Digital Learning
Digital Learning
TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning), e-learning, blended learning -all terms and descriptions that have been around for quite a few years now and are used to describe the influence technology has had on education. Like these terms, educational institutions far and wide have tried to keep up, develop and transition as new and improved innovations emerge.
Buckinghamshire New University is no different and since 2009 it has been growing and diversifying its provision to include this ever expanding area of education.
Provision for Technology Enhanced Learning now falls under the Learning and Teaching Directorate which includes Digital Learning. We focus on enhancing digital literacy amongst students and staff. We encourage and advise on best pedagogical practice of technology enhanced learning.
We work with course teams and individual to produce high quality learning materials and make best use of our existing technology to give the best possible student experience.
What do we provide?
The Digital Learning team provides training, guidance and technical support to tutors, PSE’s and students on many of the University’s technology enhanced learning systems. The centre is a provision for all new, existing and future full-time, part-time and contract staff.
- Training – scheduled, ad-hoc and specialist groups
- Best practice – sharing the technological and non-technological good practices
- Technology – in-house technology and what is trending in the wider community
- Research – stats (who is using what?), university related projects, we are not alone (what other universities are doing), encouraging research
- Professional development – supporting the development of individuals and teams.
Technology
Please read the following to discover the software we use and how training can be delivered:
The Blackboard Learning System is the University’s virtual learning environment and course management system. Its main purpose is the storage, management and dissemination of course materials. It offers tutor a variety of ways to delivery and communicate online materials for courses traditionally delivered face-to-face. Blackboard tools include BB Collaborate Ultra, Panopto, Blackboard Ally and Turnitin.
Training for Blackboard is available via:
- Digital Learning in-house training (BB homepage, my organisations, Open4Learning)
– communicate, educate, collaborate.
- Web Conferencing
- Collaborate on whiteboards share desktops
- Breakout rooms for group work
- Watch presentation live or recorded
- Use emoticons, hand raising, polls, breakout rooms
- Capture class experiences as recordings and re-use as learning objects
Blackboard Ally – This tool helps to make your course content in Blackboard accessible to all users.
Ally has an emphasis on an inclusive and accessible learning experience for both students and staff.
It also raises staff awareness regarding the accessible content of materials.
Panopto – Allows for simultaneous capture of audio, video and software applications (e.g. Microsoft PowerPoint) for lecture capture.
It can be used by staff to record and view lectures and create interactive video presentations.
The live captioning feature enhances the digital accessibility of these recordings which can then be shared in a variety of ways during or after the presentation. Training for Panopto is available via Digital Learning in-house training (BEN Events Area)
Turnitin – is an Internet-based plagiarism-prevention service created by iParadigms, LLC. It allows institutions to collect student work electronically as well as allowing tutors to use several tools to annotation and audio to grade student submissions. Millions of educational institutions use this service across the world.
– download and grade papers anytime, anywhere.
Training for Turnitin is available via:
- Digital Learning in-house training (BEN Events Area)