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LT Training Sessions for Kickoff
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Learning Technologies will be offering a variety of trainings during the breakout session portion of Fall Kickoff. Find us:
Wednesday
- Blackboard Open Lab: Start of Term Checklist, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in SRC 3010
- Accessibility and Civic Engagement: Using Ally in Blackboard, 1:00 to 1:50 p.m, SRC 3003
- YuJa and Accessible Media, 2:00 to 2:50 p.m., SRC 3005
Thursday
- Accessibility Studio: Level Up Your Accessibility, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., SRC 3032
- Blackboard's Gradebook is Changing (Plus Other Blackboard Updates), 1:00 to 1:50 p.m, Zoom
- Setting up Your Gradebook in Blackboard, 3:00 to 3:50 p.m, SRC 3010
Friday
Join us for a post-kickoff pre-start-of-term open lab!
- Learning Technologies Open Lab, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in SRC 3003
The full schedule for Fall 2026 Kickoff can be found below.
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Blackboard Gradebook Training
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Updated On Demand Gradebook Training Now Available
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The Blackboard Gradebook recently underwent some big changes and we have updated our introductory on demand Gradebook training to reflect these new features and processes. Even if you've already completed our original Gradebook training, take a look at the new training to see what's changed and ensure you're ready to go when courses start for the Fall Term!
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Fall 2026 Term Blackboard Gradebook Live Training
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This training offers an overview of the Ultra Gradebook and how to set up your Gradebook to ensure that you and your students have a successful term.
- August 26 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Zoom
- September 9 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Zoom
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Foundations of Online Teaching Registration Now Open
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Want to learn more about teaching online? Registration is now open for the Fall 2026 Term's Foundations of Online Teaching Part 1.
Foundations of Online Teaching Part 1: Essentials of Course Design
August 31 to October 4
Geared towards beginning instructors and those new to online teaching, this five-week, online course is designed to promote instructor development and enhance instructor engagement whether you are teaching NET, Hybrid, or VCM courses. Participants explore techniques and best practices for online course development and instruction.
This course is highly participatory in nature, combining practical hands-on learning with engaged discussion.
This course runs as a NET style course, you will be required to complete independent activities due each week, develop a course module, and participate in weekly discussions to successfully complete this course.
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YuJa Updates and Training
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Quick Note: YuJa Enterprise Media Name Change
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While the product itself remains the same, please note that the YuJa Enterprise Media Platform has changed names. It is now called YuJa Lumina. We are working to update our documentation to reflect this change. If you see YuJa Lumina, it's not a new product--just a name change!
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Training Opportunity: YuJa Verity Faculty Basics
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Learn the essentials of using YuJa Verity for online assessments. This session covers account authentication, browser extension setup, adding Verity to exams, configuring proctoring settings, reviewing results, generating reports, and navigating the Verity Console. By the end of the training, faculty will be prepared to create, administer, and review proctored exams with confidence.
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Coming Fall 2026: Appointment-Based Testing
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Beginning Fall Semester 2026, students taking academic course tests can register for appointments at any of our five COD Testing Centers directly through Blackboard. This transition aims to reduce wait times, lower test-day anxiety, streamline accommodation communication, and provide flexible options for both appointment-based and walk-in test takers. The student appointment feature will roll out in phases that provide time and opportunity to learn the new system.
Key Summary for Faculty & Students
- Student Registration Options: Once test details are submitted, students can choose their preferred COD Testing Center location and time right from your course. Walk-in testing remains supported alongside appointments.
- Faculty Benefits: Enjoy integrated rosters, automatic accommodation syncing, and real-time student registration tracking in your RegisterBlast dashboard for students who register for appointments (does not apply to walk-in testing).
- Important Policy Updates: Only timed exams can be booked as appointments (untimed exams are walk-in only). Additionally, your selected Start and End Dates define student appointment availability; appointments cannot be scheduled after the specified End Date. (If you need to adjust/extend your End Date after submitting your test, contact academictesting@cod.edu).
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PD Opportunities for August
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These professional development opportunities from the OLC are designed to enhance teaching, introduce new instructional strategies, and help educators make the most of learning technologies. COD is a member institution so you can enjoy reduced cost registration. Here are some of the opportunities coming up for August:
- Gamification Principles and Strategies, August 24-30
- AI-Powered Course Design, August 24-30
- Applying the OLC Course Review Scorecard, August 24-30
- Regular and Substantive Interaction, Policy and Practice, August 31- Sept 6
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Level Up Your Accessibility!
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There's no better time to learn how to improve the accessibility of your courses.
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On Demand: Blackboard Ally Course Accessibility Report Training
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Learn more about the Ally Accessibility Report! You can choose from two versions-- one offers PDH (perfect for faculty looking for PDH hours) and one doesn't. Information and registration information can be found below.
This training introduces faculty to practical methods for identifying, resolving, and prioritizing accessibility issues in their course materials using Blackboard Ally. It highlights common barriers for students, quick wins, and strategies for utilizing the Course Accessibility Report, empowering instructors to make steady, meaningful progress on accessibility without becoming overwhelmed.
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Accessibility Training for Fall 2026
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August 31 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Zoom
November 2 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
SRC 2032
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Accessibility Fundamentals: Introduction to Digital Accessibility
We’ll cover models of disability, common disability categories, and how people interact with technology, then connect these ideas to common barriers in online materials.
You’ll leave with practical “quick wins,” a simple way to prioritize remediation, and confidence to start improving materials without trying to fix everything at once.
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September 3 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Zoom
November 18 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Zoom
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Accessibility Fundamentals: Documents
Ensuring documents are accessible allows all students to make full use of Blackboard Ally to download alternative formats. This workshop will guide you through the steps to create an accessible Microsoft Word document. This includes items such as document structure, headings, hyperlinks, and alternative text for images. We will also show you tools to check your current documents for accessibility in both Microsoft Word and Blackboard Ally and how to make changes to improve their accessibility.
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September 16 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
BIC 1A06
October 8 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
BIC 1A06
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Accessibility Fundamentals: Presentations
Ensuring presentation files are accessible allows all students to make full use of Blackboard Ally to download alternative formats. This workshop will guide you through the steps to create an accessible Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. We will also show you tools to check your current presentation files for accessibility using both Microsoft Word and Blackboard Ally, and show you how to improve their accessibility. Note that this workshop will not address making your live presentation more accessible.
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September 25 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Zoom
October 13 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Zoom
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Accessibility Fundamentals: Blackboard Accessibility with Ally
This training introduces faculty to practical methods for identifying, resolving, and prioritizing accessibility issues in their course materials using Blackboard Ally. It highlights common barriers for students, quick wins, and strategies for utilizing the Course Accessibility Report, empowering instructors to make steady, meaningful progress on accessibility without becoming overwhelmed.
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September 25 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Zoom
October 13 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Zoom
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Accessibility Fundamentals: PDFs
PDFs are widely used, but they can create significant barriers when they are scanned, poorly structured, or difficult to navigate with assistive technology. This practical session introduces the foundations of PDF accessibility, including how to evaluate the PDFs you use, address common issues, and decide when it makes more sense to revise the source document or share the content in another format.
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New Student Guide: Accessing Your Digital Textbooks and Courseware (Kortext)
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To help students who purchase digital materials or publisher courseware (Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Cengage, etc.) outside of the campus bookstore, a pre-built instruction guide titled "Accessing Your Digital Textbooks and Courseware (Kortext)" has been placed inside all courses for Fall 2026.
Action Needed for Faculty Using Digital Courseware:
- Currently Hidden: This item is set to Hidden from Students by default.
- How to Unhide: If your course requires digital access codes or publisher courseware, navigate to document in your course and toggle the document visibility to Visible to Students.
Not using digital materials? If your course relies on physical books or Open Educational Resources (OER), no action is required—simply leave the document hidden.
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Make an Appointment with LT
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Need a little extra help with structuring your courses? Have specific questions about Blackboard? Looking to make your courses more accessible? We have support for that! Visit our appointments site to book a 30-minute session (either virtual via Teams or in-person) with one of our team members.
Not sure who you need to meet with? You'll find an explanation of what each type of support covers so you can choose what's right for your needs. If you're still not sure, please email us at learningtech@cod.edu and we'll route you to the right person.
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Christine Monnier is back to blogging for LT! Check out her latest posts (most recent at the bottom, newest are bolded):
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A Farewell to Our Faculty Chair of Online Quality and Learning Technologies
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As many of you may know, Christine Monnier is stepping down from her role as Faculty Chair of Online Quality and Learning Technologies. The above blog post will be her last in this role.
Learning Technologies extends their sincerest gratitude for all her hard work over the past few years. We will miss working with her and reading her always amazing blog posts.
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Contact Learning Technologies
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