Salisbury University |  Instructional Design & Delivery Newsletter | January 17, 2024

Important Dates for Spring 2024 Sessions

As we prepare for the spring 2024 sessions, ID&D shares some important dates to consider for spring regular and 7W1 sessions:

• Wednesday, January 17: Deadline for faculty to request sections to be combined in MyClasses.
• Monday, January 22: Students have access to spring courses in MyClasses (provided faculty publishes course)
• Monday, January 29: Start of sessions
• Drop/Add Dates:
  • Regular session: January 29 - February 2
  • 7W1 session: January 29-30
   
• Wednesday, February 7: Inclusive Access opt-out date for students
  

Brush Up Your Skills in our January Workshops!

Whether you are new to MyClasses or have been using MyClasses each semester to help deliver your course content, Canvas is constantly updating available features in MyClasses based on the pedagogical needs of faculty. Many faculty reuse course content from semester to semester without checking out or considering the changes they can make to level up their MyClasses course content/assignment. Join us during our January workshops to brush up on your MyClasses skills and tweak your MyClasses course to improve the student experience!

Instructional Design and Delivery is offering the following workshops for the start of the semester on Thursday, January 18, online via Zoom (registration required):

• MyClasses Quick Start, 9 - 11 a.m.
• Assignments and Discussions, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• Panopto (Video Lectures) Workshop, 1  - 2 p.m.
• Creating Assessments in MyClasses, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Workshop descriptions and registration are available in the Faculty Development Calendar.

After-Hours Drop-In Opportunity - Great for Adjuncts!

To the many adjunct faculty at SU - we see you! We recognize that you might work full time and need assistance after regular operational hours.

ID&D is extending online office hours via Zoom on Wednesday, January 24 from 5-7 p.m. to provide faculty, particularly adjuncts, with the opportunity for individual consultations about preparing your course for the start of the semester. While individual support will be on a first come, first serve basis, we will make sure we provide everyone who attends with the support they need. 

No registration required to attend. Simply join the Zoom session between 5-7 p.m.

Not able to join Zoom on on January 24? Reach out to ID&D (suidd@salisbury.edu) to schedule a one-on-one meeting with your department's  Instructional Designer liaison!

Changes in MyClasses

Canvas updates monthly to respond to community requests for changes, additions, and fixes to improve the end-user experience for both faculty and student needs. Sometimes these changes seem minor but improve ease of use, and sometimes the changes are more comprehensive. Below are some of the most recent changes that you may see reflected in MyClasses or that you may want to enable and explore in preparation for the spring 2024 semester:

Publisher Integrations and Inclusive Access

Several major textbook publishers provide the ability to integrate their content and services with MyClasses courses. For example, assignments provided by the publisher can be linked from within a course module, and grades from the assignment will be automatically pushed back to the MyClasses gradebook.

Inclusive Access is a program coordinated by the SU Bookstore to provide access to course materials as soon as the MyClasses course opens to students (typically one week prior to the semester). With Inclusive Access, there are two types of course materials:

1. eBook - Access to a digital copy of the assigned textbook through the VitalSource eBook reader.
2. eBook and Courseware: In addition to the digital copy of the assigned textbook, students will also have access to various instructional materials and activities (Courseware) related to the assigned textbook selected by the instructor.

After faculty elect to participate in the Inclusive Access Program, setup is required to connect their MyClasses course with selected publisher instructional materials and activities (Courseware) for students to access the selected materials.

ID&D is ready to help with publisher integrations and/or inclusive access and invites faculty to the following sessions:

• Monday, January 22,  1-3 p.m. 
• Tuesday, January 23, 9 - 11 a.m.
• Wednesday, January 24, 5 - 7 p.m. (virtual only)
  

No registration is required; faculty can attend in-person in the Faculty Studio in Academic Commons, room 221 or attend virtually through links on the Faculty Development calendar.

For more information please visit the ID&D Inclusive Access and Publisher Integration Knowledge Base articles (SU Login Required).

14th Annual Teaching & Learning Conference

Registration is now open for the 14th Annual Teaching & Learning Conference to be held on Friday, February 16, in Perdue Hall from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The goal of this conference is to bring together teacher-scholars from across campus to share and discuss teaching innovations and best practices.

Join us in person for dynamic sessions led by a variety of SU’s faculty and staff. Dr. Tim Stock and Dr. Sandy Pope, Distinguished Faculty Award recipients, will deliver the keynote presentation. A  schedule is available online.

Register for the conference by Tuesday, February 13! Keynote and select presentations will be streamed live via Zoom - please register to obtain the virtual links.