Teaching tools will evolve next fall

As teaching and technology evolves, so will the tools offered by the Teaching Transformation and Development Academy (TTaDA) next fall.

The goal of the changes is to improve student engagement, as well as methods, strategies and tools for teaching and learning.

• The new video platform, YuJa, was selected by a team of faculty and staff and implemented in spring 2018. It has a more streamlined interface which is very user-friendly, and will be the standard platform for digital media in courses. YuJa can be used to record lessons, audio and video, create tutorials, edit videos for storage and streaming, and is integrated into all Blackboard courses. Tegrity, NDUS/UND’s current lecture capture application, will be discontinued June 30, 2019. TTaDA will work with faculty to move Tegrity content that is needed to the YuJa platform during spring 2019. YuJa includes automatic closed captioning for all content created in the platform.
• Zoom video conferencing is now available for all faculty and staff. After a successful pilot in 2018, a license was purchased which makes Zoom available for all faculty, staff and students at UND. Zoom enables web conferencing, group meetings, and office hours for online classes. Student, faculty and staff groups will be able to host virtual meetings and stream events.
• A remote proctoring system is in the process of being selected as UND’s standard service for all online courses, and students will no longer have to pay for proctoring services. Using a single vendor will improve service to students, since only one platform will be used and it will be integrated into Blackboard. It also offers better test integrity and security.
• Centralized Scantron service will be discontinued Aug. 15 in favor of more digital options to assess student learning. That could include Blackboard tests, reflection journals, online discussion forums, presentations, projects and assignments. Scantron alternatives could also include Akindi, a cloud-based application that allows a department copier/scanner to print and score bubble sheets. GradeHub, also subscription-based, is a Blackboard add-on which works similar to Scantron. Both subscription models are based on the number of students using the services with funding required at the college level.

For more information, please contact Lori Swinney at lori.swinney@und.edu or visit the Teaching Transformation and Development Academy at 701.777.2129 or und.edu/academics/ttada.