It is always best to book international flights through a Short’s travel agent rather than online. You can search online, however there are certain international airlines that do not participate in the ticket inventory available to agencies such as Short’s. The agent will be able to locate the lowest available price for your international trips.

If you have questions, contact jputz@shortstravel.com or caron.findlay@drake.edu.

— Caron Findlay, Director, Purchasing and Business Services

All Drake Polo shirts are 15% off April 9–22 through the online store. Stock up and save at shop.drake.edu.

— Caron Findlay, Director, Purchasing and Business Services

Passwords are often described as the key to protecting our information. This is true, but we’re rarely given simple ways to securely manage them. Fortunately, there are ways to simplify passwords to protect our digital identities.

Passphrases
The days of complex passwords with character substitutions and symbols are over. They’re hard to remember and type, and easy for attackers to break. The solution is passphrases: longer passwords that use random words or make a sentence, including symbols if required.

• My2015CamryisGreen!
• Eagle-Crow-Jay-Finch#

Password Managers
It’s critical to use a unique password for every website and account. When a breach occurs, reused passwords allow attackers to quickly compromise multiple accounts. Password managers securely store your unique passphrases and only require you to remember a single master password. They also retrieve passwords as needed, and log into websites as you visit them. Additionally, the best password managers also store answers to your secret questions, warn of password reuse, and assist with changing old and insecure passwords.

Many options are available, so research to determine which one is best for you and your family.

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication requires a secondary code or acknowledgement and your password to access an account. Even if an attacker has your password, they are unable to access your account. Enable this wherever possible, but especially for accounts containing financial or identifying information. ITS is implementing MFA in systems with confidential information, and we strongly recommend it for personal accounts.

ITS will continue phishing education this month sending emails that mimic real attacks. If you receive an email that you suspect is phishing, don’t click any links, download any attachments, or reply.

For more information on reporting phishing emails, see the IT Service Portal guide, Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to).

—Peter Lundstedt, ITS

Faculty and staff can purchase discounted tickets to the Drake Relays. Visit DrakeTix.com/drakerelays to view the special pricing for package and single-session tickets. Faculty and staff must visit the Knapp Center Ticket Office and show a valid Drake ID to receive the discounted price. For more information, contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 515-271-3647.

Ryan Harris, Athletics

Love golf? Join the Drake University Faculty/Staff Golf League. Tee times are Wednesdays starting at 4 p.m. It is a ten-week season, eight of which will be played at Grandview Golf Course, and two weeks will be played at Blank Golf Course. Contact Ryan Parriott at ryan.parriott@drake.edu for entry forms or questions.

Ryan Parriott, Recreational Services

We are just nine days away from the biggest advancement and fundraising event of the year and the excitement is building online and on campus.

In addition to spreading the word about All In, be sure to RSVP and attend the Des Moines All In Happy Hour on Thursday, April 5, from 5–7 p.m. at Gilroy’s Kitchen + Pub + Patio at 1238 8th Street, West Des Moines. Register to attend here. This event is open to the entire Des Moines Drake community and is a great opportunity to catch up with alumni, parents, and friends of Drake so let your networks know you’re going and you’d love to see them there. 

Also, returning for the third year to sweeten the deal is Provost Mattison’s Faculty/Staff Pie drawing. Each faculty or staff member who makes a gift during All In will be entered into a drawing to win a delicious homemade apple pie from Provost Mattison herself. 

For more information on All In this year and to follow along with our challenges and sign up as an ambassador, visit drake.edu/allin. If you have any questions about All In please feel free to contact Becca Widmer, director of annual giving, at becca.widmer@drake.edu.

Becca Widmer, director of annual giving

Each month a faculty member, nominated by their dean, is recognized for their efforts to integrate innovative technology into their classroom. March’s digital faculty member of the month is Darla Eastman, associate professor of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Read an interview with Darla below:

Which course do you use this technology in? Phar 191: Pharmacotherapeutics II

What type of technology do you use? This past semester we incorporated electronic examinations that were administered via Blackboard using Respondus Lockdown Browser. 

In what context do you use this technology? This past semester we utilized this technology for all five exams in the course. In the future, we are planning to use it for weekly quizzes as well. 

How does this type of technology align with your teaching pedagogy? One of our key goals in teaching pharmacy students is to make sure they are prepared as professionals. Upon graduation, doctor of pharmacy students must complete two national board exams, which are both administered electronically. Another key advantage was the opportunity to provide students with immediate feedback on their performance as they were able to review the rationale for each question in a setting that was more private and less stressful.

Where did you get the inspiration to make a change? CPHS adopted a schedule to move to electronic exams and my course was one of the first to change. The College wanted to make sure students are prepared for future, high-stakes exams. Also, we want to make sure CPHS is utilizing technology effectively and keeping pace with digital advancements. Now, having used electronic testing for a semester, I can see additional potential that may benefit faculty and students in the future. 

How long did it take for you to implement this technology? I spent a lot of time in the months leading up to the semester learning about the technology and then figuring out how to best implement it. I ran “tests” on my own computer so that I could learn the system and know how it would work for students and faculty. 

Did Drake ITS assist you in implementing this technology? Karly Good has been instrumental in helping with the implementation of electronic testing and helped me work through a variety of questions and scenarios. Anthony Squire attended the first few minutes of each examination period to assure students’ technology was working correctly and was quickly able to resolve any issues. I am so grateful to both Karly and Anthony for all the support they have provided!

Are you interested in trying out new technology in your classroom? Want help from ITS? Schedule a technology adoption consultation.

Jon Hurdelbrink, CPHS, and Carla Herling, ITS