Salisbury University |  Instructional Design & Delivery Newsletter | May 7, 2024

Thank A Teacher Week: May 6-10

Each May, the University System of Maryland Council for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning joins the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation in planning faculty and instructor recognition activities as part of Thank A Teacher Week. This event coincides with National Teacher Appreciation Week, which also is this week!

Students are invited to share their gratitude by writing a note on a physical postcard or by sending a note virtually. Students are asked to look for tables in the Guerrieri Academic Commons and the Guerrieri Student Union outside the Commons where they can sign postcards. Last year, faculty and staff took advantage of this opportunity to share gratitude with colleagues.

More information is available at: www.salisbury.edu/thanks.

Ethical Use of AI in the Classroom Webinar

Find out ways generative AI can be used by instructors in the classroom, and how to teach your students the ethical use of AI when incorporated into learning activities.

Facilitated by Janice Orcutt and Karen Silverstrim

Register to attend online via Zoom.

Faculty Learning Community: Call for Proposals

Faculty Learning Community (FLC) proposals are now being accepted for the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year. Your proposal can be for a cohort-based or topic-based FLC. The proposal should be developed by the prospective FLC facilitator(s) with a budget not to exceed $1,250.

Proposals must be submitted by Friday, May 24, 2024. For more information on FLCs and the application process, please visit the Faculty Learning Communities website.

Call for Participation: Fostering a Culture of Belonging

Ensure students and colleagues feel seen, heard and valued by participating in the Fostering a Culture of Belonging 8-week online course. This course equips faculty and campus professionals with evidence-based practices that expand on "Embracing Diversity in Your Learning Environment," a key topic in ACUE's Effective Teaching Practice Framework. The course contains the following four modules that are fully online and asynchronous, and each module takes approximately 2–3 hours to complete:

• Managing the Impact of Biases
• Reducing Microaggressions
• Addressing the Imposter Phenomenon and Stereotype Threat
• Cultivating an Inclusive Environment

Eligibility: Open to all Salisbury University faculty and staff

Important Dates:

• Cohort 2
  • Registration Deadline: May 20, 2024
  • Start Date: June 3, 2024
   

Questions can be directed to Dr. Jessica Clark, Assistant Provost for Faculty Success.

Video Tip: End-of-Semester Gradebook Tips  

When preparing your gradebook for the end of the semester, please review the End-of-Semester Top 5 Gradebook Tips video for information about:   

1. Ensuring your assignments are in the correct assignment groups  
2. Enabling student What-If Score option or hiding gradebook totals  
3. Addressing missed student assignments  
4. Performing the final grade override  
5. Exporting grades  

Please contact your department's instructional designer if you have any questions or need any assistance preparing your gradebook for finalizing grades!  

Student Enrollment in MyClasses and Important Dates for Summer 2024 Sessions

Students will be enrolled in summer 2024 sessions in MyClasses on Wednesday, May 1. Enrollments will update daily at 6 a.m. until May 14. Starting May 15, enrollments will be updated every four hours (8 a.m., 12 p.m., 4 p.m., etc.).

As we prepare for the summer 2024 sessions, ID&D shares some important dates to consider for summer regular and 5W1 sessions:

• Wednesday, May 15: Deadline for faculty to request sections to be combined in MyClasses.
• Wednesday, May 22: Students have access to summer courses in MyClasses (provided faculty publishes course)
• Wednesday, May 29: Start of regular and 5W1 sessions
• Drop/Add Dates:
  • Regular session: May 29 - 31
  • 5W1 session: May 29 - 30
   
• Friday, May 31 : Inclusive Access opt-out date for students
  

May 23 Discussions/Announcements Redesign Enabled

On May 23, 2024, ID&D will enable the Discussions/Announcements redesign feature for all courses. We are doing this ahead of the July 22, 2024 date that Instructure, the creators of Canvas (MyClasses) will be enforcing for all institutions. By doing this early, we are ensuring that the learning environment for summer regular and 5W2 courses will not have a mid-session disruption.

Please see the  ID&D Discussions Redesign KB Article for more details on the new features and the social media look/feel of these tools.

May 23 Moving to New Quizzes for Summer/Fall 2024

We are making the move to New Quizzes beginning summer 2024 and fall 2024 sessions. New Quizzes is the newest online assessment feature in MyClasses.

When importing/copying a course from a previous semester, assessments will automatically be migrated to New Quizzes.

To prepare faculty and staff for this transition, ID&D is providing the following resources:

• New Quizzes video explaining the scope of the transition, key terminology and features, and strategies for moving to New Quizzes.
• Knowledge base articles with step-by-step instructions for migrating existing assessments to New Quizzes.
• Submit a New Quizzes: Convert Assessment from Classic Quizzes help request for ID&D to convert your assessments for you!
• Schedule a meeting with your Instructional Designer liaison.