All posts by Carla Herling

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Preparing to teach at a distance

Emergencies happen, and it’s best to plan ahead in case you might need to teach remotely, whether due to severe weather, an outbreak, or a personal situation.

When teaching at a distance, you will have the best experience if you use technology and processes that are Drake-licensed and ITS-supported. ITS provides resources to help faculty provide synchronous and/or asynchronous distance learning activities, and offers assistance in using them.

We have created an introductory video covering best practices for distance learning to walk you through some of the available tools.

Additionally, self-paced resources can be found in our ITS knowledge base at Preparing Your Class for the Unexpected and/or Emergencies (Best Practices).

We will be scheduling additional virtual sessions in the coming weeks. Information will be posted on the Drake calendar and in the Blackboard Tips and Tricks section on the Blackboard homepage.

— Karly Good, ITS

Campus Announcements Archive

Cooling season switch over tentatively planned for April 15

With the arrival of spring and warmer temperatures, you may begin to wonder when the air will kick on in your building. Or, why you can’t have both heat and air as options at the same time. Drake has a two-pipe heating and cooling system. In basic terms, this means the system can be in either heating mode or cooling mode, but not both at the same time.

The changeover from heating to cooling or vice versa is made manually, and takes about a week to implement. The planned date to switch campus buildings from heating to cooling mode is April 15.

With that said, there is always the possibility that unusual weather patterns might cause some discomfort. Facilities Planning and Management monitors the weather forecast closely and adjusts switch over dates according to forecasted temperatures, but due to our fluctuating Iowa weather, it is often a guessing game.

Facilities Planning and Management switches the residence halls from heating to cooling first since they are occupied 24/7. It is also important to note that once the system has been switched over, there is no changing it back due to the manual process required to make the change.

Every building is a little different, too, so if anyone has any specific questions with their particular building or space, please contact Brett Lovelady, Drake HVAC manager, at 515–271–4728 or brett.lovelady@drake.edu.

— Brett Lovelady, Heating and Cooling, Facilities Planning and Management

For Faculty Archive

Midterm grades due 10 a.m. March 25

Midterm grade entry is now available in MyDUSIS. Midterm grades are due by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 25. Students are able to view their midterm grades as soon as you submit them.

To access the MyDUSIS grade-entry link, log into MyDrake, click on the “Grading” icon under the Faculty & Advising section, and then click on “Mid Term Grades — Submittal Link.”

Those of you who would like to send your midterm grades from Blackboard to MyDUSIS can follow the instructions here.

Students have until 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, to drop a course with a “W”.

— Kevin Moenkhaus, Office of the Registrar

Campus Announcements Archive

POSTPONED: eAccounts/Bulldog Bucks upgrade planned during spring break

This update has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ITS will provide an update when a rescheduled date is determined.

ITS is making updates to eAccounts in order to facilitate single sign on (SSO). The eAccounts system allows you to add Bulldog Bucks to your Drake ID card. After the upgrade on Tuesday, March 17, you will no longer have to enter your credentials a second time when you access eAccounts from the myDrake portal. You can learn more about how SSO works at Single Sign On (SSO) and Drake applications (FAQ).

As a result of this upgrade, you may need to re-enter saved credit card information for your account, or re-select Drake as your institution when using the mobile app. Additionally, you may receive an email about a new registration from no-reply@blackboard.com. This is a system-generated email and can be deleted.

Additional resources on using eAccounts and Bulldog Bucks can be found in these ITS guides.

— Carla Herling, ITS

HR Information Archive

Welcome new Bulldogs

Please join Human Resources in welcoming nine new, full-time Drake University employees for the month of February.

Daniel (Danny) Bugg, Athletics, Assistant Director, Athletic Marketing
Lindsey Thomas, Athletics, Director, Ticket Operations
Janet (Lisa) Cooper, The RaySociety, Program Development Associate
Sophie Tibbals, CBPA, CBPA Success Coach
William (Bill) Adamowski, CBPA, Executive Director, Innovation, Entrprnshp.& Human Centered Design
Jeremy Curtis, Office of Admission, Assistant Director, Regional Recruitment, Texas & Latin America
Hannah Sappenfield, International Center, Global Partnerships Coordinator
Alexa Vitales, Head Start, Head Start Teacher Associate
Charleen Johnson, ITS, Campus Technician

— Laura Schwarz, Human Resources

For Faculty Archive

Summer textbook adoptions due March 15

Faculty, the deadline for submitting Summer 2020 course material adoptions is March 15. The University Bookstore has a simple tool for you to use this adoption season, called Follett Discover.

Adopting on time contributes to course materials affordability. By submitting adoptions prior to the due date or by the due date, your campus store has time to source used and rental inventory which translates to savings for your students. If you consistently use the same book from term to term, partner with the campus store to let them know because this will translate into even larger savings for your students.

Another important aspect that relies on timely textbook adoption is compliance to the HEOA. The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) aimed at making college more affordable and accessible, calls for full disclosure and transparency related to the selection, pricing, and use of course materials when registration for courses begins . HEA was enacted into federal law in 2010. At Drake University the bookstore is the collection agent for textbook adoptions, posting the adoptions submitted and thus ensuring the university’s compliance to the HEOA.

Follett Discover allows you to easily discover, research, and adopt course materials all in one place. In addition to adopting traditional print materials, Follett Discover makes it easy to search and adopt non-traditional materials such as YouTube videos, open education resources, and MOOC content.

Two easy steps to access Follett Discover via Blackboard

1. Log into myDrake.
2. Find the Tools channel, scroll down and click the Follett Discover link OR find the Follett Discover channel and click the Launch Discover link.

If you have any questions about the tool or how it works, I’m happy to help.

— Donna Hallstrom, University Bookstore

Campus Announcements Archive

Nominations open for Adams Leadership Awards

The Adams Leadership Convocation is an annual, campus-wide event that celebrates the achievements of student leaders and organizations at Drake University. As part of this special ceremony, please consider nominating Drake students and student organizations who’ve exhibited strong leadership and excellence throughout the 2019–2020 academic year. Nominations can be submitted by any Drake student, faculty, or staff member. View a full list of awards and the nomination form here. Nominations are due April 9, 2020, at 11:59 p.m.

In addition to submitting your nominations, please save the date for this year’s Adams Leadership Convocation on Friday, May 1, at 1 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium (appetizer reception following). If you have any questions, please contact Kristin Economos, director of student leadership programs, at kristin.economos@drake.edu.

— Kristin Economos, Office of Student Involvement and Leadership

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

Protecting electronic payments

Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the increase in electronic payments. According to the 2020 Cybersecurity Report from Check Point Research, mobile banking malware attacks increased 50 percent from 2018 to 2019.

Below are some tips to help you safely use electronic payment sites.

Verify websites before entering important information. Clicking on a link may not take you where you expect. When shopping, banking, or making online payments, manually type in the website name (e.g., chase.com) instead of clicking links in an email, social network post, or text message.

Ignore phone calls from unknown and unfamiliar numbers. If you receive a phone call from someone who is urgently asking for money, there’s a good chance it’s a scam. Most of these calls can be safely ignored, but you can always search for the organization’s website and find out for yourself. Don’t be rattled by threats over the phone.

Public computers aren’t for private information. The computers in a hotel lobby or a public library may contain malware that records your activity, including any passwords you enter. Shop and make electronic payments only on a device that you control.

Don’t use free Wi-Fi when making an electronic payment. The open nature of free Wi-Fi at cafes, airports, and other public venues makes it possible for others who are on the same Wi-Fi network to spy on your activities. If you cannot wait for another time to do your banking, use a VPN when using free Wi-Fi or use data on your mobile device.

Consider getting a credit card just for electronic payments. If you decide to get a credit card or online account just for electronic payments, make sure the credit limit or available balance is low. This will protect you from a large loss if you become a victim of online fraud.

Review your transactions regularly. Online banking allows you to check your account quickly and easily. Take time each day or each week to review your electronic payments. If you see charges you don’t recognize, notify your bank or payment application vendor (e.g., Venmo, PayPal, or Apple Pay) right away.

Check your credit reports to help spot fraud. Credit reporting services Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion are required to provide you with a free credit report once per year, and there are other third-party options.

ITS will continue to simulate email-based attacks and will assign training to individuals who are routinely susceptible. If you’re concerned that you’ve been the target of phishing, see Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to) at https://drake.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/KB/ArticleDet?ID=27919.

—Peter Lundstedt, ITS

For Students Archive

The Harkin Institute is hiring

The Harkin Institute is hiring Drake students to join our research team for the fall semester. It’s a great way to gain professional experience without having to leave campus. Students from all majors or fields of study are welcome to apply.

Find the application on Handshake by searching for The Harkin Institute. The application is open until March 29.

About us:
The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement at Drake University is dedicated to the study of issues that define our public life and to engaging students and citizens in constructive dialogue regarding these issues. Founded on the premise that good public policy is best achieved when policymakers have access to high quality information, political processes are open and well-understood, and citizens are informed and active participants, the Harkin Institute seeks to create opportunities for thoughtful policy discourse in a nonpartisan environment.

— Kayla Garrigan, JO,AS