Salisbury University |  Instructional Design & Delivery Newsletter | June 2024

Reflect and Refresh

As you issue that sigh of relief that another semester has ended, a timely and highly effective activity you can engage in is to review and reflect on how things in your course(s) actually went! Ask yourself these questions:

• What surprised you most about your course(s) or students (what worked well vs. what did the students struggle with)?
• Are there materials that need to be updated/changed for relevancy and inclusiveness?
• Are course activities/assessments aligning course and university objectives?
• Are there new pedagogical strategies you can apply to update course components?
• Is it time to revitalize your learning activities and assessments with new, interactive ways to engage students?
• Are there tools and features in MyClasses that you would like to explore to help reduce your workload or make your course more engaging?

As you reflect on your answers to these questions, check out suggestions on how to “Reflect and Refresh” the courses you teach. In the meantime, your ID&D Liaison is ready and willing to help you brainstorm on how to implement strategies that can give your course a new life the next time you teach it!

Important Dates for Summer 2024 Sessions

ID&D wants to share some important dates to consider for summer regular, 5W1 and 5W2 sessions:

Summer 5W1 session:

• June 20: Last day to drop a 5W1 course
• July 3: Last day of class and final exams
• July 8: Grades due in GullNet by noon

Summer 5W2 session:

• June 24 : Deadline for faculty to request sections to be combined in MyClasses
• July 1: Students have access to summer 5W2 courses in MyClasses (provided faculty publishes course)
• July 8: Start of 5W2 session
  • Drop/Add dates: July 8-9
  • Inclusive Access opt-out date for 5W2: July 10
    
   
• July 29: Last day to drop a 5W2 course
• August 9: Last day of class and final exams
• August 12: Grades due in GullNet by noon

Summer regular session:

• July 12: Last day to drop a regular session course
• August 9: Last day of class and final exams
• August 12: Grades due in GullNet by noon

LockDown Browser with New Quizzes 

Using LockDown Browser with New Quizzes? Please be aware that students DO NOT start in LockDown Browser with New Quizzes.

With New Quizzes, students use a regular browser to log into MyClasses and once they open the assessment, then LockDown Browser will open. Updated instructions can be imported into your course through the Canvas Commons.

Recent Changes to MyClasses & KB Articles

New Quizzes Set as Default Quiz Engine

With the transition between Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes underway, you will now have New Quizzes set as the default quiz option. This means that when you create a new quiz in your course or import content from one semester to another, your quizzes will be created in or converted to a New Quiz. For more information about New Quizzes, view related ID&D New Quizzes KB articles.

Discussions Redesign

Discussions have been updated to match modern social media discussion styles. Additional features allow for split-screen display, sorting options, and  anonymous discussion creation. Please see the  ID&D Discussions Redesign KB Article for more details on the new features and the social media look/feel to these tools.

SpeedGrader Student Sorting Options

To help prevent grading fatigue and biases when assessing students, you can now find a variety of student sorting options when viewing assignment submissions in SpeedGrader. These options include hiding student names and/or randomizing based on alphabetical (the default setting), randomizing students by name, listing them by submission date, or submission status. Check out the Canvas article about how to sort students in SpeedGrader.

ID&D KnowledgeBase

Speaking of changes, have you noticed that ID&D KnowledgeBase has a new look and feel  and that it no longer requires an authenticated login to access the articles? Check out how easy it is to explore resources around MyClasses, Instructional Software and Inclusive Access in ID&D's new KnowledgeBase!

NCFDD 14-Day Writing Challenge

The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) offers a variety of resources to help academics, of all stages, better align their professional and personal goals. Because SU is a NCFDD Institutional Member, these resources are free to use!

One of the most popular programs is the 14-day writing challenge, which uses best practices to help you create a consistent writing practice. The next opportunity to participate is July 15-July 28. During this time, you are asked to commit to writing every day for at least 30 minutes. You log on to the NCFDD’s online community, start the timer, complete your writing, post your progress and encourage others in your assigned writing group. Past participants credit this program and the accountability of the writing groups with helping them establish better writing habits or refresh stagnant ones. Registration closes Friday, July 5!

Need to establish your free NCFDD account? 

Review the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) page on the Center for Advancement of Faculty Excellence website for more information on how to participate in this webinar and engage with other NCFDD resources!

NCFDD 2024 Summer Webinars

NCFDD provides programs and resources to support your academic journey. This summer, NCFDD is excited to offer numerous events focused on strategic planning, writing productivity, and career transitions, which are designed to provide valuable insights and guidance for your success. Webinar descriptions and registration are available in the Faculty Development Calendar.

Pearson CourseWare for Fall 2024 Courses

Faculty who are planning to use Pearson courseware integration (utilizing publisher content and activities beyond an eBook) with their Fall 2024 courses will need to wait until August 15, 2024 to set up the Pearson integration. ID&D is working with the publisher to upgrade the integration from LTI 1.1 to LTI 1.3.

ID&D will be upgrading both Pearson and VitalSource to LTI 1.3 on August 14. The two work in tandem for Pearson courseware in the Inclusive Access program. So please WAIT until August 15 to setup the Pearson integration in your course.

Additional information and support will be provided by the campus Instructional Designers closer to this date. Please reach out to your Instructional Designer liaison in the meantime if you have any questions.