1. Integrating online course packages into your on-campus or online classroom Presented by Tom Braziunas & Carol Howe (adapted from a workshop by Sandy Weber of Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wisconsin at this years League for Innovation Conference)

2. 2 What are e-Packs and Course Cartridges? Publishers produce packages of online course materials in formats compatible with a WebCT or Blackboard website. Blackboard uses the term Course Cartridge while WebCT uses e-Pack for the same type of package. More and more publishers are now making e- Packs available free to your students as long as you are using their textbooks. If your publisher requires a student access code for a particular (media-rich) e-Pack, these codes cost an additional $15-$20 and students purchase them in the bookstore.

3. 3 What is in a typical e-Pack? Ready-made course content tied to the course textbook such as: Chapter outlines & summaries Copies of pertinent diagrams and images Power point presentations that match the content of the textbook you have adopted Extra learning modules and website resources to explain content from different angles Discussion questions related to the topic you are covering in class Spelling & vocabulary tips

4. 4 e-Packs include interactive tools Pre-made self-tests, quizzes, flash cards, interactive games and/or exams that: you can edit and customize to fit your needs your students can take online and receive instant feedback you can choose to have automatically graded you can seamlessly integrate into your other assessment tools, grade book and course structure (whether on-campus or online).

5. 5 What are some benefits of e-Packs? (especially for on-campus courses) Less textbook-related prep for your course: You can use e-Packs in an on-campus class to project and/or share your customized text materials to the class via a supplemental course website You can incorporate e-Packs components into power points or other modes of presentation e-Pack content is typically updated by the publisher when new textbook editions are released.

6. 6 What are some benefits of e-Packs? (especially for online courses) PRO: Any of the e-Pack materials can be edited, hidden or removed so your online students only see and use what you need them to see and use. PRO: The e-Pack materials can be seamlessly integrated into your own online course components including content lessons, discussion rooms, assignments and grading. PRO: The NSCC Distance Learning Office will work with instructors (teaching on-campus, online or hybrid courses) to customize these e- Packs in the ways described above.

7. 7 What are some downsides of e-Packs? CON: You are tied into a specific publisher and will need to redesign your online materials if you change textbooks. CON: Students may need to pay extra for access. CON: Be aware that the sales folks can be high- pressured and you are likely to be on their (very) regular email list. CON: Sales folks may present themselves as working together with you whereas their primary mission is, of course, selling!

8. 8 An example… An e-Pack integrated into a website addition to an on-campus class: Davene Eyres GENERAL PHYSICS (PHY 101) An on-campus class with an interactive website e-Pack materials have been modified, edited and integrated into Davenes own online resource pages http://lomas.sccd.ctc.edu:9000

9. 9 How to get started Finding e-Packs: http://www.webct.comhttp://www.webct.com Click on WebCT Ready Content Click on Search for ePacks on top of page Search by discipline, title, keyword, etc. OR visit the publishers website which usually has detailed e-Pack info (e.g. http://cms.prenhall.com)http://cms.prenhall.com Once youve determined that an e-Pack is available for your course: Check it out by clicking on View Demo Determine whether students need to pay an access fee by clicking on Product Details Contact the Distance Learning Office to work on the next steps together

10. 10 An Alternative Approach: Picking a textbook because of its e-Pack (instead of picking an e-Pack because of the textbook) Why focus on e-Pack features? You have a choice of several good textbooks so you can weigh their ancillary materials You want specific online activities or information to play a key role in your course (whether it is online, hybrid, or on-campus) How to research & compare e-Packs Visit http://www.webct.com/contenthttp://www.webct.com/content Click on Instructors and Choose the right e-Pack Review the nicely explained list of possible key features eBooks, interactive media, video animations, question databases, critical thinking resources, instructor resources Use the comparison chart of different specific e-Packs to determine which ones have your specific online tools

11. 11 Steps toward getting an e-Pack Select the Adopt Now link and then select the option to download and install the ePack on our own server. Complete the form which asks for the email address of your WebCT system administrator (thats us in the NSCC Distance Learning Office). Go to the publishers website (or contact your textbook rep) for more info and to determine the correct ISBN number for your book order form. If an access code is needed, this is either bundled with a textbook or sold separately in your colleges bookstore. Either way, it needs to be included in the book order for your class textbook.

12. 12 Steps toward using an e-Pack Visit Getting Started with e-Packs at http://www.webct.com/quickstart http://www.webct.com/quickstart Click on Faculty Scroll down to I have just Adopted an e-Pack Select the Getting Started link Choose WebCT 4.0 The information on this webpage will help! We recommend that you start by: Clicking on Important steps to ensure successful e- Pack adoption Printing & reading the one-page guide (PDF format) Using the appropriate link to tune your browser

13. 13 Customizing your e-Pack (and how to get help doing it) Become more familiar with WebCT: Contact the Distance Learning (DL) Office to strategize on the available learning options Utilize NSCCs online WebCT handouts at: http://northonline.sccd.ctc.edu/distance http://northonline.sccd.ctc.edu/distance Sign up for a quarterly TLC workshops Arrange a tutorial with the DL Office Consult WebCTs own online support resources Click on the Ask Dr C link and choose the options for WebCT 4.0 and faculty to get advice and answers from WebCT staff and other faculty users Consult NSCC faculty already using e-Packs

14. 14 Ideas for customizing your e-Pack Format the style of the publisher material to match the rest of your online web site. Reveal only the text materials that appropriately fit with your teaching. Use some of the e-Packs assessment features, incorporating publisher ideas along with your own test questions. Especially use the timed, randomly selected and calculation options to make quizzes work as effective and instructive assessment tools in an online environment Connect online content, lessons and activities to the WebCT discussion room and email systems

15. 15 Contact information Distance Learning Office staff: Tom Braziunas, Carol Howe, Joanne Fall ph # 527-3738 / email distance@sccd.ctc.edudistance@sccd.ctc.edu website http://www.virtualcollege.orghttp://www.virtualcollege.org Teaching & Learning Center staff: Coryl Celene-Martel, Chris Sanders ph # 527-3776 / email ccelenem@sccd.ctc.educcelenem@sccd.ctc.edu website http://northonline.sccd.ctc.edu/tlchttp://northonline.sccd.ctc.edu/tlc Online WebCT support ph # 1-877-855-3238/email publisher.support@webct.compublisher.support@webct.com website http://www.webct.com/content (Click Get Help)http://www.webct.com/content Specific Publisher websites Colleagues e.g. Davene Eyres (email deyres@sccd.ctc.edu)deyres@sccd.ctc.edu Sandy Weber (webers@gtc.edu)webers@gtc.edu