{"id":1687,"date":"2024-01-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/2024\/01\/23\/online-mtsu-spring-2024\/"},"modified":"2024-11-26T22:12:04","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T22:12:04","slug":"online-mtsu-spring-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/2024\/01\/23\/online-mtsu-spring-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"ONLINE @ MTSU &#8211; Spring 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mce-toc\">\n<h2>Table of Contents<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#mcetoc_1hjslnmb6r\">Welcome Back!<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mcetoc_1hkrd5t2b0\">\u00a0Have You Heard?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mcetoc_1hkrdsb2e0\">Spring 2024 Workshops<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mcetoc_1hkrdvo2j0\">Staff Spotlight: Hangmin Zhang<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" src=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/images\/wifi_signals_small_0.png\" alt=\"Article divider icon\" width=\"125\" height=\"25\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"mcetoc_1hjslnmb6r\">Welcome Back!<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float: right;padding-left: 1em\" src=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/images\/martindale_trey_0.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Trey Martindale\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Dear faculty colleagues,<\/p>\n<p>Welcome to Spring 2024 on behalf of MTSU Online. We so appreciate working with you to help expand educational opportunities for the people of our region and beyond. As you may know, options for online courses and degrees at MTSU have expanded rapidly over the last three years. Here is a brief summary of our progress and activities.<\/p>\n<p>Student credit hours from online courses have reached an all-time high, and account for <strong>26% of all MTSU credit hours.<\/strong> Nearly <strong>10,500 students<\/strong> enrolled in at least one online course this Fall, which is <strong>52%<\/strong> of the total MTSU student headcount. MTSU now has <strong>55 fully online degrees and concentrations\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 a significant increase from just three years ago. Summer credit hours offered online continued to increase, and online courses accounted for <strong>61% of all summer offerings<\/strong>. Currently, <strong>13% of MTSU students<\/strong> are fully and exclusively online. These areas of growth are a testament to both the hard work of the MTSU Online team and the invaluable collaborative spirit of deans, chairs, and faculty. The MSTU administration has demonstrated unwavering support for expanding online opportunities for students.<\/p>\n<p>In the Fall 2023 semester <strong>over 460 faculty members taught at least one online course<\/strong>. MTSU Online supports the faculty with a variety of opportunities including training workshops, faculty peer mentoring, personal consultations, and an extensive archive of web-based resources about online teaching and learning.<\/p>\n<p>Our student support team continues to offer personal direct assistance to online students. Students can access various special services including live and email support, live tutoring throughout the day (and night), career advising, mental health counseling, library support, and assistance navigating D2L and related technologies. MTSU Online is developing engagement opportunities for online students, including opportunities to participate virtually in events that in the past have been available only for on-campus students.<\/p>\n<p>The valuable and skilled MTSU Online instructional designers have been highly productive this year, assisting the faculty in producing dozens of new and redesigned courses that emphasize student engagement with faculty. The team recently added <a href=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/contact.php#oneal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Tim Oneal<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/contact.php#zhang\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ms. Hangmin Zhang<\/a>, bringing our total to four instructional designers. We also added an experienced and skilled administrative assistant, <a href=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/contact.php#huffman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ms. Charlene Huffman<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for working with us this past year, and we look forward to serving you and the MTSU students and helping you succeed.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/images\/martindale_signature_0.png\" alt=\"Dr. Trey Martindale signature\" width=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/faculty\/trey-martindale\">Trey Martindale<\/a><br \/>\nProfessor and Associate Vice Provost for Online Learning<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" src=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/images\/wifi_signals_small_0.png\" alt=\"Article divider icon\" width=\"125\" height=\"25\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"mcetoc_1hkrd5t2b0\">Have You Heard?<\/h2>\n<p id=\"mcetoc_1hkrdnd0h0\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc\"><strong><em>MTSU ONLINE REALIGNMENT<\/em><\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nYou have probably heard about the tremendous growth MTSU Online has experienced in the last three years. As a result, our unit has been realigned within MTSU. MTSU Online is now aligned administratively with the Provost&#8217;s Office, specifically under the new <a href=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/provost\/docs\/Hinote.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vice Provost for Faculty &amp; Strategic Initiatives Dr. Brian Hinote<\/a>. Dr. Trey Martindale is now the Associate Vice Provost for Online Learning (formerly Chief Online Learning Officer). With the addition of our two newest instructional designers, an administrative assistant, and our loyal and steadfast student support and faculty coordinators&#8217; efforts, we will continue the terrific work started by our predecessors and look forward to an exciting future!<\/p>\n<p id=\"mcetoc_1hkrdnd0h1\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc\"><strong><em>NEW ONLINE TUTOR VENDOR \u2013 ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON!<\/em><\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nAs part of our online student support and inclusivity efforts, we arrange for online tutoring for online students at the student&#8217;s convenience. Our vendor, TutorMe, has undergone some company changes which require us to change vendors. <em>If you have any support information regarding TutorMe in your D2L courses or have the link included in the Navigation Bar of D2L, please remove it.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>We are currently working with Tutor.com to establish a new 24\/7 online tutoring option for MTSU online students. Once the logistics are finalized, we will send an announcement to all faculty on how to update your D2L course.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mcetoc_1hkrdnd0h2\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc\"><strong><em>MTSU ONLINE YOUTUBE CHANNEL RELAUNCH<br \/>\n<\/em><\/strong><\/span>We&#8217;re excited to share with you the latest enhancement in our digital learning environment &#8211; the revamped <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC7ZDOyW5Ubfnlrb_EOMPu8g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MTSU Online YouTube Channel<\/a>. This platform is not just a resource; it&#8217;s a community where innovative teaching practices meet cutting-edge technology.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why Should You Tune In?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Explore Best Practices in Course Design<\/em><\/strong>: Our content, ranging from Bloom&#8217;s Taxonomy to accessibility and engaging learning activities, is crafted to enhance your course effectiveness and student learning outcomes.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Tech Tutorials at Your Fingertips<\/strong><\/em>: Step-by-step guides on D2L Brightspace, H5P, Panopto, Microsoft OneDrive, and more, are readily available to streamline your online teaching experience.<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Dive into Generative AI<\/em><\/strong>: Discover the potential of tools like ChatGPT and DALLE in your teaching methodologies. Learn how these innovations can transform student engagement and creativity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Stay Ahead with Our Subscribe Feature<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>Regular Updates<\/strong><\/em>: Keep up with the latest trends and tools in online education. Our channel is an ever-evolving repository of knowledge.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Skill Enhancement<\/strong><\/em>: Each video is an opportunity to refine your approach and bring new, exciting elements into your virtual classroom.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Community of Innovators<\/strong><\/em>: Engage with a network of educators dedicated to redefining online education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Join Us on This Exciting Journey<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your path to an enriched online teaching experience begins with a simple click. Visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC7ZDOyW5Ubfnlrb_EOMPu8g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MTSU Online YouTube Channel<\/a>, immerse yourself in our content, and hit that subscribe button. Let&#8217;s collaborate to shape the future of online education at MTSU.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mcetoc_1hkrdnd0h3\"><em><span style=\"color: #0066cc\"><strong>EASILY FIND YOUR MEDIA FILES IN D2L<\/strong><\/span><\/em><br \/>\nDid you know that you can easily access Media Files that you create directly in D2L by going to your Media Library option under settings?<\/p>\n<p>Whether you add a D2L video or audio note to an announcement, content area, feedback, or in an email, you can find your recordings under the Media Library option as shown here. You can filter and search your media files too!<\/p>\n<p>Let us know if you have questions.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><span style=\"color: #0066cc\">D2L CHAT FUNCTION DISCONTINUED<\/span><\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nAs some of you may have noticed, the D2L Chat feature is no longer available for use. D2L (our Learning Management System) discontinued the Chat feature permanently. If you are a faculty member who used the chat tool, please make sure that any references to that tool are removed. If you would like to discuss possible alternatives to using D2L Chat, please <a href=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/contact.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contact any of our Instructional Designers<\/a> or email us at <a href=\"mailto:online@mtsu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online@mtsu.edu<\/a> and your message will be forwarded appropriately.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto\" src=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/images\/wifi_signals_small_0.png\" alt=\"Article divider icon\" width=\"125\" height=\"25\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"mcetoc_1hkrdsb2e0\">Spring 2024 Workshops<\/h2>\n<p>MTSU Online collaborates with the LT&amp;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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC7ZDOyW5Ubfnlrb_EOMPu8g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MTSU Online YouTube Channel<\/a>. Subscribe today!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI): Concepts and Strategies You Really Should Investigate Part 1<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>February 20th (Tuesday) 11:30am-12:30pm<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Regular and substantive interaction (RSI) has gained increasing attention with federal regulations and evolving online learning best practices. Join us in this 2-part professional development workshop where we\u2019ll start by defining RSI and discussing opportunities and challenges with RSI in online courses. In part two, we\u2019ll explore strategies and resources for implementing RSI to engage students, supporting their academic success and satisfaction, and equipping you with ideas to enhance your teaching.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RSI: Concepts and Strategies You Really Should Investigate Part 2<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>February 27th (Tuesday) 11:30am-12:30pm<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Regular and substantive interaction (RSI) has gained increasing attention with federal regulations and evolving online learning best practices. Join us in this 2-part professional development workshop where we\u2019ll start by defining RSI and discussing opportunities and challenges with RSI in online courses. In part two, we\u2019ll explore strategies and resources for implementing RSI to engage students, supporting their academic success and satisfaction, and equipping you with ideas to enhance your teaching.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Using H5P Activities Instead of Quizzes \/ Exams \u2013 Notes from the Field \u2013 A Case Study<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>March 19th (Tuesday) 11:30am-12:30pm<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ever thought about using H5P activities as formative or summative assessments in your online or traditional classroom rather than the standard Multiple Choice \/ TrueFalse Quiz\/Exam? Join us for a conversation about some of the pros and cons of using H5P activities from an instructor\u2019s perspective as well as what some students had to say about it too!<\/p>\n<p>To register for these or any of the other faculty development opportunities offered through the LT&amp;ITC please visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/ltanditc\/workshops\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LT&amp;ITC Workshop Calendar<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"mcetoc_1hkrdvo2j0\" style=\"text-align: left\">Staff Spotlight: Hangmin Zhang<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border-style: solid;border-width: 2px;float: right\" src=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/images\/hangmin_zhang.png\" alt=\"Hangmin Zhang, MTSU Online Instructional Designer\" width=\"133\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Hello, I am Hangmin Zhang, the newest member of the MTSU Online Instructional Design Team. Having graduated from Vanderbilt University, my journey began as a reading instructor at MTSU, followed by a role as a middle school teacher. During this time, I actively applied instructional design methodologies and gained valuable hands-on experience with a diverse range of learners.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to my passion for education and instructional design, I have harbored a lifelong love for art and travel. Considering myself a cosmopolitan,\u00a0 I thrive on adventures and enjoy embracing new experiences.<\/p>\n<p>I am genuinely excited about the opportunity to collaborate and work with you!<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p style=\"font-weight: bold;color: #0066cc;font-size: larger\">Faculty Resources<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse;width: 100%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%;text-align: center\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/course-development\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Course Development Processes<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/faculty\/faculty_terms.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Faculty Developer Information<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 33.3333%;text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/online-faculty-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Other Faculty Services<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<hr \/>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\">Thank you for your interest in Online @ MTSU.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\">Please get in <a title=\"https:\/\/w1.mtsu.edu\/online\/request-information.php\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contact with us<\/a> if we can be of any assistance with online teaching.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\"><em>Have a great semester!<\/em><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\">To see our past newsletters, visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News page<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<pre style=\"text-align: center;font-size: small\">This biannual newsletter is produced by MTSU Online.\nComments and feedback should be sent to <a href=\"mailto:online@mtsu.edu\">online@mtsu.edu<\/a>.<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents Welcome Back! \u00a0Have You Heard? Spring 2024 Workshops Staff Spotlight: Hangmin Zhang Welcome Back! Dear faculty colleagues, Welcome to Spring 2024 on behalf of MTSU Online. We so appreciate working with you to help expand educational opportunities for the people of our region and beyond. As you may know, options for online [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mtsu-online-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}