eLearning Webinars, Training and More!
Throughout each semester, the eLearning team offers a variety of webinars covering a wide array of teaching with technology topics.
- Most sessions are facilitated in a LIVE webinar format using Zoom.
- All attendees registering for the session will also receive access to the webinar recording.
- Registration for our webinars is now conducted through Workday Learning. Please allow up to 15 minutes to receive the Outlook calendar invitation, including the Zoom meeting link.
- Remember, the New Semester Checklist is a great place to review some of Blackboard's basic and essential functions. This knowledge base article provides best practices and tips for course design in Bb Ultra.
- Departments can also request that webinar topics be customized and scheduled at their convenience. Send email requests to it@gvsu.edu with the requested topic, date/time, and format preferences (Zoom or in-person).
Webinars are offered in the following categories:
Blackboard, Respondus and Accessibility
Blackboard Ultra Essentials for Courses
GVSU eLearning Technologies Sponsored
Instructors are encouraged to review our Ultra Instructor resources in the Service Portal and contact their eLearning liaison for assistance.
5/1/25 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
5/2/25 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
5/6/25 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
6/19/25 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
7/20/25 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
6/23/25 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Blackboard Essentials for Instructors: Exploring Course Structure and Content Creation
Anthology/Bb Sponsored
4/9/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
4/24/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
5/14/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
6/3/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
6/19/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
Blackboard Assessments Simplified
Anthology/Bb Sponsored
Learn how to effectively set up and manage assessments within a Blackboard course. Instructors will learn how to use assignments, rubrics, and tests to evaluate learner performance and engagement. By the end of his webinar, instructors will understand how to leverage assessments to enhance the learners' experience in their courses.
4/10/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
4/29/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
5/15/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
6/4/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
6/24/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
Inclusive Design in Action: Maximizing Accessibility in Blackboard
Anthology/Bb Sponsored
Join our accessibility specialists to review common accessibility issues while working with digital content in online learning. We will analyze why these issues are so crucial, explore tips for creating more accessible content, and use Ally to help you learn and expand access to more inclusive content. Now is a great opportunity to review your course materials and activities to ensure maximum engagement for all learners.
4/17/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
5/7/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
5/27/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
6/12/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
Streamlined Grading in Blackboard: Best Practices for Educators
Anthology/Bb Sponsored
It explores the grading process and the methods to make it easier than ever to grade learners’ work. In Blackboard, instructors can provide feedback, post grades, and easily check the originality of a learner’s work. Instructors can provide audio and video feedback to the learner, helping them understand areas of their work that may need attention. Join us in this informative session on using Blackboard’s grading tools to make your online teaching experience more efficient and less time-consuming.
4/30/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
5/20/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
6/5/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
6/25/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
Navigating Blackboard Gradebook: Tips for Instructors and Course Builders
Anthology/Bb Sponsored
This webinar is designed to introduce you to the power of Blackboard’s gradebook. The Gradebook is more than just a location to record learners’ grades, it is an interactive tool that allows instructors to utilize the different views to filter, sort, and access data, calculate grades, and monitor student progress. Join this session to learn the basics of efficiently managing your learners’ work and grades.
4/15/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
5/1/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
5/21/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
6/10/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
6/26/25 - 11:00am - 12:00 PM
Holding every student accountable and identifying individuals who are falling behind is made easier in the Blackboard Learn Ultra experience. This seminar will focus on the data and analytics available throughout your Ultra Course and include an overview of Blackboard’s Assessment and Accreditation solution, EAC Visual Data. During the session, we’ll guide instructors through assignment analytics, student progress analytics, and course data that will allow you to measure and boost your students’ performance.
- 2/3/25 • 12:00 PM – 1 PM
- 2/28/25 • 12:00 PM – 1 PM
Evaluating Student Performance Outcomes with Blackboard and EAC
Join us for an insightful seminar designed to empower faculty with the tools and strategies needed to effectively evaluate course level student performance outcomes using Blackboard and EAC’s assessment and accreditation solution. In this session you will explore how to leverage the robust analytics and reporting features of EAC to track student progress, identify learning gaps, and provide targeted support.
- 3/17/25 - 12 PM – 1 PM
You are also encouraged to review these resources about EAC.
Individual Consultation Requests
Need individualized help with Blackboard, digital media, and instructional design considerations? eLearning staff are happy to meet with you. Each faculty member has two eLearning Liaisons assigned to their department. You are welcome to request a consultation with an eLearning Technologies team member.
Please include your college, course title, number, and any course specific and/or technical questions so that we can direct your requests to the appropriate team member.
Watch a Recording
If our webinar times don't fit into your schedule, catch up by watching a recording. Note: We'll try to record as many of our webinars as possible, but given that many sessions are repeated throughout the academic year, not all sessions may be recorded.
Time to Organize?
Want some advice about organizing your Ultra course? Two faculty members have created sample video tours to share with others.
Instructor: Kelley Senkowski - EDT627 Video Tour
Instructor: Meagan Luttenton-Knoll - MGT268 Video Tour
You're also welcome to contact your eLearning liaison to schedule a consultation appointment. We have also created this article, which suggests best practices for organizing your course in Blackboard Ultra.
Blackboard Sponsored Webinars
In addition to all the trainings developed and offered by eLearning, the GVSU community also has access to training offered by Anthology / Blackboard.
Digital Pedagogy
AI-Powered Productivity: Transforming Faculty Workflow
Discover how AI tools can revolutionize your teaching and administrative tasks, freeing up time for what matters most—engaging with students and innovating in your field. This workshop provides practical insights and hands-on guidance on integrating AI into everyday workflows, from automating routine tasks to enhancing course planning and communication. Learn to work smarter, not harder, and transform your approach to academia with AI-powered strategies.
5/1/25 - 1 PM - 2 PM
Declutter Your Digital Life
Are you feeling overwhelmed by a cluttered inbox and disorganized files? Join our webinar to learn practical strategies for mastering file and email management. This hands-on session will teach you how to streamline your digital life by organizing your files, naming and storing them effectively, managing your email with ease, and implementing systems to keep everything running smoothly.
5/5/25 - 1 PM - 2 PM
Exploring AI in Higher Ed- Ethical and Effective Use of AI, a Faculty Discussion
Are you ready to transform your teaching methods and enhance student engagement? Join us for "Exploring AI in Higher Education", a dynamic three-part series designed to equip educators with the knowledge and tools to harness the power of artificial intelligence in the classroom.
5/6/25 - 1 PM - 2 PM
Introduction to Quality Matters
In this session, you'll be introduced to the nationally recognized standards for online/hybrid courses. In addition to an overview of each of the eight standards, we'll discuss the QM rubric, what informs it, its value, and how to take the next step toward validating the quality of your online courses and recognizing where you can make improvements.
- 1/27/25 • 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
- 2/20/25 • 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
- 3/12/25 • 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Quality Matters: Align your Course Content using a Course Alignment Map
As part of quality course design and good pedagogy, alignment between the course objectives and the course content must be aligned. This session walks you through how to align your course content in a simplified way using the Course Alignment Map. This tool can be used as part of the 5 Steps for Course Design process and for developing any course content for any delivery. This is helpful to ensure program and course goals & objectives are being met.
- 2/6/25 1:00 pm
Empowering Student Teams: Building Self-Led Collaboration
Creating effective student teams can be challenging, but with the right strategies, instructors can foster self-leading teams that collaborate productively throughout the semester. This one-hour course will guide college instructors through key principles of team formation, structure, and maintenance, ensuring that students take ownership of their group work on projects, papers, and assignments. Faculty will explore best practices for setting expectations, managing team dynamics, and implementing accountability measures that encourage autonomy while minimizing instructor intervention. By the end of the session, instructors will have practical strategies to create cohesive, high-functioning teams that enhance student learning and engagement.
5/7/25 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Innovation in Your Course
Improve student engagement and promote innovative thinking in your courses. Students need to develop creative, innovative thinking for today’s jobs, and instructors can build this into their courses for any subject content. Help students apply their learning with real-world scenarios and authentic assessments, and encourage innovative thinking while aligning to your learning outcomes. This webinar will share many examples, tech tools, and engaging options to try in your courses.
- 3/25/25 1 PM - 2 PM
How do your courses measure up with the research on quality standards in online and hybrid course design?
In this semester-long learning community, participants will gain experience applying internationally recognized and research-driven standards for online and hybrid courses. Participants will explore each of the eight standards that make up the 7th edition of the Quality Matters rubric and will apply those standards to one of their own existing courses. Each meeting will include a dialog among participants, offering insight and suggestions to others based on their own experiences.
Apply on the FTLC Faculty Learning Community website.
- Select “Apply for a Grant”
- Select “Create a new Application”
- From the drop-down arrow, select “Faculty Learning Community Participation Grant”
- Follow the on-screen prompts and then select from the drop-down menu the “Quality Matters Learning Community”
Facilitators: Glenna Decker and Matt Roberts
Format: Online
Foundations of Online and Hybrid Course Development
This self-paced workshop has been designed to meet the University requirement that all faculty teaching hybrid and online classes be personally certified. Visit this site for more information including registration instructions.
Online/Hybrid Faculty Learning Communities
Whether you’ve been teaching online or hybrid courses for several years, or just getting ready to start your first semester teaching hybrid or online, all levels of expertise are welcome to join our “Online and Hybrid Faculty Learning Communities.”
These learning communities provide a venue for faculty-led dialogue and sharing collective expertise regarding online/hybrid instruction at GVSU.
- Online/Hybrid Faculty Learning Communities - Meeting Dates and Times. This page also includes instructions for how to sign-up to participate.
- Please email Matt Roberts, Instructional Designer, with any questions or comments.
Please note that our learning communities do not meet over the summer.
Video, Screen Capture and Interactive Digital Media
Learn more about creating and managing video and digital applications in these seminars.
Creating Instructor Presence with Panopto
Learn more functions in Panopto, such as video creation, captions, quizzing, and student video assignments!
- 4/3/25 - 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- 5/5/25 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- 6/9/25 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- 8/4/25 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- 8/18/25 - 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Media Assessments: Transform Your Existing Assignments into Student-Created Video
In this course, we will walk through how you might be able to convert one of your existing assignments into a project that will help your students develop their media creation skills. There are many different methods that you could use, from Panopto assignments to having your students create TikToks for class. Importantly, we will cover different assessment categories that you might want to consider when developing a rubric for a project of this nature.
- 3/18/25 - 11 AM – 12 PM
Using Padlet to Engage Online Learners
Padlet lets you create a virtual bulletin board where you and your students can write notes and upload documents, photos, slideshows, record videos/audio files or add hyperlinks. During this webinar, participants will learn how to activate their Padlet account and how it can be used for brainstorming, storyboarding, collecting resources (such as images, attachments, hyperlinks, recording videos/audio), gathering the results of group work, and much more!
- 6/5/25 - 11 AM – 12 PM
- 8/19/25 - 11 AM – 12 PM
For immediate assistance, please don't hesitate to contact your eLearning Liaison. You should also review this resource about integrating Padlet into Blackboard Ultra.
Hypothesis Testimonial
Learn how Whitt Kilburn uses Hypothesis to support his teaching and learning practices.
Hypothesis: Modeling Annotations for Your Students
Hypothesis offers your students a way to build community while they annotate course documents, but just because we create an annotation assignment does not mean that students automatically know how to write meaningful annotations. In this workshop, we provide strategies for prompting original annotations and responses that can help your students contribute to the intellectual rigor of the conversation while inviting follow-up responses. We also discuss how your annotations can provide good examples for students. Please note that Hypothesis is hosting this workshop. To participate, you must register directly with Hypothesis. You will receive an email from Hypothesis confirming your registration and the Zoom meeting link.
- 3/20/25 - 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Leveraging Social Annotation in the Age of AI
The rise of generative AI has sparked essential conversations in education. In this workshop, the Hypothesis team will demonstrate how to use social annotation to encourage authentic, process-oriented engagement with course materials—whether you’re incorporating AI tools or not. They’ll also share best practices for using social annotation with AI writing tools and demonstrate how to set up Hypothesis-enabled readings in your LMS. Participants will leave with practical, ready-to-use assignments to implement in their courses immediately.
- 3/27/25 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Activating Annotation in Blackboard
The Hypothesis team will share how instructors use collaborative annotation to help students develop foundational academic skills like deep reading and critical thinking. In addition to sharing pedagogical best practices for social annotation, we will demonstrate how Hypothesis is used with course readings in your learning management system (LMS). Participants will gain a clear understanding of how to start incorporating social annotation into their courses to improve student outcomes.
- 4/3/25 - 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Hypothesis: Annotate Your Syllabus
The Hypothesis team will review ideas and guidance for the collaborative syllabus annotation assignment in this workshop.
Asking your class to annotate the syllabus allows you to introduce students to social annotation in a low-stakes way. Even better, you’re providing them with an opportunity to engage with the syllabus, to share ideas and to ask questions about the course in a way that sets the tone for engagement throughout the term. In this workshop, the Hypothesis team will review ideas and guidance for the collaborative syllabus annotation assignment. Please note that this workshop is being hosted by Hypothesis. In order to participate, you must register directly with Hypothesis. You will then receive an email from Hypothesis confirming your registration and the Zoom meeting link.
- 4/10/25 - 2:30PM - 3:30 PM
Creative Ways to Use Social Annotation in Your Courses
Looking for strategies to foster rich, student-driven annotation discussions? The Hypothesis team will share research-backed methods and active learning strategies in this workshop to make social annotation more engaging and impactful. Participants will leave with a range of creative ideas for effectively incorporating social annotation into their courses.
- This webinar has concluded and will be repeated at a later date.
Microsoft 365 and Zoom
Microsoft 365 Efficiencies Series
Register for any number of webinars in this series to save time, simplify tasks, and maximize workplace productivity. Learn how to maximize the planning and task-management tools offered in Microsoft 365.
All training is conducted via Zoom, and recordings are made available to registered participants.
Getting Started with Microsoft Teams
- This webinar has concluded. Additional training will be scheduled. To get started with Microsoft Teams, see this resource.
- This webinar has concluded. Additional training will be scheduled. To get started with Microsoft Bookings, see this resource.
- 4/30/25 - 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Microsoft Excel Formulas & Functions Part 1
- 5/28/25 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Microsoft Excel Formulas & Functions Part 2
- 6/11/25 - 1 PM - 2 PM
Practical Ways to Enhance Your PowerPoint Presentation
- This webinar has concluded and will be scheduled again in the future.
- 4/2/25 - 1 PM – 2 PM
Introduction to Windows 11
Windows 11 is Microsoft’s newest operating system(OS), offering an upgrade from the familiar Windows experience. This training is intended to provide aa brief overview and detailed instructions on preparing your device, steps to back up your files via OneDrive, action items to help facilitate a smooth transition, and what's new in Windows 11.
- 3/26/25 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
- 4/16/25 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
- 5/7/25 1:00pm - 2:00pm
- 5/14/25 1:00pm - 2:00pm
- 6/18/25 1:00pm - 2:00pm
- 6/25/25 1:00pm - 2:00pm
- 7/9/25 1:00pm - 2:00pm
- 7/23/25 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Learn how to use Zoom to conduct synchronous class meetings and schedule virtual office hours.
- This webinar has concluded. Additional training will be scheduled. To get started with Zoom, see this resource.
Utilizing Zoom Tools Effectively
Discover how to leverage Zoom tools to enhance and support your courses or team collaborations. Participants who attend this webinar will gain proficiency in using the appointment scheduler, chat channels for teams or courses, whiteboards, and Zoom notes.
- This webinar has concluded. Additional training will be scheduled. To get started with Zoom, see this resource.
TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY & BLACKBOARD SUPPORT
- services.gvsu.edu (Service Portal)
- it@gvsu.edu (email)
- 616-331-2101 (Service Desk Phone)
The eLearning Technologies team is here to help!
Emerging Technology
Learn more about innovative technology such as virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D printing and more!
Hands-On with Emerging Tech + Technology Showcase Tour
LIB 012 Mary Idema Pew Library (Allendale)
gvsu.edu/techshowcase
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Click to open the Blackboard Ultra Care Package
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