The NUS Career Centre recently launched the Career Development Online Courseware in collaboration with the Centre for Instructional Technology.

This courseware suite is designed to give students a head start in career planning. It also provides comprehensive coverage of resume writing and interview skills.

NUS Career Centre and CIT worked together to create courseware that would be easily accessible by all students as career development is of vital importance.

In order to keep production costs low, the Breeze medium was chosen. This allowed rapid creation of the content while allowing for interactive elements such as simple quizzes to be added. The courseware is also fully-narrated with thumbnailed chapters, enabling quick access to any portion of the courseware.

Career Development Online Courseware is available in IVLE, via a link on the right-hand menu bar.

Over the semester break, CIT totally revamped its online publications. The CIT website and this quarterly newsletter, IDEAS, have undergone many changes. Also, we have launched a new publication that will highlight the latest developments and issues in educational technology.

CIT website

Late last semester, the CIT website underwent cosmetic surgery. The site was redesigned for a fresh look. Some of the sections were rearranged for more intuitive access. However, the biggest change is the most recent - the updates on the website are now stored on a blog.

The front page shows the most recent updates concerning CIT. Once these have moved off the front page, they are stored in the CIT Website Archives, which is powered by the Movable Type blog engine.

Using the blog to archive announcements is simple and convenient. CIT no longer needs to extract content from a website whenever the template is changed. This is because the blog separates design from content. The design can easily be changed without affecting the content.

Another advantage is that the blog provides an RSS feed. Users who are interested in the latest happenings at CIT need not visit the site regularly. Instead, they can subscribe to updates using the website's RSS feed.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to CIT website updates via email. Through email or the RSS feed, you will be kept up to date with seminar announcements, service updates and other campus educational technology developments.

The sidebar of the website also lists the latest articles in IDEAS, while an animated graphic highlights the latest headlines from Using Module Blogs.

IDEAS - CIT's quarterly newsletter

IDEAS has also had a facelift. The previous design, already three years old, was discarded in favour of a cleaner layout in NUS colours.

IDEAS has been running on a blog engine since April 2004, so it has had a RSS feed for some time. We have added email subscription, using a form on the sidebar, for those who prefer to get the latest issue of IDEAS through email.

Another new addition is the ability to comment on posts. If you have any feedback about the article, feel free to tell us about it.

CITations

Last but not least, CIT has launghed a new publication called CITations. This site will be updated more frequently than IDEAS, allowing it to be timely and to explore the boundaries of technology in education.

CITations will feature how Web 2.0 is being used in classrooms across the world, point to new educational technology resources and highlight issues in teaching and learning with technology.

The new publication has been populated with entries which were originally first published in Using Module Blogs. Since educational technology updates will be featured on CITations, Using Module Blogs will now focus on providing information on the University's academic blogging service - NUS Module Blogs.

Response to the Classroom Performance System has been partly hampered by the lack of available handset units. CIT has responded to the feedback and purchased 200 new units. This brings the total to 300, which is the maximum number of students/participants we can support.

The Classroom Performance System is an interactive response pad system which allows you to receive instant tabulated feedback when you pose questions to the class. You can gauge how well the class understands concepts and explain further on the spot, instead of discovering that the students did not grasp concepts at a later date.

The system can be used in conjunction with PowerPoint slides or with the proprietary CPS software. It also enables the creation of fun quizzes. CPS is a highly flexible system which caters to basic and advanced users.

To loan the system, visit CIT's CPS page. Print the application form, fill it in and fax it to us. We will do the rest. For more information about CPS, please contact Mr .

CIT is scheduling a CPS roadshow on Friday 13 July. This will consist of a demonstration session and a training session. Details about signing up for the sessions will be publicized on the CIT website closer to the date.

CIT has launched the Campus Partnership Programme. This programme is a concerted effort at building a closer working relationship between CIT and faculty staff. It consists of a range of symbiotic initiatives, schemes and activities.

The Campus Partnership Programme aims to:

• Facilitate two-way communication between faculty staff and CIT
• Foster an eLearning community of practice
• Encourage the adoption of info-communication technologies in teaching and learning
• Promote proper pedagogical practice in using IT tools for teaching
• Liaise with Faculties and Schools to cater for specific needs

To those ends, CIT will form an IVLE Faculty Advisory Group. This group will set the direction and review goals for IVLE and other eLearning concerns in NUS. The members of this group will be announced in due course.

CIT will step up its current yearly roadshows. CIT staff will make continual visits to Faculties and Schools to promote the use of IT in teaching and learning. These visits will also allow academics to give direct feedback and suggest improvements. Faculty staff can also share with us how they are using technology in their classrooms.

New academic staff will be furnished with a welcome package detailing the numerous services which CIT provides.

CIT will also provide feedback and statistics on IVLE and its other services so that faculty staff are aware of what is popular with students. They take these into account when planning for future lessons.

We will enhance the feedback and support mechanism for IVLE through the creation of a knowledge database and a support tracking system. This will enable a higher level of accountability and transparency in customer service.

In conjunction with the Campus Partnership Programme, CIT will work closely with the Faculty IT Units coordinators and managers to add value to the e-learning support they provide to their Faculty. Our courseware team has appointed three Faculty support staff who will work closely with the Faculty IT Units in ensuing the success of the Campus Partnership Programme.

Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Science
Ms Lilian LIM
(e)
(p) 6516 4919

Arts, Business, Engineering and Law
Mr Prasad IYER
(e)
(p) 6516 1614

Computing and Design & Environment
Mr LIM Han Leong
(e)
(p) 6516 4428

With the support of Vice Provost (Academic Affairs) Professor Lai Choy Heng, CIT staff engaged in the Team Challenge NUS on Wednesday, 13 December 2006. The Team Challenge is a department-based by-request programme offered by the Office of Human Resources.

As the programme is described in OHR's training directory: This is a highly experiential workshop aimed at inspiring staff to embrace NUS mission, vision and core values, and build a culture of teamwork and service excellence that would permeate throughout the organization.

Indeed, Team Challenge NUS was as hands-on as it was described. CIT staff made their way to Sentosa for a day filled with learning activities which challenged them mentally and physically.

"We went through a lot of activities and learnt that working as a team is important," Technical Support Officer Leow Sin Lak explained, "during the team challenge, some things happened along the way but as part of the team we tried various ways to help one another overcome the difficulties and brainstormed to solve problems."

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Rini, Sin Lak and Hui Yi enjoying the Team Challenge activities

TSO Goh Sze Yin added, "It felt great to see everyone putting in their effort and ideas on how to best tackle the activities and how creative juices overflowed from different people. This is a side of one another which we don't get to see at work."

There were many lessons learnt. Some were on an interpersonal level, as Nor Idayu, CIT's Secretary, reveals, "I enjoyed mingling with my colleagues, the ones whom I hardly interact with on a day to day basis. It's surprising what you learn about them!"

Gopi 'Hrithik' Kakani, a Systems Engineer, learnt about teamwork. He shares, "When I first saw the Diamond Maze, I thought that it was simple, and I could easily go through at least 4 or 5 combinations easily by myself. But when I tried, I found out how difficult it was and realized the necessity of the team, which helped me go through it. Sometimes one has to try certain things to have better understanding of the problem at hand."

The Team Challenge was a great success, based on the positive reactions from CIT staff. The last word comes from Gopi, who suggests, "This is an excellent program that every department must consider!"