Instructional Technologies

The Instructional Design Center supports integration of technology into teaching and learning. The following instructional technologies are available for your use at Ramapo:

• Moodle (learning management system)
• Turnitin (plagiarism check, online grading with customizable drag and drop comments, rubrics, and peer review of papers)
• Qualtrics (online surveys)
• E-portfolio
• Adobe Connect (web conferencing)
• TechSmith Relay (lecture capture and screen recordings)
• G Suite Apps (Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Drawings, Drive, Sites, Calendar, Maps)
• Web 2.0
• Web Self-Service (view class lists, teaching schedules, submit grades and more)

Training opportunities are available both online and as workshops offered on campus. Faculty and staff can stop by the Instructional Design Center any time for individual assistance. For more information read below:

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Moodle

Login: http://moodle.ramapo.edu

Moodle is an Open Source Course Management System (CMS), similar to WebCT, that has become very popular among educators around the world as a tool for creating online dynamic websites for their students. Its focus is on giving educators multiple tools to manage and promote learning, but there are many ways to use Moodle:

• It can be used as a platform to organize and conduct fully online courses, while some use it simply to augment face-to-face courses (known as blended learning).
• Users have a choice of many activity modules (such as Forums/Discussion, Wikis, Databases and so on) to build richly collaborative communities of learning around their subject matter (in the social constructionist tradition). Other tools allow the delivery of content to students and assess learning using assignments or quizzes.

To find out more about using Moodle, contact the Instructional Design Center.  Provide your name, Ramapo e-mail, course name, course number and section for all courses using Moodle.

Moodle Tutorials

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Turnitin

Turn-it-in is an online program that contains three components targeted toward improving student writing: OriginalityCheck, PeerMark and GradeMark. These Turnitin components have been redesigned into a new interface called “Feedback Studio” which contains the same functionality. Note: The Classic Turnitin was retired on August 1, 2017, and was fully replaced by Feedback Studio.

Turnitin features:

• Check the originality of student papers. Use in the context of partnering with students to avoid “cut and paste” plagiarism. Assignments are checked against the Internet and the Turnitin database of papers.
• A paperless grading system to ease the grading of papers. Turnitin simplifies the online grading of papers for the instructor with drag-and-drop grading comments for commonly used writing issues, as well as customizable comments and audio comments. Another feature of Turnitin is the ability for the instructor to create, customize and share rubrics to be used in the grading process.
• Turnitin’s PeerMark allows anonymous peer review of papers, to engage students in the writing process. The instructor can create criteria for student review. Multiple options are available to match papers for review, to students for feedback.

Turnitin is available to all instructors at Ramapo College and, if you choose, to your students as well. Turnitin is most easily used when integrated through Moodle. However, it can be used as a stand-alone application for those not using Moodle. Without Moodle you need to set up a Turnitin account — login to My Ramapo/Luminis, go to the Tech Connect tab, and information is available under the Instructional Design Center channel. Download the Turnitin app for iPad to provide feedback on student assignments.

Turnitin Guides and Tutorials

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Qualtrics Online Survey

Login: http://ramapo.qualtrics.com

Qualtrics is an online survey tool that allows you to create, edit, distribute and view surveys or polls. Once you login, you have access to help and video tutorials. Qualtrics allows you to create your own survey, but also contains libraries of entire surveys, as well as individual questions, messages, and graphics. Survey data can be downloaded to SPSS, CSV, XML, HTML; and reports can be exported to PDF, Excel 2007, Word 2007 or PowerPoint 2007.

To create a Qualtrics account, faculty/staff should contact the Trish Williams in the Instructional Design Center to get the access code. Once you create your account and login, click on “Help” to visit Qualtrics University to get started with online training for the survey platform.

Be sure to review Ramapo’s Campus Survey Development and Implementation Policy and Procedure for all surveys administered to the College community.

Review Ramapo’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) for research involving human subjects.

Qualtrics Training (On-Demand Webinars include Quick Start with Qualtrics, Advanced Survey Building, and Reporting Your Insights)

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E-portfolio

E-portfolios are a valuable tool for student assessment — promoting active learning by allowing students to develop their individual portfolios, while reflecting on and assessing their work. E-portfolio supports multimedia and can include text, links, images, video, audio, and other files. Additionally, e-portfolios can be shared beyond the classroom, to help with the job search process or other goals. More than one e-porftolio site can be developed on a user’s account, to support different needs.

Wix.com and Weebly.com are both web site builders that can be used for e-portfolios. Both are free, web-based applications that allow students to easily build an e-portfolio(s) without needing any Web design skills. All you need is the free version, although both offer upgrades to premium paid plans, (simply ignore any prompt to upgrade.) Both use drag and drop to add elements to the template pages to build a Website. The free templates provided give sites a professional design, so the focus is on site content. Students can maintain their site after they graduate.

Google Sites can also be used for e-portfolio if the wish is to share the site with your instructor or others with a Ramapo Gmail account. Google Sites cannot be made public. No separate account setup would be needed for Sites. See more on Google Sites below under G Suite.

Note: Some academic programs may use a different portfolio tool, such as Teacher Education.

Wix vs. Weebly Review

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Adobe Connect

Login: http://rcnj.adobeconnect.com

Adobe Connect is a web conferencing solution that can be used for online learning, webinars and web meetings. Connect with others in a virtual room that provides video and audio conferencing (webcam and headset required,) as well as other tools for live, interactive sessions. Adobe Connect can personalize and enhance online and hybrid courses, allowing people to meet online from remote locations. Hosts and presenters can share presentations and other files, annotate on a whiteboard, or share their computer screen with participants. Engage participants using text chat for dialogue, or polling to receive immediate feedback. Meeting hosts can allow participants to  become presenters, if desired. Hosts can customize and control meeting room layouts. Connect supports breakout rooms for small group discussion. Sessions can be recorded and shared with participants.

Meeting hosts require an account to create and control meeting rooms, and invite participants. Training and practice is highly recommended prior to live sessions for new users. Participants/students do NOT need an account, they only need a invitation with the link to the meeting room. Meeting hosts (faculty/staff) should request an account by contacting Ray Fallon or Trish Williams.

More information on Adobe Connect

Adobe Connect Tutorials and Training

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TechSmith Relay

TechSmith Relay is an application that allows you to easily record and share videos that capture your computer screen, and/or your webcam and audio narration, depending on your needs. Relay is great for recording lectures, presentations or meetings, and the simplicity of this tool makes it easy to use.  Simply launch the application and give your recording a title and description, hit record and begin your presentation or lecture. When you are finished stop recording, and your video can be uploaded/published to a Ramapo server with the click of a button. You will receive an automated e-mail with the link to your finished recording once it is published, so you can share your videos.

TechSmith Relay application is currently installed in most classroom teacher’s stations. You can request that Relay be installed on your office computer or additional classroom teacher’s station.  You will be given a Relay user name and password which is used to publish your Relay recordings.  Please contact the Help Desk for all requests at 201-684-7777. Recommendations for the best quality audio recordings are to use either an audio headset (for non-classroom setting,) or a USB speakerphone for classroom setting (requested through Academic Media Services).

More information on TechSmith Relay

TechSmith Relay Tutorials

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G Suite @ Ramapo

Ramapo provides access to G Suite for Education, allowing you to login with your Ramapo e-mail user name and password. G Suite Apps are built around collaboration and can be used in several ways. Sharing and collaboration is limited to those with Ramapo Gmail accounts (faculty, staff, students). There is no software to install on your computer, everything is online “in the cloud.” The following apps are currently available:

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Gmail

Login: http://gmail.ramapo.edu

Access your Ramapo email account though the gmail, available to students, faculty and staff. Gmail includes spam protection and powerful search, among other features. Access your contacts (including the Ramapo directory), calendar tasks, and chat. Download the free app for your smartphone or tablet.

Gmail Help

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Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Drawings

Login: http://docs.ramapo.edu

Google provides is a suite of web-based tools, similar to Microsoft Office, which includes:

• text documents (Google docs)
• spreadsheets (Google sheets)
• presentations (Google slides)
• forms (Google forms)
• drawing tool (Google drawings)

You can upload and convert existing documents for editing, or create new documents. You can easily view, edit and share documents with others. These are ideal for collaborating with colleagues (e.g. units, schools, committees), or for collaborative projects within your courses, as well as other uses. Multiple people can work at the same time on the same document, eliminating multiple versions of files. Google Documents are stored on your Google Drive. Google Docs now supports voice dictation. Download the free app for your smartphone or tablet.

Google Docs Help

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Google Drive

Login: http://docs.ramapo.edu

Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms and Drawings are automatically saved on your Google Drive.  Google Drive also allows you to store other files to your drive, so you can access them from any device. Upload and store over 30 different file types including PDF, Word, Excel, Photoshop and more. You can easily share individual files, or entire folders. Note: you can only share your google docs with other Ramapo Google accounts, faculty, staff, students and retirees. Download the free app for your smartphone or tablet.

Google Drive Help

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Google Sites

Login: http://sites.ramapo.edu

Google sites is a type of website called a wiki. Google sites allows you to create your own Website without requiring any knowledge of HTML or FTP. A simple edit and save button makes adding content easy. Google sites can be used individually or collaboratively to develop and edit sites with ease. You can insert text, pictures, and videos and customize your site. Google Sites can be made viewable only to the Ramapo community, or only to people you specify (cannot be made public).

Google Sites Help

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Google Calendar

Login: http://cal.ramapo.edu

Google calendar is a web-based calendar to manage your events and tasks. Calendars and notifications can by synced with mobile devices or e-mail clients. Calendars can be private, public, shared with the Ramapo community, or shared only select individuals for collaboration. Download the free app for your smartphone or tablet.

Google Calendar Help