Newsletter November 2020: Get ready for SDU’s new learning platform - itslearning
Starting this January, SDU will get a new learning platform: itslearning. This means that all courses from February 1 will be supported by itslearning rather than Blackboard. In cooperation with the faculties, SDUUP’s task will be to guide and support teachers in their transition to the new platform. In this month’s newsletter, you can read about how we do just that.
Transitioning to a new learning platform always comes with an array of challenges, since both teachers and students have to get used to the platform. The most important job for SDUUP during the transition is thus to cooperate with your faculty in order to provide you as a teacher with the tools required to face the challenges you might meet as you start using itslearning. We first and foremost do this by giving you a self-paced course in itslearning, with the goal of introducing you to itslearning, providing you with guidelines for using itslearning and helping you get familiar with the most important tools and options that the platform has to offer.
Self-paced course: Setting up your course in itslearning
The aim of this course is to help you become familiar with SDU’s new learning platform - https://sdu.itslearning.com - and SDU’s instructions (retningslinjer) for using the platform . This knowledge will enable you to set up your courses in a logical and user-friendly manner, which makes it easy for your students to engage with both the course materials and learning activities. You can use the course as a guide to setting up your own course in itslearning.
The self-paced course consists of a basic module containing 4 submodules (Plans). It will take you approx. 3 hours to complete the basic module. In addition to the basic module, it will be possible to select additional elective modules, which cover other pedagogical elements and tools in the platform.
Please note that you must log in to itslearning with your SDU Office 365 username and password to get access to the course ‘Setting up your course in itlearning’. You will then find the course under the menu tab Courses/Rum.
Webinars
In addition to the self-paced course, a series of webinars will also be conducted. These focus on both central and more advanced functions in itslearning. Each webinar is held in both December and January. You can thus take part in those that are relevant to you – whenever it fits your schedule. All webinars are recorded and will be made available at www.sdunet.dk/itslearning. You can view a list of the webinars and sign up for the webinars here.
Guidance portal and Quick Start guide for itslearning
A guidance portal for teachers, administrative staff and students is currently being worked on. Here, guides for itslearning will be uploaded on an ongoing basis. Check out www.sdunet.dk/itslearning.
Once the courses of the spring 2021 have been set up, you will find them under the tab Courses/Rum. In addition, you have access to a personal course (“Sandbox – your username”), where you can experiment with setting up a course and try out the platform. Check out the Quick Start guide for itslearning if you want to get started right away.
SDU teachers’ experiences with itslearning
Throughout the fall, itslearning has been pilot tested at SDU with the goal of gathering important experience with setting up and conducting courses through the platform. In this month’s themed articles, which are linked to in the right column, you can read about some of the pilot testers’ experiences with itslearning. In addition, they share their thoughts on what the platform means for students and gives an array of tips and tricks for teachers, who are getting ready to start using the platform.
Tips and Tricks From the Teachers
Get an array of tips and tricks from the teachers, who have pilot tested itslearning this fall. All tips and tricks are based on the teachers' own experiences with the platform.
An Intuitive Platform for Teachers and Students Alike
In general, the pilot testing teachers have experienced itslearning as intuitive and easy to use. Furthermore, compared to Blackboard, the platform provides better ways to interact with the students along with faster and easier access to course materials and learning activities.
A Challenge to Get Started and Rethink Your Course
Getting acquainted with an entirely new learning platform has not been without challenges for the teachers, who have pilot tested itslearning. Read about their experiences in the article
A Great and More Pedagogical Tool for Students Once They Get to Know It
Read about how getting acquainted with itslearning has been for students and which pros and cons teachers have identified for the students.
