Center for Teaching and Learning
Faculty Additional Resources
In today's evolving educational landscape, faculty are empowered with a wealth of additional resources to proactively redesign their courses and foster truly engaging student experiences. The commitment to facilitating high-quality online courses infused with best practices, clearly defined learning outcomes, and robust opportunities for active learning, is paramount. This proactive approach moves beyond simply transposing traditional content online, instead focusing on pedagogical strategies that harness the unique affordances of the digital environment. By leveraging these resources, faculty can craft learning journeys that not only deliver knowledge but also inspire critical thinking, collaboration, and ownership of learning, ultimately leading to deeper student engagement and demonstrable success.
Faculty Orientation and Guidebook
GovState provides onboarding materials to ensure a smooth transition for all new faculty members. These resources serve as a central hub for essential information, designed to equip faculty members with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate their academic responsibilities from day one. These resources provide instructions on operational procedures, including a detailed walkthrough on how to successfully log into Blackboard, our primary learning management system. Moreover, the guidebook offers guidance on accessing vital personal and professional information through the myGSU portal, detailing how to locate and utilize the Faculty Information section. This includes information related to your course schedules, student rosters, payroll, benefits, and other key administrative details, ensuring you have easy access to the resources you need to focus on teaching and research.
GovState provides onboarding materials to ensure a smooth transition for all new faculty members. These resources serve as a central hub for essential information, designed to equip faculty members with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate their academic responsibilities from day one. These resources provide instructions on operational procedures, including a detailed walkthrough on how to successfully log into Blackboard, our primary learning management system. Moreover, the guidebook offers guidance on accessing vital personal and professional information through the myGSU portal, detailing how to locate and utilize the Faculty Information section. This includes information related to your course schedules, student rosters, payroll, benefits, and other key administrative details, ensuring you have easy access to the resources you need to focus on teaching and research.
Open the Faculty Resource Guide to learn more.
Instructions for Faculty Information in Online Services
Learn How To:
- Log in to the Portal
- Access Your Class Schedule
- View Your Class Roster and Student Profiles
- Enter Grades
Open the Faculty Guidebook to the MyGSU Portal Online Services to learn more.
Additional Technology Tools
While the GovState CTL focuses on supporting Blackboard Learn and integrated tools, a vibrant ecosystem of additional technology exists to further enrich your online courses. These tools, though not directly managed or supported by the CTL, offer powerful functionalities for engagement, assessment, collaboration, and content creation. Many of them are available on a freemium model, allowing you to explore and integrate their capabilities without immediate financial commitment. Embracing these external resources can be a strategic way to add innovative elements to your teaching, cater to diverse learning styles, and keep your online courses dynamic and effective.
This tool allows instructors to send announcements (via SMS text message) to students and to create and send individual class reminders, files, and links to sites. The free version/subscription allows instructors to create up to 10 classes. Remind is a great way to activate engagement across the learning community.
Open the Remind website to learn more.
This tool allows instructors to create interactive presentations and meetings and to use live polls, quizzes, and word clouds to engage your audience. Mentimeter may be used as a great enhancement for synchronous sessions.
Open the Mentimeter website to learn more.
This tool allows users to create custom and expressive avatars. Instructors can create a landing page for their classroom and build an online community. Bitmoji does require an account and a Chrome extension.
Open the Bitmoji website to learn more.
This tool allows users to create a collaborative video environment and to customize interactions with text, audio, and video. Instructors may create a class group that students can create an account to join, and multiple topics can be created. Unfortunately, this discussion tool does not sync with the Blackboard gradebook; however, columns can be manually created for grading.
Open the Flipgrid website to learn more.
Technology can be very helpful for students who require a more visual or hands‑on approach to learning. There are many free resources available to assist struggling learners.
- Text/Literacy:
Kurzweil Read the Web - Chrome Extension webpage
Microsoft Learning Tools webpage - Within Office 365
VoiceDream Reader webpage - Writing Assistance:
Dragon Naturally Speaking webpage - Microsoft Word:
Dictate within Office 365 webpage - Google Doc:
Google Doc Voice Typing webpage - Notetaking:
AudioNote webpage
Evernote webpage - Organization/Task Management:
Any.do webpage - Time Management:
Cold Turkey webpage
Just Focus (Chrome ext.) webpage
This tool can be used to place “hot spot” labels and definitions on any image. ThingLink creates an interactive webpage that can be shared as an assignment submission. It is great for diagrams and maps!
Open the ThingLink website to learn more.
This tool can be used to create a test bank for importing into Blackboard. Common question types include multiple choice and true/false, among others. Great for creating quick quizzes or long exams!
Open the Blackboard Test Question Generator website to learn more.
Faculty Community
The Faculty Community serves as a hub of resources for educators dedicated to fostering student success, both within the dynamic landscape of online learning and the traditional classroom setting. Members actively engage in discussions, workshops, and resource exchanges, pooling their collective expertise to identify and implement strategies that enhance student engagement, comprehension, and overall academic achievement. From cutting-edge digital tools and engaging virtual activities to proven in-person teaching methodologies, these resources are continuously refined to ensure students are well-equipped to excel in their academic journeys, regardless of the learning modality.
AAC&U serves as a catalyst and facilitator for innovations that improve educational quality and equity and support the success of all students.
Please visit the American Association of Colleges and Universities website for more information.
AASCU is a collective voice of 350 state colleges, universities, and systems united by their shared commitment to making affordable, high‑quality education available to students of all backgrounds, races, and ethnicities.
View the Eliminating Barriers to Postsecondary Education podcast.
Please visit the American Association of State Colleges and Universities website for more information.
AAUW has advocated for women and girls since 1881 and will continue to do so into the future.
Please visit the American Association of University Women website for more information.
This community focuses on sharing teaching and learning best practices, useful techniques, helpful resources for student engagement, and more.
Please visit the Blackboard + Anthology website for more information.
Faculty Focus provides higher‑education teaching strategies for the online and college classrooms.
Please visit the Faculty Focus website for more information.
The Illinois Online Network (ION) is a faculty development initiative that provides professional development opportunities in the area of online teaching and learning to faculty and staff from higher education institutions in Illinois and beyond.
Please visit the Illinois Online Network website for more information.
JOLT is an online publication that promotes scholarship with quality online resources to improve learning and teaching in higher education.
Please visit the Journal of Online Learning and Teaching website for more information.
Open Educational Resources
Open Educational Resources (OER) represent a transformative approach to knowledge dissemination and access within the educational landscape. At their core, these resources are intentionally created and made available under open licenses, which fundamentally grants users the freedom to engage with them without financial barriers. This "at no cost to the end user" principle democratizes learning, making high-quality educational materials accessible to a wider audience, regardless of their economic standing or geographical location. Moreover, the power of OER lies not just in their free availability, but in the attendant rights they confer: users are empowered to "own" these resources in the sense of retaining and reusing them, to "share" them freely with others, and most importantly, to "make edits" and adapt them to their specific needs and contexts. This flexibility fosters a dynamic and evolving ecosystem of learning, where content can be continuously improved, localized, and tailored for diverse pedagogical approaches.
An online platform that offers free and low-cost college-level courses from top universities and institutions around the world.
Please visit the Coursera website for more information.
A digital library of open educational resources, including textbooks, videos, and interactive simulations for a wide range of subjects and grade levels.
Please visit the OER website for more information.
A nonprofit organization that provides free, peer-reviewed textbooks for college and high school courses.
Please visit the OpenStax website for more information.
A collection of online resources, including video lessons and practice exercises, that covers a wide range of subjects.
Please visit the Khan Academy website for more information.
A collection of online materials, including course syllabi, assignments, and lecture notes, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Please visit the MIT OpenCourseWare website for more information.
Campus Resources
Navigating the university landscape can be a rewarding experience, and at Governors State University, a wealth of resources is at your fingertips to support your academic journey. Becoming familiar with these offerings is a crucial step toward maximizing your success. The Writing Center, for instance, provides invaluable assistance with all stages of the writing process, from brainstorming and outlining to revising and polishing your essays. Likewise, the CUBE provides a welcoming space for students to focus on their academic pursuits, whether it's completing assignments, managing their email correspondence, or engaging in essential internet research. Furthermore, the Library is far more than just a place to borrow books; it's a comprehensive resource for research, offering access to an extensive collection of databases, journals, and knowledgeable librarians who can guide you through complex information‑seeking tasks. Beyond these highlighted examples, GovState offers a diverse array of other support services, including academic advising, career services, and student counseling, all designed to empower you as you pursue your educational goals. Taking the time to explore and utilize these campus resources will undoubtedly enhance your learning experience and contribute to a more fulfilling and productive time at Governors State University.
The CUBE is located on the second floor, off the main entrance elevator. Students may use this lab to complete assignments, check email, or browse the internet. Employees and student workers are available to assist them with technical issues.
For more information, please visit the CUBE's webpage.
Governors State University provides first-level support for username and password issues (even for Blackboard), the myGSU portal, and the GSU Office 365 email. For more information, please visit the Helpdesk's webpage.
Access Library Catalogs, Journals, Databases, and a scholarly repository and receive research assistance from a librarian.
- Additional Resources:
GCF LearnFree – Self-paced tutorials on tech basics, Microsoft Office, and more! Really well done and easy to understand. - Digital Skillup – Lots of free, self-paced courses on topics including VR, AI, and robotics; many available in languages other than English
- Digital Travelors – Self-paced courses, users have to create an account
- ConnectSafely – Online security/privacy/content info on a variety of topics; includes guides for parents and seniors
For more information, please visit the Library's webpage.
Register for courses, gain access to transcripts, receive information on commencement, and update your personal information. For more information, please visit the Registrar's webpage.
Schedule a one‑on‑one appointment with a writing consultant, view resources on how to write a paper, access resources for documentation styles, and send papers for revision suggestions. For more information, please view the Writing Center's webpage.
If you would like more information on setting up proctored exams for students, information about student make-up exams, or Testing Center information and policies, please view the GovState Testing Center webpage.
Purchase required textbooks, e‑books, school supplies, software, and other items. For more information, please view the Bookstore's webpage.
What is Jaguar Circle:
Governors State has partnered with InScribe to create a new online space available to all General Studies students. This space will allow students to share knowledge, establish connections, and find answers to questions.
How will Jaguar Circle be Accessed:
Jaguar Circle will be in select courses in Blackboard. Students will click the linkInScribe Community, on the left side of the navigation.
Students are provisioned to the community through the LTI launch (going through Blackboard) or by signing in using their GovState username and password (Single Sign On).
Purpose of Jaguar Circle:
Jaguar Circle is an optional space for students to use to connect to information and each other. Jaguar Circle is not graded or mandatory to use.
Why Jaguar Circle and InScribe:
Communication is key, and we are using this community as a place to open up additional pathways for students to find practical solutions, answers, and to connect with each other. Research has proven that students who participate in this type of space experience greater feelings of belonging and have improved outcomes.
Moderation of Jaguar Circle:
Student Success Coaches and a few staff members will help monitor the space to ensure it is a safe, inclusive environment. This space is meant for students to connect and help each other.
Contact Us
- Center for Teaching and Learning
- Governors State University - C Building
- 708-534-4115
- blackboard@govst.edu