September | 2020
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ATTENTION: IMPORTANT SECURITY CHANGE
Attention all Zoom users: No security changes took place Sept. 27

APSU Distance Education was informed by Zoom that the security updates planned for Sept. 27 did not take effect as announced. As a result, APSU Zoom users did not see any additional changes to their current security settings on Sept. 27. Details on any future security updates from Zoom will be provided to the APSU community as soon as we are made aware. 
 
Distance Education encourages Zoom users to still practice Zoom security best practices including:

  • Do not post Zoom meeting links publicly. 
  • Do not use your personal meeting ID for all your meetings, allow new meetings to automatically generate a new meeting ID when you schedule a meeting
  • Add a passcode to the meeting and do not post the passcode publicly
  • Use waiting room and the host/co-hosts can admit attendees into the meeting that they know are supposed to be there
  • Do NOT enable the “Enable join before host” feature
  • Do mute participants upon entry and if you do not plan on allowing participants to talk during , once the meeting starts under the Participants options, you can remove their ability to unmute themselves
  • Carefully weigh the pros (additional security) and cons (users may struggle to join meeting) of the “Only authenticated users can join” setting. When set to “Attendees must sign into their APSU Zoom account” only those attendees that 1. Have an APSU email and 2. have used that email at https://apsu.zoom.edu to create an APSU Zoom account can first can join the meeting.
  • Hosts should take advantage of the Security button while hosting to quickly control the entire meeting like removing the ability for attendees to share screen, chat, annotate, etc. as well as report someone to Zoom and/or remove them from your meeting. 
  • The Participants list is also helpful in controlling individuals including moving them to a waiting room and stopping their video. 
 
More information about Zoom security is available on the Distance Education Zoom website.
SAVE THE DATE!
ATTEND ZOMTOPIA FOR FREE
Zoomtopia, Zoom’s annual user conference, is completely virtual this year and you can attend for FREE! The world has shifted significantly this year, and Zoom was at the forefront of that shift, connecting businesses, schools, and other organizations as we all adapted. Zoomtopia will help attendees better understand and navigate our new normal with safe and secure unified communications. This free virtual event is for everyone that is passionate about communication, collaboration, and the future of work, and anyone looking to maximize their Zoom investment.

4 NEW ZOOM FEATURES EDUCATORS CAN USE TO ENHANCE VIRTUAL TEACHING & LEARNING
Zoom just released a blog post called 4 New Zoom Features Educators Can Use to Enhance Virtual Teaching & Learning which highlights some great new features in Zoom to help faculty and meeting hosts better manage their classes and meetings. The blog post is a very quick read and even includes a video tutorial. Zoom posts regular updates and use articles on the Zoom Blog. Subscribe to get updates directly in your inbox.
INTRODUCING:
QUICK EVAL
You can now access the Quick Eval tool in D2L. Quick Eval gives instructors a single location to view all student submissions that are awaiting evaluation. Submissions made to Assignments, Quizzes, and Discussions are displayed in a sort-able list and can be selected to take you directly to their assessment page.
 
There are two ways to access Quick Eval.
 
On the D2L Home page:
Or, in the Resources menu inside your courses:
For more information on using Quick Eval, please click the following link for a short video overview from D2L: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DEfnHkrvPs
ADDITIONAL COURSES NOW SUPPORTED BY ONLINE TUTORING
The Dropbox tool in D2L has been renamed to Assignments. Dropbox was an outdated legacy name, and D2L currently calls the tool Assignments. In order to maintain consistency with D2L’s training materials and documentation, we have retired the name Dropbox and the tool is now called Assignments.

This does not change the way the tool works - only the name has changed. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the Distance Education Support Desk at (931) 221-6624 or [email protected].
INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO DEVELOPMENT
Distance Education is here to help you with your instructional media needs. Whether that be access to the tools we offer to help you create your own, or coming into our studio space to work with our Senior Instructional Designer, Dr. Tim Oneal, to create one.

To help streamline operations, standby for a new and improved website dedicated to this service. Due to the mission of our department and the role we play on campus, the media we develop will be for online learning instructional content curation and development.

Want to explore VR in the science lab? We're here for you! Want to revamp a learning module with some interactive video? We got you covered.
WHERE TO FIND OUR
RECORDED WEBINARS
Did you miss a webinar
All of our webinars upcoming and previous recordings can be found on our website.
ACCESSIBILITY QUICK GUIDE
Are your digital learning materials accessible?? Use this Quick Guide to find out.
WINTER TERM 2021 SAVE THE DATE
Feel the chill! Winter Term 2021 is coming.
Save the Date: December 12, 2020 to January 10, 2021
Winter Term 2021 Save the Date
NC SARA OOSLP DATA REPORT:
FIVE STEPS TO STRESS FREE REPORTING
NC SARA OOSLP Data Report: Five Steps to Stress-Free Reporting

It is the time of year to start thinking about data collection processes for the annual NC SARA Out-of-State Learning Placements report (OOSLP). APSU is required to report the state and number of students that completed a learning activity in that state between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020. To help prepare for the 2020 reporting period, consider these five steps to stress-free reporting.

Know the Requirements
  • It is essential to familiarize yourself with the reporting requirements and the process to report data.

Develop a Timeline
  • Create a data collection and recording timeline. 
  • Consider creating a template from last year’s assessment to facilitate the data collection process.

Record and Store Your Data
  • Determine a location to store your recorded data until the reporting opens.
  • A shared drive within your department might be an ideal location.

Submit Your Data on Time
  • By following your timeline, submit your data in the proper format to the individual that is required to report for your department.

Seek Suggestions for Improvement
  • Plan a meeting for the end of the reporting period to identify processes that went well and areas that need improvement. 

To learn more about OOSLP across NC SARA member states and non-member states, checkout the 2019 NC SARA Data Report.