Blackboard will be unavailable Dec. 23–27 for planned migration to SaaS (Software as a Service). Rest assured, during this migration, we are not heading south for the winter. Blackboard will be migrating to a different kind of environment without much change to our users.

Please be sure to plan accordingly for this migration timeline. After the system is available, faculty may once again generate course materials and finish their preparations for J-Term and spring courses.

Our move to Blackboard’s SaaS (Software as a Service) will make new tools available and position Drake to provide better online offerings for years to come. The planned migration from managed hosting, which is housed on Blackboard’s servers, to SaaS, hosted on Amazon Web Services data centers, will occur during winter break to have the least amount of impact.

Once the migration takes place, we will continue running the current experience on Blackboard known as version 9.1. By moving to SaaS, we gain some major benefits from the new environment, which will allow us to make future upgrades and patches to our environment with little to no downtime.

Karly Good, ITS

An EdTech workshop, “Student Technology Use in the Classroom,”will be taught by Karly Good and Clayton Mitchell on Wednesday, Nov. 29, from 3 to 4 p.m. in Olmsted, TMR 132. The session will cover student use of personal technology in the classroom. It will discuss how different spaces function across campus and how you can integrate classroom technology into your instruction.

Register today and learn about future workshops. EdTech workshops are designed to support faculty in the innovative use of educational technology in teaching and learning.

Need help sooner? Visit the IT Service Portal and request a Blackboard consultation or a technology adoption consultation or search for answers in the Teaching and Learning section of the Knowledge Base.

Karly Good, ITS

Drake International is now accepting proposals from faculty and staff who are interested in collaborating with one of Drake’s international strategic partner institutions. International partnerships have proven to be an important way for faculty and staff to engage globally in meaningful ways.

Interested individuals should complete the application through Qualtrics by Nov. 30.

Please direct questions to Annique Kiel, executive director of global engagement and international programs, at annique.kiel@drake.edu.

Annique Kiel, Drake International

Holiday break check processing schedule:

Thanksgiving break: The only check run during Thanksgiving week will occur on Tuesday, Nov. 21. To receive a check before the Thanksgiving break, all requests need to be to Accounts Payable by 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15.

Winter break:

• All check requests are due to Accounts Payable by the end of the business day on Friday, Dec. 15.
• For requests received by Dec. 15, checks will be processed and available after 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19. This will be the last check run before winter break.
• The accounting office will be closed during winter break. Normal check processing will resume on Wednesday, Jan. 3.

Thank you for your help in coordinating to ensure we meet all needs during the upcoming season. Please contact Accounting at ext. 2125 with any questions.

Jeni Baugher, Accounting

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication graduate committee is hosting an open session for faculty interested in teaching courses in the Master of Arts in Communication (MAC) online program, which launches in January 2018. Join us on Thursday, Nov. 16, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., in Meredith Hall, Room 104. SJMC faculty will be available to provide information and answer questions about how they’ve gone about researching and creating the program, training to teach online, and creating the classes.

The MAC includes four tracks: Communication Leadership, Brand Communication, Public Policy and Advocacy, and Health and Science Communication. There is a core set of classes common to all tracks, with specialization and customization through interdisciplinary electives.

For more information, contact Associate Dean Kelly Bruhn at kelly.bruhn@drake.edu.

Kathleen Richardson, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

The following grants are available to support global service-learning projects from the Ron and Jane Olson Endowment for Global Service-Learning.

Match grant: Faculty, staff, and students can apply for a match grant to support a global service-learning project or course. Applications are now being accepted for J-Term projects. Grants, up to $500, are awarded to go toward project implementation resource needs. Applicants must demonstrate $500 in cash or in-kind match. Applications are due Dec. 8.

 Mini grants: Faculty, staff, and students can apply for mini grants to support global service-learning courses and cocurricular experiences. Mini grants typically range from $25 to $200. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until funds are gone.

Fellow grant: Faculty and staff can apply for funding to develop global service-learning partnerships or to develop innovative global service-learning experiences. Up to $9,000 is available for travel and $750 for release time.

Learn more about each of these opportunities, along with definitions of global service-learning projects.

 Amanda Martin, Community Engaged Learning