Colleagues,
July has been another busy month in our transition to Colorado Online.
- Testing of the new sectionizer and Banner integration continues to move forward as planned. At the July 19th Info Session, Julie Ouska and Mahdi Omar, leaders of the IT Strategy Implementation Team, showed everyone what students see when they register for Colorado Online classes through Self-Service Banner and in Navigate, as well as previews of the sectionizer dashboard and course roster. A link to the recording can be found on the Inside Colorado Online web site.
- Starting this fall, instructors of Colorado Online pooled teaching sections will be able to view rosters, report non-attendance, and enter grades directly in Self-Service Banner, just like they do for their other courses. If a student is reported for non-attendance, they will be dropped from the pooled registration section at their home college in addition to being removed from the pooled teaching section in D2L. Drops or withdrawals initiated by the student in the pooled registration section at their home college will be processed in the pooled teaching section as well. Final grades will be copied from the pooled teaching section and will be posted to the pooled registration section where they will become a part of the student’s academic history (only at the student’s home college). A student’s enrollment verifications, official transcripts, financial aid, tuition payments, COF, advising, etc., will all occur at the student’s home college.
- The new Learning Design Community of Practice began meeting this month, convened by tri-chairs Michael Murphy (CCCS), Stephanie Wickman (FRCC), and Cynthia Krutsinger (PPSC). Their immediate focus is on how colleges can best work together to help faculty and instructors prepare to teach online this fall. Liz Dzabic, Senior Professional Development Coordinator (CCCS), is helping with these efforts, including enhancements to the faculty resource site in D2L. Look for more information on resources and training in the coming weeks.
- To provide ongoing support for the course materials selection process, we have hired a new Learning Resource Coordinator for Colorado Online. In her new role, Rachel Meisner will work with State Discipline Chairs and representatives from Academic Technology, the Learning Design Team, Publishers, College Bookstores, and Business Officers to help source materials for use in online courses, including coordination of extensive OER resources across the system.
- The CCCS online library has recently undergone a dramatic expansion, with all electronic resources now shared among the CCCS college libraries (although CCD students continue to have access to the Auraria Library). More information on the new online library, including links to live webinars, can be found on the Inside Colorado Online web site. Faculty and instructors should review and update links to library resources within their D2L course shells as many may have changed during this process.
- The new College Implementation Team for Colorado Online held its first meeting July 26 and will continue meeting at least every other week throughout the implementation. Please work with your college representatives to keep the list of key contacts for your college up to date.
If you have any questions about Colorado Online, don’t hesitate to contact me or Tammy Vercauteren, Project Director of Online Strategic Planning.
Sincerely,
Landon