Educational Media Center – Leeward Community College

2024-2025 Mission: Lamakū Transition – Complete!

Mission: Launched

Alongside the University of Hawaiʻi’s plan to transition from Laulima (Sakai) to Lamakū (Brightspace by D2L), the Educational Media Center (EMC) ID Unit (Brent, Chelby, Lauren, and Rachael) instigated a year-long initiative at Leeward called “Mission: Lamakū Transition.” This video highlights a quick re-cap of our year.

Summer 2024

As part of the first cohort for the transition, it all began in Summer 2024, when the Instructional Designers (IDs) across the UH System got together to plan how we were going to support this big transition. All the while, we had to learn how to use the new system ourselves. The all-day meeting was very productive and enjoyable to work with our counterparts on the other campuses. The synergy of the IDs in one room was amazing!

Then, we, the EMC ID Unit, began developing the “Leeward Mission: LMS Transition” initiative to support our Leeward campus. (This name later turned into Mission: Lamakū Transition once the LMS got its official name).

Also during the summer of 2024, UH launched a pilot where we supported 10 brave Leeward instructors (i.e. Eunice Brekke, Merissa Bunton, Michael Cawdery, Cara Chang, Christine Danielson, Anushka Faucci, Anika Gearhart, Jessie Hoffman, Kuʻuipo Tracie Losh, and Susan Wood) who volunteered to use Lamakū for their summer courses. It was a learning experience for everyone – IDs, instructors, and the students! We truly appreciated everyone’s patience and understanding as we navigated unknown territory together.

Fall 2024

Continuing to learn more and work with instructors and the IDs across the UH System, we improved our services and resources when the full launch to migrate began in Fall 2024. We collaborated with the IDs to create course site templates based on sound instructional design, the Lamakū Instructor Essentials course site, and online workshops to support instructors.

Meanwhile, at Leeward, we campaigned our own initiative, Mission: Lamakū Transition. We were grateful to receive a temporary position to help with the Lamakū transition and provide support. We sent out timely newsletters, created resources such as video tutorials and in-depth resource docs, and offered workshops and support for our campus. (Related blog post: Recap of Lamakū Support (Fall 2024).)

Workshop audience in classroom.

Our six-week professional learning community (PLC), “Leeward Lamakū: Course Starter PLC” was our flagship professional development workshop where we facilitated two groups or “Cosmic Crews” with a total of 45 instructors participating. (Survey results summary.) Instructors learned the basics of Lamakū and course design as we assisted them in creating their Lamakū course sites following a timeline/framework we developed to help instructors.

Additionally, we worked diligently 1-1 with instructors, and hosted a couple more innovative professional development opportunities like the “Lamakū Live: Course Build with Lauren,” a YouTube livestream event and weekly co-working sessions (a technique called “parallel working”) to provide dedicated time/space for instructors to work on their Lamakū courses and get assistance from the IDs.

People co-working.

Fall 2024 was bustling with everyone migrating and getting their courses ready to launch in the Spring semester. It wasn’t long before Spring 2025 started and it was time to implement the courses with students.

Spring 2025

In Spring 2025, we were as ready as we were to go! We continued working 1-1 with instructors and sent out timely Mission: Lamakū Transition emails with helpful reminders, information, and professional development offerings. For instance, before the semester started, we provided a final check video series for instructors to help them check that their Lamakū courses were ready. We enhanced our co-working sessions to include mini workshops, demos, or presentations featuring a helpful aspect of Lamakū from new things we learned or feedback from instructors and students.

Continuing to collaborate with UH IDs, we introduced additional features in Lamakū such as H5P interactives, Creator+, Lumi (AI), and Google Assignments integration. We provided workshops to our campus for these new features/topics.

Mission: Completed

Looking back at the year, we’re glad to have partnered with and assisted over 100 instructors and had over 250 recorded consultations. Some of the comments from our consultation survey included:

“1-1 was very helpful and they always got back to me in a timely manner.”

“Thank you so much for helping me to get my Lamakū classes put together for the spring. The 1-1 consultations were invaluable as were the other resources, particularly the YouTube videos with time stamps that allowed me to find what I needed help with so I could watch that part (sometimes several times, lol).”

“You folks are always so responsive and your willingness to help is really awesome”

We’re glad to have made an impact, and we’re proud to work with such dedicated instructors at Leeward. The change and transition to a new LMS was challenging, but we all persevered and got through it together! While this year might’ve been the year to transition, we are looking forward to building upon what we have done with Lamakū and continuing to improve and innovate in course design and support engaging ways of learning with technology.

Looking Ahead

We look forward to continuing to support your design, development, and implementation of courses using Lamakū. You can find all of our Lamakū news, workshops, and resources on our new website.

If you’re interested, we are offering our foundational “Leeward Lamakū: Course Starter PLC,” again, in the Summer and Fall 2025. Please register for our upcoming summer “crew”! This is a great time to focus on refining your courses or re-designing them now that you’ve taken Lamakū for a spin. The ID Unit is here to help, and we thrive on good instructional design! 😉

Summer 2025 Course Starter PLC flyer.

Be on the lookout in your inbox for more professional development opportunities and support from the EMC. Feel free to reach out to us for 1-1 assistance, questions, feedback, or to share your experiences with us. We hope to see you soon!

AV Services

AV Upgrades to the Kaʻala Room: Enhancing Functionality and Flexibility

We are excited to announce new AV upgrades to the Ka‘ala Room (GT 105)! Check out the latest updates—designed to enhance the teaching, learning, collaboration, and presentation experiences for all users. Incorporating campus feedback from the Technology Needs Assessment, the AV Services Unit selected equipment upgrades that reflect our ongoing commitment to providing modern, user-friendly spaces equipped with the latest in audio-visual (AV) technology. Here’s what’s new.

Kaʻala Room

🧑‍🏫 New Podium with Side Shelf

Kaʻala Room podium with side shelf.

The Ka‘ala Room now features a newly installed podium that includes a convenient flip-up side shelf on its left side, allowing presenters to easily connect and use their own laptops or to use as additional tabletop space.

📐 Expanded Work Surface

A larger countertop work surface has been added to provide more room for materials, notes, and devices. This extra space is especially useful for presenters who need to manage multiple resources at once.

📷 Integrated Document Camera

Need to share a physical document or object with your audience? A document camera has been neatly integrated into a pullout drawer on the right side of the podium, offering quick and easy access without cluttering the main tabletop area.

Kaʻala Room podium with document camera.

🎛️ Second Touch Panel Control

In addition to the main control panel at the front of the room, the Ka‘ala Room now includes a secondary touch panel controller located in the back of the room. This allows presenters or AV support staff the flexibility to access the room’s AV system from multiple locations.

Kaʻala Room second touch panel control.

📺 New 85″ Display

A brand new 85-inch monitor, mounted with a service-friendly wall mount, now commands attention at the back of the room. This vibrant, large-format display ensures crystal-clear visuals from anywhere in the room, perfect for presentations, videos, or collaborative sessions.

Kaʻala Room display monitor.

📡 Wireless Media Player

Say goodbye to adapters and cables—the new wireless media player allows seamless content sharing from a variety of devices, including both Windows and Apple platforms, of up to four devices simultaneously. Whether you’re presenting slides, videos, or documents, sharing content wirelessly has never been easier.

🔊 Enhanced Audio System

Experience clearer, more immersive sound with a completely upgraded audio system. Whether you’re listening to a guest speaker or viewing multimedia content, the improved audio quality ensures every word and note comes through crisp and clear.

🎥 Video Production Connection Points

For those utilizing our Video Production Unit’s video services, the Ka‘ala Room is now equipped with video connection points, making it easier and faster for our team to set up and support your video production needs.

📍Register for the Ka‘ala Room Orientation

These improvements are aimed at making the Ka‘ala Room more versatile, efficient, and ready to support a variety of instructional and event formats. We invite you to explore the updated space and experience the difference these changes bring. Please register for our upcoming Ka‘ala Room Orientation on Friday, May 23, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

EMC, Instructional Design, Lamakū

Lamakū @ HISSI 2025

The Instructional Designers (IDs) across the UHCC System are excited to invite you to our Lamakū @ HISSI! This year, in addition to the regular program of sessions at HISSI, attendees can participate in our Lamakū workshops across three themes and participate in special sessions at our Kokua Korner.

Lamakū Workshops

Our Lamakū workshop sessions include topics from content design of modules to assessments to interactive tools. Drop in at any session that piques your interest throughout the day.

Kokua Korner

Sessions at our Kokua Korner will be during the first two time blocks at HISSI from 10:55-11:55 a.m. and 1:15-2:15 p.m., featuring:

Course Walk: Want to see how others are teaching with Lamakū? Instructor presenters will showcase their Lamakū courses in a poster/laptop session format. Move from station to station to explore various approaches to designing and facilitating your course in Lamakū. (see presenters and descriptions)
Instructional Design Support: Meet one-on-one with an instructional designer for assistance with course design, Lamakū tools, or any questions you may have. Support is offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Technical Support: Have a technical question about IDAP, LTI, or related topics? Consult with our expert from UH ITS.
D2L Product Idea Exchange (PIE) Korner: Have an idea for a feature or tool D2L should consider? Share it at the PIE Korner, and we’ll submit your suggestions to D2L!

Check out the full Lamakū @ HISSI Schedule & Program.

Register for HISSI

Join the fun banner.

There’s no need to register separately…

Just Register to Attend HISSI and join us for as much Lamakū learning and fun and you care to infuse into your day at the event!

Lamakū Learning Leaders

Shout out banner.

The Leeward CC Instructional Design Unit (Brent, Chelby, Lauren, and Rachael) will be at the event sessions to support you. A special mahalo to our Leeward CC presenters who will be sharing their insights and skills!

Session Presenter:

Lauren Lum Ho (Sessions: “H5P (in Creator+)” and “Discussions Tool: Design, Engage, Assess”)

Course Walk Presenters:

Donald Carreira Ching (ENG 100)
Anika Gearhart-Edwards (PSY 212)
Anuschka Faucci (ZOOL 101)
Heather McCafferty (AG 200)

We look forward to seeing you at HISSI!

AV Services, EMC, TEC

TEC Updates 2024

Instructor touching computer screen in a TEC.

By the end of 2024, several updates or modifications were made to the Technology Enhanced Classrooms (TECs) due to feedback from the campus technology needs assessment and instructors. These included:

Removing the temporary, grant-funded, hybrid kit equipment from select TECs based on instructor feedback.
- A select few rooms opted to keep a modified hybrid kit consisting of the (Elmo) document camera connected to the computer, the (Wacom) graphics tablet, and the (Zoom Q2n4K) video recorder with tripod.
Permanently installing the (Elmo) document camera into the TEC room system as an input device you can select from the AV control panel.
Adding a moveable monitor arm and laptop riser in several TECs (with more planning to be installed in 2025).

Instructional Design, Lamakū

Recap of Lamakū Support (Fall 2024)

It has been a whirlwind of a semester transitioning from Laulima to Lamakū, UH’s new Learning Management System (LMS)! The EMC’s Instructional Design (ID) unit (i.e. Brent, Chelby, Lauren, and Rachael) worked hard in a short timeframe while still learning Lamakū to provide professional development opportunities, including workshops, 1-1 support, and resources.

The ID unit branded its efforts under the theme, “Mission: Lamakū Transition,” introducing Space Pal as a friendly mascot helping everyone through. With their “Mission: Lamakū Transition” year-long theme, they emailed a newsletter almost weekly to keep the campus informed. The information included the latest news, resources we created, professional development opportunities from the ID unit and UH System, and how to get support from us at “Mission HQ” through chats, meetings, and drop-ins, both in-person and online.

During Fall 2024’s Week of Welcome, the ID unit offered a Lamakū track in their annual “Tech It Out Day” event on Monday. Needless to say, Lamakū was the hottest topic at the event. On Wednesday, at their “Lamakū Info Session” they had a full classroom of folks anticipating the latest news about the transition. Then, on Thursday, they wrapped things up with a “Lamakū Sneak Peek” hands-on workshop for instructors to dip their toes into Lamakū.

Workshop audience in classroom.

Starting in September, the ID unit offered a six-week professional learning community (PLC) called “Leeward Lamakū: Course Starter PLC.” They facilitated two groups or “Cosmic Crews” (to go with their space mission theme) with a total of 45 instructors. This professional development opportunity focused on course design and building using the Lamakū Course Starter Template that the IDs across the UH System collaborated on. It was delivered asynchronously with weekly synchronous meetings and 1-1 meetings with an ID from the EMC.

In October and November they offered the “Lamakū Exploration Fridays” series which were in-person, hands-on workshops focusing on a particular Lamakū tool in each session to demo it and show its functionalities and how it can be used, and to provide a space for instructors to start working on their courses with ID support.

The ID unit created various resources to support instructors using Lamakū. Some of these included:

A timeline/checklist to help instructors pace themselves during the semester to get their Spring courses ready.
A screencast video series on YouTube called “Lamakū Lift-Off” demonstrating the process of transitioning a course from Laulima to Lamakū, from scratch using the recommended timeline as a framework.
Resource docs with instructions and video tutorials.

On October 14th, the EMC launched a fun, innovative support session using the “build buddy” strategy, inspired by the concept of Body Doubling where you work alongside someone focused on the same task. By doing so, you can tap into a shared energy that fosters motivation and productivity. Instructional Designer, Lauren Lum Ho, live-streamed herself on YouTube transitioning a Laulima course site to a Lamakū course site over six hours. Watch the recording.

EMC staff during Lamakū Live!

The ID unit also collaborated with their ID colleagues systemwide to provide additional webinar workshops, resources, and support. The main initiatives that came out of that collaboration were the Lamakū Discovery Series (webinars), Lamakū Support Sessions (online 1-1 support via Zoom), and the Lamakū Instructor Essentials Course (a resource site in Lamakū).

Meanwhile throughout the semester, the ID unit worked tirelessly with instructors one-on-one to provide custom support tailored to their needs and situation. This was probably the most time-intensive for the IDs, but the most helpful for instructors, serving roughly 50 instructors (unduplicated) multiple times throughout the semester, not counting the time to help them with their course builds or creating tutorials to supplement the time we meet with them. There were also a few groups or departments on campus that they supported as well.

ID unit office.

Lastly, while they continue to provide 1-1 support throughout the winter break, the ID unit will also be offering “Lamakū Co-Work Sessions” to provide a dedicated time/space for folks to work on creating their Lamakū courses using a technique called “parallel working” (i.e. body doubling), a productivity-boosting technique that thrives on shared accountability and presence.

Mahalo for trusting in the ID unit to assist you in your transition to Lamakū! Brent, Chelby, Lauren, and Rachael appreciate all the kindness and support you’ve given to them. They look forward to working with you in the Spring and hearing how Lamakū is going for you and your students.

AV Services, EMC, TEC

New Technology Room Resources (2024)

The EMC is excited to share with you new resources for the supported technology rooms on campus, notably the Kaʻala Room (GT 105) and the Technology Enhanced Classrooms (TECs). These were developed in response to feedback from the campus technology needs assessment.

Kaʻala Room

Our Kaʻala Room (GT 105) quick guide has been recently updated for you to view/download and is available on the podium in the room for your convenience. You can find this and more resources on the Technology Rooms website.

Technology Enhanced Classrooms (TECs)

TEC computer and control panel

In a collaborative effort, the EMC created a new self-help website, Technology Tool Profiles (featuring TEC tool profiles), to help instructors and staff using the TECs familiarize themselves with each piece of equipment or tool. The website resource includes a profile for each TEC tool, which includes detailed 360 videos, close-ups of buttons, and a teaching example.

As an accompanying resource, we also designed Quick Cards for each TEC tool, which you can print for yourself. Alternatively, you can print them at our Copy Center for a reasonable cost. Each card has a QR code leading to the how-to videos for the TEC equipment, you can scan and watch the videos via your phone, as needed, and jot down notes for yourself on the card.

Technology Rooms

Need to look up what a room has? The Technology Rooms website has a link to a spreadsheet with all the information. Contact the EMC’s AV Services unit for additional assistance.

EMC

Protected: 360 test

AV Services, Copy Center, EMC, Instructional Design, TEC, Video Production

Technology Tool Profiles feat. TEC

In a collaborative effort within the Educational Media Center units, we developed a new way to support faculty and staff using our campus technology equipment via a pilot project called, Technology Tool Profiles.

The pilot is focused on our campus’ Technology Enhanced Classroom (TEC) technologies. Each technology tool profile features an introduction, an interactive visual, an example of how it can be applied to active learning, optional print blank note cards, and supporting documentation. Here’s a quick video example:

Please explore the website and learn about the four ways it can be leveraged to support your learning. Then, submit your feedback to help us improve on this resource.

TEC Orientation

If you would like to attend an in-person orientation after viewing the TEC tools shared on the Technology Tool Profiles website on Friday, August 23, 2024 at 3 PM, please RSVP. The first ten people to show up will receive a professionally printed pack of TEC Quick Cards.

EMC, Video Production

Leeward Culinary Assembly: Visiting Chef series

Grace demonstrating how to cut cabbage to a student — Grace Young and Leeward Culinary Student. (photo credit: Hawaii Culinary Education Foundation)

The Leeward Culinary program hosts a student assembly every semester in which students have the opportunity to meet the program’s Chefs/Instructors and hear announcements of upcoming volunteer events. In addition to the general housekeeping items, the program partners with Hayley Matson-Mathes of Hawaii Culinary Education Foundation to provide the students with an opportunity to learn from some of the best Chefs and culinary professionals in the industry. The visiting Chef provides a demonstration of their talents and insight into their experience in the industry, followed by a question and answer portion. The Visiting Chef series provides an invaluable service for our culinary student population who stands to gain insider knowledge of culinary techniques and industry trends. The Spring 2024 assembly hosted Grace Young, an award-winning cookbook author, culinary historian, and filmmaker. Grace shared her insight on her stir fry wok techniques. Student volunteers had the opportunity to stir fry alongside Grace during the demonstration.

The EMC Video Production Unit provides services that enhance the live demonstration experience. The team documents the entire event with a multi-camera and audio recording setup. An overhead camera captures every aspect of the demonstration area that is displayed in real-time to a large screen monitor. The monitor also serves to show videos or presentations. The final product is an instructional video program that includes post-production editing, graphics, and closed-captioning services.

Director facing a muliti-monitor with various video sources displayed — Jordan directing the Culinary Assembly

If your organization would like to inquire about capturing an event for instructional and promotional purposes or if you have an idea for instructional videos to supplement your courses, please feel free to fill out our Video Services Request Form.

Ed Tech, EMC

Want Engaging Online Content?

H5P is a software ecosystem that provides instructors with 53 tools to create engaging learning activities for student learning. The web based activities are responsive and adjust to either desktop, laptop, mobile device, Safari, Chrome, Firefox. Take a look at the course samples created and shared in the UH H5P Interactive (Faculty) Gallery. H5P + Laulima is officially supported by the UH ITS Helpdesk, The learning activities are capable of being embedded in Laulima course sites and automatically registers student interaction scores in the Laulima Gradebook.

For the past few semesters the EMC has been participating with the UH System H5P work group to bring H5P to instructors. Many Leeward CC faculty have participated in the UHOIC H5P + Laulima program, currently on cohort three of faculty adopters with several alumni participating in the I Mua community support group. Over the summer the university announced that faculty can purchase H5P licenses directly from UH ITS Site License office (with departmental funds).

Be on the look out for upcoming EMC hosted H5P workshops this semester. To learn more about H5P please take a look at the recently completed Practical Guide to H5P.