Category: Training Modules (Page 1 of 8)

Submit Grade Data to Ellucian Colleague Gradebook

January 14, 2025 /

Timely data submission allows students to understand their performance and make informed decisions about their academic progress. Missing data impacts things like academic standing, graduation, transfer plans, and financial aid eligibility. Delays in grade data submissions can create bottlenecks in these processes, impacting both the student and the college.

The due dates for each data submission are posted within D2L Brightspace, sent by email, and available from your department. It is crucial that each deadline is met. Additionally, the Illinois Community College Board will fine the college for late report submissions.

Remember we are here to help you with the process. Do not hesitate to contact the Teaching and Learning Center with questions at ssconline@ssc.edu or call 708-225-5890 opt. 2.

STEP ONE

Locate the COLLEAGUE GRADEBOOK link on the blue navigation bar within your D2L Brightspace course shell.

STEP TWO

PLEASE NOTE IT MAY TAKE A FEW SECONDS FOR THE NEXT PAGE TO LOAD

Please locate the appropriate tab for your data submission: 10th Day Attendance Verification, Active Pursuit, Midterm Grade, and Final Grade.

First Entry for the Term (Green Arrow Below)
10TH DAY ATTENDANCE VERIFICATION: Mark S (Satisfactory) or NS (Not Satisfactory). This is the first data submission of the term. 

NOTE: This is the only time during the semester you may mark a student as NEVER ATTENDED. Marking a student as NEVER ATTENDED later in the term has a negative impact on a student’s Financial Aid. There is a simple process to readmit a student if appropriate at a later date.

Second Entries for the Term (Gold Arrow and Red Circle Below)
ACTIVE PURSUIT & MIDTERM GRADE: This data is entered and submitted at the simultaneously. Mark S or for Active Pursuit. Credit Midterm grades are A-F. Non-credit are P or V.

Third Entries for the Term (Purple and Pink Arrows Below)
FINAL GRADES : Credit Final grades are A-F. Non-credit are P or V.

Enter a STOPPED ATTENDING date if a student stops attending.

STEP THREE

Be sure to enter your submission data in field beneath the column that’s name matches the data you are submitting.

STEP FOUR

Be sure to enter data for each student on your class list. Be sure to check that all of your students are being displayed on your screen by adjusting the number of rows that appear at one time in the lower right-hand corner of the class list.

STEP FIVE

Select the “SUBMIT” button located at the bottom of the page to submit your data to Ellucian Colleague (our student management system).

STEP SIX

Once your submission is complete, verify that there is a checkmark in the “SUBMITTED” column for each student.

STEP SEVEN

If a student does not have a checkmark in the “SUBMITTED” column, a blue bar will appear after your submission indicating why the data was not transmitted. If you are unable to resolve the issue, please contact ssconline@ssc.edu or call 708-225-5890 opt. 2 for assistance.

Be sure to verify that your data submission was successful before navigating away from this page or the current tab.

Still need help? Email ssconline@ssc.edu or call 708-225-5890 opt. 2.

Join Bongo Virtual Classroom using an iPad or iPhone

August 30, 2024 /

Student’s may receive an error when trying to join their Bongo Virtual Classroom using an iPad or iPhone.  However, this can be rectified by following these four simple steps:

Step 1: Make Certain your iPad or iPhone’s operating system is up to date

  • On your iPad or iPhone open Settings App > General > Software Update

Step 2: Update your Safari Settings

  • On your iPad or iPhone open Settings App > Safari
Ipad Safari Settings
  • Make sure all of the following are toggled OFF:
    • Block All Cookies
    • Prevent cross-site tracking
ipad security settings for Safari

Step 3: Visit SSC D2L directly through your Browser (not the D2L Pulse app)

  • Visit: d2l.ssc.edu
  • Login and navigate to your D2L course

Step 4:  Find the Virtual Classroom in your D2L course

  • Within your D2L course menu (along the top) > select Virtual Classroom
  • This can also sometimes fall under More in the course navigation > Select Virtual Classroom
BrightSpace Pulse More Virtual Classroom
  • Under Action column of scheduled Virtual Classroom session > select Launch
D2L Launch Virtual Classroom
  • Select Join
Bongo Join
  • Select to allow Microphone
  • To turn on your webcam, select Camera and allow

Kahoot! for Assessment (SSC Online Workshop)

April 5, 2024 /

Watch Workshop Video (39:22)

Above is a recording of this SSC Online Workshop presented by math instructor, Jennifer Medlen.

Original Workshop description:

See how a math instructor at SSC easily aligned the online scoring of a Kahoot! quiz to the SSC Critical Thinking Rubric for general education assessment. Ideas will be discussed for creating a similar type of alignment with other College rubrics. 

Questions: please email ssconline@ssc.edu.

Creating a Breakout Room on Teams

April 2, 2024 /

Microsoft Teams allows the user to create breakout rooms within the meeting. Follow these simple steps below to create the breakout room:

  • Enter the Teams Meeting that you have set up and Select Rooms
Selection of Teams Rooms
  • Choose the number of rooms you want to create drop down: this example is 2
Breakout Rooms Picture
  • Then under the Assign Participants option box:
  • Select Automatically assign people to each room for random groups
  • Select Manually assign people to room for familiarity
  • Click on the ‘Create Rooms’ tab and the breakout rooms are all set
Create Room option button
Click on Create Rooms for Breakout Rooms in Meeting

Using Microsoft Bookings to Schedule Virtual and On-Campus Office Hours

March 25, 2024 /

Online appointment scheduling is here! You can now allow students to schedule office hours with you with just a click of a link. All meetings will appear on your Outlook calendar. If you choose to meet with students virtually, a Microsoft Teams meeting link will be created and sent automatically to the student on your behalf.

STEP 1

Login at Office.com using your SSC username, and network password.

STEP 2

Select the “Apps” icon from the navigation bar on the left. If “Bookings” is listed on your Microsoft 365 Apps page, click to open and proceed to STEP 5 of this guide.

Bookings listed on Microsoft 365 App Screen

STEP 3

Click on the Apps link from the left menu, and navigate to the “Get More Apps” in the upper right-hand corner of your browser window on a desktop or laptop.

STEP 4

On the next screen, click on the “Bookings” app to add it to Office 365.

STEP 5

Follow the prompts on the images below to create a new meeting type.

Be sure to copy the link to your “Personal Booking Page” or the unique meeting you created especially for your students and add it to your D2L course shells and Simple Syllabus so that they can easily book virtual office hours with you online.

STEP 6

You can restrict the ability of your schedule to just your posted office hours by setting “custom availability hours” for the meeting type you wish to share.

Need help more help? Email us at ssconline@ssc.edu.

Cengage Unlimited Textbooks and Learning Content

January 23, 2024 /

Cengage Unlimited textbooks and learning content integrates with D2L Brightspace courses.  Students must access their Cengage material through their SSC D2L courses.

Instructors and students can follow these easy directions should they have any trouble.

Instructors:

  • New to Cengage – create a new account (remember to use SSC email account)
  • First time integrating your Cengage learning content into D2L – Watch Video (4:09)
  • Already used Cengage in a previous D2L course – Copy D2L Course – Watch Video (2:53)
  • Only using Cengage eBook in your D2L Course – Watch Video (1:54)

The above videos require a login to Office.com (same as you use with SSC email or D2L).

Need help? 

Or Contact SSC’s Account Representatives

Jesse Hunt
Email: jesse.hunt@cengage.com
Phone: 859-657-4372
Book an Appointment

Sarah Osborn
Customer Success Manager
Email: sarah.osborn@cengage.com
Book an Appointment

Students

  • Start off by asking your instructor how they use Cengage in their courses.  Sometimes they can answer many of your questions.
  • Login to your D2L Brightspace course.
  • Find any Cengage material your instructor has posted in the D2L course and you will be asked for a one-time login.
  • Already have an account? Login with your credentials.
  • New to Cengage – Register for an Account – Watch Video (remember to use SSC email address)
  • Need help? Visit Cengage Unlimited Support – Select Student.

Open Education Resources (OER) at SSC

January 3, 2024 /

OER stands for “Open Education Resources” and is linked to an educational movement that began about 20 years ago and has become a global educational movement.  Instructors who use OER course material in their courses are using freely available, high-quality educational resources in order to bring textbook costs down for students.  OER, in essence, are freely available, openly licensed resources such as textbooks, media, videos, articles and more – that are useful for teaching, learning and accessing as well as for research purposes.

Interested in trying out Open Education Resources in your course?  Follow these easy steps to begin:

Step 1: Understanding the Benefits of Open  Education Resources

Using Open Education Resources in your course provides many benefits, but here are just a few to consider:

  • Equity to Students: Students will have access to quality learning materials that can be accessed repeatedly without any access roadblocks.
  • Saves Money: Students may save on the purchase of textbooks or course materials.
  • Scalability: Instructors can easily adopt OER material that can be distributed widely with little or no cost.
  • Enhancement of regular course content: multimedia, images and other resources allow for students to receive content in different formats that match with their learning styles.

Step 2:  Become Familiar with OER Licensing

Before finding OER material for your course, step two is becoming familiar with OER licensing and terminology, as faculty will have to cite the OER material and license used in their courses.  The person who creates OER content decides how the content they created can be used by other educators.  For example, they decide the following:

  • Content can only be Adopted = the OER resource can only be used “as-is”
  • Content can be Adapted = the OER resource can be revised, updated, and converted as long as the original source is cited.
Want to share your content with other educators? Faculty can create their own OER material and share with other educators.  In doing so, they would select how they wish to license their OER content (Adopted or Adapted).  Instructors can contact the Teaching and Learning Center or the SSC library to obtain a list of free OER platforms to publish shareable content.

When selecting an OER resource: Faculty must make sure the license for that content also allows for the use, modifications, and distribution. These are commonly known as the 5Rs – Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix, and Redistribute. 

  • Retain – allows instructors to make, own, and control a copy of the OER resource (e.g., download and keep your own copy)
  • Revise – allows instructors to edit, adapt, and modify a copy of the OER resource (e.g., translate into another language)
  • Remix – allows instructors to combine OER content (include their own creation) to create something new (e.g., make a mashup)
  • Reuse – allows instructors to use original, revised, or remixed copy of the resource publicly (e.g., on a website, in a presentation, in a class)
  • Redistribute – allows instructors to share copies of original, revised, or remixed copy of the OER resource with others (e.g., post a copy online or give one to a friend)

Watch a short video explaining:

“OER Bootcamp 0: What OER’s are and why they are important” video by Sarah Morehead on YouTube  and licensed under CC BY 4.0 .

Step 3: Find a free OER resource to use in your course

There are a variety of OER repositories, collections, and directories and the list is endless.  Often the trouble lies with locating content that fits precisely with what the instructor is seeking.

Below are just a few resources to get instructor’s started.

Watch a short video explaining:

“OER Search” video by Amy Hofer at Open Oregon on YouTube and licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Need help citing the OER source you plan to use? If instructors use OER resources, make sure to properly cite your source.  Visit the free Attribution Builder – enter the source and license to generate an OER cite to post with your course material.  

Step 4: Calculate cost savings to your students?

If you are an instructor at SSC and plan to use Open Education Resources in your course, let the Teaching and Learning Center and SSC Library know by completing this short 4-question form.   Completing this form will allow us to calculate cost savings to students.

Need more assistance in getting started? Make an appointment with the Teaching and Learning Center and SSC Library by emailing ssconlne@ssc.edu.

Introduction to Simple Syllabus 

December 19, 2023 /

Download training session PowerPoint slides (which acts as a step-by-step handout) 

Watch a Training Video (19:25)

What is Simple Syllabus? 

Simple Syllabus helps instructors save time and eliminate redundant tasks associated with syllabus creation in Brightspace D2L. The template-driven architecture of Simple Syllabus automatically ensures compliance with accreditation and regulatory standards while still giving faculty the autonomy to personalize curriculum content for their classroom directly within D2L. 

Announcement: Starting in the Spring 2024 term, all instructors should begin using Simple Syllabus in D2L instead of uploading a syllabus in word format.  

How to Login and Access: 

  • Visit: d2l.ssc.edu 
  • Use the same Username and Password you normally use for Email and other services at SSC. 
  • Under the My Courses module, click on your D2L course shell. 
  • Click on More within your D2L Course, then My Syllabus. 

Content in your Syllabus: 

Simple Syllabus turns your syllabus into an electronic format.  That means you will need to review and complete fields after clicking on the My Syllabus link.  The good news is that each time you teach your courses, the syllabus from the last time you taught will automatically be imported into the D2L course for the new term.  This will save you even more time, as you won’t have to re-enter data, except updating your assignments, due dates, etc.  

There are three types of data fields in Simple Syllabus.  Prepopulated fields (nothing required of the instructor), required content that the instructor must complete, and then optional fields that if left blank, will not appear on the electronic syllabus.  

Prepopulated content:  

Many fields in the electronic syllabus are pre-populated with data that comes directly from Colleague, our student information system.  That means it is always accurate and you do not need to worry about updating.  The pre-populated fields include course details, course description, textbook information, learning outcomes, explanation of attendance verification, academic integrity, student services and policies, and last date to withdraw. 

Fields instructors must complete:  

There are some fields that instructors must complete.  These fields include instructor information, additional course materials (if any), your course attendance policy and how it might affect student’s grades, your grading schema, your academic integrity policy (cheating/plagiarism), and course calendar of assignments, due dates and points.  

Optional fields: 

There are many optional fields instructors can complete.  But if they are left blank, they won’t appear on the electronic syllabus.  These optional fields include method of presentation, classroom etiquette, and late work and make-up assignments. 

Add Custom Content 

You can add your own custom content to the electronic syllabus as well.  This preserves your academic freedom.  

Optional: If using D2L for your assignments, Simple Syllabus has a sync option that will list all your assignments, due dates, point values, etc., automatically in the Syllabus.  

Publish your Syllabus 

When all required fields are completed, you have to opportunity to preview the syllabus and then submit it.  Submitting the syllabus allows students to see it.   

Where do students see the syllabus?  They click on My Syllabus in the D2L course menu. 

Training and Information 

Support 

  • For issues accessing your Syllabus, please contact the Teaching and Learning Center at ssconline@ssc.edu.  
  • For additional help, access the Simple Syllabus Technical Support Center. 
  • Within the Simple Syllabus tool, click on the question mark icon on the top left of the syllabus. 
  • Fill out the Submit a Request form for immediate help or visit the Knowledge Base. 
  • If you are asked to login, select Continue with SSO.  

Office 365 – Outlook and Teams

November 29, 2023 /

MISSED OUR LIVE TRAINING SESSION?

WATCH A REPLAY (SSC Username and Network Password Required)

How to Login and Access:

  • Visit: https://office.com
  • Username: Type in your complete SSC email address
  • Password is your same single sign-on (same as you use for D2L, etc.)
    • Multi-factor authentication is required (if you haven’t set this up already, view setup)

Outlook (email and calendar)

Teams

Need Help?

  • Email the Teaching and Learning Center at ssconline@ssc.edu

Emergency Flip to eLearning

November 8, 2023 /

Need to make an emergency flip to eLearning? If you know these three things, you will be off to a great start: Creating an Announcement, Using Bongo Virtual Classroom, and Adding a File to D2L Brightspace.

Email systems are down, please reach out by chat, or call 708-225-5825 option 2 with any questions.

Creating an Announcement in D2L Brightspace

How to Post An Announcement in D2L

Using Bongo Virtual Classroom

Adding a File to D2L Brightspace

Adding Syllabus to D2L Course Shell
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