We hope your spring semester is off to a great start! We're excited to share the latest Digital Learning resources and opportunities with you. In this newsletter, you’ll find useful technology tips, upcoming workshop opportunities, and exciting statistics from the first round of the Open AI Challenge
Please don’t hesitate to contact the Digital Learning team with any questions or for support. You can reach us using the options below:
Book a meeting with an instructional designer or technologist on the ILCI website for assistance with instructional design, instructional technology, YuJa, and more.
New Section Modality Available for Fall 2025: Hybrid Remote (870)
In response to the needs of online programs across campus, a new Hybrid Remote section modality has been created. These new 870 sections are identical to our current Hybrid In-Person (860) sections, except that the synchronous class sessions are held remotely (usually over Zoom) instead of in the classroom or physically at another learning site. This allows faculty to use up to 25% of the scheduled course time as virtual sessions for “real time” assessment, discussion, lab work, etc. The full definition of this new modality is:
Mostly asynchronous online instruction mixed with reduced synchronous virtual class meetings at regularly scheduled times using academic technologies (e.g., Zoom). Asynchronous online instruction accounts for 75% or more of total instruction time. Synchronous virtual class meetings will not exceed 25% of what is usually scheduled in Fully Remote sections. Students could be located anywhere but must be available for a reduced number (usually 6-8) of virtual class meetings and should have a reliable learning space and Internet access to attend during the semester.
The virtual sessions will be held at regular meeting times and available in the Registrar’s schedule for students to view as they enroll. Any classes that were previously scheduled as asynchronous Fully Online (850) asynchronous synchronous sections but asked that students be available for synchronous virtual meetings or testing should now be scheduled as 870 sections.
For updated definitions of all UNO’s distance education modalities, please see the Online at UNO website. For questions about scheduling a Hybrid Remote (870) section in CLSS for the Fall 2025 semester, please contact Dan Hawkins, Director of Online Development (dhawkins@unomaha.edu).
Open AI Challenge Round 1 Storytelling
Round 1 of the Open AI Challenge saw a lot of success! Below are some amazing survey results that tell our story (survey results are out of 137 responses from faculty (60%) and staff (35%):
89% of individuals said itincreased productivity allowing them to focus on enhancing the quality of the output, focusing on higher-priority tasks, and reducing stress/workload.
90% said itsaved them time per week
Majority saying it saved between 1 to 3 and 3 to 5 hours per week.
7% said it saved them 10 plus hours a week
82%said it improved their overall academic and/or work experience
92% said they would recommend ChatGPT Enterprise/EDU to others at UNO
In round 2, we had 90 RFP submissions come in with over 950 licenses requested! With more participants in the second round, we are looking to build on round 1 and explore more ways in which AI can be beneficial to use at UNO. Look for more blog posts that tell this story, and the story of AI @ UNO, coming this spring on our AI Learning Lab website!
Interested in trying ChatGPT Enterprise/EDU out for yourself? It’s not too late! Apply on our Open AI Challenge Website to claim one of the remaining licenses, or reach out to Cassie Mallette at cassiemallette@unomaha.edu with questions.
Note: we do not have enough licenses available for classes, only for individuals or small groups.
Automatically Having Zoom Cloud Recordings Copied to YuJa
Did you know you can import Zoom cloud recordings directly into your YuJa account? You can even set things up to automagically import them to YuJa after every cloud recording you make. Check out this knowledge base article to see how.
Managing Access to your Course
Ever wonder if there is more to control access to your course besides publishing it? Take a look at this short video that goes over how Term and Course dates affect student access to your Canvas course.
Weitz Excellence in Innovation Fund Recipient
The Competencies, Skills, and Workforce Development Hub is honored to have been named an inaugural recipient of the Weitz Excellence in Innovation Fund! These funds are supporting the critical work dedicated to competencies, skills, and workforce development initiatives across UNO. Read more about the Weitz Funds here.
CBE @ UNO: The UNO+CBE Champion Project is Underway!
The UNO+CBE Champion Workgroups officially kicked off on January 31st, bringing together faculty and staff from across the university. Stay tuned for updates as our champions move forward!
Skills Lab @ UNO
The Skills Lab is in an exploratory phase where we are focused on gathering input across campus on skills that are already being integrated and verified in courses, groups that are interested in doing so, and information from workforce partners on the skills that they want our students to have.
For more information on the CSW Hub or if you’re interested in joining any of our exciting initiatives, please reach out to Erin Bass or Stephanie Larsen.
Spring Digital Accessibility Workshop Series
This semester, the Digital Learning team is excited to present our Digital Accessibility Workshop Series—an engaging opportunity to build practical skills and deepen your understanding of accessibility best practices. Designed to empower instructors, this series offers a blend of tutorial-based workshops and interactive practice to help you create more inclusive and accessible digital course content.
All workshops will take place on Wednesdays from 2:00-3:00pm on Zoom. Participants who attend at least 5 of the 7 workshops will earn a Digital Accessibility Workshop Badge, acknowledging your commitment to fostering an accessible learning environment.
Why join us? Whether you’re new to digital accessibility or looking to refine your existing skills, this series will equip you with actionable strategies to make a meaningful impact in your courses. By participating, you’ll gain the confidence and tools needed to advocate for accessibility and support all learners.
Let’s work together to create an inclusive digital learning experience for all students. Join us to learn, practice, and lead in the effort to champion digital accessibility!
Digital Accessibility Workshop Series Schedule:
Introduction to Digital Accessibility: Wednesday, Feb 5th 2:00-3:00 pm
Microsoft Word Accessibility: Wednesday, Feb 19th 2:00-3:00 pm
Canvas Accessibility: Wednesday, March 5th 2:00-3:00 pm
PowerPoint Accessibility: Wednesday, March 26th 2:00-3:00 pm
Accessible Audio and Video: Wednesday, April 9th 2:00-3:00 pm
PDF Accessibility: Wednesday, April 23rd 2:00-3:00 pm
Universal Design for Learning: Wednesday, May 7th 2:00-3:00 pm
What's New in Canvas: How to Leverage the Latest Features
Thursday, February 6, 12–1:00 p.m.
Join us to explore the latest updates in Canvas in this interactive workshop. We’ll dive into new features and enhancements designed to improve both teaching and learning experiences. Gain hands-on experience with tools that support creative assessments, efficient grading, and improved collaboration, ensuring you’re equipped to maximize Canvas’s potential. Whether you’re teaching online, in-person, or hybrid, these updates will help you create a more impactful classroom experience.
The AI Educator’s Toolkit: Exploring GPTs in the Classroom
Thursday, February 13, 12–1:00 p.m.
Ready to take your class to the next level? Through our partnership with Open AI, faculty can create custom GPTs tailored to their unique classroom needs. In this workshop, we’ll explore what GPTs are, share a variety of GPTs you could utilize in your courses, and discuss effective strategies to build your own. Walk away inspired and equipped to design AI experiences that enhance student learning experiences.
GPTs for Work: Transforming Productivity and Collaboration
Monday, February 17, 1–2:00 p.m.
What if you could create the ultimate teammate? Through our partnership with Open AI, participants can create GPTs tailored to their work, communication styles, and more. Join us for a workshop where we’ll discuss GPTs as the ultimate collaborator, explore a variety of GPTs for enhanced productivity, and share effective strategies for creating your own GPT. You’ll leave this workshop equipped with practical ideas and strategies to transform the way you work!
Enhancing Learning for All Types of Learners with Canva
Wednesday, February 26, 10–11:00 a.m.
In this workshop, we’ll explore how Canva can be a powerful tool to support students with diverse learning needs. Whether it’s creating visual schedules, personalized communication boards, or sensory-friendly materials, Canva offers flexibility and creativity. By the end of this session, you will be equipped to create personalized, accessible resources that cater to the unique needs of your students. Let’s harness Canva’s versatility to empower every learner!
This faculty professional development course helps instructors learn how to improve the accessibility of their Canvas site for many types of content and tools. This course helps participants understand the most important criteria for creating an accessible Canvas course, why each step matters, and how to test your efforts. Why is creating accessible Canvas sites critical? What areas should I consider when it comes to Canvas accessibility? What steps should I take to make my Canvas course accessible? How do I test if my Canvas site is accessible? In this course, you learn answers to all these questions—and more.
This six-week asynchronous course is offered online using the Canvas LMS. The course has a rolling start date but is not self-paced, and you should plan to spend about 3–5 hours per week on it. Participants receive a $300 stipend for successfully completing all discussions and assignments.
ILCI offers resources and faculty development courses to help you incorporate Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) into your teaching. This support is designed to create highly engaging and well-connected online and hybrid courses.
ILCI offers marketing and communications support for your online degrees and programs! This service will offer support in strategizing and designing your marketing and communications needs. You can receive this support by submitting the Marketing and Communications Project Request Form.
UNO’s first annual AI Summit will be held on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. at the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center (CEC). The Summit will highlight the AI-driven work happening at UNO and in the workforce, in addition to student-specific sessions designed for learning and building basic AI skills. The AI Summit is open to all faculty, staff, students, and community members!
Future of Work Symposium
The 2025 Future of Work Symposium will be held this fall. More details coming soon!
Advancing Excellence in Online Teaching Badge
ILCI's Digital Learning team offers a non-credit Advancing Excellence in Online Teaching Program that is designed to prepare you for online instruction or advance your skills if you are a seasoned instructor.
Choose from a series of offerings designed to strengthen your digital learning skills as you learn effective pedagogical practices. Earning the program badge requires the completion of one core course and three electives led by the UNO Digital Learning team. Electives can be selected by participants based on their interests and needs. Get started today and join the 48 people who have already earned this impressive badge!
Course Development Grant Opportunity
The Office of Digital Learning awards grants for faculty to develop or improve the online delivery of one of their courses; these due dates are now rolling, meaning you can apply for a course development grant at any point during the year. Learn more and apply for a grant on our ILCI Course Development Webpage.
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