Welcome back for a new school year at LLCC. It’s definitely not a normal semester start for any of us, but I have every bit of confidence in your dedication to our students and your readiness for your online, remote and flex courses. I say this because we have been working closely with so many of you over the summer. But, before we get started with classes this semester, I have some information from the Academic Innovation and eLearning department that I would like to share with you.

Working Remotely:
The Academic Innovation & eLearning team will be working remotely this semester. While you won’t find us on campus, we will continue to be available to you for support with Blackboard and course development questions, as well as instructional technology, and instructional design needs. All AIeL team members will be available through email, Skype and MS Teams. You will also be able to reach us at our office phone numbers.

• Amy Chernowsky – amy.chernowsky@llcc.edu, 217-786-4669
• Andy Mitkos – andy.mitkos@llcc.edu, 217-786-2763
• Barry Lamb – barry.lamb@llcc.edu, 217-786-2334
• Becky Parton – becky.parton@llcc.edu, 217-786-2351
• Dawn Townsend – dawn.townsend@llcc.edu, 217-786- 2318
• Gary Bach – gary.bach@llcc.edu, 217-786-2345

Hours of Operation:
AIeL department hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We will have extended hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the first two weeks of the semester Monday-Thursday, Aug. 24-27 and Aug. 31-Sept. 3. After Sept. 3, we will resume normal work hours of Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Professional Development Activities:
We will continue to offer regularly scheduled workshops covering a wide range of topics. These workshops and webinars will be offered through Blackboard, Canvas, and/or Zoom. We will continue to provide innovative and informative professional development activities this semester, while allowing you to remain safe at home. The AIeL workshop schedule will be made available to you by Friday, Aug. 28.

Blackboard Support Center: I would like to remind you about the Blackboard Support Center. This is an on-demand training site for faculty and students with video tutorials for commonly used functions in Blackboard. There is a direct link to the Blackboard Support Center in each course in the course navigation menu. Or you can access the center directly at www.llcc.edu/bbsupport. You and your students are always welcome to contact our office for Blackboard support or questions, but the on-demand center is a great resource, especially when our office is closed.

Canvas: As Dr. Lindquist mentioned Friday morning, we will begin the process of transitioning from Blackboard to the Canvas learning management system over this academic year. We will be providing information on access to training in our Fall semester workshop schedule. We will also hold open forums questions and discussions about the move to Canvas. But rest assured, Blackboard will also be an LMS option through May of 2021.

Proctorio: Over the summer, we established an online test proctoring system, Proctorio. Information for faculty and students on the use of Proctorio can be found at www.llcc.edu/proctorio. We will have live webinars and online training for Proctorio included in our workshop

Part 2 of the New Online Faculty Program:
For individuals who participated in Part One of the New Online Faculty program during April and May, we will begin the final portion of that program on Sept. 8. We will contact those individuals directly next week.

One Final and Important Reminder: Once you are ready to have to have your students access your Blackboard course shell you will need to make it available. By default LLCC Blackboard course shells are set to unavailable. Visit the How do I make my Blackboard course available to my students page for video and written instructions on how to set your course as available.

Additional Resources:  

Transitioning to Remote Instruction

Technology to Enhance Your Online Class

Strategies for Online Learning Success This site has been developed to provide online, remote, and flex students with eLearning success tips. You are welcome to share this link with your students.

The AIeL team is ready and available to support you this semester, we may not be on campus but we’re only a phone call, email or Teams chat away.