With the fall semester well underway, we’re excited to share the latest Digital Learning resources and opportunities. In this newsletter, you'll find an exciting announcement about competency-based education, an opportunity to participate in the second round of the Open AI Challenge, and information on our November workshops and upcoming professional development opportunities.
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.
UNO is pleased to announce that the second Request for Proposal (RFP) portion of the Open AI Challenge is now open.
In round 1, we have seen a lot of innovative use cases and benefits across campus, especially in the areas of teaching and learning and operational efficiency. Examples include language learning, teaching students responsible and ethical use of generative AI in the writing and speech process, GPTs for tutoring, Q&A opportunities, and generating new ideas, among others.
Join us for round 2, where we will continue to seek projects that complement our goals of using AI to accelerate business operations, differentiate the academic environment at UNO, and explore use cases for broad campus-wide impact.
New and current participants will need to submit an RFP for the opportunity to receive (or retain) one of UNO’s 1000 ChatGPT Enterprise licenses. Applications will be accepted through December 1st! For more information about submitting the RFP or Open AI Challenge, check out the Open AI Challenge Website.
AI Jumpstart Micro Course: Learning & Exploring with Generative AI
New to AI and wanting to dip your feet in? Sign to take the AI Jumpstart Micro Course. This micro course will take 3 to 5 hours, and is designed to help you learn about generative AI. In this micro course, you'll learn a bit about what generative AI is, how it differs from other types of AI, and tips on how to become a good prompt engineer. You'll end the course exploring how you can use different types of generative AI (music, text, image, etc.) and sharing about your experience!
Note: This course is module 1 of the six-week professional development course the AI Advantage
New Competencies, Skills, and Workforce Development Hub
The Division of Learning-Centric Initiatives (ILCI) has launched a dedicated hub to develop UNO’s competency-based education (CBE) infrastructure. This hub will lead initiatives, including collaborations with Omaha organizations, to align UNO’s Skills Lab with in-demand workforce skills. Dr. Erin Bass will begin her role as the inaugural Executive Director of this unit in January. Stephanie Larsen is serving as the Associate Director of Competencies, Skills, and Workforce Development.
ILCI's Competencies, Skills, and Workforce Development Hub is honored to be named an inaugural recipient of the Weitz Excellence in Innovation Fund! Additionally, the hub is pursuing formal designation as a “Center” through the NU Board of Regents. Read more here.
UNO + CBE Champion Project: Structure and Scope
The UNO + CBE Champion Project, a comprehensive 18-24 month initiative, launches on November 22nd from 1-3 pm CST. This project is structured to ensure effective decision-making and implementation, with a Steering Committee and five workgroups, each addressing a key “thematic” area:
Steering Committee: The highest decision-making body providing overarching leadership and guidance. This committee includes UNO senior leaders from across the institution.
Workgroups: Standing groups meet biweekly to research, discuss, and propose recommendations. Each workgroup focuses on a specific area:
Academic: Focuses on learning models, faculty policies, and regulatory compliance.
Operations: Manages logistics like financial aid, academic calendar, and registration processes.
Student Affairs/Services: Supports roles such as mentoring, campus services, and community partnerships.
Marketing & Communications: Develops messaging, public relations, and employer engagement strategies.
Finance & HR: Defines the business model, staffing, and financial strategies.
Each workgroup will be led by a UNO director-level leader and will work closely with CBEN consultant, Dr. Ryan Specht-Boardman, who will provide goal-setting guidance, live counsel, and periodic training sessions.
Multiple Due Dates in Discussions – Coming Soon!
On November 16, an update to Canvas will enable “Discussion Checkpoints”, a feature that will let you set due dates and grade differentiation between initial posts and replies in discussions. Take a look at the Sneak Peak Video to learn more!
Lucidchart
Did you know that the Lucid for Education suite is integrated right into Canvas, and free for you and your students to use? Read more about Lucid for Education and/or sign up for a webinar to learn how it can seamlessly integrate into your Canvas course.
Regular and Substantive Interaction Support
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 faculty now have access to Perusall. A new tool that makes reading assignments and course materials more interactive and engaging. To learn about this new tool and all it offers, join us for a workshop, "Introduction to Perusall: Engage, Learn, and Collaborate in New Ways", where a member of the Perusall team will give you insider insights on how to make the most of this new tool!
This session is on November 7th at 10am, and will cover the following:
Explore real-world case studies and hands-on exercises to experience Perusall’s power.
Learn how to track student participation and understanding in new and insightful ways.
Building Community: Strategies for Your Online Learning Environment
Wednesday, November 6, 1–2:00 p.m.
In Part 2 of our workshop series on Competency-Based Education (CBE), faculty co-presenters, in collaboration with Digital Learning, will guide participants in designing authentic assessments that connect classroom learning with the workforce skills most sought after by employers. Join us to reshape your approach to competency-based education and empower students for success beyond the classroom.
AI-Powered Teaching: Preparing Students for the AI-Driven Future with Real-World Applications
Thurday, November 14, 10–11:00 a.m.
In today’s job market, employers are looking to hire professionals who have AI skills to drive innovation and growth. But what are those skills, and how can we help build our students’ AI tool kit? Join us for a workshop that examines real-world applications of AI, and practical strategies for integrating AI into UNO courses and curriculum. Walk away from this workshop with strategies that will help students develop the skills employers are looking for and prepare them for an AI workforce.
Boost Efficiency, Enhance Feedback: A Hands-On Introduction to Grading Paper Assessments in Gradescope
Friday, November 22, 1–2:00 p.m.
Join us for a hands-on introduction to grading paper assessments in Gradescope. In this interactive session, You'll learn how to upload and organize your paper assessments, use Gradescope's grading tools to efficiently evaluate student work, and provide detailed, personalized feedback to students. Whether you're new to Gradescope or looking to optimize your workflow, this hands-on introduction is designed to help you get the most out of this powerful tool.
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.
Know someone who might be interested in this content? Feel free to forward this newsletter and encourage them to subscribe. Missed out on our previous newsletters, you can check them out on our ILCI website page.
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University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182, United States, 402.554.2800
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