Tag Archives: resources

For Staff Archive

Apply for a Staff Development Grant today

Drake full-time staff can apply for a Staff Development Grant to pursue professional development opportunities that will enhance performance consistent with the needs of the department and/or University. These opportunities may include off‐campus conferences or workshops, online webinars or video training programs, and non‐credit classes such as those offered through community educational programs. The maximum award is $800.

Please see the Staff Development Grant policy for eligibility and complete details on how to take advantage of this benefit.

—Submitted by Cindy Adams, Associate Director, Human Resources

For Faculty Archive

Cowles Library: Databases on trial

Cowles Library announces database trials for the fall semester that will run through the end of October. All trials can be accessed from http://researchguides.drake.edu/trialdatabases. Each product is described in detail and includes an access URL and a feedback form. Currently on trial: Latin America in Video, PBS Video Collection, Oxford Medicine, and three databases from Credo: Biology Collection, Environmental Studies Essentials Collection, and Nursing and Allied Health Essentials Collection.

—Submitted by Marc Davis, Cowles Library

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

How to propose a J-Term travel seminar

If you have not contacted Annique Kiel about your interest in leading a J-Term 2017 travel seminar, please do so ASAP at annique.kiel@drake.edu or by calling 271-3039.

Proposals for J-Term 2017 travel seminars must be submitted to the appropriate college/school curriculum committee by Nov. 6, 2015. Please contact Annique with questions on this process.

Repeat offerings:
If your travel seminar was approved under the new process last year (approved in fall 2014 or after), and there are no significant changes to the syllabus or itinerary, it does not need to be re-reviewed by the school/college curriculum committee. You still need to inform the school/college curriculum committee that you wish to offer the course again, so they can move it forward through their process. School/college curriculum committees need to approve it, even if they do not need to review it again.

New travel seminars:
Faculty/staff members proposing new travel seminars will need to provide curriculum committees with a draft syllabus and draft itinerary, plus a credit calculation worksheet, curricular evaluation, and routing forms, which can be found online.

Please also provide answers to the following questions:

A. Curricular evaluation:

  1. How does the course meet curricular requirements (major, minor, AOI, etc.)?
  2. How is course content and delivery enhanced by the international or domestic location?
  3.  How does the course propose to integrate students into the host culture?
  4. How do proposed excursions or site visits link to the learning objectives of the course?

B: Best Practice: (Please note answering no to these questions does not mean that your proposal will not be accepted. Rather, it helps the Drake International staff with the planning of your proposal should it be accepted by the appropriate curriculum committee.)

  1. How familiar is the lead instructor or co-leader with the proposed international location (e.g., professional connections, experience visiting/living/working there, language abilities, etc.)? If neither have prior experience, please note there is financial support available through Drake International for travel seminar scouting trips.
  2. Has the faculty member successfully taught the proposed course or a similar course at either Drake or through another academic institution?
  3. Is the proposed course being offered in collaboration with a university abroad? Does Drake currently have a formal relationship with that university? See list of current partner universities.
  4. Is service-learning included in the curriculum? If so, has an appropriate organizational partner been identified to facilitate service-learning activities on site? If you plan to incorporate service-learning in the travel seminar, please connect with Drake’s Office for Community Engagement and Service-Learning.

Final selection of J-Term offerings:
Should more than 15 J-Term 2017 travel seminars be proposed, a subcommittee of the Global/International Policy and Academic Council (GIPAC) will decide which seminars that have been approved by the appropriate curriculum committee will go forward this year. The criteria used to make these decisions will be:

  • Geographical distribution
  • School/college distribution
  • Whether or not the course is offered in collaboration with one of Drake’s international strategic partners
  • Distribution between new and repeat offerings
  • Whether the course emphasizes community engagement/service-learning
  • The degree to which the program integrates the site’s location/culture
  • Input from the appropriate department chair and/or dean.

Compensation:
Compensation for a three-week travel seminar (defined as at least 14 days of travel) will be $6,800 for the instructor, $1,500 for the co-leader. (Per HR policy, compensation is lower for Drake staff members that are instructors or co-leaders on travel seminars.) If the course has co-instructors (two people both responsible for the academic component of the course—assignments, grading, etc.), the co-instructors will each receive $4,150. Should the travel seminar involve less than 14 days of travel or less than 3 credits of work (as indicated by the Credit Calculation worksheet), compensation would be reduced. We can clarify the exact amount based on the specifics of the travel seminar in question. Finally, note that for a 3-credit travel seminar, an instructor or co-instructor (though not a co-leader) in a J-Term travel seminar, can, with permission of the department and the appropriate dean, replace monetary compensation with a course reassignment.

—Submitted by Drake International

For Faculty Archive, For Staff Archive

New intake form with the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment

The Office of Institutional Research & Assessment (OIRA) strives to provide clients with timely, accurate, and clearly presented information for data-informed decision-making. We can assist you with a report or project requiring University data, data analysis/compilation, IRB/IACUC, Qualtrics questions, or assistance with assessment and evaluation.

In order to process incoming requests in an efficient and effective manner, we are introducing an online intake form. A link to the form is on our website, or you can click here. We look forward to working with you.

—Submitted by Sandra Harris, Administrative Assistant II

For Faculty Archive

Speaking Center now open

Drake University’s Speaking Center in Cowles Library is now open for the fall semester. Students can book appointments online to see a tutor for help in researching, preparing, composing, and delivering speeches and presentations or for support with other situations requiring oral communication skills. Students, faculty, and staff members can also reserve the Speaking Studio to practice and record presentations alone or in small groups.

Location and Hours: The Speaking Center is located in Cowles Library, Room 18, on the lower floor just down the stairs and through the right door of the main entrance. Hours are:

  • Monday/Wednesday 3:30–8 p.m.
  • Tuesday/Thursday 11 a.m.—12 p.m. and 2–5 pm
  • Sundays 2–4 p.m.

Tutors are also available outside those hours on an individual basis, if scheduling allows.

To make an appointment, visit http://library.drake.edu/speaking. Appointments are scheduled for 30 minutes each, and students are encouraged to visit multiple times while preparing for a single event if they wish. Any questions or concerns should be directed to speaking-help@drake.edu.

Speaking Center Services: Speaking Center tutors are students with experience and training in speech pedagogy who are prepared to assist students when selecting and narrowing topics, organizing ideas, drafting and revising an outline, preparing visual aids, and practicing delivery. The Speaking Center’s new location provides access to research and reference librarians who can help students gather resources. Our facilities feature a tutoring room and a speaking studio, where presentations can be recorded and saved by students, faculty, and staff members.

—Submitted by Art Sanders, Associate Provost

For Faculty Archive

New library resource geared toward business students

Cowles Library is pleased to announce a new e-book collection, Business Expert Press. This collection includes more than 300 ebooks oriented to concise, practical course readings and reference works for business students. Plus, there are no complicated Digital Rights Management to negotiate, fully downloadable PDFs, and unlimited users!

For more information, please visit the Cowles Library blog.

—Submitted by Marc Davis, Coordinator, Program Staff Services, Planning & Projects

For Faculty Archive

Writing Workshop opens Monday, Sept. 14

About the Writing Workshop: Peer tutors staff the workshop, all of whom have taken at least one training course to familiarize themselves with writing theory and pedagogy. Tutors help students identify areas of difficulty and work with them on a range of issues including fluency, organization, development, analysis, and argument. Tutors also help students copyedit their work as needed. Tutors do NOT write papers for students, nor do they simply act as proofreaders. All work on development and copy reading takes place within the context of the student’s own writing.

How to sign up: Students can sign up at https://library.drake.edu/writing . This site is also linked to on the English website. The website itself will give students directions on how to proceed. Typically, an appointment is for 30 minutes. Students can sign up for more than one session if they choose. They may also request that a tutor keep a regular time slot available for them if they would like to come in each week. If students are having difficulty signing up, they should call the Writing Workshop at 271-4712. They could also email me with any concerns (jody.swilky@drake.edu).

Location: The Writing Workshop is located in Cowles Library, Room 47, on the lower level. Hours are available:

  • Monday–Friday during the day
  • Monday–Thursday during the evening
  • Saturday afternoon
  • Sunday afternoon and evening

Communication with professors: If you refer your student to the workshop, please let us know via email (jody.swilky@drake.edu). Have them bring the assignment they are responding to, as well as any writing they have done to complete the assignment. As part of the first visit, tutors always ask students if they have been referred. If a student is referred, the tutor will send an email letting you know that your student has attended and will briefly describe what work was done. If you do not receive an email from us, your student did not attend. If a student attends on his or her own, we do not inform professors unless the student specifically asks us to.

Workshop services: In addition to tutoring students, workshop tutors are available to speak briefly to classes about the workshop. If you would like a tutor to come to your class, please call or email me. Please also feel free to call or email me with questions about writing, working with students for whom English is not a first language, or with questions about any student who is having particular difficulty with writing. You can also learn more about the workshop in the Writing Workshop brochure.

—Submitted by Jody Swilky, the Elle and Nelle Levitt Professor of English, Writing Workshop Director

For Faculty Archive

World Languages and Cultures resources available to advisers

Faculty advising students who have taken the language placement examination can now access the advisees’ placement score, the levels students placed into, their major(s), and other relevant information quickly, which may be useful during registration. This information can be found on the Adviser Menu on MyDusis under the link “Language Score and Placement.” Student information can be accessed either by entering the student’s Drake ID number or from a drop-down menu.

—Submitted by Marc Pinheiro-Cadd, Director of World Languages and Cultures

For Faculty Archive

Access the entire archives of Vogue and Women’s Wear Daily

Cowles Library now offers digital access to the entire archives of Vogue and Women’s Wear Daily in high-resolution, full-color digital format. Each page of every issue is available, including advertisements. Users are able to search all text, captions, and titles throughout the magazine, including advertisements, covers, and foldouts. These resources are ideal for the study of diverse topics including fashion, gender studies, marketing, and social history.

More information can be found on the Cowles Library blog.

—Submitted by Marc Davis, Coordinator, Program Staff Services, Planning & Projects