is a versatile tool for collaborating and posting notes that include text, images, links, and videos. At Hunter, Padlet is widely used for ice-breaker activities, for sharing resources, and for collecting student work. In this workshop, we will review samples of successful and innovative activities designed by Hunter professors, and discuss appropriate formats and settings for different kinds of assignments.	Register

Date & Time	Workshop	Links
Fri. 02/03/2023 11:00 - 12:00 PM	Blackboard essentials for the beginning of the semester There is so much to do to get a Blackboard course site ready for a new semester! We will show you how to do all the following tasks in one (1!) hour: make the site course visible to students send an email post an announcement add the syllabus fill in the instructor information organize course materials in folders link to a webpage create a discussion forum For professors who prefer a slower page, we will show you where to find step-by-step instructions and video tutorials.	Blackboard Essentials
Wed. 02/08/2023 11:00 - 12:00 PM	Padlet for resource collection & interactive activities What can Padlet NOT do? It is a versatile tool for collaborating and posting notes that include text, images, links, and videos. At Hunter, Padlet is widely used for ice-breaker activities, for sharing resources, and for collecting student work. In this workshop, we will review samples of successful and innovative activities designed by Hunter professors, and discuss appropriate formats and settings for different kinds of assignments.	Guide to Padlet
Tues. 02/14/2023 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Social annotation with Hypothesis Social annotation involves highlighting, commenting on, and sharing ideas in the margins of a digital text. Annotation assignments may encourage students to read more closely and bring to light their questions and thoughts. Hypothesis is a tool that professors can use for discussions and annotation assignments based on webpages and PDF documents. Join a workshop in which you will learn how to create and grade a Hypothesis assignment in Blackboard.	Hypothesis Guide
Wed. 02/15/2023 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Facilitating discussions in Blackboard This is an introductory workshop to Blackboard’s Discussion Board functions. Participants will learn how to create forums and threads and how to grade them. We will also discuss strategies to facilitate meaningful discussions, including designing discussion prompts that generate interactions among students, and using staggered deadlines	Creating a Discussion Board Forum Reading and posting in discussion boards Grading and monitoring participation in discussion forums
Wed. 02/22/2023 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Collecting and grading assignments in Blackboard One of the most widely-used tools in Blackboard is the “Assignment,” which allows instructors to electronically collect and review student work. Participants of this workshop will learn how to create an assignment link allowing students to submit papers or links, and choose the appropriate settings in terms of deadlines and number of attempts allowed. Participants will also learn how to use Blackboard’s built-in functions to annotate, grade, and provide feedback to student submissions.	Collecting & Grading Assignments resource
Wed. 02/22/2023 12:00 - 1:00 PM	Asynchronous online modules for when you can’t make it to class Learning modules are a collections of carefully sequenced and chunked teaching materials, activities and assessments. They are the building blocks of hybrid and online courses but also useful to replace sessions of in-person courses when weather, conferences or health issues require alternatives. Professors design these learning experiences and students complete them within a specified period of time, usually a week. At this workshop, we will discuss how to create learning modules and review examples of modules created by Hunter professors.	Sample Online Modules
Fri. 02/24/2023 9:00 - 10:00 AM	Multimedia alternatives to papers and activities A term paper does not have to be the way to end a term. Consider allowing students to demonstrate the results of their learning and research in multi-modal, multimedia formats. Perhaps a narrated slide presentation, a video, or an infographic can be acceptable alternatives. We will discuss tools that students can use to create alternatives to papers, and introduce Genially as an example tool that allows integration of text, images, audio, and video.	Guide to Genially
Mon. 02/27/2023 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Zoom tools to interact with students The Zoom conferencing tool has a variety of functions that allow instructors to interact with students with or without microphones or cameras. Workshop participants will take part in interactive activities using chat, reactions, whiteboard annotations, polls, and breakout rooms. They will also learn some best practices for preparing students to participate in online meetings.	Zoom Resources

Date & Time	Workshop	Links
Tues. 01/17/2023 9:00 - 10:00 AM	Breaking the ice: a guide to using Padlet for your course icebreakers. What can Padlet NOT do? It is a versatile tool for collaborating and posting notes that include text, images, links, and videos. At Hunter, Padlet is widely used for ice-breaker activities, for sharing resources, and for collecting student work. In this workshop, we will review samples of successful and innovative activities designed by Hunter professors, discuss examples of icebreakers you can use in your course and showcase appropriate formats and settings for different kinds of assignments.	Icebreaker Activities
Wed. 01/18/2023 12:00 - 1:00 PM	Creative ways to use social annotation in your courses In this workshop, Hypothesis’ instructional designer Christie DeCarolis will lead participants in a discussion about various discussion protocols and active learning strategies that can help make social annotation more engaging and fun. Participants will come away from this session with a variety of ways to creatively use social annotation in their courses.
Fri. 01/20/2023 11:00 - 12:00 PM	Reusing your Blackboard Course Materials Course materials can be transferred from one course site to another in a variety of ways. Join this workshop to learn the differences between “course copy” and “export course/import package,” and when to use each method. Let us help you make appropriate choices on what to select when copying or exporting a course, and take the necessary steps to “clean up” the new course shell once content has been added to it.	Reuse your Blackboard Materials
Mon. 01/23/2023 9:00 - 10:00 AM	Recording mini-lectures with Screencast-o-matic Screencast-o-matic is a video and screencast creation tool. This is the first of our series of workshops on how to use this tool and what to do before, during, and after recording. Participants will learn how to record videos from a webcam, create recordings of what is displayed on their computer screen, and make videos combining webcam and screen captures. They will also learn different ways to store their videos and share them with students through embedding and linking.	Getting Started with Screencast-O-Matic
Mon. 01/23/2023 12:00 - 12:30 PM	Annotating your syllabus with Hypothesis Annotating a syllabus could be an early-in-the-semester activity that leads students to read the syllabus more carefully. It could also be an initial activity that acquaints students with a tech tool that they will use later in the semester. In this workshop, Hypothesis’ instructional designer Christie DeCarolis will lead participants in a discussion on how to set up a syllabus as a Hypothesis assignment and what instructions and resources to give students.
Tues. 01/24/2023 12:00 - 1:00 PM	QR codes for QUICK student engagement Those square-shaped codes–you’ve used them for restaurant menus and plane tickets. You’ve seen them at bus stops and on event flyers. Shouldn’t you also use them for your college classes? To check who is in class? Maybe. To share materials with students? Yes! To engage students in active learning activities? Definitely! Join us at this interactive workshop to explore how QR codes can be used for in-person and online classes to check for understanding, encourage reflection and support collaboration. We will discuss when it is appropriate to use them and how to create or find them in frequently used tools such as Padlet and Mentimeter. Please have your smart phone’s camera ready to scan QR codes.	QR Codes Slides
Thurs. 01/26/2023 12:00 - 1:00 PM	Recipes to add joy to hybrid & online courses What do flashcards, playlists, and hidden messages have in common? They can all be strategies to motivate students, keep them on track, build community, and have fun doing classwork. Let’s cook up some ideas to incorporate whimsy, surprise, competition, and teamwork into your courses!	Playful Pedagogy
Fri. 01/27/2023 11:00 - 12:00 PM	Tips and Tricks of Blackboard We have rolled into one workshop everything that made professors say “I wish I had known that!” and “This will save me a ton of time!” Join us to learn a slew of strategies to make your work in Blackboard more efficient and effective. You will learn how to add a picture, embed a video, use the student preview, make text look consistent, reorder items, connect with cloud storage, and more!	Blackboard Tips

Date & Time	Workshop	Links
Wed. 12/07/2022 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Creating tests in Blackboard and choosing test settings Blackboard Tests have been commonly used as review exercises, self-assessment tools, and low-stakes quizzes. This is an introductory workshop on how to create a test, add questions, and make it available to students. We will help you choose appropriate settings for how to present the test, when to take it, how long to keep it open, and what feedback to show students when they submit their answers.	Creating Tests Options for presenting tests and surveys Viewing Test Results
Thurs. 12/15/2022 12:00 - 1:00 PM	Calculating final grades in Blackboard’s Grade Center Blackboard’s Grade Center has spreadsheet capabilities that you can use to calculate students’ final grades. However, that Grade Center column needs to be set up manually to reflect how you grade and weigh the different assignment types or categories. Join us at this workshop to learn how to assign student work to categories, understand the differences between the “Total” and “Weighted Total” columns, and set up a column to calculate final grades.	Final Grades Recording

Date & Time	Workshop	Links
Fri. 11/04/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Social annotation for reading-intensive courses Hypothesis’ instructional designer Christie DeCarolis will discuss how collaborative annotation with Hypothesis can be used to make student reading visible, active, and social. Social annotation can assist students in developing close reading skills and building academic vocabulary, essential components of reading-intensive courses. Additionally, it can give instructors an opportunity to guide students through the reading and make reading a more collaborative experience. In addition to sharing pedagogical best practices for collaborative annotation, Christie will demonstrate how Hypothesis can be used with course readings in Blackboard. Participants can expect to come away from this session with a clear idea about how they can start incorporating collaborative annotation into their courses to improve student success.
Tues. 11/08/2022 9:00 - 10:00 AM	DIY captioning for Zoom, VoiceThread, and YouTube Adding captions is no longer an onerous task for professors creating videos. Many tools that we use now generate automatic captions that can be quickly reviewed and easily edited for 100% accuracy. Join us for a workshop on where to find captions and how to edit them on Zoom, VoiceThread, and YouTube.	DIY for Busy Professors
Wed. 11/09/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	QR codes for QUICK student engagement Those square-shaped codes–you’ve used them for restaurant menus and plane tickets. You’ve seen them at bus stops and on event flyers. Shouldn’t you also use them for your college classes? To check who is in class? Maybe. To share materials with students? Yes! To engage students in active learning activities? Definitely! Join us at this interactive workshop to explore how QR codes can be used for in-person and online classes to check for understanding, encourage reflection and support collaboration. We will discuss when it is appropriate to use them and how to create or find them in frequently used tools such as Padlet and Mentimeter. Please have your smart phone’s camera ready to scan QR codes.	QR Codes Slides
Thurs. 11/10/2022 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Creating tests in Blackboard and choosing test settings Blackboard Tests have been commonly used as review exercises, self-assessment tools, and low-stakes quizzes. This is an introductory workshop on how to create a test, add questions, and make it available to students. We will help you choose appropriate settings for how to present the test, when to take it, how long to keep it open, and what feedback to show students when they submit their answers.	Creating Tests Options for presenting tests and surveys Viewing Test Results
Fri. 11/11/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Social annotation for language and literature courses Hypothesis’ instructional designer Christie DeCarolis will discuss how collaborative annotation with Hypothesis can be used to make student reading visible, active, and social. Social annotation can assist students in developing close reading skills and implement metacognitive strategies, which can be helpful in language and literature courses. Additionally, it can give instructors an opportunity to guide students through texts and make reading a more collaborative experience. In addition to sharing pedagogical best practices for collaborative annotation, Christie will demonstrate how Hypothesis can be used with course readings in Blackboard. Participants can expect to come away from this session with a clear idea about how they can start incorporating collaborative annotation into their courses to improve student success.	Annotation for Language & literature Courses Slides Annotation Starter Assignments
Tues. 11/15/2022 9:00 - 10:00 AM	Recording mini-lectures with Screencast-o-matic Screencast-o-matic is a video and screencast creation tool. This is the first of our series of workshops on how to use this tool and what to do before, during, and after recording. Participants will learn how to record videos from a webcam, create recordings of what is displayed on their computer screen, and make videos combining webcam and screen captures. They will also learn different ways to store their videos and share them with students through embedding and linking.	Getting Started with Screencast-O-Matic
Wed. 11/16/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Recipes to add joy to your courses What do flashcards, playlists, and hidden messages have in common? They can all be strategies to motivate students, keep them on track, build community, and have fun doing classwork. Let’s cook up some ideas to incorporate whimsy, surprise, competition, and teamwork into your in-person, hybrid and online courses!	Playful Pedagogy
Fri. 11/18/2022 9:00 - 10:00 AM	Calculating final grades in Blackboard’s Grade Center Blackboard’s Grade Center has spreadsheet capabilities that you can use to calculate students’ final grades. However, that Grade Center column needs to be set up manually to reflect how you grade and weigh the different assignment types or categories. Join us at this workshop to learn how to assign student work to categories, understand the differences between the “Total” and “Weighted Total” columns, and set up a column to calculate final grades.	Final Grades Recording
Fri. 11/18/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Social annotation for STEM courses Hypothesis’ instructional designer Christie DeCarolis will discuss how collaborative annotation with Hypothesis can be used to make student reading visible, active, and social. While the application of social annotation in STEM courses is not always obvious, its collaborative and metacognitive nature can encourage students to tackle difficult concepts in a new way. For example, social annotation can assist students in identifying patterns and relationships, in analyzing the validity of arguments and/or solutions, and in locating and contextualizing important information in problems. Additionally, it can give instructors an opportunity to guide students through texts or course materials asynchronously. In addition to sharing pedagogical best practices for collaborative annotation, Christie will demonstrate how Hypothesis can be used with course readings in Blackboard. Participants can expect to come away from this session with a clear idea about how they can start incorporating collaborative annotation into their courses to improve student success.
Tues. 11/22/2022 9:00 - 10:00 AM	Basic video editing with Screencast-o-matic This is the second in the series of Screencast-o-matic workshops. Participants will learn how to make edits to a video by adding or deleting clips, inserting graphics and images, and blurring a portion of the screen to protect sensitive information.	Basic Editing Guide
Mon. 11/28/2022 9:00 - 10:00 AM	QR codes for QUICK student engagement Those square-shaped codes–you’ve used them for restaurant menus and plane tickets. You’ve seen them at bus stops and on event flyers. Shouldn’t you also use them for your college classes? To check who is in class? Maybe. To share materials with students? Yes! To engage students in active learning activities? Definitely! Join us at this interactive workshop to explore how QR codes can be used for in-person and online classes to check for understanding, encourage reflection and support collaboration. We will discuss when it is appropriate to use them and how to create or find them in frequently used tools such as Padlet and Mentimeter. Please have your smart phone’s camera ready to scan QR codes.	QR Codes Slides

Date & Time	Workshop	Links
Mon. 10/03/2022 12:00 - 1:00 PM	Hypothesis Introductory Workshop Hypothesis’ instructional designer Christie DeCarolis will discuss how collaborative annotation with Hypothesis can be used to make student reading visible, active, and social. In addition to sharing pedagogical best practices for collaborative annotation, they will demonstrate how Hypothesis can be used with course readings in your LMS. Participants can expect to come away from this session with a clear idea about how they can start incorporating collaborative annotation into their courses to improve student success.	Intro to Hypothesis
Tues. 10/04/2022 9:00 - 10:00 AM	Multimedia alternatives to final papers A term paper does not have to be the way to end a term. Consider allowing students to demonstrate the results of their learning and research in multi-modal, multimedia formats. Perhaps a narrated slide presentation, a video, or an infographic can be acceptable alternatives. We will discuss tools that students can use to create alternatives to papers, and introduce Genially as an example tool that allows integration of text, images, audio, and video.	Guide to Genially
Fri. 10/07/2022 12:00 - 1:00 PM	Creating tests in Blackboard and choosing test settings Blackboard Tests have been commonly used as review exercises, self-assessment tools, and low-stakes quizzes. This is an introductory workshop on how to create a test, add questions, and make it available to students. We will help you choose appropriate settings for how to present the test, when to take it, how long to keep it open, and what feedback to show students when they submit their answers.	Creating Tests Options for presenting tests and surveys Viewing Test Results
Wed. 10/12/2022 12:00 - 1:00 PM	Creative ways to use social annotation in your courses Hypothesis’ instructional designer Christie DeCarolis will lead participants in a discussion about various discussion protocols and active learning strategies that can help make social annotation more engaging and fun. Participants will come away from this session with a variety of ways to creatively use social annotation in their courses.
Tues. 10/18/2022 9:00 - 10:00 AM	Creating question pools for quizzes that draw questions randomly This is an advanced workshop on Blackboard’s testing functions. Giving tests that draw questions randomly from a bank of questions can be one strategy to mitigate cheating. These tests go beyond presenting questions or answer choices in different orders. When questions are drawn randomly from pools of questions, each student gets a different test. Question pools require careful preparation with questions grouped by difficulty level and topic. Let us help you tackle this challenge!	Question Pools Recording
Tues. 10/18/2022 7:00 - 8:00 PM	Asynchronous online modules for when you can’t make it to class Learning modules are a collections of carefully sequenced and chunked teaching materials, activities and assessments. They are the building blocks of hybrid and online courses but also useful to replace sessions of in-person courses when weather, conferences or health issues require alternatives. Professors design these learning experiences and students complete them within a specified period of time, usually a week. At this workshop, we will discuss how to create learning modules and review examples of modules created by Hunter professors.	Activites for Asynch Courses
Wed. 10/19/2022 9:00 - 10:00 AM	Padlet for almost everything to be collected and shared What can Padlet NOT do? It is a versatile tool for collaborating and posting notes that include text, images, links, and videos. At Hunter, Padlet is widely used for ice-breaker activities, for sharing resources, and for collecting student work. In this workshop, we will review samples of successful and innovative activities designed by Hunter professors, discuss examples of icebreakers you can use in your course and showcase appropriate formats and settings for different kinds of assignments.	Guide to Padlet
Wed. 10/19/2022 7:00 - 8:00 PM	Padlet for almost everything to be collected and shared What can Padlet NOT do? It is a versatile tool for collaborating and posting notes that include text, images, links, and videos. At Hunter, Padlet is widely used for ice-breaker activities, for sharing resources, and for collecting student work. In this workshop, we will review samples of successful and innovative activities designed by Hunter professors, discuss examples of icebreakers you can use in your course and showcase appropriate formats and settings for different kinds of assignments.	Guide to Padlet
Thurs. 10/20/2022 4:00 - 5:00 PM	DIY captioning for Zoom, VoiceThread, and YouTube Adding captions is no longer an onerous task for professors creating videos. Many tools that we use now generate automatic captions that can be quickly reviewed and easily edited for 100% accuracy. Join us for a workshop on where to find captions and how to edit them on Zoom, VoiceThread, and YouTube.	How to DIY Captioning on Videos
Fri. 10/21/2022 11:30 - 12:30 PM	Advanced features of Hypothesis This workshop will help faculty who are comfortable with new technological tools or familiar with Hypothesis learn its full suite of features in Blackboard. Hypothesis’ instructional designer Christie will quickly review how to set up a Hypothesis-enabled reading in Blackboard. Then, she will discuss using Blackboard Groups and Files with Hypothesis. She will also review how to use multimedia and tags in annotations to create a multi modal collaborative experience for students. Throughout the workshop, participants will be encouraged to discuss and share how they are interested in or imagine using these Hypothesis features in their own courses.	Advanced Features Recording Advanced Features Slides Starter Assignments
Wed. 10/26/2022 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Setting up your Blackboard Grade Center Become a power user of the Grade Center! This workshop can save you time and eyestrain, especially if you are teaching a large class. Join us to learn how to customize your “instructor view” of the Grade Center. Choose what columns to see and in which order they appear. Create and assign categories so that each assignment gets its correct weight in the final grade. Finally, use smart views and color-coding to view the grades of small groups of students and find out who might need special attention.	Final Grades Recording

Date & Time	Workshop	Links
Tues. 09/06/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Activities for synchronous online sessions How do you know if students are engaged in your synchronous online class if they are not on video or speaking through their microphones? Break up a long lecture with interactive online activities where they are answering polls, annotating texts or images, discussing in breakout rooms, or working on shared online spaces. Join us for a workshop where we will explore sample activities that you can implement with tools you may already know—Zoom, Google, and Padlet.	Activities for Sync Online Courses
Wed. 09/07/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Game-Based Learning with VoiceThread Are you interested in game-based learning? Then come learn about gamification and play some games with us during this workshop! Whether you teach graduate students or kindergarteners, you will learn some fundamentals of educational game design that can improve engagement and retention with your students. This workshop will be led by VoiceThread’s instructional designer George Haines.	Game-Based Learning Recording
Thurs. 09/08/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Activities for asynchronous online sessions Are you looking for assignment ideas for your asynchronous online sessions that go beyond reading and writing? Let’s explore creative activities using Blackboard blogs, journals, and other Hunter tools such VoiceThread, Hypothesis, and Padlet. We will discuss which tools connect to the Blackboard Grade Center for speedier grading and which are more suited for peer sharing.	Activites for Asynch Courses
Thurs. 09/08/2022 4:00 - 5:00 PM	Padlet for resource collection & interactive activities What can Padlet NOT do? It is a versatile tool for collaborating and posting notes that include text, images, links, and videos. At Hunter, Padlet is widely used for ice-breaker activities, for sharing resources, and for collecting student work. In this workshop, we will review samples of successful and innovative activities designed by Hunter professors, and discuss appropriate formats and settings for different kinds of assignments.	Guide to Padlet
Fri. 09/09/2022 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Reusing your Blackboard Course Materials Course materials can be transferred from one course site to another in a variety of ways. Join this workshop to learn the differences between “course copy” and “export course/import package,” and when to use each method. Let us help you make appropriate choices on what to select when copying or exporting a course, and take the necessary steps to “clean up” the new course shell once content has been added to it.	Reuse your Blackboard Materials
Tues. 09/13/2022 12:00 - 1:00 PM	Spicing up your course with banners & infographics Course-relevant images and infographics can not only add visual interest to a course site, but can also make course materials more comprehensible. Join us at a workshop where we discuss how to create a course banner with a tool that you already know—PowerPoint—and how to create infographics with tools that might be new to you—Piktochart and Canva.	Spicing up your courses slides
Wed. 09/14/2022 11:00 - 12:00 PM	Collecting and grading assignments in Blackboard One of the most widely-used tools in Blackboard is the “Assignment,” which allows instructors to electronically collect and review student work. Participants of this workshop will learn how to create an assignment link allowing students to submit papers or links, and choose the appropriate settings in terms of deadlines and number of attempts allowed. Participants will also learn how to use Blackboard’s built-in functions to annotate, grade, and provide feedback to student submissions.	Collecting & Grading Assignments resource
Mon. 09/19/2022 9:00 - 10:00 AM	DIY captioning for Zoom, VoiceThread, and YouTube Adding captions is no longer an onerous task for professors creating videos. Many tools that we use now generate automatic captions that can be quickly reviewed and easily edited for 100% accuracy. Join us for a workshop on where to find captions and how to edit them on Zoom, VoiceThread, and YouTube.	DIY Captioning Guide
Mon. 09/19/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Tools & scaffolds for student presentations What tools can students use to create online presentations? How do I help them form groups and avoid submitting last-minute work? How should I collect student work and share it with their classmates for peer feedback? If you are grappling with any of these questions, this workshop is for you. Join us to learn how Hunter colleagues have scaffolded student group work and presentations, and what tools they have chosen to use.
Tue. 09/20/2022 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Facilitating discussions in Blackboard This is an introductory workshop to Blackboard’s Discussion Board functions. Participants will learn how to create forums and threads and how to grade them. We will also discuss strategies to facilitate meaningful discussions, including designing discussion prompts that generate interactions among students, and using staggered deadlines.	Creating a Discussion Board Forum Reading and posting in discussion boards Grading and monitoring participation in discussion forums
Wed. 09/21/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Asynchronous online modules for when you can’t make it to class Learning modules are a collections of carefully sequenced and chunked teaching materials, activities and assessments. They are the building blocks of hybrid and online courses but also useful to replace sessions of in-person courses when weather, conferences or health issues require alternatives. Professors design these learning experiences and students complete them within a specified period of time, usually a week. At this workshop, we will discuss how to create learning modules and review examples of modules created by Hunter professors.	Sample Online Modules
Wed. 09/28/2022 11:00 - 12:00 PM	Setting up your Blackboard Grade Center Become a power user of the Grade Center! This workshop can save you time and eyestrain, especially if you are teaching a large class. Join us to learn how to customize your “instructor view” of the Grade Center. Choose what columns to see and in which order they appear. Create and assign categories so that each assignment gets its correct weight in the final grade. Finally, use smart views and color-coding to view the grades of small groups of students and find out who might need special attention.	Final Grades Recording
Fri. 09/30/2022 12:00 - 1:00 PM	Multimedia alternatives to final papers A term paper does not have to be the way to end a term. Consider allowing students to demonstrate the results of their learning and research in multi-modal, multimedia formats. Perhaps a narrated slide presentation, a video, or an infographic can be acceptable alternatives. We will discuss tools that students can use to create alternatives to papers, and introduce Genially as an example tool that allows integration of text, images, audio, and video.	Guide to Genially

Date & Time	Workshop	Links
Tues. 08/16/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Preparing students for success: The orientation module An “orientation module,” informative materials paired with interactive activities, can set students up for success in a course where the mode of instruction might be unfamiliar. In this workshop, we will discuss what to include in an orientation module, and what tools can be used to create one. We will also share strategies professors can use to welcome students to a course, navigate the course site, learn tech tools, and build community.	Sample orientation materials
Wed. 08/17/2022 3:00 - 4:00 PM	Reusing your Blackboard Course Materials Course materials can be transferred from one course site to another in a variety of ways. Join this workshop to learn the differences between “course copy” and “export course/import package,” and when to use each method. Let us help you make appropriate choices on what to select when copying or exporting a course, and take the necessary steps to “clean up” the new course shell once content has been added to it.	Reuse your Blackboard Materials
Fri. 08/19/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Beyond online: Flexible by design Looking beyond the pandemic and emergency remote teaching, professors might consider designing courses that can be easily changed from in-person to synchronous or asynchronous online sessions. In this workshop, we will explore ideas and strategies to design or redesign courses with flexibility, accessibility, and equity in mind. We will discuss ways in which professors can maximize flexibility in the design choices they make in course technology, engagement methods, format of materials, and assessment techniques.	Flexible and Inclusive Slides Course Design Padlet
Mon. 08/22/2022 1:00 - 2:00 PM	Humanize Your Online Course with VoiceThread Creating engaging online courses is not easy. In many discussion-board based courses, students feel isolated and disconnected from their instructors and classmates. VoiceThread bridges the gaps in social presence typically found in online courses. In this workshop, educators will learn how to establish a social presence and connect with their students using VoiceThread to improve course satisfaction and student learning. This workshop will be led by VoiceThread’s instructional designer George Haines.	Humanize your online course recording
Tues. 08/23/2022 10:00 - 11:00 AM	Blackboard essentials for the beginning of the semester There is so much to do to get a Blackboard course site ready for a new semester! We will show you how to do all the following tasks in one (1!) hour: make the site course visible to students send an email post an announcement add the syllabus fill in the instructor information organize course materials in folders link to a webpage create a discussion forum For professors who prefer a slower page, we will show you where to find step-by-step instructions and video tutorials.	Blackboard Essentials
Tues. 08/23/2022 12:00 - 1:00 PM	Breaking the ice: a guide to using Padlet for your course icebreakers. What can Padlet NOT do? It is a versatile tool for collaborating and posting notes that include text, images, links, and videos. At Hunter, Padlet is widely used for ice-breaker activities, for sharing resources, and for collecting student work. In this workshop, we will review samples of successful and innovative activities designed by Hunter professors, discuss examples of icebreakers you can use in your course and showcase appropriate formats and settings for different kinds of assignments.	Example icebreaker activities
Mon. 08/29/2022 12:00 - 1:00 PM	Recording mini-lectures with Screencast-o-matic Screencast-o-matic is a video and screencast creation tool. This is the first of our series of workshops on how to use this tool and what to do before, during, and after recording. Participants will learn how to record videos from a webcam, create recordings of what is displayed on their computer screen, and make videos combining webcam and screen captures. They will also learn different ways to store their videos and share them with students through embedding and linking.	Getting Started with Screencast-O-Matic
Tues. 08/30/2022 4:00 - 5:00 PM	VoiceThread Assignments: Watch, Comment, Create VoiceThread is a presentation and discussion tool integrated into Blackboard. It allows professors to create three types of assignments. One type of assignment is to simply watch a Voicethread. (Students play through the slides and listen to the professors’ comments.) Another type of assignment is to add a comment to a VoiceThread in text, audio or video format. The third and most sophisticated type of assignment is to create a VoiceThread. In this workshop, we will review all of the workflows, new features, and options. This workshop will be led by VoiceThread’s instructional designer George Haines.
Wed. 08/31/2022 11:00 - 12:00 PM	Tips and Tricks of Blackboard We have rolled into one workshop everything that made professors say “I wish I had known that!” and “This will save me a ton of time!” Join us to learn a slew of strategies to make your work in Blackboard more efficient and effective. You will learn how to add a picture, embed a video, use the student preview, make text look consistent, reorder items, connect with cloud storage, and more!	Blackboard Tips

Center for Online Learning Workshops

Upcoming Workshops

2023 Workshops

2022 Workshops

2021 Workshops

2020 Workshops

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Week One	Week Two	Week Three	Week Four
Mon. 4/27/2020 to Fri. 5/1/2020	Mon. 5/11/2020 to Fri 5/15/2020	Tues. 5/26/2020 to Mon. 6/1/2020	Mon. 6/8/2020 to Fri. 6/12/2020