DE Oracle @ UMUC

Learn how to use QR code in WebTycho conferences to enhance content accessibility for mobile device users.

The Classroom Interruption Planning Guide outlines steps you can take to help ensure you are prepared if your classroom becomes inaccessible for an extended period of time.

Polls can be used in the online classroom to prompt students to engage with faculty, their classmates, and content in an interactive manner. This article discusses polling and its benefits, strategies and examples for using polls in the classroom, and free polling tools that can be embedded in WebTycho.

At UMUC, we continue to expand and improve learning outcomes assessment. Part of this effort means collaborating with more university stakeholders in the process. To facilitate university-wide discussion and review of student learning, UMUC recently purchased a software-for-service from TaskStream called the Accountability Management System (AMS). AMS streamlines the management of content, resources, and communication related to continuous improvement projects such as outcomes assessment. This article briefly examines learning outcomes assessment, its role at UMUC, and how TaskSteam AMS will help administer the outcomes assessment process.

Mind maps are effective tools to assist with understanding concepts by offering a method of organizing and displaying information. This article provides a brief history on mind maps and their possible uses, discusses features and functionalities of mind mapping tools, provides sample suggested assignments that utilize mind maps, and provides a short list of free mind mapping software that is available on the market today.

In Part I of this series we defined RSS and looked at how to set up RSS feeds in Google Reader. Part II explains how to extend the use of RSS to enrich an online classroom.

This second in a series article provides information on the outcome and current usage of two UMUC faculty who were involved in the spring 2009 pilot clicker loan program.

Second Life (SL) has morphed from an amusing online curiosity with limited appeal to a virtual space with almost unlimited educational opportunities. The book "Learning and Teaching in the Virtual World of Second Life" explores the pedagogical designs and learning projects of SL. This article examines some of the lessons learned from the various virtual educators who prepared the chapters of these book and briefly discusses UMUC's own work with SL.

Learn how to stay on top of current research in your field by using RSS feeds to collect and manage fresh, up-to-date information in this first of a two-part series.

This article is a two-part series on student response systems, also known as clickers. Part I focuses on the description, purpose, benefits, and challenges of clicker use to enhance learning and engage student interest. Part II will focus on a pilot being conducted at USG (The Universities of Shady Grove) with 20 faculty members (4 from UMUC) who have been using clickers.