As a result of technical requirements for the migration of our Blackboard system to the SaaS (Software as a Service) environment we have decided to delay the migration pending review of LMSs in the Spring. We had planned that the migration would be similar to the previous migration from hosting with UMass Online to Blackboard Managed Hosting in that we would not upgrade during the migration process but would wait until later in the spring for any major upgrades. Unfortunately, the SaaS Hosting solution for Blackboard while allowing some flexibility required an upgrade at the beginning of spring term and during the middle of summer term.

Instead of the migration, we are scheduling an update to the system to mitigate a security vulnerability identified by Blackboard. We will update to the latest update of the Q2 2017 release of Blackboard (current version on our system). In addition to the security and other bug fixes, users will see some minor changes in functionality. The most obvious will be the expansion of the availability of drag and drop file upload capability. There are some minor changes to the submission receipts for students which include additional details about their submission. For users accessing discussion boards on mobile devices, Blackboard has enhanced the responsiveness of those pages if the content is responsive.

Check back for more news on the LMS selection process. We anticipate the launch of an LMS selection process early in the spring. Currently the LIT Advisory Committee has a subcommittee doing background research for the project. We are investigating what LMS’s are available and what our requirements might be.  In the meantime, we’ll be reaching out to students and faculty to assess their needs for the next LMS. Be on the look out for focus groups/open forums and surveys asking for your input.

VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia tool that extends the idea of collaborating online using a simple text-based discussion board by incorporating images, documents, and videos to allow people to navigate slides and leave comments in several ways – text, voice, audio file, or webcam.

VoiceThread’s transition away from Flash has been an ongoing project over the last four years. Now you don’t need any Flash whatsoever to use VoiceThread!

The new HTML5 version looks and feels the same while offering new features including:

• adjustable playback speed,
• streamlined audio/video recording,
• and increased security

VoiceThread will continue to support the Flash-based version until January 1, 2018.

Which Browsers are supported?
Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are supported fully.  Please make sure you are using the latest updates of these browsers for the best experience.

Safari can be used to view VoiceThreads, but does not yet support audio or video recording in HTML5. As soon as it does, VoiceThread will support recording in that browser.

Internet Explorer does not support HTML5 at all and cannot be used with the new version.

Change Display Preferences
To change your display preferences in VoiceThread follow the steps below:

Step 1: Select the drop down menu next to your user name, located in the upper left corner of the screen, after you log in to VoiceThread.

Step 2: Click Display Preferences.

The Display Preferences screen will appear as shown above.

Step 3: Select HTML 5 from the Player Version drop down menu

You can change this setting at your discretion until January 1, 2018.

The image below illustrates the difference between the user experience based on the old Adobe Flash prompt (Figure 1) and the new HTML 5 prompt (Figure 2) when adding a Voice Thread comment.

Figure 1: Old Flash Player Setting prompt	Figure 2: New HTML 5 prompt

Please note that VoiceThread will continue to support the Flash-based version until January 1, 2018.  After that time, they will only support the new HTML 5 option.

If you are interested in using VoiceThread in your course design efforts contact lit@wit.edu to learn more about the exciting opportunities that this tool can provide.

The LIT Advisory Committee is busy working on several projects through smaller working groups:

• Video at Wentworth: assessing vendors and tools to meet faculty and student needs
• Plagiarism Detection/Education: assessing tools
• On-Demand Videos: recommending either Lynda.com or Atomic Learning (Hoonuit) for renewal in 2018/9 budget cycle
• Faculty Showcase: March 15, 2018 showcase on teaching, learning and scholarship. Submit your Request to Showcase!
• Teaching with Technology: advancing the use of tablets in teaching
• Bb Hosting Migration: now conducting research on different LMS options
• Bettering Learner Engagement Study: leveraging Wentworth data on the impact of academic technology on student success to enhance teaching practices
• EBSCO Curriculum Builder: Pilot opportunity with the Douglas D. Schumann Library & Learning Commons

Who are we? The Learning Innovation and Technology Advisory Committee provides direction on ways to leverage innovative learning strategies and academic technology tools to foster excellence in teaching and learning at Wentworth. The committee acts as a conduit for the two-way dissemination of information to enhance communications among the faculty and academic leaders and provide a bridge for effective implementation of innovations in teaching and learning. Meet your committee members.

Other items discussed this Fall include:

• Launch of Kaltura Media Space  https://wentworth.mediaspace.kaltura.com/
• New LeopardWeb Portal
• Laptop Program Collaboration
• Class Roster Report

Feel free to reach out with questions, feedback, and ideas!