A weekly newsletter to build community through updates, opportunities, and celebrations

February 6, 2025 | Volume 11 | Issue 21

Spotlight on Shannon Everhart

Hi, I'm Shannon Everhart, Radiography Program Director at Davidson-Davie Community College. Born in Charlotte and raised in Martinsville, VA, I earned my Radiography degree at Virginia Western Community College, a Bachelors in Health Services Management from ECU, and a Masters in Healthcare Leadership from Wake Forest University. I'm excited to join DDCC and contribute to our vibrant community. My blended family—five children, two grandchildren, and two lively dogs—keeps life joyful and dynamic. Outside of work, I love cheering on my 15-year-old son wrestling and watching my daughter excel in jujitsu.

Travel: One of my favorite travel destinations is to Murrells Inlet, SC. Known for its historic charm and scenic coastal views, I enjoy exploring its landmarks, the local seafood, and dipping my toes in the sand.
Music: Lately, I've been listening to Invisibilia- a podcast that explores invisible forces that shape human behavior. My main podcast squeeze is Hidden Brain.
Food: I enjoy any and all food that I'm not supposed to have due to my food sensitivities! A favorite meal of mine is a Lemony Salad with spring mix greens, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Show: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel- It had a slow go at first getting my attention but once it did, I couldn't stop watching. Went through all 5 seasons in an embarrassingly short amount of time.
Favorite thing about yourself? One of my favorite things about myself is my generous spirit. I love sharing what I have and always find a way to lend a hand. While this quality sometimes leads to playful clashes with my more reserved husband and leaves my children a bit embarrassed by my constant readiness to help, I truly believe that kindness and generosity are at the heart of meaningful connections.
Zombie Apocalypse? If the world were to enter a zombie apocalypse, I’d survive—because I've seen "The Walking Dead" and I know how to use a crossbow!

Professional Learning Events

NC Virtual Learning Community AI Series
NC Virtual Learning Community AI Series 2
Professional Learning Calendar from Teaching, Learning, Innovation, & Global Engagement
NC Teaching & Learning Hubs 2024-2025 Events
Axe-Con 2025 - February 25-27; Free, virtual digital accessibility conference
Peralta Online Equity Conference - April 14-16; Free

Reviewing Course Evaluation Results on SmartEvals

By Gretchen Benton

For some Spring courses, Early Course Evaluations have recently closed. This is the perfect time to learn how to access your course evaluation results in the SmartEvals!

Your evaluations results are scheduled to be released to instructors with PDF reports 3 days after the evaluation period closes. The Spring I Early Course evaluations for first 8-week courses closed on February 3rd. This means that results are released today, February 6th, for instructors.

Access your course evaluation results by visiting our SmartEvals site.

Learn more about the new course evaluation platform and navigate your results by viewing our SmartEvals Course Evaluation guides!

If you do not see a PDF report for a particular course, you may not have received enough student feedback. This is done to protect student identities if only one student fills out the evaluation. As you get more course evaluation responses, all response data (even those that do not generate a PDF report) will be available in your aggregate reports.

Encourage your students to participate! The more responses you get, the more insights you can glean from your reports.

Digital Accessibility: Did You Know?

Color Contrast

By Kendra Guffey

Did you know that color contrast measures how visually distinct two colors appear? It plays a crucial role in accessibility, making it easier for people with low vision or color blindness to see and understand content.

You might be surprised to find out that what looks like good contrast to you may not meet accessibility standards. It can be challenging to recognize if you don't have any visual impairments or disabilities. Insufficient contrast makes text difficult to read which creates barriers. Color contrast also impacts graphs, logos, and images.

According to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), regular text should have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for Level AA compliance, while Level AAA requires at least a 7:1 ratio. For reference, black on black has a contrast ratio of 1:1, while black on white has the highest contrast possible of 21:1.

Even though logos are not required to meet contrast standards, designing with strong contrast makes them more visible and inclusive. Want to check your color contrast? Tools like TPGi’s Colour Contrast Analyzer (CCA) can help ensure your designs are accessible. Learn more by visiting the Color Contrast page on the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology website. Enhancing color contrast benefits everyone—because when content stands out, so does your message!

Take a look at the contrast comparison of the text "A New Legacy," located at the bottom of the Space Jam poster— one viewed with normal vision and the other simulating a bright light vision impairment. This demonstrates why aiming for a higher contrast ratio is essential for accessibility.

Normal Vision with Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA) results showing a 2.9:1 contrast ratio

A promotional poster for Space Jam A New Legacy featuring LeBron James in a Tune Squad uniform standing at the center with a basketball Surrounding him are Looney Tunes characters including Bugs Bunny Lola Bunny Daffy Duck Tweety Bird and Tasmania

Bright Light Vision Impairment with Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA) results showing a 2.2:1 contrast ratio

CTL Updates

By: Gloria Johnson

2025 Summer Institute

The application period for the 2025 Summer Institute closes on Tuesday, February 11th. If you’re interested in exploring AI in teaching and learning with your faculty peers, be sure to fill out the 2025 Summer Institute Application by the deadline. This opportunity is open to full-time and part-time Davidson-Davie faculty. You can read more about the summer institute on the CTL Professional Learning website.

Professional Learning Funds

During the 2024-2025 academic year, the CTL has supported nearly $7000 in professional learning for Davidson-Davie faculty. However, all CTL professional learning funds for the year are now encumbered and the application form is closed. If you need funding for future professional learning, please contact your division chair. Thanks to all the faculty who have participated and shared their professional learning with their peers.

Accepting Applications for Faculty Fellow

By Dori Lloyd

We welcome all full-time faculty who have at least one year of teaching experience to consider applying for the new Faculty Fellow position via the Faculty Fellow application (Google form) by Wednesday, Feb 12 at 5pm. The position is scheduled to begin March 17 to overlap with Gloria Johnson, our outgoing CTL Faculty Chair, as she finishes her last term through the end of Spring. The Faculty Fellow position is a time-limited, two-year term position.

If you have questions regarding the position’s responsibilities, please reach out to Amy_Holmes@davidsondavie.edu.

Do You Have a Story to Share?

We want to promote faculty and staff stories! Please contact Amy Holmes (amy_holmes@davidsondavie.edu) with ideas or referrals for stories.

The Storm Report is brought to you by

Teaching & Learning

Institutional Effectiveness & Innovation

International Education

Looking for a previously published newsletter?

The Storm Report Archives