UIC Flames Thrive
Orientation to Blackboard and Learning with Technology
We are delighted to announce the launch of a new course, created especially for first-year UIC students to orient them to Blackboard! The link to this new course, called Flames THRIVE Orientation to Blackboard and Learning with Technology, is provided: https://go.uic.edu/FlamesTHRIVEOrientation
The course was created this summer by the LAS Executive Assistant Dean, Agnes Herget, and her amazing LAS Course Supporters team.
The purpose of the Flames THRIVE technology orientation is to provide first-year students with a clear sense of how Blackboard connects with their courses – regardless of the teaching modality – as well as how they can effectively use Blackboard tools and UIC’s technology resources to become agents in their learning and academic success.
The orientation is presented in six lessons, at the end of which the students earn a personalized certificate of completion. The certificate component gives you, as instructors, the option to incorporate the orientation into your course and ensure that students completed the orientation in full. The course is entirely self-paced, and the students can complete it independently in about 60-90 minutes. In order to earn the certificate, the course needs to be taken in its entirety and the lessons in sequence.
The content for the Flames THRIVE technology orientation is as follows:
- Overview of UIC’s technology and resources
- Overview of Blackboard navigation and components
- Understanding the importance of the syllabus as a tool for student success
- Overview of commonly used Blackboard tools, such as video tools and discussion boards, as well as assignments and assessments
- Overview of grades in Blackboard and the importance of instructor feedback
- Troubleshooting technology
At the heart of the Flames THRIVE technology orientation are videos to convey authentic perspectives and tips by fellow UIC undergraduate and faculty, in addition to true-to-UIC life problem-solving scenarios involving a wide range of Blackboard features.
The course will also be made available to the wider UIC student community (beyond incoming first-year students) by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence (CATE). That version of the course will allow students to access each lesson as standalone components without having to proceed through the entire orientation. Overall, Flames THRIVE is meant to be a helpful resource that instructors can also refer students to as needed or that can be referenced on a course syllabus.
In case this is useful, here is an excerpt of text from the “getting started” page in Blackboard from this course. Feel free to use this text when communicating with your students about this orientation.
For students:
In the FLAMES THRIVE Orientation to Blackboard and Learning with Technology you will discover that Blackboard is a virtual platform that houses the important components of all your courses – where you access readings, submit assignments, watch lecture videos, access the syllabus, discuss topics, and so much more.
Being a successful UIC student means developing skills for navigating the many educational technology tools that support your learning, the heart of which is Blackboard. You will encounter these tools throughout your time as a student, and with this Orientation we are setting you up for success!
Regardless of how or where your classes take place - on campus, online synchronous (you will use video conferencing tools for these), online asynchronous (in which the course does not have set meeting times), or hybrid (with some online and some in-person components) – Blackboard ties them all together and contains the tools that can take you where you need to go.
We hope your students will find this technology orientation beneficial as they embark on their UIC journey!