Each month, a faculty member, nominated by their dean, is recognized for their efforts to integrate innovative technology into their classroom. September’s digital faculty member of the month is David Plutschack, assistant professor of occupational therapy, College of Pharmacy and Health Professions. Read an interview with David below:

What course do you use this technology in? Currently, I am teaching the OTD 132 Orthotics and Positioning course, which is generally a very hands-on lecture and lab while on campus.

What type of technology (hardware/software) do you use? Prior to the COVID outbreak, I actually was frequently incorporating various forms of technology within my lectures and lab. I started using a mobile application called PhysioU in 2018 in the OTD 111 (Application of Kinesiology to Occupational Therapy) course and have continued using it this semester. Given the hands-on nature of this course, going virtual provided a new challenge. To combat this, I began using Zoom along with students using smartphone cameras as needed.

In what context do you use this technology (assessment/lecture/group work/etc.)? When on campus, we would typically spend about an hour working in small groups of 5-6 students on patient case studies. Students would work through complex case studies based on upper extremity diagnoses. In a virtual format, lectures are prerecorded using Panopto, but we meet live for one-hour weekly during our regularly scheduled time. Students are broken into small groups using Zoom breakout rooms and complete the case studies virtually. After about 30-45 minutes in the breakout rooms, we go back as a whole class and discuss the case studies as a group.

PhysioU is a mobile platform for occupational and physical therapy education. This website and application have been vital to delivering my labs virtual. Prior to the COVID outbreak, students would watch the videos prior to lab, then complete splinting live during lab. In a virtual platform, students use the videos and complete their splints at home on themselves, family members, or roommates (while maintaining social distancing). During lab times, Zoom is used for check-ins regarding lab assignments and grading purposes.

How does this type of technology align with your teaching pedagogy? Using technology is ingrained in my teaching philosophy and scholarship. Utilizing technology and various multimedia platforms to deliver occupational therapy pedagogy allows for all types of learners (visual, auditory, etc.) to grasp difficult concepts. Mobile technology such as webpages and mobile apps also provides students with the ability to develop hands-on clinical skills, which may be difficult from textbooks alone.

Where did you get the inspiration to make a change (colleague/seminar/administration/etc.)? I started researching mobile applications for teaching occupational therapy clinical skills in 2018 for the OTD 111 course and fell in love with PhysioU’s approach to technology and education. I was able to establish a great working relationship with the founders of PhysioU and have actually developed content as an author of the SplintPro portion of the website. This only further sparked my interest in technology in occupational therapy education

How long did it take for you to implement this technology? Implementing PhysioU into OTD 111 and OTD 132 was quite rapid. Students love it because it has videos of hands-on techniques, rather than text and a picture from textbooks. At the start of the COVID outbreak, utilizing Zoom had to occur quickly, but I was well versed on the platform and felt the transition went well.

Since transitioning to remote teaching, how has your use of this technology changed, if at all? To me, no big changes in using the PhysioU application. The only change is students are completing their splinting at home rather than in lab. Students were given home safety recommendations and home splint fabrication recommendations, since the videos on PhysioU were made with equipment regularly available in clinics and Drake OT labs. The equipment available at home varies between each student.

Overall, what lessons (if any) do you think you have learned while transitioning to remote teaching? I have been incredibly grateful for the Drake University occupational therapy students being flexible, resilient, and creative during this transition to remote teaching. They have made this transition much easier than I imagined. One lesson I have learned while teaching remotely is the extreme amount of preparation that goes in to deliver high quality remote teaching. Another is the importance of face-to-face time with my students. I find the Zoom live group work and lab check-ins weekly to be very valuable to student success. Keeping open communication is key.

Both before and during this transition, did Drake ITS assist you in implementing any of these technologies?  If so, how? No, I am pretty tech savvy, so I was able to set everything up personally.

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

Want to learn more about using Panopto or Zoom in your course? Explore the knowledge base categories:

Panopto: https://drake.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2025/Portal/KB/?CategoryID=17251

Zoom: https://drake.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2025/Portal/KB/?CategoryID=18578&SIDs=7847

—Jon Hurdelbrink, CPHS, and Carla Herling, ITS

Recent studies show that Americans believe our culture is uncivil. The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University is committed to helping individuals, organizations, and communities learn skills and strategies to help maintain civility, even during the most difficult conversations.

In this session, participants will learn the importance of establishing connection, how to rephrase attack statements, and how to seek understanding and common ground. Civility will only expand when individuals commit to improving their own actions and words, and this session will teach participants applicable civility strategies.

Register here. Fee: $79.00.

— Amy Smit, Robert D. & Billie Ray Center

The five-question survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and will remain open until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30. 

Please remember to complete the Faculty and Staff September Pulse Survey.  The survey was developed to gather input from faculty and staff about how things are going now that the semester is underway. Responses will be used to help assess ways to better support and communicate with faculty and staff in the weeks and months ahead.  An aggregate report will be prepared from the survey findings by the Office of Institutional Research and shared with campus leaders, including President’s Council and academic deans. No personally identifiable information will be shared. In collaboration with the executive committees of Faculty Senate and All Staff Council, we will report back to campus the results of the survey, as well as what steps are being taken as a result of the information collected. 

— Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer

Faculty who are teaching in classrooms this fall are required to wear a face mask unless an exemption has been granted by Environmental Health and Safety and approved by the provost. This clarification in policy is reflected within the faculty/staff section of Drake’s COVID-19 site.

Every Drake faculty and staff member was provided with a washable, reusable mask at the start of the semester, and faculty choosing to teach face-to-face were provided with face shields. Shields are meant to supplement masks, not replace them.

To request an exemption from wearing a mask while teaching in classrooms this fall, please email Chris Nickell, director of environmental health and safety, at chris.nickell@drake.edu.

The 2021 Global Citizen Forum will be held virtually in March and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in higher education. In preparation of the conference, the planning committee needs your input.

Please complete a five-minute survey designed to gauge the interest of faculty and staff to participate in the conference as presenters or attendees. Responses will be collected through Sept. 18.

Thank you for your participation.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Partnerships Coordinator

Drake Online Design Dialogues will resume Sept. 24 at 11:30 a.m. The sessions are open to all. Following the first dialogue on Sept. 24, sessions will be held the third Thursday of the month at 11:30 a.m. via Zoom. Sessions will be facilitated by Christina Trombley and the Instructional Design and Technology staff of Drake Online and Continuing Education.

September’s discussion will allow for open dialogue regarding your experiences with teaching online the first few weeks of fall semester.  You can also send specific questions to christina.trombley@drake.edu and we will provide a demonstration.

Please register to attend. You will receive a confirmation with the Zoom link to attend.

— Christina Trombley

Drake University is excited to announce that Amazon Business with Business Prime is now available for Drake purchases. Drake has had an Amazon Business account for a number of years, but the addition of Business Prime is new. Amazon Business can simplify your purchasing process and allows you to take advantage of Amazon’s wide product selection and competitive prices for business purchases.

Shopping through Amazon Business is as user friendly as on Amazon.com. Additional benefits include:

• Access to millions of additional products, available only to Business customers
• Business Prime offers FREE and fast shipping across millions of products
• Business-specific pricing, including quantity discounts on eligible items
• Access to a specialized Amazon Business Customer Service team at 888-281-3847

Effective immediately, Amazon Business with Business Prime is accessible to Drake faculty and staff for Drake purchases. With the addition of Business Prime, purchases for Drake purposes using a personal Amazon Prime account will no longer be allowed and Drake will not reimburse for Drake purchases using a personal Amazon Prime account. Drake also will not reimburse for any personal Prime memberships. Drake’s Amazon Business account should not be used for personal purchases.

Existing Amazon Business accounts will now have access to Business Prime. Any other faculty and staff that have a need for an Amazon Business account should contact Heather Winslow at heather.winslow@drake.edu or 515-271-1982.

— Adam Voigts, Chief Financial Officer

The Nelson Institute at Drake University is proud to announce a new, three-year initiative focused on building the intercultural capacity of our campus community.  To that end, the Nelson Institute is sponsoring the “Facilitating Intercultural Learning” program, a development opportunity for select faculty from across campus. The endeavor is designed to create intercultural self-awareness and to prepare faculty to begin integrating intercultural learning into their courses, programming, or other work. It is a 12-week cohort training and coaching program, with a new cohort of faculty coming in each semester. This initiative will allow Drake to continue to foster intercultural learning and development in service to our students and local, national, and international constituents.

The Facilitating Intercultural Learning program is designed to help participants engage more effectively with difference by developing four core intercultural competencies:

1. Increasing awareness and understanding of their own characteristic ways of making meaning and acting in familiar and unfamiliar contexts;
2. Increasing awareness and understanding of others’ ways of making meaning and acting in familiar and unfamiliar contexts;
3. Responding mindfully in contexts that disorient or challenge them;
4. Bridging cultural gaps in those contexts: Shifting perspective, attuning emotions, and adapting behavior in effective and appropriate ways.

Learn more about the program, its curriculum, and read testimonials from others who have completed the program.

The Nelson Institute plans to sponsor a cohort of up to eight faculty each semester in fulfillment of this initiative. Participating faculty will receive a $1,000 stipend upon completing the program and will be designated as “Nelson Fellows.”

For the inaugural cohort, the program will begin on Sept. 22, 2020. We are inviting interested faculty to send a brief expression of interest to Dr. Jimmy Senteza (Jimmy.Senteza@drake.edu), director of the Nelson Institute, by noon on Sept. 16, 2020. Please highlight how you think this might benefit your work at Drake University, and contribute to your overall intercultural development.

— Annique Kiel, Executive Director of Global Engagement and International Programs

The 2021 Global Citizen Forum will be held virtually in March and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in higher education. In preparation of the conference, the planning committee needs your input.

Please complete a five-minute survey designed to gauge the interest of faculty and staff to participate in the conference as presenters or attendees.

Thank you for your participation.

— Hannah Sappenfield, Global Partnerships Coordinator

As part of our continued commitment to providing a safe and respectful environment for the entire Drake community, the Title IX Office has prepared a short online training series that explains recent policy revisions that have been adopted to maintain compliance with new federal Title IX regulations and provides information about employee sexual misconduct reporting requirements.

The Title IX Office asks that all Drake employees complete this training no later than Wednesday, Sept. 30. 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, Title IX Coordinator/Equity and Inclusion Policy Specialist