Tech Implementation with Limited ResourcesHow One Small School Hit the Ground Running 

Teresa PotterSr. Instructional Designer, The University of Akron

Timothy FarrisCIO, Ursuline College

Brightspace Fusion Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

Background

• 1,000 students, 100 full time faculty

• Small percentage of courses fully online

• Moved from Angel to D2L for Spring 2014 semester

• 1 Instructional Technologist, well versed in D2L

1. Establish baseline skills

2. Tier training

3. Leverage D2L training resources

4. Create training using 80/20 rule

5. Minimize one-on-one training time

Suggested Implementation Strategies

Tools Used

• Wordpress.com – Whatever, Whenever, Wherever– RSS and Email Subscriptions

• Camtasia – Easy screencasts and video

editing

• Vimeo Pro– Streaming video with more

options than YouTube

1. Establish Baseline Skills

What is the minimum use expected of faculty? • Can be school wide, or

can be a training goal • Consider institutional

goals• Consider the student

perspective

Our Minimum:

• Syllabus • Active Gradebook

2. Tier Training

• Consider technology proficiency and comfort

• Consider current use• Consider schedule

Our Tiers

• Just the Basics:Overview of navigation, news items, uploading content, and gradebook

Basic

• Jump Start Saturday:In-depth training on most frequently used toolsIntermediate

• 3 hour in-depth overview, then send them to help guides

• In-depth weekly workshops on additional topicsAdvanced

3. Leverage D2L Training Resources

• Join the Brightspace community: https://community.brightspace.com/

• Use training materials in LMS and through links

4. Create training using 80/20 rule

Image source: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

By covering the most common 20% of topics,

80% of faculty questions will be answered

Often, 80% of outcomes can be attributed to 20% of causes

My essential 20%

1. Just the Basics – Baseline discussed earlier

2. Discussions – How to create, read, respond, and grade

3. Dropboxes – How to create and grade

4. Quizzes – How to add a basic question, how to use random sections, adding questions, and overview of essential options

Jump Start Saturday

Student Training

Offer a few sessions of F2F student training, the on-demand resources

Student Resource Portal

5. Minimize 1on1 Training

This is the most essential element to managing implementation with limited resources

5. Minimize 1on1 Training

1. Offer frequent training, tiered F2F workshops

2. Plan in-depth workshops and advertise upcoming schedule

3. Offer only 1 session of online training per topic

4. Suggest faculty attend an appropriate workshop

5. Answer questions through email or over the phone rather than scheduling a meeting

Questions?

Session Evaluations

We always welcome feedback, and you can find a feedback form for this session in your MyFUSION Account and on the Mobile App.