Workshops on Desire2Learn (D2L)

January 2013 WorkshopsD2L Logo

Using D2L with your spring classes? If so, take a look at the offerings below where you can learn about the new version of D2L, improve communication with your students, and also learn new ways to provide learning opportunities using D2L.

If you are unable to attend any of these workshops but have a specific question or need, please feel free to contact Cari Mathwig Ramseier (cmathwigramseier@uwlax.edu or 785-8058) for a one-on-one or group consultation.

Getting Started with D2L

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 8: 1:00-2:30pm or Wednesday, January 23: 3:00-4:30pm
Note: If you sign up for a boot camp, you do not need to attend this session.
Description: This session is for those who have never used D2L, but want to learn more about the basics to begin using it as a tool for your teaching and class communication. An overview will be provided, and we’ll help you get started by using it to communicate and share documents, links, or embedded media. Please bring some documents, links, or other ideas of what you would like to share with your students.

D2L Boot Camp: An In-Depth Overview

Dates/Times: Friday, January 4: 9:00am-3:30pm or Wednesday, January 16: 8:30am-3:00pm
Note: If you sign up for this session, feel free to attend “until your brain is full.” You do not need to attend the entire day.
Description: Are you ready to take the plunge and learn a little or as much as you can about D2L in a day (or two)? Well, then this workshop is for you. Geared toward those who have used D2L very little (or only used parts of it), but really want to learn more about how D2L can be more fully used for your courses, this workshop covers the various tools available in D2L, as well as best practices for using those tools in your teaching. The goal of this workshop is to familiarize participants with D2L to the point where they can focus on their instructional practice, not just how to use the tools in D2L.

Using Rubrics in D2L

Date/Time: Wednesday, January 9: 1:00-2:00pm
Description: Do you use rubrics in your course to assess student work, but don’t currently use them in D2L? If so, then consider coming to this workshop. This session will walk through how to add rubrics so that they can be linked and used in the grades, dropbox, and discussions areas in D2L. Bring one of your own rubrics to get started!

Engaging Students Using D2L’s Discussion Tool

Date/Time: Wednesday, January 9: 2:30-3:30pm
Note: If you sign up for a boot camp, you do not need to attend this session.
Description: For face-to-face classes, you may wonder, “Why should I use the D2L Discussions tool if I already have discussions in class?” The D2L Discussions tool offers a communication dynamic (assessable) whereby students can share their responses or submissions with a group or the entire class. Join us for a session of not only how to use the Discussions tool, but a discussion of some of the possible ways to use it in your teaching.

Using Dropboxes in D2L for Electronic Submission of Student Work

Date/Time: Thursday, January 10, 2012: 1:00-2:00pm
Note: If you sign up for a boot camp, you do not need to attend this session.
Description: The Dropbox tool in D2L allows you to easily (and electronically) collect and assess student work. This session will show you how the process of using the Dropbox works, including how to assess student work when linked to the Grades area.

Just Grades: Using the Grades Tool in D2L

Date/Time: Thursday, January 10, 2012: 2:30-4:00pm
Note: If you sign up for a boot camp, you do not need to attend this session.
Description: The Grades tool in D2L is one that can be useful to you as an instructor, and also for students to quickly and easily see their grades. This workshop will highlight some of the features of the D2L grades area and give some tips on successful management of grades in D2L. The session will allow time for you to practice using your D2L grades area and implement your grading schemes and models. This workshop is intended for those that have occasionally used D2L grades or who have used other tools (Dropbox, Discussions, Quizzes) and have not used them in connection with the Grades tool, but would like to learn more about the options available within the D2L grades area. Bring with you a current grading distribution to try entering in D2L and any questions you have about using the grades area in D2L.

Introduction to D2L ePortfolios

Dates/Times: Monday, January 14: 1:00-2:30pm
Description: D2L ePortfolios allow students to easily store and share their work for others to view, comment, or even assess. This session will discuss what D2L ePortfolios are all about, how they work, and how students can develop and share them with their peers and instructors. An ePortfolio can be used at the program and/or course level. They can also be submitted to a dropbox for benchmarks along the way. This session will include background information and actually creating an ePortfolio.

D2L Objectives and Competencies

Date/Time: Monday, January 14: 10:00-11:30am
Description: In D2L, the Competencies tool is used to track a user's knowledge and skill development on a chosen topic. Competencies in D2L are made up of three components: activities that users complete to acquire knowledge or skill (such as Dropbox assignment, quiz, or discussion); learning objectives that measure whether the skill or knowledge was acquired; and competencies/objectives that are achieved when learning objectives are completed. Intended for users who are comfortable using all of the default tools in D2L, including Rubrics and Grades, this session will help you begin to set up your own course/program competencies and objectives in D2L, and share how this tool can be used as an instructional tool both for you and your students. Be sure to bring your own course/program objectives to add in to D2L.

Staying Organized in D2L: Tools to Keep You (and Your Students) on Task

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 15: 1:00-2:30pm
Note: If you sign up for a boot camp, you do not need to attend this session.
Description: There are a few tools in D2L, though not fancy or sophisticated, that can be quite useful in helping you stay organized and complete routine course tasks. These include Attendance, Checklists, and the Calendar. This session focuses on learning how to use these tools (and adding them to your course navigation), and ways to integrate them in your course as useful tools for both you and your students.

Online Rooms: Creating Real-Time Course Environments in D2L

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 8: 10:30-11:30am
Description: Ideal for online or hybrid courses, Online Rooms allow you to create synchronous learning environments where you can synchronously meet, communicate with, and present to your students. Similar to other Web-based meeting tools, such as WebEx, GoToMeeting, and Adobe Connect; Blackboard Collaborate is available by adding the “Online Rooms” tool to your course navigation bar. You can then schedule, record, and archive the session. To learn more, please attend this one-hour online session. Information on how to connect to this session will be sent prior to the session itself.

Create Your Own Workshop!

Do you have others in your department with similar questions or would just like to schedule some time on your own to learn about something listed above (or not) in a time that works for YOU? Please schedule some time with Cari for a workshop that fits your needs.

Instructors with any further suggestions, questions, concerns, or issues with D2L may contact:

Cari Mathwig Ramseier
169 Wing Technology Center
608.785.8058
cmathwigramseier@uwlax.edu