The NVCC ACADEMIC RECOVERY PLAN stipulates that by 1 October 2009, a college-wide process will have been established to assess all full-time faculty members’ ability to conduct instruction via distance delivery. This document outlines a process for assessing faculty competence in Blackboard.

By 1 December 2009 TAC (with the help of ELI, the Blackboard Administrator, and the division deans) will have created two lists of full-time faculty members – those who could teach online in the event of an emergency and those who have not yet demonstrated Blackboard competence. The first draft of this list has been completed, and those faculty members who have demonstrated competence in Blackboard have been grandfathered to the Blackboard Competent list. See the attached list of full-time faculty.

Please note: Demonstrated competence to teach online in the event of an emergency is NOT the same as Blackboard certification. We encourage all faculty to seek Blackboard certification.

Faculty members can achieve Blackboard competencies in three different ways.

1. Grandfathering – Previous work and/or training in Blackboard. This initial assessment has been completed. See “Full-time Faculty Grandfathered as Blackboard Competent,” which shows faculty who have achieved Blackboard competence through either teaching for ELI, TAC training, or demonstrated Blackboard usage. TAC will soon update this master list of faculty by adding another column which will show those faculty members who are very close to demonstrating Blackboard competence via their Blackboard usage. TAC’s initial assessment grandfathered faculty to the Blackboard Competent list by using the following measures.

• Previous Blackboard Training -- Completed at least six hours of Blackboard training during the last two years (F07-Su09), with at least two hours in each of the three basic components
  • Moving Course Content Online
  • Developing Successful Online Communication
  • Creating Online Assessments & Managing the Grades

OR

• Demonstrated Competence through Previous Blackboard Use
  • Currently teaching for ELI
  • Sufficient Blackboard course usage for S09 to achieve at least “weak development” in each of the three Blackboard basic components listed in 1.a above. See Blackboard Usage Rubric for more information.

2. Training and Blackboard Course Development in F09 (to be completed by 1 November 2009) Those faculty members not grandfathered onto the Blackboard Competent list will have the opportunity to achieve Blackboard competence in the following ways.

• Traditional Blackboard Training -- Successful completion of the series of three TAC Blackboard workshops in F09, one in each of the three components listed in 1.a above.
  This is intended for those new to Blackboard or for those faculty members who prefer a face-to-face workshop.

OR

• Quickstart Method - Completing the Blackboard Quickstart training and then using the TAC online tutorials to build a F09 Blackboard course that demonstrates at least “weak development” in each of the three Blackboard basic components listed in 1.a above. See Blackboard Usage Rubric for more information.
• Demonstrated Blackboard Usage for F09 - There will be another review of Blackboard usage data on Nov. 1, 2009. Any faculty member could demonstrate Blackboard competence by using the online tutorials and the rubric to build up his F09 Blackboard course sufficiently to achieve at least “weak development” in each of the three Blackboard basic components listed in 1.a above. See Blackboard Usage Rubric for more information.

3. Successful Petition via Their Campus TAC Mentor (to be completed by 1 November 2009)
   Faculty who believe they have been incorrectly identified can seek resolution via their campus TAC mentor. The faculty member would need to grant the TAC mentor access to the Blackboard course which the faculty member believes demonstrates at least “weak development” in each of the three Blackboard basic components listed in 1.a above. See Blackboard Usage Rubric for more information. Enrolling the TAC mentor as a teaching assistant would give the mentor the opportunity to assess the faculty member’s demonstrated Blackboard competence.

Faculty Review Process

Full-time faculty who believe they have been incorrectly identified as not competent in Blackboard according to TAC's initial review of TAC training records (Fa 07 - Su 09) or the Blackboard usage data review for Sp 09 Blackboard courses can seek resolution via their campus TAC mentor.  The faculty member would need to grant the TAC mentor access to the Sp 09 Blackboard course which the faculty member believes demonstrates at least “weak development” in each of the three major Blackboard components listed in the attached "Criteria for Assessing Blackboard Competencies."   Enrolling the TAC mentor as a teaching assistant would give the TAC mentor the opportunity to assess the faculty member’s demonstrated Blackboard competence for Sp 09.   Items added to a Sp 09 Blackboard course after May 15, 2009 will not be acceptable.

Faculty who would like to have one of their Fa 09 Blackboard courses reviewed to demonstrate Blackboard competence need to wait for the Nov. 1, 2009 scheduled review.  The same attached criteria will be used for this Nov. 1 review.