Academic Tools
Camtasia is a screen-recording and video editing software that allows you to record anything on your computer screen, including websites, software, video calls, or PowerPoint presentations. This easy-to-use software allows you to add animations and other effects, music and audio, titles, quizzes, transitions and more!
Camtasia is one of the best screen-recording software products for creating pre-recorded video tutorials, how-to-videos, training videos, introductions to weekly course content, and other instructional videos.
ITTD manages a limited number of Camtasia licenses in the Faculty Resource Center. For more information about using a license, please contact ITTD at 285-4499.
Blackboard Collaborate is a real-time video conferencing tool that lets you add files, share applications, and use a virtual whiteboard to interact. Collaborate with the Ultra experience opens right in your browser, so you don’t have to install any software to join a session. Collaborate Ultra can be used to host synchronous lectures and instructional activities with your students. Students can also work within groups to participate in Collaborate Ultra group sessions.
Collaborate Ultra is available in every Blackboard course and organization! (If you not a faculty member, you can request a Collaborate Ultra account to be used outside of Blackboard.)
Collaborate Ultra Tips
Browsers
-Google Chrome is the preferred browser when using Collaborate Ultra.
Note:
-If using a mobile iOS device, the default browser is most likely Safari. Ask students to download the Chrome app in advance. They will copy the Collaborate Link from Safari, open the Chrome app, paste the link in Chrome to join the Collaborate session.
-Moderators (Instructors) should not use mobile devices especially if intending to use the Share Content feature .
Access
Collaborate Ultra is accessible through:
- Course Menu > Tools
- Control Panel > Course Tools > Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
- Course Menu, once added as a Tool link. To add:
-Click + icon located above the Course ID
-Enter Name (e.g. Collaborate Ultra)
-in Type, click the down-arrow; select Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
For easy access by students, click Available to Users, then Submit.
Starting a Session
-Log into Blackboard
-Open a course
-Locate Blackboard Collaborate Ultra (see possible locations under Access above)
-Click the top-most link with your Course ID - Course Room ( i.e. It is NOT necessary to Create a Session ).
-From the right Panel, check the Session Settings. Most likely, you will not need to make any modifications, but if you do, click Save tab,which is located at the bottom-right of the panel. This is a one-time setup. From then on, simply click the Course ID /Course Name - Course Room then Join Course Room to launch Collaborate Ultra.
-Always check Audio and Video settings.
-Make sure that the microphone is ON especially when recording a lecture with no students to let you know that they cannot hear you.
Recordings
-For your session to be recorded, you must click Start Recording. Recordings are posted into the course soon after a session ends. You must Stop Recording and Leave Session for the recording to be processed and posted.
Viewing a Recording
-Open your course
-In Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, click the three-line icon (Menu) located above your Course ID/Name - Course Room
-Select Recordings
-Click Recording Name, then Watch Now
Collaborate Ultra Help (for Moderators/Instructors)
Collaborate Ultra Help (for Participants/Students)
Blackboard Collaborate Support
For questions about using Blackboard Collaborate features, contact Blackboard Collaborate Support at:
(877) 382-2293
All A&T students, faculty, and staff have access to LinkedIn Learning and LinkedIn's Premium Career features at linkedinlearning.ncat.edu. Access LinkedIn Learning videos and courses from any device – anytime and anywhere. All LinkedIn Learning courses are broken into short videos, so you can focus on key topics of interest. Login using your OneID or Blackboard credentials.
For more information, contact (336) 285-4499.
LinkedIn Learning Frequently Asked Questions
What is LinkedIn Learning?
LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform that offers video courses taught by industry experts in software, creative, and business skills. LinkedIn Learning enables individuals and organizations to achieve their objectives and aspirations with high-quality content that is available anytime, and anywhere. LinkedIn Learning is available on any desktop and mobile device – even in offline mode, which makes it easy for employees and students to learn on the go!
With LinkedIn at A&T, you’ll also get access to LinkedIn’s Premium Career features.
Who can access LinkedIn Learning at A&T?
LinkedIn Learning is available to all students, faculty, and staff at North Carolina A&T State University.
How do I access LinkedIn Learning for North Carolina A&T State University?
To access LinkedIn Learning, visit linkedinlearning.ncat.edu. Login using your OneID username and password (employees) or Blackboard credentials (students).
Once you login, you will be prompted to connect your LinkedIn profile with your NCAT LinkedIn Learning account. This connection is optional!
Should I connect my LinkedIn profile with my NCAT LinkedIn Learning account? Connecting your LinkedIn profile with your NCAT LinkedIn Learning account is optional! You do not have to make the connection to use LinkedIn Learning. However, connecting your account will allow for a more personalized learning experience that will allow for course recommendations based on job title, skills, and industry trends.
If I connect my LinkedIn profile with my NCAT LinkedIn Learning account, what information will be shared with the University?
The University will not have access to your LinkedIn connections, private messages, job search activity, or any learning courses you’ve viewed in your personal account. In LinkedIn Learning, administrators can access courses viewed or completed, profile information (name, work title, and profile photo), and any courses from your personal account that you’ve transferred to your university account.
Will I be required to have a LinkedIn profile before I can access LinkedIn Learning for North Carolina A&T State University?
No. You will not be required to have a LinkedIn profile before you can access your NCAT LinkedIn Learning account.
If I already have a LinkedIn profile, am I required to connect my profile with my NCAT LinkedIn Learning account?
No. You are not required to connect your LinkedIn profile to your NCAT LinkedIn Learning account.
Can faculty add LinkedIn Learning videos and content to Blackboard courses?
Yes. Access “Partner Content” under any content area in Blackboard. Select “Content Market” and then click “Browse all content providers”. Select the “LinkedIn Learning” provider to search and add content to your course.
Who should I contact if I have questions?
If you have questions, contact the Instructional Technology Training and Development (ITTD) team at 285-4493 or training@ncat.edu.
Mediasite is the university's enterprise video solution providing resources for the capture, management and sharing of video. My Mediasite is an online portal, where users manage recordings created using Mediasite hardware and the Mediasite Desktop Recorder (MDR). Additionally, users can also use My Mediasite to upload and share existing videos. Mediasite is the trusted cornerstone of North Carolina A&T's enterprise video solution. Mediasite has been used to record learning activities, campus events and manage large libraries of video-based instruction.
Access Mediasite
Mediasite is available to faculty, staff, and students and can be accessed at http://mediasite.ncat.edu/mediasite/mymediasite using OneID or Blackboard credentials.
If you are interested in adding Mediasite videos to the Blackboard LMS, it is important that you use the Blackboard Integration Tool rather than embedding code or links.
Mediasite authenticates to ADFS while Blackboard authenticates to LDAP. Unless a user is already logged into an ADFS service, the user will likely be unable to view a Mediasite video that has been added to Blackboard using any method other than the Blackboard Integration Tool. Rather than seeing the actual Mediasite video, the following error message may appear:
To add a Mediasite video to Blackboard using the Blackboard Integration Tool:
- Access a content area from your left navigation (course/organization menu).
- Click Build Content.
- Under Mashups, select Mediasite– Link to Presentation(s).
- Enter your search criteria and click Search Presentations.
- Select the desired video and click Submit. Then click OK.
A link to the video along with a small thumbnail will be added to the content area.
*If you have added videos for the Spring 2020 semester (or previous semesters) using any method other than the Blackboard Integration Tool, we encourage you to update your links using the tool.
Support for Mediasite
If you have questions or need assistance with Mediasite, please contact Shawn Wilson at swilson9@ncat.edu or 285-2065.
Helpful Links
Using Mediasite with Blackboard
Qualtrics is a web-based tool used to create, manage, and conduct online surveys in support of teaching and research. Qualtrics provides a comprehensive suite of tools to create web surveys and analyze collected data. Qualtrics supports over 100 question types and the survey data ca be viewed real-time via the dashboard. Qualtrics is available to all faculty, staff, and students at North Carolina A&T.
To access Qualtrics, visit: http://ncat.qualtrics.com
Log into the system using your OneID or Blackboard credentials.
For assistance, please contact:
ITTD – Access
OSPIE – Survey Creation and Management, Survey Data Analysis
Qwickly is a productivity tool for Blackboard Learn that allows faculty to interact with multiple classes at once. Instructors can post the same announcement to multiple courses, send an email to all students they teach in just a couple of clicks, or view which classes have items that need grading. These actions are done from the Blackboard Learn home screen. Qwickly can also be used by students to send emails to one or multiple instructors at one time.
Locate the Qwickly module on the MyNCAT page in Blackboard to use the tool.
Qwickly Attendance is a robust course tool that enables faculty to take attendance that is automatically stored and graded in Blackboard. Faculty can take attendance using an attendance list in Blackboard or allow students to “check-in” using their personal devices. Qwickly Attendance also allows faculty to send absence emails add private comments for students. Qwickly Attendance is available in each Blackboard course shell.
Respondus is a software that can be used to create and manage exams that can be published directly to Blackboard. With Respondus, faculty can add multiple test questions to Blackboard at one time making it easier to create test pools. Test questions can be prepared on one or more Word files (using an approved format), imported into Respondus, and then published to Blackboard.
*The Respondus software is only available for Windows devices.
*Administrative access is required to download the software on a university computer.
Respondus Software Package (for faculty)
Click the Respondus Software Package (for faculty) link above to download the software. If you are using a university computer (or any other computer), you must have administrative rights to the computer to download the software.
*You will need to contact ITTD for the installation password.
Respondus User Guides and Tutorials
Respondus LockDown Browser is a custom browser that locks down the testing environment within Blackboard Learn to help prevent online test-takers from accessing applications and websites on their computers. The LockDown Browser, which is designed for proctored settings, also prevents printing and copying the while the test is running.
With LockDown Browser, students no longer have access to normal browser features which can potentially crash a test (e.g. resizing a window, refreshing the page, switching to another application). Students are locked into the test until the test is submitted for grading.
To use LockDown Browser, students must download and install the NCAT-specific version of the LocKDown Browser on their personal computer. Faculty can setup the LockDown Browser by accessing the dashboard from within a Blackboard course. If you are planning to administer online tests in Blackboard, you should consider using the Respondus LockDown Browser. The LockDown Browser is a custom browser that locks down the testing environment within Blackboard Learn to help prevent online test-takers from accessing applications and websites on their computers. Respondus Monitor is a companion tool to Respondus LockDown Browser that allows instructors to monitor students taking tests via webcam recordings.
Respondus Monitor is a companion tool to Respondus LockDown Browser that allows instructors to monitor students taking tests via webcam recordings. When Respondus Monitor is required, students use their own computer and webcam to record exam sessions. Instructors use the same Blackboard test options as usual with the added benefit of having access to full video and audio recording of test attempts for review.
Instructors use Respondus Monitor and Respondus LockDown Browser to address issues of student identity and cheating during non-proctored assessments. To take a test using Respondus Monitor, students must use a microphone and webcam, and they must have Respondus LockDown Browser installed on their computer.
SafeAssign is a plagiarism prevention service, offered by Blackboard. This service helps educators prevent plagiarism by detecting unoriginal content in student papers. SafeAssign generates and “originality report” that provides detailed information about the matches found between a student’s submitted work and existing sources. In addition to acting as a plagiarism deterrent, SafeAssign also has features designed to aid in educating students about plagiarism and the importance of proper attribution of any borrowed content.
SafeAssign Help for Instructors
North Carolina A&T State University has a campus-wide license for SoftChalk Cloud. SoftChalk is a lesson creation tool that allows educators to transform existing course materials into interactive and engaging e-learning content with minimal time, effort and resources. Lessons can be exported as web pages for posting on the Internet or exported for use in Blackboard.
Visit www.softchalkcloud.com to create an account. Prior to doing so, you will need the contact ITTD for an activation key.
Support Center: http://support.softchalk.com
Short Courses and Webinars: http://softchalk.com/learn-more/short-courses
SoftChalk Cloud Video Tutorials: http://softchalk.com/learn-more/video-tutorials
For more information about creating an account or for assistance, please contact ITTD (285-4499).
