Are you curious about the “Generation on a Tightrope”? Would you like to learn about the balanced scorecard? How do YOU manage change? These are just a few of the topics that remain as part of the 2015–2016 Excellence in Learning & Development program. Check out this program, as well as other development opportunities, on the Learning & Development website. Pre-registration is requested, but not required.
—Submitted by Debra Wiley, Assistant Director, Human Resources
2017 on-campus J-Term scheduling
Schools and colleges will begin creating the 2017 on-campus J-Term schedule early in the spring semester. If you do schedule a J-Term class, please also send that information to me at arthur.sanders@drake.edu so that we can post the information on the J-Term website. Also, if you have questions about J-Term classes, please feel free to contact me.
First Year Seminar requests
If you would like to offer an FYS in the fall of 2016, please fill out the FYS request form on the FYS Resource website. The course submission form is at the bottom of the page, which also includes other resources you might find useful, including syllabi from previous FYS classes. Please fill this out even if you are a full-time faculty member who is teaching FYS as part of your regular teaching load. Note that if you have taught the particular FYS you are proposing since 2012, you will not need to provide any information except for your time preferences. Please submit these applications by Friday, Feb. 5.
Drake Research Grants and Undergraduate Assistantship Program applications
Applications for 2016–2017 Drake Research Grants (DRG) and 2016–2017 Undergraduate Assistantship Program (UGA) are due in the office of your dean by Friday, Feb. 6. Deans will provide their comments and ranking to my office by Monday, Feb. 15. For information about the DRG and UGA programs, go to the Faculty Development Grant website. You will find information about the DRG and UGA programs, an FAQ about all of the grant programs run through the Provost’s Office, and the forms you need to submit the grant applications. If you have questions, please contact me.
—Submitted by Art Sanders, Associate Provost
In an effort to better serve you, DTS is making some changes to how we merge courses in Blackboard. I am excited to report that instructors will no longer have to worry about merging their own courses. I am currently working with our Banner-Blackboard integration to automatically merge courses.
While we work on finalizing this process, I will be merging your courses so you can concentrate on what matters to you the most, teaching your courses. Please email me at maryjane.blystone@drake.edu and include the following information:
Let me reassure you, this is a temporary solution until we are set to have the system merge courses automatically. We will notify you once this process is complete.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me.
—Submitted by Mary Jane Blystone, LMS Technology Specialist
Instructors, your ability to submit final grades will end at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 23. (Online grade entry for the Law School will remain open until Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016.) This deadline was set by the faculty and appears in Section 2.135 of the faculty manual.
I greatly appreciate your efforts to submit your grades by the 10 a.m. deadline.
From that point, staff from your dean’s office and the Student Records Office will work together—expeditiously—to reconcile grades for courses that students have repeated (for a better grade) and to calculate students’ GPAs. This work must be done quickly yet carefully so that, among other reasons, informed decisions can be made with regard to students’ academic probation/suspension.
We will begin this process promptly at 10 a.m. on Dec. 23, as we must complete it by close of business, before the University adjourns for winter break.
If you have any questions about how to submit your final grades, please contact your dean’s office or Kevin Moenkhaus (kevin.moenkhaus@drake.edu or 271-3902) in the Student Records Office.
Thank you, and best wishes as your semester draws to a close.
—Submitted by Kevin Moenkhaus, Director, Student Records and Academic Information
Faculty Senate will meet at 3:30 p.m. in Cowles 201 on December 9. The agenda includes several reports of interest and a motion endorsing admission, financial aid, and fundraising strategies that prioritize accessibility, diversity, and inclusivity. View the full agenda.
J-Term 2017 on-campus schedule
It will soon be time to construct the J-Term 2017 on-campus schedule. Each school/college assembles the schedule of their classes, and they will have deadlines sometime very early in the spring semester. If you have questions about J-Term classes (such as how to develop an intensive three-week learning experience, which faculty or staff have successfully organized on-campus J-Term classes and are willing to discuss with others, or what compensation rules are), feel free to contact Associate Provost Art Sanders (arthur.sanders@drake.edu).
Interested in teaching an FYS next fall?
It is time to start considering teaching a First Year Seminar in Fall 2016. If you are interested, visit the FYS Resource page, where you will find sample syllabi and other information about the program. And at the bottom of the page you will find the FYS Course Proposal form. (Please note: If you are a full-time faculty member and you are planning on building FYS into your schedule, you still need to fill out this form.) If you have questions, or want additional information about the FYS program, contact arthur.sanders@drake.edu .
—Submitted by Art Sanders
DTS is sending out a short survey to all faculty regarding their technology usage in the classroom. Please watch your email inbox for a survey link on Tuesday, Dec. 1. Your participation will help us determine how to best create future exceptional learning environments at Drake.
J-Term 2017 on-campus schedule
It will soon be time to construct the J-Term 2017 on-campus schedule. Each school/college assembles the schedule of their classes, and they will have deadlines sometime very early in the spring semester. If you have questions about J-Term classes (such as how to develop an intensive three-week learning experience, which faculty or staff have successfully organized on-campus J-Term classes and are willing to discuss with others, or what compensation rules are), feel free to contact Associate Provost Art Sanders (arthur.sanders@drake.edu).
Interested in teaching an FYS next fall?
It is time to start considering teaching a First Year Seminar in Fall 2016. If you are interested, visit the FYS Resource page, where you will find sample syllabi and other information about the program. And at the bottom of the page you will find the FYS Course Proposal form. (Please note: If you are a full-time faculty member and you are planning on building FYS into your schedule, you still need to fill out this form.) If you have questions, or want additional information about the FYS program, contact arthur.sanders@drake.edu.
Final FYS discussion
This coming Friday, Dec. 4, will be our final lunch/discussion for FYS instructors and those who are considering teaching an FYS in the future. For information about the event and to RSVP, go to http://tinyurl.com/fyslunch-dec
—Submitted by Art Sanders
The November 2015 meeting of the Faculty Senate included:
Faculty Senate’s next meeting will be held on Dec. 9.
—Submitted by Nancy Geiger, Student Information Analyst
It will soon be time to construct the J-Term 2017 on-campus schedule. Each school/college assembles the schedule of their classes, and they will have deadlines sometime very early in the spring semester. If you have questions about J-Term classes (anything from how to develop an intensive three-week learning experience to the names of faculty or staff who have successfully organized on-campus J-Term classes who are willing to discuss this with others to compensation rules), feel free to contact Associate Provost Art Sanders (arthur.sanders@drake.edu).
—Submitted by Art Sanders