Blackboard Digital Teaching and Learning Series

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence still has open seats available for instructors interested in participating in the Blackboard Digital Teaching and Learning Series. This series offers instructors a comprehensive curriculum on integrating digital technologies into every aspect of the teaching and learning experience.

The series consists of three courses:

Course A: Fundamentals of Digital Teaching and Learning

Course B: Designing for Digital Teaching and Learning

Course C: Excellence in Digital Teaching and Learning

Course A is available to UIC faculty beginning Jan. 19, 2022, with four additional sessions available throughout 2022:

• Jan. 19-March 15
• March 30-May 24
• June 8-Aug. 2
• Aug. 17-Oct. 11
• Oct. 26-Dec. 20

Each of the three courses is eight weeks in length and consists of approximately four hours of work each week. In each of the courses participants:

• Take part in weekly discussions.
• Take part in a one-hour biweekly webinar.
• Submit two assignments.
• Submit a capstone project.
• Complete weekly quizzes.

The capstone project is based on the participants’ own practice. For Course A the capstone project is a planning document about their online courses; for Course B it is a series of resources built in a sandbox course; and for Course C the capstone project is the review of an online course and improvement plan.

Instructors who participate can improve their Blackboard courses and submit them for recognition by Blackboard as exemplary courses. The Blackboard Exemplary Course Award program recognizes excellence in course design demonstrated by faculty and designers. The core of the Exemplary Course program is the Exemplary Course Rubric, which defines key characteristics of high-quality courses within the framework of course design, interaction and collaboration, assessment and learner support. The rubric is offered under a Creative Commons license, and is available  for reuse and remixing when working toward creating quality course design. Educators and learners benefit from well-designed courses that take endless hours to perfect. Participation in this Blackboard Award program is free and gives recognition to those who dedicate the time to reach these high standards.

Any instructor can submit a Blackboard course to the Exemplary Course Program, but instructors looking to improve their courses ahead of submission can take advantage of the Digital Teaching and Learning series.

If you are interested in improving your courses, taking part in the Blackboard Digital Teaching and Learning Series may be the way to do it. To register, please complete this Google form: Blackboard DTLS Registration.

If your department or school has 20 or more faculty interested in enrolling in the Blackboard Digital Teaching and Learning Series, a  dedicated cohort for the University of Illinois Chicago can be arranged. Please request more information about setting up a dedicated UIC cohort by emailing the Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence learning design team at LTS@uic.edu