HGTV-style Course Tours Improve Online Teaching

BSU Faculty Invited to Learn From Each Other in Weekly Trainings

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) – Bowie State University faculty, seeking to improve their online teaching skills, are getting help to develop engaging and innovative online courses through weekly workshops, including HGTV-style tours through the courses of advanced BSU educators sharing best practices.

Through the end of May, the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) has set two web trainings per week to help faculty with setting up online courses. On Mondays, faculty trainers will provide a step-by-step walkthrough of tools and methods important for remote instruction in Blackboard. On Wednesdays, CETL will host hourlong live webinars at 3 p.m., where a faculty trainer will provide an in-depth tour of one of their courses, explaining their thinking about the course content and organization, as well as answer questions. All of the trainings are recorded and will be posted on the CETL website for later viewing, after the event has ended.

All faculty, regardless of their skill level, are invited to participate in these trainings. Some of best practices include effective ways to encourage meaningful conversation among students in Blackboard’s discussion boards and splitting up students into small groups using Blackboard Connect.

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.