All posts by Carla Herling

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Blackboard Learn Ultra: Where are we now? 

Current status 
Thank you for continuing to prepare for the shift to Blackboard Learn Ultra. All training modules have now been released in the Blackboard Learn Ultra Instructor Orientation. The CTE Ambassadors have visited every college/department to provide a quick preview and/or demonstration of what is expected for Fall 2021 courses. Fall courses are now available and ready for development. (We are still working out a few kinks, so you may currently see some duplicates. This will be remedied soon.) 

Third-party tools and Ultra courses 
As you design and test your new Ultra courses, please be sure to check that any third-party tools you plan to use have been updated. Third-party tools may include ancillaries for your textbooks, any audio or video captured content, or proctoring software. ITS has updated most of these tools, but there are likely some we are not aware of that will need to be addressed before fall courses begin.  

Videos and Blackboard 
Please refrain from uploading video files directly to Blackboard. Video files take up a significant amount of space and they can be stored on Panopto without impacting Blackboard’s storage allowance.  

Additional training opportunities 
If you are looking for additional training, please watch for offerings throughout the spring and summer terms. The Blackboard Learn Ultra Training site will provide updates on the Design Dialogs workshops as well as additional Blackboard led training. If your department wants to schedule any additional or advanced training sessions, please coordinate with your area’s CTE Ambassador or Karly Good.  

Project FAQs  
Find answers to your project questions as well as additional updates around the Learn Ultra upgrade on our project site: https://www.drake.edu/its/learnultra/. 

— Karly Good, ITS

For Students Archive

Final grades due May 19 (Law School grades due May 25)

Students, final grades for non-Law School courses are due Wednesday, May 19. Final grades for the Law School are due Tuesday, May 25.

Generally, final grades are available to view by the first calendar day following the day the grade was entered. You may view your final grades by clicking the “My Grades” link under the Student Records area in MyDrake.

— Kevin Moenkhaus, Office of the Registrar

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Final grades due May 19 (Law School grades due May 25)

Final grades are due by 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 19. Exception: final grades for the Law School are due on Tuesday, May 25. Your ability to submit final grades will be disabled at that point.

View instructions on how to send your final grades from Blackboard to MyDUSIS.

Those of you who want to submit grades directly into MyDUSIS should begin by clicking the Grading button in the “Faculty & Advising” menu in MyDrake and then finding the “Final Grades–Submittal Link.”

The final evaluation schedule includes a listing of when courses are scheduled to meet for their final evaluations.

— Kevin Moenkhaus, Office of the Registrar

Campus Announcements Archive

Raise the Purse fundraiser

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to the fifth annual Raise the Purse fundraiser to benefit Drake student-athletes. The event is a unique celebration of women, connection, and of course purses.

This year’s event is virtual. A silent auction will open at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12, and close at 12 p.m. on Friday, May 14. It is free to access. The silent auction will include gently used designer handbags and purses, as well as some sport-specific gear provided by various Drake Athletic teams.

A live webinar featuring Suzie Glazer Burt and Allison Pohlman, Drake’s new women’s basketball head coach, will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 12. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at godrakebulldogs.com/raisethepurse. All proceeds directly benefit Drake University student-athletes through the Bulldog Club.

Find more information. Thank you for your support!

— Shannon Saunders, Athletics

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

COVID-19 vaccine ‘fact versus myth’ panel discussion

As you consider getting vaccinated for COVID-19, you may have questions. You might even feel nervous. That’s OK.

Vaccine rumors are plentiful. It can be difficult to know which sources of information you can trust. Does the COVID-19 vaccine alter DNA or affect women’s fertility? Do I need the vaccine if I’ve had COVID-19?  Learning the facts about COVID-19 vaccines can help you make a good choice for you, your family, and your community.

Join us on Friday, May 14, at 10 a.m. for a virtual event to answer your questions. Brian Gentry, Carrie Koenigsfeld, and Shauna Kaplan will share information on the vaccine, sort out myth from fact, and hold a Q&A session. This session will be moderated by Nora Stelter.

Please submit questions to linda.feiden@drake.edu by Tuesday, May 11.

Join Zoom Meeting on Friday, May 14, at 10 a.m. using this link:
https://drake-edu.zoom.us/j/82802037478

Meeting ID: 828 0203 7478
Find your local number: https://drake-edu.zoom.us/u/kbuLJpfchQ

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Campus Announcements Archive, For Students Archive

Register now: Summer online courses begin May 17

Summer is a great time to continue your education, pick up additional credits, or work to improve your grade point average. Whether you’re located in Des Moines or thousands of miles away, online courses are available to you—no matter your location. Use Drake’s online scheduling feature to see the current listing of summer online courses.

Summer at Drake begins May 17 and ends Aug. 22 for most classes, with online courses offered during two sessions. For Drake Law School, the summer session starts May 24 and runs through the summer. All summer courses will be taught by Drake faculty who will provide an exceptional Drake learning experience.

For Students Archive

Work with local youth in the Sprout Garden

The Office of Community Engaged Learning is looking to hire a Sprout Garden Youth Education Coordinator for the 2021–2022 academic year. The student in this position will plan and lead lessons and activities for local youth in the Sprout Garden. The position is approximately eight hours a week and works closely with another Sprout Garden coordinator.

Learn more about the position and apply. Contact amanda.martin@drake.edu with questions.

— Amanda Martin, Office of Community Engaged Learning

News & Achievements Archive

Harkin Institute receives grant to continue SNAP report

The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement has been selected to partner with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) on efforts to engage diverse populations in support of healthier food environments.

This grant will allow the Institute to continue its work identifying programs and policies that can help strengthen nutrition and public health benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Earlier this year, the Harkin Institute and CSPI published the report, “Strategies to Improve Healthy Eating in SNAP: An Iowa Perspective,” which offers recommendations to inform the potential impact, feasibility, barriers and supports for future pilot projects to test strategies to better support healthy eating among SNAP recipients.

— Emily Schettler, Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement

News & Achievements Archive

The Tom and Ruth Harkin Center is the highest Green Globes rated project in Iowa

The new Tom and Ruth Harkin Center has achieved three Green Globes, which is the highest rated project in the state of Iowa and the first project in the state to receive this level of rating. Some of the features that contributed to the success of the project include: native landscape plantings, stormwater management on site, an all-electric building with a VRF mechanical system, daylighting in all occupied spaces, providing a view to the outdoors to all occupied areas, utilizing recycled and low-emitting materials for building finishes and providing low-flow with energy-star plumbing fixtures throughout.

The Ruth and Tom Harkin Center at Drake University has recently completed the comprehensive Green Globes building certification process that started at the beginning of concept design and tracked the project through completion of construction. This third-party building certification program measures the reduction of environmental impacts and use of environmental efficiency practices for new and existing building projects. The program breaks down a building’s environmental impact over seven different sections and scores are compiled as a percentage of the total points achieved by the project (1,000 points total); with the final rating given from one to four Green Globes. The Drake University campus-wide goal is to meet a minimum of two Green Globes on any new construction project.

— Michelle Huggins, Planning and Design Manager