January | 2022
Digital Learning Digest. Distance Education's monthly newsletter for faculty and staff
NEW DISTANCE ED TEAM MEMBER!
shani samuels instructional technology specialist
TECHBYTES - EPISODE 3
FEBRUARY 11TH
techbytes episode 3
SPRING II/PART B 2022
COURSE COMBINE DEADLINES
course combine deadlines
NEW DISTANCE ED & CAFE INITIATIVE:
ONLINE COURSE REVIEW PILOT PROGRAM
online course review pilot program
VIRTUAL APPQMR IN FEBRUARY
virtual appqmr february 10 through 11
NEW LOOK, SAME SETTINGS:
HOW TO LINK AN ASSINGMENT
grade association graphic
  1. On the top Navbar, click “Tasks” and then “Assignments”.
  2. If you are creating a new Assignment, click the “New Assignment” button and go to step 3., If the assignment has already been created, click the down arrow button next to the assignment’s name and click on “Edit Assignment” from the pop-up menu.
  3. Under the name of the assignment, input the grade point value in the box under “Grade Out Of” to replace the existing “Ungraded” text.
  4.  Click the “In Grade Book” arrow to select “Edit or Link to Existing” to associate the Assignment with a grade book item.
  5. Select one of the following in the pop-up window:
  6. Create and link to a new grade item
  7. Link to an existing grade item

Select “Ok” once you have made your selection(s).
PART 1 - NEW ZOOM FEATURES
YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
screenshot of man in zoom session
Part 1 - New Zoom Features You Need to Know About

Check next month’s newsletter for Part 2!

Controlling Slides Shared by Another

A presenter in a meeting can give slide control to other participants, so that others can control the progression of slides for them or so that multiple people can present and change slides without having to switch who is sharing their screen. This avoids the need to ask the presenter to change the slide when they are ready, interrupting the flow of the meeting and presentation.

Stop All Incoming Video

If you’re struggling with low bandwidth (or even with video fatigue), the new stop incoming video feature allows you to instantly stop the incoming video feeds of others in the meeting, replacing them with participants’ profile pictures. This feature only affects your view, not others, and it doesn’t turn off your camera.

Focus Mode

Focus Mode was designed with the digital learning environment in mind. When enabled, it allows instructors and other co-hosts to see all students’ videos so they can supervise the class. Students, however, can only see hosts, co-hosts, and their own video feed — not other students as pictured below. This helps learners stay focused without feeling self-conscious about turning on their camera or getting distracted by what their peers are doing.
NEW TURNITIN FEATURE -
EXCLUDING ASSIGNMENT TEMPLATES
screenshot showing new turn it in feature allowing users to exclude assignments
New Turnitin Feature – Excluding Assignment Templates

Occasionally, instructors provide students with templates (prompts, worksheets, etc.) and this text is included in the student’s assignment. If all students within the class submit the same template, it will influence their Similarity Report. Instructors can now upload the template to the assignment settings so that it can be automatically excluded from all students' Similarity Reports in that class. Review this guide to see how!
HOW YO CREATE A VIDEO
FOLDER USING YUJA
how to create a video folder using yuja
By now, most of us are familiar with uploading videos to YuJa for use in our online and hybrid courses at APSU. Many instructors are teaching multiple courses and are creating lots of video content for each class. Creating course video folders in Yuja is a great way to organize your video content by course or subject matter, making it easier to find and access when you need it. Watch a short video tutorial to learn more about how to create a video folder in YuJa by clicking the picture above. 
CONTACT THE SUPPORT DESK
LAPTOP/MIFI LOAN PROGRAM REMINDER
Laptop
Just a reminder, we offer a Laptop Loan program and a MiFi Loan program for students to complete their coursework. Certain requirements have to be met, so please encourage your students to read the site thoroughly before submitting a support ticket.