News and resources for people teaching online

WELCOME 

Dear MTSU colleagues, 

We are so pleased to share another issue of our newsletter with resources for faculty teaching online, as well as resources for their students.  We publish two issues per year, and we share current events, resources, and faculty development opportunities from MTSU Online, as well as other newsworthy items in the world of online learning. 

The big news is MTSU launched nine new online programs this year, with more online programs on the way. This is a significant increase from 16 to now a total of 25 online programs.  Working with our dedicated faculty, our staff and instructional designers have facilitated the development of 119 new online courses this year, and 51 course redevelopments.  

If you are interested in launching an online program or want to talk about possibilities, please do contact me. You can see my faculty profile and contact information here. Also here is our staff directory with brief introductions from each person. 

It is our pleasure to work hand in hand with faculty and departments to help MTSU students succeed and meet their educational goals. Thank you for allowing us to be part of this important work. 

Respectfully, 

Trey Martindale 
Professor and Chief Online Learning Officer 

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Middle Tennessee State University is on the leading edge when it comes to making classes and textbooks more affordable for students. Because of a new certification in University College, even more courses could soon be offered with little to no textbook cost.  

Dr. Kim Godwin, an instructional designer for MTSU Online and an instructor in the College of Graduate Studies recently earned the Creative Commons Certificate from Creative Commons. This certificate signifies Godwin has a comprehensive knowledge of open education including open educational resources (OER) and open pedagogy. She completed a 10-week course to become certified. 

“I want to educate and prepare faculty members on the use of creative commons and licenses as we continue growing our OER offerings,” said Godwin, who is in her third year as an instructional designer at MTSU. “I thought I had a good grasp on this, but it’s surprising how much there is to learn about copyright in the creative commons space.” 

With the certification, Godwin will be able to better identify resources and materials that faculty members and students can use for free. Godwin is already doing that in several of her classes.  

Through the knowledge gained in earning the creative commons certificate, Godwin says she hopes this can give MTSU students a more equitable opportunity.  

“Creative Commons plays a huge role in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and global cultural awareness,” she said. “I now have a better understanding of ways to protect intellectual property while still providing opportunities for student learning.”  

 Godwin says a student in one of her courses this spring has already expressed their gratitude about the cost, or lack thereof, of the materials for the class.  

 “I am hopeful that the more resources students have at their disposal will give way to better retention rates, which will lead to stronger graduation rates,” she said. “ 

 For more information about what MTSU is doing with Open Educational Resources, click here. 

TECH TALK

Evaluation Link: New My Evaluations Widget Available in D2L 

Did you see the announcements about the My Evaluations Link on the D2L Homepage? If not, a quick recap. This widget has been added to the default D2L homepage and navigation bar. If using a homepage or navigation bar other than the default, it will need to be added. Need help? View the  MyEval Widget document for instructions on how to add it to your homepage. View the Add to Navbar instructions for how to update your navigation bar. It was also covered in our D2L Updates and Tips for Spring 2022 workshop, which is available at our MTSU Online YouTube Channel. 

MTSU Online Website: Online Faculty Services 

Last fall we launched our redesigned MTSU Online Website in an effort to increase our campus visibility and promote the services provided to faculty and students.  This spring, we hope that you will check out the new Online Faculty Services area. This section of our website is dedicated to online teaching resources, details about the online course development and redevelopment processes, and helpful information for administrators. We hope these latest updates will make it easier for faculty and administrators to find the resources they need when they need them.  

online@mtsu.edu: Contact Us at online@mtsu.edu 

We are happy to announce the launch of a single point of contact for faculty to reach us! online@mtsu.edu is an easy way to get in touch when you have general questions, are looking for support, or are just not sure who to contact to ask a question. Our technical clerk, Teresa Umphrey, will serve as the liaison for this account (please see her bio in our online spotlight), ensuring your messages get to the correct person promptly. We appreciate her willingness to serve in this vital role for our team.  

As always, you are welcome to email any of our staff individually. 

SPRING ‘22 WORKSHOPS 

MTSU Online collaborates with the LT&ITC each semester to host virtual workshops with an online focus. Please see our upcoming events below. All MTSU Online workshops are recorded and posted to our MTSU Online YouTube Channel. We hope you’ll subscribe! 

D2L: Updates and Tips for Spring 2022   

Held January 19th (Wednesday) 11:30am-12:30pm, now available on our MTSU Online YouTube Channel

The beginning of the semester wouldn’t be the same without a few updates to D2L.  Join MTSU Online and the LT&ITC for this overview of what’s changed and how you can make the most of these updates, as well as some helpful tips. 

1. Date changes and the change to end dates in discussion availability options 
2. My Evaluations link in navigation bar or widget 
3. New First Day OER resource 
4. How to add the midterm calculation to the Grade Book 

Groups in D2L: The Benefits for Faculty  

January 28th (Friday) 10:00am-11:00am  

This workshop will not only cover the basics of groups in D2L but will, more importantly, discuss how using groups creates a stronger community among your students. This tool can help you manage your large courses while promoting student learning and engagement. Large courses need some tips and tricks to help you manage your time and student learning. 

H5Please! Creating Interactive Elements in Your Online Courses  

February 3rd (Thursday) 10:00am-11:00am 

Please join us for this introductory workshop about our latest D2L Integration, H5P. We will discuss the basics of our newest technology, see a demonstration of the creative possibilities for your online course, and provide some practical applications for its' use. To maximize your workshop experience, you should create an H5P account prior to the day of the workshop. See directions here. 

No Joke: Overload is Real 

April 1st (Friday) 11:30am-12:30pm 

Have you felt exhausted, overloaded, bombarded with new technologies and chaos in the last few months/years? Always something new, more than our brains can take in at one time. WE feel it and so do our students. This workshop will discuss course content workload and cognitive overload as it applies to meeting required hours, what those hours look like for you and students, and why purposeful planning is so valuable to course outcomes and expectations. 

Gamification 

April 14th (Thursday) 1:00pm-2:00pm 

Specifics to come 

H5P Series Showcase #2 

April 21st (Thursday) 1:00pm-2:00pm 

This workshop is the second in an ongoing series to provide practical, hands-on experience focused on creating activities using the tools highlighted each showcase. Attendees should create an H5P account prior to the workshop to best maximize the experience. Please come with any ideas you might have for using these tools in your courses. Not sure if your idea fits these tools? View an example of each tool: Drag the Words, Mark the Words, Summary, and Course Presentation. 

To register for these or any of the other faculty development opportunities offered through the LT&ITC please visit the LT&ITC Workshop Calendar. 

STAFF SPOTLIGHT 

Dr. Louanne Bergman 

Hello! I joined the MTSU Online Team as the new Director in October of 2021. I was previously the director of LSU Online and Austin Peay State University Distance Education department. I have over 15 years of experience in online education including working as a Subject Matter Expert and Instructional Designer. I hold an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Educational Technology. I’m very passionate about online education and believe it helps those who otherwise wouldn’t have access to education. I also believe in offering high-quality services to faculty and students so that they are successful in their online careers.  

On a personal note, I am the mother of two beautiful children. My son is three years old, and my daughter is 8 months old. They keep my husband and I very busy! I also have a Cocker Spaniel and three cats that run the house. In my free time, I love to read and play the piano. My favorite author is Diana Gabaldon and I have played the piano since I was five years old. I’m also an avid college football fan and a lifelong Ohio State Buckeye. Most of all I love spending time with my family and watching them grow into amazing little individuals.  

This biannual newsletter is produced by MTSU Online. Comments and feedback should be sent to online@mtsu.edu.