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PD Offerings | CAL Announcements |

Faculty Spotlight | EdTech Corner

UDC iLearn Series: Getting Started with iPad 

with CAL Team

Tuesday, March 19th at 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | CLICK HERE to register

Universal Design for Learning Toolkit 

with Professor Arlene King-Berry, J.D., Professor of Special

Education, CAS

Thursday, March 21st at 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. | CLICK HERE to register

Professor Lauren Grimes

Adjunct Faculty, Community College

Professor Grimes worked on the redesign and certification of her course, POLI 205C – Introduction to Political Science. "The QM rubric workshop influenced my course design by providing an excellent framework and guidance on quality assurance. .... I gained information on QM review standards, annotations, and examples that aided me in increasing my course's accessibility measures”, click here to read the full reflection. 

To read more about the UDC Quality Distance Learning initiative and participate, click here.

To access the full list, click here.

“Notes On Blindness,“ an immersive VR narrative, explores John Hull's life after blindness through his diaries. Experience a unique blend of storytelling and interactive VR.

Reserve your VR headset to explore the world of blindness.

Thursday, March 21st at 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.  | CLICK HERE

 to register 

Interested in integrating immersive technology into your course or hosting a virtual field trip for your team?

Click here to submit a consultation request.

As AI advances rapidly, it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve. Join UDC educators and staff for engaging discussions on how AI can transform education. Our Faculty Learning Community (FLC) focuses on the impact of AI in education and showcases AI tools and how faculty members use them within their disciplines.

Join us in exploring the exciting and challenging world of AI in education and shaping its future.

 Meetings recur every 2nd Friday of every month. To join, click here

Webex and Zoom will be the primary web conference tools for UDC classroom usage and already are integrated into the Blackboard system. Webex and Zoom have proven their stability over the past two years, and their usage has risen significantly. Since there is no need to have three conference tools, the license for Blackboard Collaborate will not be extended when it comes up for renewal in September 2024. While Blackboard Collaborate is still part of UDC (until September 2024), faculty are advised NOT to utilize Blackboard Collaborate and begin the transition from this service to Webex and/or Zoom.



For resources on Webex and Zoom, click here.

Arlene King-Berry J.D.

Professor of Special Education 

College of Art and Sciences (CAS)

Dr. Arlene King-Berry, a distinguished member of the UDC faculty since 2003, has been unwavering in her pursuit of educational equity and accessibility. Her journey at UDC embraces a tireless commitment to elevating the educational experience for all.

As a trailblazer in online education at UDC, she obtained the Quality Matters Rubric certification in 2008 and served as a Peer Reviewer from 2018 to 2021. Recognized as a Myrtilla Miner Fellow in 2019. she served for two terms as a driving force behind UDC Distance Learning, advocating for inclusive and accessible education. Her motto is simple yet profound: "All persons are entitled to a quality education regardless of their cultural, linguistic, or ability diversity."

Dr. King-Berry's belief in the transformative potential of technology is evident in her groundbreaking use of platforms like Kaltura and participation in the Blackboard Ultra pilot program. Her invaluable feedback has shaped the training and implementation of these platforms, making UDC's learning management system more accessible to all. She is diligently working to recertify two online courses, emphasizing that, "Quality Matters Certification assures accessibility, engagement, and pedagogical appropriateness for

all learners."

Please join Professor King-Berry in a webinar on

Universal Design for Learning Toolkit

Thursday, March 21st at 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. | CLICK HERE to register

Spotlight is for individuals who have worked closely with CAL to significantly contribute to teaching and learning at the University.

Boosting Accessibility with Visual Course Maps

Christian Aguiar, M.A.

Assistant Professor of English

 UDC Community College

“While long syllabi and detailed course maps serve administrators and educators well, they can overwhelm students. Leveraging the visual syllabus technique introduced to me years ago by my colleague, Carolene Charles, I've adopted Canva—a web-based graphic design platform known for its simplicity and drag-and-drop functionality—to craft more engaging visual course maps. These maps blend elements of charts and infographics to give students a quick look at major assessments and the skills to be honed. My goal is to create visually compelling, colorful maps that provide students with an accessible, one-page snapshot of what to expect—click here to view it.

These are introduced in Blackboard during the first week, complementing the traditional syllabus and/or course map to ensure students desiring deeper insights can locate them effortlessly. This approach embodies a student-centered methodology, diversifying access to course mappings to accommodate various preferences and learning styles.”

Please join Professor Aguiar, in a webinar on

 Boosting Accessibility with Visual Course Maps

 Thursday, April 18th at1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | CLICK HERE to register

EdTech Corner Submissions:

Share with the UDC Community your best practices and how you leverage EdTech in your teaching to increase learning outcomes.

To submit for EdTech corner post