Alanah Mitchell, associate professor and chair of information management and business analytics in the College of Business and Public Administration, is serving as Drake’s inaugural Global Virtual Learning Faculty Fellow. This new fellowship program is sponsored by the Principal Center for Global Citizenship.

The Global Virtual Learning Fellowship is designed to facilitate and support the development of global virtual learning experiences within the Drake community. Specifically, the fellowship position is designed to:

• Expand Drake faculty and staff capacity for global virtual learning
• Support the development of global virtual learning opportunities

Professor Mitchell’s primary research area relates to the use of technology for virtual collaboration as she has taught and studied global, virtual learning projects for almost 15 years. Specifically, she has developed and led global virtual student projects with partners from South Africa, Belgium, China, India, Poland, Taiwan, New Zealand, and others. Additionally, Professor Mitchell participated in Drake’s Fall 2020 “Facilitating Intercultural Learning” training program sponsored by the Nelson Institute.

Interested in adding Global Virtual Learning to your course? For faculty considering or already planning to offer a global virtual collaboration project in their course, or looking to brainstorm or ask questions about virtual learning activities (including partner identification, assignment design, technology choice, reflection activities, or assessment), Professor Mitchell will be holding virtual office hours from 12–3 p.m. on May 7. Please contact alanah.mitchell@drake.edu for the Zoom link.

New to the idea of adding Global Virtual Learning to your course? Look for more details in a future OnCampus regarding an upcoming summer workshop.

— Annique Kiel, Global Engagement and International Programs

Due to the overwhelming response we had to the shout-outs last month, we are going to continue this program. If there is a shout-out you would like to give, please email it to linda.feiden@drake.edu, and we will publish them once a month in OnCampus.

Shout-outs are a great way to recognize your colleagues for their hard work, talent, support, and creativity. Giving a shout-out is quick and easy—simply write one or two sentences thanking a co-worker or team for a job well-done, going the extra mile, or showing support during an ever-changing year.

Submit a shout-out today!

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

On Thursday, April 15, we will honor six of our faculty colleagues retiring from Drake at the end of this academic year.

Professors Sally Beisser (Education), Ed Bell (Pharmacy), Ramesh Dhussa (Geography), Dorothy Pisarski (Advertising), Nancy Reincke (English), Michael Rieck (Computer Science), and John Rozycki (Finance) have amassed nearly 200 years of collective experience and wisdom about Drake and higher education. On Thursday, April 15, we’ll honor their service to Drake and mark their retirement at an online event co-hosted by the Office of the Provost and the Center for Teaching Excellence.

“Famous Last Words” will air from 3 to 5 p.m. and will allow us to spend some time with Sally, Ed, Ramesh, Dorothy, Nancy, Michael, and John. Drawing on their experience and observations over the years, they will briefly share their insights about how Drake, as an institution, can continue to thrive in the midst of new and pressing challenges to higher education in the U.S. Following their remarks, we’ll open the (virtual) floor for Q&A.

Too often, we have allowed our departing colleagues to take their wisdom with them. Please take advantage of this opportunity to hear this year’s retirees’ “Famous Last Words,” to learn from them one last time, and to wish them well.

Please register in advance. Login information will be sent by email prior to the event.

— Sandra Harris, Provost’s Office

We know that the end of the semester is a busy time, so these will be the final modules released during the spring semester. Module 8 is focused on Bulk Editing and Communication Tools and Module 9 (optional, but highly recommended) dives deeper into best practices for course design including Accessibility and Accommodations.

If you want additional resources beyond the instructor orientation self-paced course, there are more training options available:

• Design Dialogues: Design Dialogues cover topics around Learn Ultra and will be held during spring and summer. These sessions are led by Drake Online and Continuing Education and are held every other Thursday. Visit the “Design Dialogue” Upcoming Events page to see future topics and/or register. Recordings of Design Dialogues will be available on the Faculty Resources. Scroll down to Online Design Dialogue Recordings.
• Blackboard Instructor Webinar Series: Additional training courses are available from Blackboard, but they might not exactly match Drake’s implementation. Sign up for the live or recorded Blackboard Instructor Webinar Series. If you are unable to attend, they will email you a link to the session recording.

As a reminder, we are providing these training opportunities now to allow you sufficient time to prepare your Fall 2021 courses in the Ultra Course View. You are expected to complete the self-paced training well before Fall. If you wait until just before the semester, it will be challenging to get your questions answered. In addition, you must complete the self-paced training prior to participating in any advanced training opportunities.

— Karly Good, ITS

Thank you to everyone who contributed a photo for Drake’s Smile Video Slideshow.

A collaboration between Human Resources and the All Staff Council, this short video showcases what has made Drake persevere through all the challenges and changes this past year—YOU!

Take a moment to enjoy your colleague’s smiling faces. Behind those smiles are dozens of stories of strength and community for family, friends, and neighbors. As we cautiously allow ourselves to feel a sense of optimism going forward, there will still be difficult days. On those days, let this short video give you a smile, and know that your Drake family is here.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Recently, Drake has seen an increase in phishing emails designed to look like they have been sent by senior administrators, such as President’s Council members or Deans, to members of that person’s staff.

Often these messages indicate that the supposed sender needs the receiver to take some sort of discrete action and specifically requests that the receiver not call them, but respond via email. The body of a recent message of this type said simply:

“Do you have a moment? I have a request I need you to handle discreetly. I am going to a meeting, no calls so just reply to my email. I will be glad if you reply to this email as soon as it gets to you.”

They often appear hastily written and urgent, and ask the receiver to take immediate action. These are the signals that should remind you to slow down and take a closer look.

Before taking any step, use another channel to confirm the request is from the person who appears to be the requestor. Manually type the presumed sender’s email address in another email message (rather than just replying to the initial email) and ask for confirmation. Using the chat feature in Microsoft Teams or sending a text message, if you have the person’s cell phone number, are also effective alternate-channel communications.

Messages that ask you to take urgent action should be treated with caution. Cyber criminals want you to feel pressured to move quickly and they are skilled at creating a sense of urgency. Your best response is to be cautious of unexpected or out of character email messages and confirm their legitimacy before taking action.

ITS will be continuing phishing education this month using emails that mimic real attacks. A short training lesson will be assigned to any faculty and staff who repeatedly click links or open attachments in phishing emails, simulated or not.

For additional information on how to report phishing emails, please see the IT Service Portal guide, Reporting a Phishing Message (How-to).

— Information Security, ITS

Module 7  is expected to take less than two hours and is focused on adding course content in the Ultra Course View. All Fall 2021 courses will be built using the Ultra Course View. 

This module focuses on better understanding attendance, grading options, and analytics available. If you have not completed Module 6’s Things to Try On Your Own activities, there will be little to try on your own for grading. Module 7 grading activities are dependent on the data from Module 6.   

Next week we will release Modules 8 and 9 (optional), the final modules in the self-paced training. 

Need Assistance with your Ultra Sandbox Courses? 
If you don’t see the sandbox courses in Ultra Course View in your Courses list (sandbox course names follow this formula: Ultra Sandbox #: Drake ID), please submit a Blackboard Site Creation request in the IT Service Portal. 

Start Planning Advanced Training Opportunities 
Each college/school has an assigned CTE Ambassador available to inform college members about the impending transition to Blackboard Learn Ultra Courses. To schedule additional training opportunities for your college/school, please contact your CTE Ambassador. The CTE Ambassador will work with academic technology experts to ensure the training requests are met. 

Note: Advanced training opportunities are dependent upon all attendees having completed the self-paced training modules first. 

— Karly Good, ITS

As part of our continued commitment to providing a safe and respectful environment for the entire Drake community, the Title IX Office released a short online training series for faculty and staff in the fall. The Title IX Office requests that any Drake employees who have not yet completed this training do so at their earliest convenience. The course is available through Blackboard and can be accessed via my.drake.edu. Upon selecting the Blackboard link under “Commonly Used Apps,” employees can access the training via the left hand menu under the “Courses” tab by clicking on the course entitled “Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Violence Prevention” and selecting the “Title IX Training” module and following the instructions within the course.

— Jessica Morgan-Tate, Finance & Administratio