Welcome to ITaP Faculty Focus
Please note that this publication of ITaP, Purdue’s central IT organization, is sent using HTML email, which is a format that includes color graphics. If your email software is unable to display this format, you can view the ITaP Faculty Focus from the Faculty Focus website.
ITaP Faculty Focus is an opt-out publication, which means that you will continue to receive it unless you decide to unsubscribe. If you are not interested in receiving this information, you may unsubscribe at the Faculty Focus opt-out page.
If you have suggestions or comments about ITaP Faculty Focus, please direct them to Greg Kline.
IT News
 |
BoilerCast makes lectures available anytime, anywhere
BoilerCast, Purdue's lecture-capture technology, is a push-button way for instructors to create a podcast, a recording of the audio of their classes, or a vodcast, the audio recording plus a video of what appears on the classroom’s computer screen — often times a PowerPoint slide presentation.
After using BoilerCast for two years, agricultural economics Professor Larry DeBoer says his students perform better in a course with historically poor attendance and low enough grades to consistently warrant a curve.
Employing the lecture-capture technology to record his classes creates a portable, easily accessible source of course content for DeBoer’s students. It also serves as a welcome permanent record of his work.
“Students who miss a class can catch up and everyone can listen to me again explain ideas they didn’t understand the first time," DeBoer says. "And they can more carefully study the visuals. That’s got to help understanding.”
To sign up for BoilerCast, just complete the request form on the BoilerCast website. Instructors can sign up anytime during the academic year.
Purdue faculty gain student-centered tools in 2012 transition to new Blackboard Learn
During 2012 Purdue faculty will have the opportunity to enhance their courses as all campuses transition to Blackboard Learn 9.1, a new versatile and student-centered course management system. To ease the transition on the West Lafayette campus, ITaP will offer workshops, online tutorials and other resources, reports from pilot participants, walk-in help sessions and one-on-one consultations. Other campuses plan similar support services for their faculty.
Signals student success system available to all instructors this semester
Course Signals, a student success system that helps faculty communicate quickly and regularly with students about their course performance, continues to be available to all instructors on the West Lafayette campus for spring semester 2012. The system is especially valuable in first-year introductory courses and large lecture classes.
Moving research to energy efficient community cluster saves time and money
When electrical engineering Professor Scott Sudhoff moved his lab’s research from his own aging high-performance computing system to a community cluster built in a partnership among faculty members and ITaP, it gave him a more reliable, more powerful tool for his work — and it saved Purdue money on power and cooling.
Events
Creating accessible PDFs training for faculty and staff set for next week
Terrill Thompson, a Purdue alumnus and a nationally recognized trainer in web accessibility, will lead a series of sessions on creating accessible PDFs. The sessions Monday through Thursday, Jan. 23-26, are open to any Purdue faculty or staff member. Seating is limited and registration is required.
Users group to demo SharePoint Designer page copying, Column Validation
Demonstrations on using SharePoint Designer to copy pages and using SharePoint Column Validation are among the activities scheduled for the next cross-campus SharePoint users and developers meeting from 1:30-3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25, in Lawson Hall, Room 1142. The presenter is Rhonda Kerr, instructional designer for business services training and communications.
Blackboard users group meets Jan. 31 to hear about Learn 9.1 features
The shift to Blackboard Learn 9.1 will be the focus of the next cross-campus Blackboard Users Group meeting from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Jan. 31 in Stewart Center, Room 313. Users of Blackboard or other teaching and learning technology tools are invited to join this community to share strategies, tips and techniques. This semester’s meetings will center on the new version of Blackboard, but discussion also will continue on issues and tips involving Blackboard Vista.
Instructional apps for iPads and tablets to be focus of users group meeting Feb. 1
Talking about applications faculty have successfully used in instruction is the primary purpose of the iPad and Tablet Users Group, which will meet from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in Room 1142 of Lawson Hall. This meeting offers instructors a forum to discuss effective applications, along with tips and techniques. It also includes a demonstration of Splashtop, a remote desktop app for tablets, followed by a question-and-answer period.
Tech Tidbits
Purdue expands available computer security tools with McAfee contract Read more
Purdue Data Stewards urge caution when handling Social Security numbers Read more
Wiki creator software Confluence available to faculty and their students Read more