April 18, 2008

Announcements

• Are you teaching a course and using Blackboard this summer?  FTC will offer training sessions in preparation for setting up your Blackboard course shell(s) for the Summer 2008 semester.  For a complete list of workshops, please see the FTC Training page at:  http://www.siue.edu/lovejoylibrary/ftc/bb_register.shtml  If you are unable to attend a workshop our Instructional Design Team is available to make house calls to assist you with a particular Blackboard topic.
• All SPSS licenses come due July 1, 2008.  While we are currently running both versions 15.0 and 16.0 of SPSS, when we renew our license in July, we will only be licensed for version 16.0.  Version 15.0 will no longer be available or supported.  Those using SPSS in courses this summer are strongly encouraged to plan on using version 16.0.  One important change in version 16.0 is that commuter licenses can only be checked out for a maximum of 30 days, rather than the current 180 days.  Additionally, once version 16.0 is installed, a patch is available that allows users to update to version 16.0.2 of SPSS.  This patch, along with other SPSS updates and point releases, is available at: http://support.spss.com. For additional information, contact Jim Green at 618-650-3382 or via e-mail at jagreen@siue.edu.
• Pardon our Dust (Again!). Due to construction in our offices, the staff of the Faculty Technology Center may not be where you expect them to be for the next several weeks. Please phone ahead before you come over as our services will be spread to various locations throughout Lovejoy Library.  As always, the FTC staff can be reached at 650-5500 or via e-mail at ftc_help@siue.edu.

Featured Question: When students submit papers or assignments electronically, how can I electronically provide comments and track changes they make through different drafts?

Using the markup feature in MS Word (2003, 2007, or Word for Mac 2004), you can provide feedback and even make corrections to the students' documents. 

Inserting comments is the same across the various versions of Word. From the main menu, click on Insert. On this drop-down menu, select Comment.

To track changes made to a document, both student and professor will have to enable this function.

If you are using Word 2003:

• From the main menu, click on Tools.
• On this drop-down menu, click on Track Changes.

If you are using Word 2007:

• From the main menu, click on Review.
• In this expanded menu, click on New Comment.

If you are using Word for Mac 2004:

• From the main menu, click on Tools.
• On this drop-down menu, highlight Track Changes.
• On the side menu you must then select that you want to highlight changes.

For more information on tracking changes, please consult the following Atomic Learning tutorials:

Word 2003: http://movies.atomiclearning.com/movie/highed/11553/play
Word 2007: http://movies.atomiclearning.com/movie/highed/33034/play
Word for Mac 2004: http://movies.atomiclearning.com/movie/highed/14539/play

Please note that the Atomic Learning tutorials linked above may not be accessible from off-campus because of issues with the proxy server.  If you need to search for the tutorials directly, go to the Atomic Learning site by clicking on the following URL: http://proxy.library.siue.edu:2048/login/atomiclearning and search for the appropriate tutorial number (2003: 11553, 2007: 33034, Mac: 14539).

Spotlight on Technology: RefWorks

RefWorks is an online research management and bibliography tool available to SIUE faculty, staff, and students.  RefWorks can be accessed both on and off-campus.

Why should you use RefWorks?

• RefWorks makes it easy to create bibliographies in a variety of output styles, including MLA 6th Edition, Turabian, and Chicago 15th Edition formats. Users can directly export articles from several different database vendors, including Ebsco, Elsevier, and Ovid. References can also be entered into RefWorks manually.
• The Write-N-Cite feature allows users to directly enter footnotes into their research papers.
• RefWorks folders allow for easy organization of research.
• The Ref Grab-It tool captures bibliographic information about web pages and allows users to import the data into their RefWorks database.
• RefWorks users can share their database of research through the RefShare option.

Who should use RefWorks?

Students – RefWorks simplifies the generation of accurate, concise bibliographies, facilitating the research process and guarding against possible plagiarism issues.
Faculty – RefWorks not only provides research tools for faculty, it also allows them to provide read-only access for class-related bibliographies.
Librarians – RefWorks is a perfect teaching tool. It facilitates the incorporation of information fluency competencies into the curriculum at all levels.
Researchers – RefWorks is the perfect tool for storing a personal database of research or sharing research.

Lovejoy Library's Instruction Program is offering several "Introduction to RefWorks" open workshops in April. Visit http://www.siue.edu/lovejoylibrary/services/instruction/refworks.shtml to learn more.

Focus on Innovators: Amanda Bahr-Evola, Lecturer, Department of Historical Studies

Amanda Bahr-Evola, Lecturer for the Department of Historical Studies, talks about her experience using Wimba's Live Classroom to conduct her office hours in a virtual environment.

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One of the biggest problems I have faced is making sure that my students receive the help they need outside of class.  However, given the number of students in large, entry-level courses, it is difficult to meet with each student individually, even during scheduled office hours.  When there are 60 or 70 students trying to talk to me during the 2 hours I have reserved per week, I am afraid that, in rushing through to try to help everyone, some of the answers to the questions might be more abbreviated than I would like.

While I have long relied on e-mail and the Announcements in Blackboard, I needed to find a more effective method of reaching a larger number of students during my office hours. When the text and voice components of Wimba’s Live Classroom were first demonstrated for me, I immediately saw a solution for how to increase interaction with my students outside of the classroom.   

A number of my students might have the same question about a lecture topic, assignment, or class policy.  Instead of repeating the same answer to dozens of individual students during in-person office hours or posting a response on Blackboard that may or may not get read, Wimba’s Live Classroom allows me to reach a large number of students using either the text tool (for short, simple responses) or voice tool (for longer, more detailed answers).  Other Wimba features, including uploading PowerPoint slides and images or pushing web pages, enhance the richness of the interactions.

Since I’ve started using Wimba’s Live Classroom, office hours are more beneficial for both me and my students.  Although I do not use Live Classroom to teach online, I think that it is a good supplement for my face-to-face class.
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If you are using technology in an innovative way to enhance your courses or in your professional research, the newsletter could focus on you.  Don't hide in the shadows any longer; stand up and be recognized.  Contact us if you'd like to appear in this section.