Save the Date
Faculty Welcome Back Luncheon
Provost Frank Einhellig and the Office of the Provost invite faculty to attend a Welcome Back lunch on Thursday, August 14, 2014 at 11:30 a.m. in the Plaster Student Union Ballroom.
Summer Study Away Proposal Deadlines
The priority deadline for submitting a proposal for a short-term faculty-led program for summer 2015 is July 15, 2014. Proposals submitted by July 15 will guarantee table space for the program director at the September 10, 2014 Study Away Fair.
The final deadline for submitting a proposal for a short-term faculty-led program for summer 2015 is September 28, 2014. Please see the proposal template here for international programs. Please see the proposal template here for domestic programs. Contact Study Away Director Elizabeth Strong at 836-6368 if you have questions regarding the proposal process.
Computer Services presents
Blackboard Feature Spotlight: Master the Grade Center
Blackboard’s Grade Center is a powerful tool for recording and displaying your student’s grades. Far more than just a spreadsheet, the Grade Center dynamically interacts with your course, and the input can be displayed to the student without additional steps. When you create any type of assignment, a column is automatically created in the Grade Center. Columns will allow you to customize how you see your course’s activity. There’s an option to color code your Grade Center to create visual indicators to help you interpret information quickly. For example, you can use yellow to highlight graded items with failing scores so students and columns that require attention are prominent. Columns (and rows) can also be hidden to clear up some space; this is something to be careful about, as occasionally instructors will hide columns that still contribute to the total grade in the course. The Grade Center also features convenient access to sending email to selected members of your course. You’re able to utilize nearly any imaginable grading technique as well, such as weighting, averaging, dropping the lowest grade, and more. If you’re ready to dig into your course’s Grade Center, start by checking out some how-to guides on Experts. As always, if you need a hand with the Grade Center or anything else Blackboard related, feel free to contact the Computer Services Help Desk.
Check out this video from Blackboard about using color coding in the Grade Center:
See the Blackboard Blog to learn more about the great features in Blackboard, and don’t forget about all the opportunities for Blackboard training from Computer Services at the Blackboard at Missouri State University website, and learn how you can become a Blackboard Black Belt while you’re there! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter too!
Stats Camp
Date: Monday, May 19
Time: 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Location: Meyer Alumni Center, Room 101
The RStats Institute is sponsoring a one-day intensive Statistics and Research Camp. The “Stats Camp” seminar will focus on best practices in research and will provide practical skills for incorporating better quality analyses into your own research, as well as teaching those skills to graduate and undergraduate students. Participants will be introduced to advanced techniques that may be useful in research such as moderated regression, power analysis and effect size, meta-analysis, and structural equation modeling. Participants will receive lecture notes and scholarly journal articles for each session. Breakfast and lunch are provided.
Participants are encouraged to attend the Faculty Writing Retreat on Tuesday, May 20th. Registration for both Stats Camp and the Writing Retreat are available via My Learning Connection.
Visit the RStats website for more information. Co-sponsored by the FCTL.
Perspectives on Civic Engagement
The eJournal of Public Affairs begins its third year of publication in Volume 3 Issue1, with an open submission. It contains two articles, one book review, and three videos that cover civic engagement from different perspectives.
- “Educating for Global Citizenship: A Theoretical Account and Quantitative Analysis” provides an interesting look at how institutions are failing to define the Public Affairs mission in a clear way.
- “Social Media, Social Capital, and the Civic Participation of College Students” examines how social media technology has affected civic engagement.
- Dr. Mark Wilson, Director of Learning Initiatives at Auburn University, reviews the book Civic Studies: Approaches to the Emerging Field, edited by Peter Levine and Karol Edward Soltan. This insightful overview highlights the discussion on what it will take to create a culture where the civic mission flourishes.
- This issue focuses on Missouri State and contains the videos “Missouri State University: Our Mission is Public Affairs,” “Missouri State University’s 2014 Public Affairs Conference,” and “Stomp Out Hunger.” Our next issue will focus on the topic “Beyond Sustainability.”
New in this issue is a “Features” section, where informative contributions may be posted. This will be a place where students and community members can submit description essays or multimedia projects.
Read the new eJournal of Public Affairs issue
Save the Date
2014 Summer Academic Writing Retreat
Dates: Monday–Friday, June 16–20
Time: 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Location: Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, Meyer Library, Room 204
This interdisciplinary academic writing retreat is designed to:
- Create a motivated and positive environment that fosters excellent work
- Encourage productivity through peer accountability and immediate feedback
- Develop positive writing habits
The retreat includes five days of committed writing time, mini-sessions on removing productivity challenges and fostering good writing habits, as well as feedback on writing style, grammar, and more. The retreat is open to anyone working on a scholarly writing project. The goal is for each participant to arrive with a work in progress and leave with a completed manuscript.
Cost and Registration
The cost is $150 for Missouri State University employees and registration is non-credit fee waiver benefit eligible for Missouri State University employees. The cost is $300 for non-Missouri State University employees.
Registration is available via My Learning Connection. In the meantime, please contact Stephanie Norander, Provost Fellow for Faculty Development—Writing, for more information.
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