September 1, 2021

This message is distributed to All-Instructors, Academic-Assistant-Deans, and Academic-Department-Managers. (Click here to view description of distribution groups.)

The following is being sent on behalf of the Instructional Support Team

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Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to Fall 2021!

During this eventful week, we hope you’re finding a bit of time as we head into the 2021-22 academic year. Whatever Fall quarter brings, the Instructional Support Team is here to support your teaching.

Before we provide IS Team updates, we want to be sure that you’re aware of how to find campus updates. Be sure to check the Academic Senate’s COVID-19 web page for the latest information. You can also review:

UCSB Academic Senate Chair Susannah Scott is sending regular updates to listservs of the Senate: AS members, Academic Assistant Deans, and Academic Department managers. The August 31 newsletter provides extensive data about fall planning and questions sent to the Senate.

Recording live lectures

Even as we return to in-person instruction, students say that they benefit from being able to review lectures after class. To support your students, all general assignment classrooms have Panopto recording software installed, which allows you to record a screencast of your lecture and your voice (which is then automatically uploaded to your class GauchoCast). You can record “Boardwork” using your tablet computer or using a document camera (check to see if your classroom has one in the GA classroom inventory or request a camera from ID).

Masks and Mics Demo Day: Thursday, September 16, Girvetz 1004

Get comfortable teaching with masks and mics! All classrooms with PA systems are equipped for microphones. Register for a 2-hour time-window and bring your masks to try with different options -- wired lectern mics, wireless lapel mics, or wireless over-ear (boom) mics (limited supply). If you’re teaching in a smaller classroom without a PA system, you can also test out a USB mic and a webcam with a built-in mic. If you have your own mic, you are welcome to bring it to test its compatibility with the classroom technology. If you’re not able to make the Masks and Mics demo, you can schedule a Classroom Meet-and-Greet with Instructional Development (see below).

Get to know your Fall quarter classroom - Schedule a Classroom “meet-and-greet” with Instructional Development

If you’re teaching in a general assignment classroom (i.e., not a department-controlled space or a Collaborate lab), you can learn about what seating and technologies are available from the GA Classroom Attributes Inventory. Want to learn more about your General Assignment Classroom? Make an appointment to visit before Fall quarter begins to get acquainted with the classroom and its technology by emailing help@id.ucsb.edu with your classroom building and room number. Please schedule these appointments as soon as possible as the Classroom Services staff is busy preparing for Fall quarter. Please don't wait until the first week of classes if at all possible. If you will be teaching in a departmentally controlled classroom, supported by Collaborate, you can also view technologies that are available in Collaborate Labs and College of Letters and Science departmental classrooms.

Instructional Development is currently short-staffed, and as a result will not be able to provide real-time, on-the-spot assistance for lecture recording or live-streaming (e.g. using Zoom, GauchoCast, Panopto, etc). If you plan to use Panopto to record your lecture (or want to live stream it), please make sure you know how to do this prior to the first day of instruction.

Wondering about what to carry forward to your Fall 2021 teaching?

Check out the updated information about Designing Courses for Resilience on the Fall 2021 section of the Keep Teaching website.

Pre-Fall Workshops begin September 7

We have an extensive pre-Fall workshop program for Instructors and TAs focused on pedagogy and educational technology.

  • Pedagogy: Designing Courses for Resilience (faculty panel discussion), Flipping and Blending your Course, Peer Review, Rubric-making, Teaching troublesome knowledge, and more!
  • Technology: i>Clicker, Gradescope, Eli Review, Nectir, and more!
  • GauchoSpace: RSVP for Instructor, TA and themed GauchoSpace workshops here.

GauchoSpace Fall Support - Help requests and consultations over Zoom can be scheduled by contacting help@collaborate.ucsb.edu. The Faculty Resource Center in Kerr 1110 will remain closed for Fall quarter.

UCSB Library Search update

UCSB Library staff are hard at work making improvements to UC Library Search and modifying accompanying resources, and we have an update for you. Permalinks from UCSB Library Search that persisted after July 27 will continue to do so going forward! See the UC Library Search in action at the UCSB Library News website.

We’ll be back with more in the coming weeks and are looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

 

The Instructional Support Team