The Comparison Project is hosting an unplanned event on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. in Sussman Theater. Reverend Heng Sure, the director of the Institute for World Religions at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, is in town visiting a local Buddhist temple, and therefore, able to speak at Drake. He will present “Buddhist Views on the Enlightenment.”
Tim Knepper, Professor of Philosophy/Director of The Comparison Project
The College of Arts and Sciences is featuring two events this weekend––a workshop titled “A Course in Miracles” on Saturday, Dec. 2, and an open house as part of the Meet My Religious Neighbor series on Sunday, Dec. 3.
“A Course in Miracles” will be led by Debra Landwehr Engle and other CiM instructors. The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Meredith Hall.
The Meet My Religious Neighbor open house will be held at Burns United Methodist Church located at 1909 Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in Des Moines from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Burns United Methodist is the oldest African-American church in Iowa.
The church’s Sunday service begins at 11 a.m. Guests can dress as they desire––Burns’ parishioners wear everything from suits to sweats. Guests who want a brief orientation of the service and tour of the facilities should arrive by 10:45 a.m.
Monique Rodriguez, College of Arts & Sciences
Do you suffer from chronic headaches or back pain? Have you ever wondered why your body is able to heal some problems so quickly, while others never seem to get back to 100 percent? Join Dr. David Krohse on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 12 p.m. in the Olmsted Center, Rooms 310/311, for the presentation, “How to Stay Young the First 100 Years.”
Attendees will learn the most effective strategies to keep their body healthy and symptom-free, including exercises to reduce neck and back pain.
A free pizza lunch from Biaggi’s will be provided. There are limited seats available, so advance registration is required. To attend, email Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.
Although this session is not listed on the BUILD enrollment form, participants will earn BUILD credits and be entered into a drawing at the end of the semester.
Linda Feiden, Human Resources
Drake’s annual open enrollment period for the 2018 plan year ends this Thursday, Nov. 30.
Complete a new enrollment form if:
If you wish to continue your current medical, dental, or wellness elections, you do not need to do anything; your participation will automatically continue.
Completed forms may be hand-delivered to Human Resources (3206 University Ave.), submitted via USPS/campus mail, faxed to 515-271-4546, or emailed to drakehr@drake.edu. Enrollment forms are located in the Forms Library on the Employee Tab in blueView. All forms must be received by Human Resources no later than 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30.
Marlene Huertz, Human Resources
Maura Strassberg, professor of law, was selected as ITS’ digital faculty member of the month for November. Read a brief interview between Strassberg and ITS.
What type of technology (hardware/software) do you use?
Peerceptiv website/software
What course do you use it in?
Contracts I
In what context do you use this technology?
Guided peer review of answers to problems testing understanding and written communication of application of the law to facts.
How does this type of technology align with your teaching pedagogy?
Students learn the most from active use of what they learn, but need considerable feedback to recognize deficiencies. Peerceptiv allows me to guide students’ review of their peers’ work in a way that approximates my own review, which is important for a class of 50+ students. I especially appreciate the way it exposes them to a wide range of peer answers anonymously, which allows them to start differentiating better, worse, and alternative ways to address the problem. It handles all the administration of this, from submission of student answers, distribution of anonymized peer answers for their review, and an algorithm-based grading mechanism that I used more to identify students who were behind their peers than to generate grades.
Where did you get the inspiration to make a change?
I started taking an online course in evidence-based pedagogy in the STEM fields and stumbled on a reference to it.
How long did it take for you to implement this technology?
A fair amount of time. I worked online over the summer with a small group of law professor pioneers attempting to adapt this STEM-oriented program to the law school setting, creating rubrics and exercises and then testing them on ourselves. Once I started to adapt my old problems and answers to this platform, it took several hours a week to redesign the materials and input materials into the platform. Next time will be much easier. I hope that having my experience to support them will make it easier for my colleagues to give it a try.
Are you interested in trying out new technology in your classroom? Want help from ITS staff? Schedule a technology adoption consultation.
—Erin Ulrich, CPHS, and Carla Herling, ITS
Winter break check processing schedule:
Winter break:
Thank you for your help in coordinating to ensure we meet all needs during the upcoming season. Please contact Accounting at ext. 2125 with any questions.
Jeni Baugher, Accounting
Nominations for the 2018 Levitt Teacher of the Year Award and Mentor of the Year Award are being accepted. Submit your nominations today. ––Art Sanders, Associate Provost
Applications are now being accepted for 2018–2019 Drake Research Grants and the Undergraduate Assistantship Program. Apply today. ––Art Sanders, Associate Provost
An informal panel discussion on Friday, Dec. 1, co-sponsored by Jody Swilky, coordinator of writing instruction, and Joan McAlister, coordinator of public speaking instruction, will feature three Drake scholars who will discuss what influences them when they present written work publicly. The discussion will take place in the Speaking Center on the lower level of Cowles Library from 12 to 1 p.m.
Read more details on the event.
Art Sanders, Associate Provost
The next in a series of meetings focused on creating inclusive learning environments will be Monday, Dec. 11, at 3:30 p.m. in Cartwright Hall, Conference Room 137. These meetings provide an opportunity for anyone on campus to come and discuss the challenges, successes and failures we have faced as we try to navigate the difficult issue of creating inclusive learning environments. For questions, contact Art Sanders at arthur.sanders@drake.edu.
Art Sanders, Associate Provost