Salisbury University | Instructional Design & Delivery Newsletter | May 16, 2023

Faculty Learning Community - Call for Proposals

Faculty Learning Community (FLC) proposals are now being accepted for the upcoming 2023-2024 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.

Proposal must be submitted by Friday, May 26, 2023. For more information on FLCs and the application process, please visit the Faculty Learning Communities website.

Elkins Fellowship for Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Call for applications for the newly established Elkins Fellowship in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is currently open. This fellowship is designed to support faculty members who are interested in advancing SoTL at their institution. Faculty are welcome to apply directly as specified in the call for applications, but a letter of support should be included (chair or dean/school director).

Proposals are due to Dr. Zakiya Lee (zlee@usmd.edu) by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 22, 2023, for work to be in the subsequent academic year. If you have any questions about the fellowship, please email cafe@salisbury.edu.

New Digital Resource for Aligning OER and DEI 

Adopting open educational resources, or OER, can be an effective strategy for meeting campus equity goals. In addition to saving students (and institutions) money, making free educational materials available for faculty and students to use, customize, and share can level the academic playing field, narrow performance gaps, and reduce failure and withdrawal rates. 

Yet, intentional connections are seldom made between OER initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, despite the similar outcomes sought by both.

Leveraging Open Educational Resources to Advance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: A Guide for Campus Change Agents provides evidence-based guidance and best practices that support the sustainability and broad adoption of OER by making strategic connections to DEI goals, strategies, policies, initiatives, and offices. 

This new American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) publication is now available for free download.

MyClasses Access to Courses with Incompletes

A question ID&D receives at the end of each semester is what happens to a course in MyClasses when a student has an incomplete? Can course access be extended?

Yes! Any course with a documented incomplete or extension in GullNet will automatically be extended to either:

• The mid-semester date of the next full semester, established by the Registrar's Office or
• A date the faculty member requests through the Incomplete Grade Extension form.

ID&D runs a weekly report between GullNet and MyClasses to update the section dates to provide continuity of access to the course. Extended access is applied to the entire course and not just for the individual student(s) receiving an incomplete.

End-of-Semester Grade Deadlines

End-of-semester grades in GullNet are due as follows:

• SP23 7W2: Tuesday, May 23 • Noon
• SP23 Regular Session: Saturday, May 27 • 4 p.m.

Please note that May 27 is part of a three-day weekend; if possible, please submit your grades early! Any faculty member who needs assistance during the grade deadline extension over the three-day weekend should submit a request for help in the ID&D Support Center.

Check your email for additional information from the Registrar's Office about end-of-semester grading or visit their Faculty and Staff Resources site for GullNet grading instructions.

Reflecting on Student Course Evaluations

Spring is a great time to reflect on your courses for continuous improvement. This is an established best practice in academia, and now is a great time to use the feedback from students as an important tool to reflect and assist with planning for future semesters.

Course evaluations are available seven days after the semester ends. Instructions are available in the Technology Support Center Knowledgebase on how faculty can access course evaluations delivered via GullNet:

• Obtaining Course Evaluation Results in GullNet
• Obtaining Course Survey Long Answer Results in GullNet

Save the Date – Faculty Development Day

Faculty Development Day is scheduled for Wednesday, August 23, 8:30 a.m.-noon. The focus for this year's event is Establishing a Community of Belonging.

Encouraging a sense of belonging is one of the best high-impact practices to foster student success. Based on College Student Development Theories, four strategies – building community, connecting with students, reflection, and smiling – can create a sense of comfort, calm, and belonging in your classroom and can lead to every student feeling they are a valued member of your class.

Related article:

Kirby, L. A. J.,  & Thomas, C. L. (2022). High-impact teaching practices foster a greater sense of belonging in the college classroom. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(3), 368-381. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1950659.

SU is an Equal Opportunity/AA/Title IX university and provides reasonable accommodation given sufficient notice to the University office or staff sponsoring the event or program. For more information regarding SU's policies and procedures, please visit www.salisbury.edu/equity.