Creating Constellations of Meaningful Relationships

When I was in college, one of the RAs would host a weekly watch party for one of her favorite shows, The West Wing. Most of us did not have TVs, so anyone in the dorm or anywhere on campus who heard about it and wanted to go was invited. With her RA funds, she provided … Continue reading Creating Constellations of Meaningful Relationships

Blackboard Learn Ultra Launch with rocket heading upward

Blackboard Ultra Courses Increase Student Activity and Student Engagement at USC Upstate

Beginning with Fall 2024, new courses in the University of South Carolina Learning Management System (LMS) will be created in Blackboard Learn Ultra Course View. Based on a comparison of student activity in Ultra v. Original courses, this change has the potential to improve student engagement, increase student activity, and lead to greater student success. … Continue reading Blackboard Ultra Courses Increase Student Activity and Student Engagement at USC Upstate

Dynamic Duo: Using Blackboard Ultra Gradebook and Starfish Together

Image by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash As the semester kicks off, we’re met with an opportunity to consider the relationship between our gradebook and the Starfish early alert system. Fall of 2016 was the first time I used Blackboard Original to monitor and record students’ grades. I met with Blackboard support several times to get step-by-step guidance … Continue reading Dynamic Duo: Using Blackboard Ultra Gradebook and Starfish Together

College is Just the Place for Transformative Experiences

Transformative Experiences are one of the pillars of USC Upstate's Inclusive Pedagogy Framework - and for good reason. Attending college, like other big moments of transition in our lives, is full of exciting and nerve-racking opportunities for learners everywhere to give an emphatic or shaky yes! to the newness of people, places, and ideas. But … Continue reading College is Just the Place for Transformative Experiences

Blackboard Learn Ultra Launch with rocket heading upward

USC Upstate Blackboard Day 2024: Preparing for Transition to Blackboard Learn Ultra Courses

Join us for our 5th Annual Blackboard Day in the CLC Ballroom, by accessing Collaborate in the CAIFS PD Course, or by using the links below! Register Now 9 am to 9:30 am Welcome and Blackboard Learn Ultra Transition Updates Join Celena Kusch to hear about the latest updates in the Blackboard Learn Ultra Transition … Continue reading USC Upstate Blackboard Day 2024: Preparing for Transition to Blackboard Learn Ultra Courses

Faculty Spotlight: Colby King

By fall semester, Forbes, Reddit, the NYT, and Berkeley Engineering were among the legions describing 2023 as the soft launch of the “the AI revolution”.  CAIFS (Center for Academic Innovation and Faculty Support) also anticipated the permanence of AI and kicked-off the fall semester with faculty guidance and discussion on the emerging multitudes of AI … Continue reading Faculty Spotlight: Colby King