1. Open Cam p us Fac ul ty Bull etin
Volume 2, Spring 2011
A Message from the eDean: E-Course Administration Instructional Effectiveness Plan
Greetings, faculty, and welcome to the latest edition of the
newsletter dedicated to your interests. One item that certainly
fits that bill is the Institutional Effectiveness Plan that Open
Campus, in alignment with the College, has been busy
preparing and organizing. This plan holds as its goal the
improvement of process, services, and learning.
The Division of Academic and Student Success has identified a
mission, outcomes, measures, and achievement targets to
facilitate reaching our goals. While the entire process will take a
few years, you will begin to notice immediate improvements that
will impact your level of service as a faculty member. Please
take a few moments to review our plan below. Dr. Sheri Litt
Mission/Purpose
The Open Campus Division of Academic and Student Success provide students, faculty and com-
munity partners with virtual access to educational resources through innovative technology,
teaching excellence, and academic integrity. The Division provides online courses, faculty
support, and student services.
Outcomes/Objectives
Outcome 1: The Open Campus Virtual Student Learning Center provides academic service to
developmental studies students.
Outcome 2: The Open Campus Virtual Student Learning Center provides academic resources to
students.
Outcome 3: Open Campus effectively communicates the importance of the instructor’s virtual
presence in the classroom.
Outcome 4: Open Campus provides timely and appropriate communication with faculty.
Outcome 5: Open Campus Testing and Assessment effectively communicates to students the
importance of attending proctored tests.
Outcome 6: Open Campus Testing and Assessment Services effectively communicates to
students proctored testing procedural requirements.
Outcome 7: Open Campus designs effective online courses.
We look forward to working with you as we begin implementing these improvements.
Open Campus Updates: Welcome to Our New Staff!
Dr. Jose Fierro, Associate Dean
Dr. Jose Fierro holds a doctorate in Higher Education
Leadership and has spent seven years teaching in higher
education. During his time with our College, Dr. Fierro has
played a leadership role in many groups, including
co-chairing the General Education Review Committee,
chairing the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and
Learning (CATL), and serving as the lead faculty member on
the Institutional Effectiveness academic team. Dr. Fierro’s
proven commitment to outstanding course design and the
value of a meaningful online liberal arts education in a variety
of learning management systems made him the ideal
candidate for his new post.
Floyd Ballard, Director, Digital Media, Education & Training
Floyd Ballard comes to Florida State College at Jacksonville
from Hillsborough Community College where he served as an
Instructional Designer since 2006. He possesses the ideal
qualifications necessary to be successful in our new position
of Director, Digital Media, Education & Training. Mr. Ballard
has earned a Master’s of Science in Instructional Systems
from Florida State University and has a total of 18 years of
experience in a variety of roles related to instructional design
in higher education.
Exceptional Faculty Profile—Mary Margaret Kittle
Meet Mary Margaret Kittle. Mary Margaret lives in Myrtle
Beach, SC, with her husband and 2 sons. In her free time,
she enjoys going to the beach, reading and gardening.
Mary Margaret is not just a typical mom, though. Since 2005,
she has also been one of Open Campus’s most outstanding
Math instructors. For this article, Mary Margaret shared a
couple of the “best practices” she has found to be successful
for her online MAT 0024 and MAT 1033 classes. The first is
frequent, personal communication with her students. Starting
with week 1 introductions, she makes a spreadsheet to jot
down personal tidbits about each student.
Then, when students e-mail her, she not only answers their math questions, but she also tries
to include a comment or question about something from their introductions. This not only adds
a personal touch, but it also encourages communication—even if it's not about math!
The second best practice Mary Margaret swears by is....the phone! In every class, there are
students who never respond to e-mails—no matter how many are sent. There are also those
students who participate in the discussion boards, but are struggling with the mathematics.
Mary Margaret has found that calling these students is an excellent motivator. As Mary
Margaret puts it, “just taking the time to speak with students and remind them about upcoming
assignments, tutoring and how they can pass your class makes a difference.” She offers this
advice: “think about it—-it's easier for students to delete an e-mail from you than to not answer
you when speaking to them over the phone!” It’s dedication like this that helps Mary Margaret
sustain exceptional success rates with her students. Perhaps we could all take a page from her
book to reproduce that success.
A Glimpse into the Future with the Media Technology and Innovation Team
Square-shaped barcodes are popping up everywhere on printed
advertisements, but what are they? These codes,
consisting of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a
white background are called QR or Quick Response codes, so
named because the embedded content can be decoded at high
speeds.
While still in their nascent stage, QR tools have the potential to
increase engagement and revolutionize the academic
community. Quite simply, these codes work with smartphones.
All you, as a user, need to do is download a free QR reader
application; this allows you to scan the code, subsequently
redirecting you to contact information, a website, an e-mail
address or other display text, or a social media platform.
What are some ways QR codes might be used in the future? Perhaps QR Codes will be placed
on syllabi so students have fast access to additional resources or information on the web. For
business, placing QR codes on business cards can direct people to a website. The possibilities
are endless, so keep your eyes open for these new digital tools! Try the code above with your
phone’s QR reader to see how it works.
A Great Way to Start an Online Course – An Introduction Section by Floyd Ballard
A great way to start an Online course is to
have your students look at an Introduction
Section* that would provide three important
Online Orientations. First, an instructor’s
Welcome Message video introducing the
instructor to his/her online students creates
a sense of closeness and personal
communication. Second, an Online
Orientation video explaining the Course
Syllabus enables the students to see and
hear the Instructor emphasizing important
points regarding how the course will be
setup and taught. Lastly, an Online
Orientation video explaining how to
successfully Navigate the Online course
allows the students to clearly understand
how to successfully navigate to any section
or assignment of the Online Course.
These video recordings can easily be made conveniently at home or at an office with just a
desktop or laptop and a Webcam. The best program to use that I have seen is Techsmith’s
Camtasia program. The Camtasia program is very user-friendly, fun to use, and very powerful.
You can download a free 30 day trial at www.techsmith.com. Students really enjoy this kind of
Online Course Introduction and become quite informed and ready to begin their Online
courses.
If you get a chance, drop by my office at URC 415G, and I will demonstrate this technique to
you.
*Click the image above to get a larger view of the example Introduction page.
Save the Date! Helpful Links
 Spring Break  Blackboard 9 Grade Center
March 28-April 4 Tutorials
 Final Grading Window Closes  Student Tutorials
A12, B8, C4—April 12
A16, B12, C8, D4—May 10
 Academic Calendar
 Summer Term Begins
May 9  Enriching Teaching
Welcome to the New Virtual Student Learning Center by Kim Cross
The Developmental Education Team at Open
Campus has developed and launched the new
Virtual Student Learning Center (VSLC) in a
Blackboard Learning Community. All students
taking Open Campus Developmental Education
courses have been auto-enrolled into the new
VSLC. The VSLC offers a wide variety of
academic support elements for students taking
developmental education courses, including
tutoring assistance, academic success
strategies, and contacts for Open Campus
support staff. Our team is truly invested in the
success and achievements of our students.
The Virtual Student Learning Center team is comprised of the following people:
Kim Cross is the new Developmental Education Manager. In short, her job is to manage and
coordinate the academic support elements and the learning tools for developmental education
students, as well as serve as a liaison between students, faculty, and Open Campus. Keri Dozier
is the new Advisor to students in Developmental Education courses; she coordinates the VSLC
discussion board, advises students on any issues/concerns, and refers students to other
resources when applicable. Melanie Clark, the Associate Dean of Student Success, oversees
the VSLC and directs the implementation of the program components.
While being an online student gives one the flexibility to take classes and obtain a degree both
independently and on a flexible time-table, it does not have to mean that students cannot access
the same resources that a traditional campus offers. Open Campus is committed to providing
our developmental education students with enhanced teaching/learning modalities. These efforts
were designed to increase the students’ learning resource options, thereby increasing student
retention and decreasing withdrawals. The VSLC community can be found in Blackboard by
searching “Virtual Student Learning Center.” If you’re ever visiting the Open Campus in person,
we also invite you to stop by and meet the staff of the new Virtual Student Learning Center,
located on the 4th floor in room 413.
Did You Know?
Blackboard Tip of the Month: Grading Discussion Items within the Discussion Area
By Amy Moore
1. Click the checkbox next to the discussion item you wish to
grade, then click the drop-down menu and choose “Edit.”
2. Scroll down to “Forum Settings,” select “Grading,” enter the
points possible for the discussion post, then click “Submit.”
3. Now you can click again on the drop-down next to the discus-
sion item and select “Grading” as an option.
4. Click on the drop-down next to each student’s name, click Click the image to link to a
“Grade,” enter his/her grade for the assignment, then click video tutorial on this topic.
“Submit” or hit your “Enter” key.
Outstanding Open Campus Student: Christin Harbison
Christa Harbison is not just an intelligent young woman pursuing
her education. More than that, Christa is an Open Campus
online student and an outstanding example of social
responsibility and community activism. Through her community
outreach and commitment to earning her degree in nursing, she
has demonstrated just how much learning and service go hand
in hand. You see, after her mother passed away from heart-
related problems, Christa began educating people about heart
health and serving as a spokesperson for the American Heart
Association’s Go Red for Women program, all while attending
Florida State College at Jacksonville to become a nurse.
To read more about Christa’s amazing accomplishments, check
out these great articles at the Florida Times-Union and
News4Jax.com
Photo Courtesy of FL Times-Union
Coming Soon!
We will soon be asking for your nominations for our upcoming Open Campus Student Recognition
awards. We ask that you begin thinking about any outstanding online student you’d like to
recognize for this special award. This is a great way to show students that their hard work matters!
Likewise, we will be asking students to recognize their very favorite Open Campus
faculty. Who knows — it could be you! Keep your eyes peeled for more information on how to
nominate a student.
Who You Gonna Call?
See the list below to learn who to call at the Open Campus in your times of need!
Blackboard 9 & Course Shells—Floyd Ballard 904.632.3258
Faculty & Student Concerns—Jose Fierro 904.357.8933
Syllabi/Course Readiness—Cindy McNally 904.632.5055
Testing & Assessment—Carl Jowers 904.632.5020
Social Networks & Lifestyle Integration—Amy Moore 904.632.3115
Schedules/Textbook Adoption—Bea Harrison 904.632.3126
Virtual Student Learning Center—Keri Dozier 904.632.3149
IRM (Contracts/Pay)—Teresa Dickerson 904.632.3119
Overrides—Cindy McNally 904.632.5055
Appeals—Linda Ludwig 904.632.3044
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Questions or comments? E-mail ammoore@fscj.edu or call 904-632-3115
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