This year, Online and Adult Learning will be hosting the inaugural Distance Learning Week at USI from November 4 – November 8. Each year, the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) hosts a National Distance Learning Week to promote online/distance learning, explore issues and trends in distance/online learning and highlight best practices relating to online learning. Each day, there will be activities for our faculty and students relating to online learning. Join Online and Adult Learning for a week of activities for faculty/staff and students including information sessions, workshops, and more. We know you have a busy schedule so we will make many of our events available virtually, as recorded sessions, or as online activities.
This page will continue to be updated prior to the event and during the event.
Activities for Students
** Links will be added the morning of the events to access pre-recorded sessions and online activities **
| Activity | Description | Format | Date/Time |
| Introduction to Learning Online | There are many myths and misconceptions about online learning. Students will gain a better understanding about online learning at USI, hear about common perceptions about online learning to find out if they are myths or facts, identify strategies other students have found beneficial to be successful in an online course, and learn about resources to assist online learners. | Pre-Recorded | Tuesday, November 5 |
| Library Scavenger Hunt | Using the Rice Library's FUSIon Search Tool, help Archie find missing source info for his assignment on green marketing. Learn about online research tools, complete a digital scavenger hunt and get entered to win some Online and Adult Learning swag! | Online Activity | Wednesday, November 6 |
| Time Management Strategies | It is reality that all of us are challenged to have enough time in a day to accomplish all we need and want to do. This session will explore time management strategies that have worked for other online students, everything from prioritizing your tasks to techniques to let someone know you need to focus on your coursework. | Pre-Recorded | Thursday, November 7 |
| Resource Tables for All Learners | Informational booths will be setup to learn more about resources available to all students, regardless of modality. Give-aways will also be available if you visit the booths. A recorded version will be coming for those not able to attend. | In-Person University Center Breezeway | Thursday, November 7 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT |
| Interacting with Your Peers and Professors in the Virtual Environment | Communication can be challenging, and especially so when you are communicating in a virtual environment. Learn about strategies and techniques to ensure you message is understood and your communications are understood for tone, intent, etc., things which can be hard to determine in a virtual environment. | Pre-Recorded | Friday, November 8 |
Activities for Faculty and Staff
** Links will be added the morning of the events to access pre-recorded sessions and online activities **
| Activity | Description | Format | Date/Time |
| Keynote Speaker | Join Dr. Barbara Kopp Miller from the University of Toledo Online as she discusses the benefits of online learning, challenges, and opportunities. | Zoom | Monday November 4 at 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CT |
| Voicethread | VoiceThread is a powerful multimedia tool you can use to develop course content. It's possible to create lectures, discussion boards, debates, presentations and more with robust student interaction, and flexibility. You'll learn how to create instructional material, assignments, and troubleshoot common technical issues in VoiceThread. | Pre-Recorded | Monday, November 4 |
| AI Tools and How to Leverage Them in Your Courses | Leverage AI to revolutionize your course design! Automate everyday tasks with Co-pilot, freeing up time to focus on student success. Create robust rubrics, develop formative knowledge checks from text or video, interactive video questions and draft weekly announcements effortlessly. | Pre-Recorded | Monday, November 4 |
| Adobe Pro | All faculty now have access to Adobe Pro. Learn what tools are available to you in Adobe Pro, how you can use the available tools to create or modify PDF documents, and view demonstrations on the most common use cases for faculty. | Pre-Recorded | Tuesday, November 5 |
| Blackboard Ultra Overview | USI is transitioning to a more modern version of Blackboard, Blackboard Ultra. During this overview session, you will learn more about Blackboard Ultra, new tools to assist you as a faculty member, and what resources are available to you to transition your courses. Hosted by the USI Blackboard Team. | Zoom | Tuesday, November 5 at 11:00 a.m. - Noon CT |
| OER and Open Access Publishing | Open Educational Resources (OER) are educational materials that are openly availible for educators and students, without the need to pay royalties or license fees. USI has stipends for faculty who adopt, adapt, revise, and even publish their own OER content in their courses. This session will cover the basics of OER and the opportunities available at USI. Also, learn more about Open Access (OA) journals, and how you can work with the Rice Library to utilize and even publish openly accessible academic research. | Zoom | Wednesday, November 6 at 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. |
| Library Scavenger Hunt | Using the Rice Library's FUSIon Search Tool, help Archie find missing source info for his assignment on green marketing. Learn about online research tools, complete a digital scavenger hunt and get entered to win some Online and Adult Learning swag! | Online Activity | Wednesday, November 6 |
| H5P Exploration | H5P is a tool that the USI instructional designers are using to update training content for Outreach and Engagement. Explore the different tools available within H5P to enhance the interaction and resources for your online course. Upon completion, we will ask participants to complete a simple survey to determine if this a tool we should consider adopting for faculty to use in Blackboard. | Online Activity | Thursday, November 7 |
| Blackboard Ultra Overview | USI is transitioning to a more modern version of Blackboard, Blackboard Ultra. During this overview session, you will learn more about Blackboard Ultra, new tools to assist you as a faculty member, and what resources are available to you to transition your courses. Hosted by the USI Blackboard Team. | In-Person | Thursday, November 7 at 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. CT (UC 2217-2218) |
| Engaging Online Students: Strategies for Creating a Warm and Inviting Virtual Classroom | It can be more challenging to create a warm, inviting environment in an online course and develop a sense of rapport with your students. In this session, we will explore the importance of engaging with your students, techniques to create a warm environment, ways to develop rapport with your students, and best practices for providing feedback to your students. | Pre-Recorded | Friday, November 8 |
| Hands-On with Blackboard Ultra | USI is transitioning to a more modern version of Blackboard, Blackboard Ultra. During this session, you will learn more about Blackboard Ultra, new tools to assist you as a faculty member, and what resources are available to you to transition your courses. You will also have an opportunity to explore a Blackboard Ultra course shell. Hosted by the USI Blackboard Team. | In-Person (Pre-registration Required, link added soon) |
Friday, November 8 at 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. CT (Location TBD) |