Conference Migration for Courses

OISE's Teaching & Learning System - Changes to FirstClass and WebKF

The centrally-supported Blackboard system is being adopted as the primary solution for teaching and learning at OISE. However, since the teaching and learning needs vary, we are still offering choice by combining systems.

EC staff will provide support and consultation to faculty in the migration/set-up and instructional use of Blackboard tools.

Who needs this and when?

Faculty:
All OISE faculty who have course components online or teach Distance Education on line need to become familiar with Blackboard, in particular those who have used OISENet (First Class) or WebKF for face-to-face or distance courses. Please consult the information on this page for more information.

Students:
Please consult the OISE Online Teaching & Learning site for information about accessing and using the new Blackboard system and/or wait for directions from your instructor.  

Schedule:
Graduate Programs by September 2009.  ITE and all others by August 2010.

What do I need to do?

Faculty:

• If you currently teach with FirstClass, you will likely be able to work in Blackboard for most of your needs.  Please visit our FirstClass to Blackboard Course Migration section to assist you with the common ways to use Blackboard in similar ways that you currently use FirstClass for your classes.
• If you currently teach with WebKF or another tool, we have directions to integrate WebKF into Blackboard. 
• If you have used WebKF or First Class for your courses and you need peer-to-peer online collaboration, you might want to check out our new tool called C2C.
  

If you are looking for general information about creating or building course content in Blackboard, we offer online instructions at our Blackboard Junction site which includes the Blackboard Starter Kit to assist OISE Faculty getting started wtih the basics.

• You will need an active UTORid username and password to access the Blackboard system.

Students:

• You will need an active UTORid username and password to access the Blackboard system.

Assistance and support with the transition for Faculty.

Online help and how-to

Please consult the OISE Blackboard Junction which includes some step-by-step how to instructions on basic Blackboard functions for Faculty, as well as some other tips and tricks about Blackboard.

• The Blackboard Timeline illustrates important dates to be aware of regarding your course.
   
• The Blackboard Starter Kit has been developed by the Education Commons to assist OISE faculty who are new to Blackboard.  Please consult this section to help you get 'up and running' on the new Blackboard system.  The Starter Kit will cover such areas as a Timelines, how to Login, how to add Course Content and when to make your Course Available.
   
• The Blackboard Self-Help section contains links to common how-to areas of Blackboard, as well as information on advanced features. 
   
• To learn more about OISE's implementation of the Blackboard learning system, please consult the Education Commons OnLine Teaching & Learning Blackboard Toolbox.

General Research & Online Technology information for Faculty is available on the Online Instructor Resources information page.
 

Group in-service sessions

Do you have a group of users with specific needs that could benefit from a focused and hands-on session? Contact us to arrange a group in-service. Sessions can cover the migration process and/or basic Blackboard use, according to the group's needs.

Examples of user groups include Faculty within a department, members of a Research Centre and Teaching Assistants, to name a few.
 

Consultations

EC staff can provide one-on-one consultations upon request. 

If you require assistance, please contact the EC Client Care Portal.  Email: portal@oise.utoronto.ca
 

Drop-in Sessions

See Teaching & Learning Migration Drop-In Sessions for more information on clinics.

FirstClass/OISEnet to Blackboard overview.

A basic comparison of FirstClass tools to Blackboard terminology is as follows:

Please note that the above example is just a sample of an OISE course being taught in FirstClass.  Your course may be completely different.  The above illustration should be used as a guide only for understanding the new terminology used in Blackboard, and may not be an exact replica of your own course's learning objectives.