April | 2019
“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.." - Robin Williams
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Doris Davenport
Doris Davenport, DSN, RN, PNP
Professor
School of Nursing
The Department of Distance Education would like to recognize Dr. Doris Davenport for her hard work and dedication to the Austin Peay community. Her storied career began when she graduated from APSU’s College of Nursing in 1992 and will continue long after she retires from the university in May after 27 years of service to the field.

Dr. Davenport, it has been a true pleasure and honor working with you and your absence will be felt by the entire university. Enjoy your retirement, it’s been earned! 

A word from our spotlight:

" Working with the professional staff in Distance Education has been phenomenal. Nursing had the daunting task of creating an independent on-line MSN curriculum, separate from TN eCampus. Distance Education has been with us every step of the way. They have gone above and beyond what we expected in terms of support and collegiality. Without them, we would not have the quality design that we are so proud to offer our on-line students !" - Dr. Doris Davenport


Do you know a faculty member who has taken strides to improve their online or hybrid courses? Nominate them for our next Faculty Spotlight!
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Please fill out the Distance Education survey. We appreciate your feedback and strive to keep bringing you innovative and relevant support!
REMINDERS & UPDATES
ABOUT TURNITIN
Attention
NEW - A review of the Turnitin contract (renewed Dec 2018) identified a potential student privacy, FERPA, and intellectual property concern through a feature that allows faculty from any institution to request copies of students’ papers. DE reviewed this feature with the Office of the Registrar, Information Technology Security, and the University Attorney. Together we determined the need to update the process for handling paper requests to ensure APSU continues to maintain compliance. In the past, faculty members were receiving requests directly. Moving forward, DE will receive these requests and reply with a statement that APSU is opting out of participation. FMI and to see the full statement, visit DE’s Turnitin page. 

REMINDERS - Turnitin is accessed through the D2L Dropbox assignment tool. If any faculty are still using the old integration through the Turnitin website, we are unable to provide support for you and your students. Please transition your courses to the D2L integration. Contact Distance Education Support at [email protected] for assistance or visit DE’s Turnitin page for videos and how-to resources.

If you use Turnitin, it is highly recommended that you include information in your syllabus about how students’ papers will be used with and by Turnitin. Visit DE’s Turnitin page for an example notice provided by Turnitin.  
CANCELLATION OF RESPONDUS CAMPUS
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DE recently received information from Respondus about the renewal for the 2019-2020 Respondus Campus license which initiated a review of the tool’s usage and features. This review found that:

  • Though APSU pays for an institutional wide contract, we have only had approximately 11 faculty use it over the last year and a half which makes our license fee cost prohibitive;

  • DE was able to identify users through our ticketing system; however, Respondus Campus does not have reporting features. This is a major concern for any tool as it limits our ability to act as administrators, help faculty, and scale initiatives;

  • APSU transitioned to the D2L Daylight user interface in August 2018. The new interface is easier for faculty to use, provides almost all the features found in Respondus Campus, and provides two more question types than Respondus Campus; and

  • Though the D2L quiz tool does not have the ability to create quizzes from a Word/text document, faculty can save steps/time by building their quizzes directly in D2L compared to using Respondus Campus to create, format, export, and import quizzes. 

For these reasons, the Respondus Campus license will not be renewed.  The current license will end on July 31, 2019. DE is in the process of working with Respondus to determine the necessary steps to off-board faculty from the tool. More information will be coming in the next few weeks. 
DID YOU MISS THE TUTOR.COM
FACULTY ORIENTATION?
teacher
Did you miss the live Tutor.com Faculty Orientation? No problem! You can now watch the recording online. Visit the online tutoring page to access the recording. The video is 22 minutes long. Don’t have the time? Find quick step-by-step guides on the online tutoring page as well.
MICRO-LEARNING
According to e-learning experts, Micro-Learning is the #1 trend for 2018, up from #2 in 2017, and projected to keep that top spot in 2019. Micro-learning is a great way of teaching and delivering content to learners in small, very specific bursts. Why is this instructional method blowing up? The answer is generational. Attention spans continue to shrink, and micro-learning feeds bits of knowledge and information that tailor to shorter attention spans. Most micro-learning modules are generally designed for use on mobile devices, which typically appeals to today’s screen savvy students. The digital nature of micro-learning allows students to use the same devices they use at home, work, and in school, which integrates learning into everyday life. Short, focused, and relevant content helps students remember, connect, and retain learning. Here are a few things to consider when creating micro-learning content in your courses.

  • Assign one learning objective per asset

  • Use video (there is growing evidence that this is the preferred medium for learning)

  • Timing is everything
  • Remember, attention spans are getting shorter

  • Prove learning took place
  • Ask for demonstration of knowledge to create an opportunity to show learning has occurred while affording a chance for coaching and improvement
  • Use quizzes to create formative assessments

  • Info-graphics are also great micro-learning tools
  • Add visuals to the course
  • Condense the topic and chunk information in an interactive format

  • Gamify learning to make it more engaging
  • Refreshes thought process
  • Includes the learner in process
LINKEDIN LEARNING
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Do your summer plans include professional development? LinkedIn Learning has several learning paths that might be of interest for you.

April’s Top 3 LinkedIn Learning recommendations :
Getting Started with Microsoft 365: This pathway focuses on Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. As well as collaboration applications like Teams and Planner with an additional focus on Windows 10. Sharpen those Microsoft skills!

Become a Project Manager:  Project managers are catalysts for change. Learn how to inspire a sense of shared purpose in a team, and how to manage projects from beginning to end using proven project-management techniques. Learn how to effectively manage a project, keeping it on time, in budget, and in scope.

Publish an eBook: Ready to break into the publishing industry? Whether you are interested in the book or periodical industry, as a self-published author or a traditional publisher, you can get the skills you need to oversee the production and distribution process. 
SAVE THE DATE:
WINTER TERM 2020 IS COMING!
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DEPARTMENT WIDE TRAINING
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As a reminder, Distance Education now offers department-wide training sessions! We can come to you, or you can come to us. We offer training in many different subjects including accessible syllabus, D2L, course design, and more. Request a department-wide training by emailing [email protected] .