Canvas Readiness Update

Support for courses within Blackboard
will end in

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SMU CANVAS: Are you ready?

Canvas LMS LogoAs the countdown quickly continues toward the imminent decommissioning of Blackboard in June, increasing numbers of faculty are taking advantage of OIT’s Canvas workshops and learning to build (and rebuild!) courses in our new system. Over 100 faculty members have attended OIT’s hands-on training to date while many others have successfully utilized online resources. OIT’s training sessions will continue every week and into the fall semester—and other “conversion camps” and Canvas learning opportunities will be scheduled soon.

Now is the time to start making plans for moving your Blackboard courses and materials into Canvas for future terms. If you have not yet become familiar with Canvas or attended a training session, if you have not yet created a plan to download or consolidate your previous Blackboard course files, if you have not yet requested a Canvas “sandbox” course shell—the time is now! Continue reading Canvas Readiness Update

LyndaCampus Coming Soon

lynda.comThe Office of Information Technology is pleased to announce the expansion of our online training solution.  We will no longer require a checkout license for lynda.com training as we have purchased  lyndaCampus. lyndaCampus provides academic institutions with unlimited, organization-wide access to the entire lynda.com library of instructional videos. With  over 2,000 self-paced training classes, practice files and environments, the SMU community will have the ability to access topics including: the entire suite of Microsoft and Adobe products, website development, business skills, design skills, audio and video tools, creative inspirations, and much more.

All of the courses are taught by expert instructors and have fully searchable transcripts.  Additional benefits include:

For Faculty

  • Assign tutorials to students utilizing LMS integration
  • Map content to syllabi
  • Embrace the flipped classroom model
  • Pursue professional development

For Staff

  • Keep pace with technology
  • Support the daily workflow
  • Create playlists for employees or colleagues
  • Get immediate, just-in-time answers to questions

For Students

  • Explore hundreds of topics in multimedia, design, web development, and social media
  • Perform independent study
  • Expand a resume and prepare for the workforce
  • Build presentation, time management, and research skills
  • Get immediate answers to technology questions

Features

  • Shareable course playlists to support individualized learning
  • Mobile device access
  • Searchable course transcripts for quick answers
  • Bookmarks for favorite sections and easy reference
  • Downloadable courses and exercise files that reinforce retention
  • Certificates of completion may be produced and uploaded to your LinkedIn profile
  • New courses added every week
  • Privacy and security—FERPA, COPPA, and TRUSTe compliant

We are finalizing the subscription setup to allow the SMU community to use their SMU account and password to access the tutorials.  We will make the service available during the month of September and notify campus as soon as it is ready.