Join us for workshops designed to elevate your teaching strategies and enhance your online learning environment. Hosted by the dedicated staff of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), these sessions will delve into effective pedagogical approaches and provide hands-on guidance on utilizing online learning software.
Recurring sessions
Faculty: CTL @ Nite
Drop in to ask the CTL staff any questions (big or small!) you have regarding course instruction, course development, and Blackboard.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 6:00PM CDT - Every Wednesday beginning late January
Access the CTL @ Nite session
Additonal Sessions:
05/13/2026 | 05/20/2026 | 05/27/2026
Single Sessions
Faculty: Getting Started with Blackboard Ultra: An Introduction for Beginners
GovState will be transitioning to the Ultra version of Blackboard in the near future, and it is essential that we all become familiar with this new platform. This workshop will provide valuable insights into the new interface and tools available in Blackboard Ultra, as well as best practices for a smooth transition. We encourage you to join us in this learning opportunity to ensure that you are well-equipped to navigate the new system effectively.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 10:00AM CDT
Duration: 60 minutes
Access the Getting Started with Blackboard Ultra session
Additional Sessions:
05/06/2026 | 05/12/2026 | 05/14/2026
Faculty: Via Open Session
Now called Student Learning & Licensure (SL&L), this workshop is for instructors new to using Via, or who might need a refresher. Topics include logging in for the first time, how to access student activities, and how to assess student submissions to assignments using rubrics. Student portfolios will also be discussed.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 1:00PM CDT
Access the Via Open session
Additional Sessions:
05/12/2026
Faculty: Faculty Open Sessions
Drop in to ask the CTL staff any questions (big or small!) you have regarding online instruction, course development, Blackboard, Class Collaborate, Respondus, VoiceThread and more.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 12:00PM CDT
Access the Blackboard Faculty Open session
Additional Sessions:
05/15/2026 | 05/20/2026
Faculty: Getting Started with Blackboard Ultra: An Introduction for Beginners
GovState will be transitioning to the Ultra version of Blackboard in the near future, and it is essential that we all become familiar with this new platform. This workshop will provide valuable insights into the new interface and tools available in Blackboard Ultra, as well as best practices for a smooth transition. We encourage you to join us in this learning opportunity to ensure that you are well-equipped to navigate the new system effectively.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 7:00PM CDT
Duration: 60 minutes
Access the Getting Started with Blackboard Ultra session
Additional Sessions:
05/12/2026 | 05/14/2026
Faculty: Using the AI Assistant in Blackboard Ultra
Discover how to harness the power of Blackboard Ultra’s AI tools to streamline your teaching workflow, enhance course design, and improve student engagement. This workshop provides a comprehensive overview of the AI-driven features within Blackboard Ultra and explores practical ways to integrate them.
Location: CTL On Campus - D2430J Session
Time: 1:00PM CDT
Duration: 60 minutes
Faculty: Via Open Session
Now called Student Learning & Licensure (SL&L), this workshop is for instructors new to using Via, or who might need a refresher. Topics include logging in for the first time, how to access student activities, and how to assess student submissions to assignments using rubrics. Student portfolios will also be discussed.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 3:30PM CDT
Access the Via Open session
Faculty: Getting Started with Blackboard Ultra: An Introduction for Beginners
GovState will be transitioning to the Ultra version of Blackboard in the near future, and it is essential that we all become familiar with this new platform. This workshop will provide valuable insights into the new interface and tools available in Blackboard Ultra, as well as best practices for a smooth transition. We encourage you to join us in this learning opportunity to ensure that you are well-equipped to navigate the new system effectively.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 9:00AM CDT
Duration: 60 minutes
Access the Getting Started with Blackboard Ultra session
Additional Sessions:
05/14/2026
Faculty: Using the AI Assistant in Blackboard Ultra
Discover how to harness the power of Blackboard Ultra’s AI tools to streamline your teaching workflow, enhance course design, and improve student engagement. This workshop provides a comprehensive overview of the AI-driven features within Blackboard Ultra and explores practical ways to integrate them.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 7:30PM CDT
Duration: 60 minutes
Access the Using the AI Assistant in Blackboard Ultra session
Faculty: Addressing Accessibility with Blackboard Ally
Join us to review Blackboard’s Ally! Ally is an integrated feature in Blackboard that automatically checks course content for accessibility issues and generates alternative formats for students to access materials in ways that best suit their learning needs. It helps instructors improve the accessibility of their course materials and provides students with a more inclusive learning experience.
Location: CTL On Campus Session - D2430J
Time: 2:00PM CDT
Access the Addressing Accessibility with Blackboard Ally session
Additional Sessions:
05/13/2026 @ 7:00PM
Faculty: Addressing Accessibility with Blackboard Ally
Join us to review Blackboard’s Ally! Ally is an integrated feature in Blackboard that automatically checks course content for accessibility issues and generates alternative formats for students to access materials in ways that best suit their learning needs. It helps instructors improve the accessibility of their course materials and provides students with a more inclusive learning experience.
Location: CTL On Campus Session - D2430J
Time: 7:00PM CDT
Access the Addressing Accessibility with Blackboard Ally session
Faculty: Getting Started with Blackboard Ultra: An Introduction for Beginners
GovState will be transitioning to the Ultra version of Blackboard in the near future, and it is essential that we all become familiar with this new platform. This workshop will provide valuable insights into the new interface and tools available in Blackboard Ultra, as well as best practices for a smooth transition. We encourage you to join us in this learning opportunity to ensure that you are well-equipped to navigate the new system effectively.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 7:00PM CDT
Duration: 60 minutes
Access the Getting Started with Blackboard Ultra session
Faculty: Faculty Open Sessions
Drop in to ask the CTL staff any questions (big or small!) you have regarding online instruction, course development, Blackboard, Class Collaborate, Respondus, VoiceThread and more.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 11:00AM CDT
Access the Blackboard Faculty Open session
Additional Sessions:
05/20/2026
Faculty: Intro to Panopto
Panopto is an easy way to record, livestream, manage and share videos for educational purposes. Panopto’s features include recording presentations, utilizing multiple media feeds, video assignments, quizzes, basic editing features and closed captioning. Similar to YouTube, Panopto allows users to manage a video library that can be integrated in the Blackboard LMS.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 10:00AM CDT
Access the Intro to Panopto session
Additional Sessions:
05/27/2026
Faculty: Faculty Open Sessions
Drop in to ask the CTL staff any questions (big or small!) you have regarding online instruction, course development, Blackboard, Class Collaborate, Respondus, VoiceThread and more.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 2:00PM CDT
Access the Blackboard Faculty Open session
Faculty: Intro to Panopto
Panopto is an easy way to record, livestream, manage and share videos for educational purposes. Panopto’s features include recording presentations, utilizing multiple media feeds, video assignments, quizzes, basic editing features and closed captioning. Similar to YouTube, Panopto allows users to manage a video library that can be integrated in the Blackboard LMS.
Location: CTL Virtual Session
Time: 2:00PM CDT
Access the Intro to Panopto session