What’s New? 

• Announcements are pop-up notifications inside a course. 
• Class Conversations allow talk about assignments and assessments for questions without creating specific discussion boards. 
• Group Discussions are no longer built inside of groups but are housed under discussions. 
• Messages replaces the ability to email from courses. 

How do I create items? 

• Organization with Modules and Folders. Remember, you can only build two levels deep.  
• Content (Written documentation with multiple feature options; Video tutorial) 
• Assignments (Written documentation with multiple feature options; Video tutorial) 
• Tests (Written documentation with multiple feature options; Video tutorial) 
• Discussions (Written documentation with multiple feature options; Video tutorial; Best practices) 
• Journals (Written documentation with multiple feature options; Video tutorial) 

Best practices for communication:

• Announcements: Announcements allow you to post critical time-sensitive information and may include push notifications, emails, and/or pop-up notifications. 
• Messages: From a course, you can access messages from the navigation bar. The course messages page shows all messages from the course you’re in. 
• Conversations: Allows students to contact their instructors and peers for questions about specific assignments, or assessments, if made available. 
• Journals: Students can express their thoughts, questions, and concerns privately with instructors. 
• Discussions: Students can share ideas, gather feedback and refine opinions and plans with their classmates. 

Course Storage and Retention Policy Updates:

• From now on, we are only retaining two years of course history on Blackboard. An additional three years of course archives are available upon request. You must provide both the course term and CRN. 
• Courses are limited to 5GB of storage space. To save space, please use Panopto to host your videos and link them to your Blackboard courses. 

The next OnCampus will feature how-to tips for rosters, accommodations, and gradebook setup.  

— Karly Good, ITS

The following article was included in the July 6 edition of OnCampus:

Drake University has updated the Cellular Phone Policy that was originally developed in 2009.  The University will continue to not own cellular phones for the use of individual employees except in limited situations.  Employees whose job functions include the frequent need for a cellular phone may receive a stipend, in the form of a cell phone allowance.  Eligibility for the cell phone allowance will be confirmed by managers and approved by the applicable President’s Council member in accordance with eligibility factors listed in the policy.  The amount of the cell phone allowance is changing to be more reflective of cellular phone billing practices while still acknowledging that job functions may require some level of business-related use of an employee’s personal cell phone.

Based on feedback received, the policy has been revised.  In addition, the following comments address specific feedback received.

• When the Cellular Phone Policy was originally developed in 2009, most personal cell phone plan charges were based on usage. The more calls made and data used, the more that was paid.  The cell phone allowance amount was set at that time to approximate the actual costs employees paid for business-related usage of the cell phone.  The stipend amount was never intended to cover 100% of the personal cell phone plan charges as the device was used for both personal and business-related use.  In contrast today, most personal cell phone plan charges are based on unlimited calling and unlimited (or much higher limits) data usage.  Except in rare instances, employees are not incurring any more costs for the Drake-related usage of the phone than what is being paid to have and use the phone for personal use.
• The cell phone allowance should not be considered compensation. While the allowance is taxable for IRS purposes, the allowance was originally intended to reimburse employees for personal costs incurred.  And now, the allowance is intended to be an acknowledgement of the business-related use of the cell phone even though no personal costs are incurred.
• There is no requirement that employees have a personal cell phone for use for Drake business unless they are receiving the cell phone allowance. While a cell phone may be used for Drake business out of convenience, such as for ITS dual-factor authentication, there is no expectation that employees have a personal cell phone.  Per ITS, there are three options for two-factor authentication.  Using an app on an individual’s mobile device is generally the most convenient.  However, there is also the option to have an authorization code sent via SMS or phone call, which can be made through both mobile devices or a land line phone.
• The review of the outdated cell phone policy has been overdue for several years. However, it was a consultant hired by the University to review non-personnel spending that noted the allowance offered by Drake was rich.  Most local Des Moines businesses have reduced their cell phone allowances or eliminated them completely.  In addition, Finance staff surveyed other Iowa private colleges as well as the members of the College and University Sustainability Project (CUSP).  The updated cell phone allowance amount is consistent with what other Iowa institutions and the CUSP members are providing for allowances.
• Feedback comments noted that cell phone plan prices as well as the cost for devices are increasing. Cell phone plan prices may be increasing but they are coming with more benefits including unlimited calling and data.  And device costs for the newest models have increased dramatically but there is no Drake requirement that employees purchase the costly devices.  Rather, this is personal choice.
• There were comments related to Facilities Planning and Management (FPM) employees that use Drake provided cell phones for Drake-related business. FPM is one of the limited exceptions where the University has authorized the ownership of cellular phones that are provided to employees while at work.  These phones are available for work only and personal use is not allowed or even available on the phone.  This arrangement in FPM will continue and is not impacted by the revised cellular phone policy.

Thank you to those who provided comments related to these policy revisions.  We feel the additional revisions to the policy as well as the above comments are reflective of the feedback received.  The Cellular Phone Policy, as revised, is effective as of August 1, 2021.

— Jessica Morgan-Tate, Finance & Administration

Faculty and staff are invited to a grand opening celebration for Hubbell Dining Hall on Friday, Aug. 20, from 2–4 p.m. Appetizers will be served from new Executive Chef Angela Shultz, cold beer and wine will be available, and President Martin will be on-site for a ribbon cutting. Be sure to mark your calendars!

— Casey Morgan, Sodexo Food Services

Many employees are aware that Drake University offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) called Employee and Family Resources (EFR). However, this resource is often underutilized and even misunderstood. While confidential and free counseling is a critical component of EFR, some employees may not know that the counseling services are available to not just them, but also their family members.

Counseling is only one aspect of this great benefit. If you have not yet explored the EFR website, it is possible you have not discovered some of the hidden gems contained in this benefit. For example, did you know you can complete a DASS-21 self-assessment? The DASS-21 assessment quantifies distress along the dimensions of depression, anxiety, and stress. The self-assessment consists of 21 questions and only takes a couple minutes to complete. You’ll get an immediate assessment, which does not constitute a clinical diagnosis, but it will consist of an insightful sliding scale noting your depression, anxiety, and stress scores.

Did you know that EFR’s past webinars are available on demand? There are wonderful topics to explore, including conversations such as Unlocking the Powers of Mindfulness and Compassion During Tough Transitions, Moving from Confusing to Thriving: Life in an (Almost) Post-Pandemic World, Breaking the Silence: Men and Mental Health, Shaping a Strong Generation: Youth Resiliency, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace, and many more. Prefer podcasts? No problem. EFR has those, too. You can check out the list of recent podcasts here.