CTC Ed Tech News Dec. 12, 2013

Hi everyone,

I hope that your semester is ending well. 

Here are some dates to keep in mind:

• IDEA Survey closes on Tuesday, December 17 unless you have made other arrangements. You can still use the FIF to customize your objectives, but you can't add any custom questions. Students can respond to the survey through the 17th. It's not too late to remind students to complete the survey - it's shorter now and less onerous to complete.
• Grades are due on Wednesday, December 18 by 11:59 pm. Here is a tutorial from the registrar's office on submitting grades to UAOnline.
• Blackboard will be unavailable starting December 20 due to the upgrade. IT Services expects to have it up by December 29. I suspect that they will be done sooner. Check the Blackboard login page for status updates.

This is a good time, while things are fresh in your mind, to make some notes about how the class went, what you would change, and what seemed to work. It's also a good time to organize the files from the class if they've gotten into disarray so you can find what you need when you teach the class next time. Here's an article from Prof Hacker on organizing your teaching materials. 

I have wondered for many years how long I had to save student work after a class ended. Well, just this year I found out about the UA policy. Records related to classroom and course should be maintained for one full semester (excluding summer session) after the semester in which the final grade was recorded. 

• Items containing personally identifiable student information (i.e. student ID, SSN, date of birth, etc.) must be protected and secured. For faculty going off contract for the summer, please make sure that student files, thumb drives with student grades, and other related items are stored in a locked drawer or locked cabinet.
• Records that are duplicates of what is already maintained by Enrollment Services do not need to be maintained, and this is a good time to shred those documents.
• For more information see
  • University of Alaska course records retention schedule
  • General University of Alaska records retention and disposal schedules
• This means that student papers from spring 2013 and earlier can be shredded.

Here is one last fun item. I've been using WAZE on my iPhone for over a year to monitor traffic on the Glenn Highway and for route finding. Prof Hacker sings the praises of WAZE in this article. I recommend it to you.

CTC Ed Tech Dec. 2, 2013

I have a couple learning opportunities for you this week:

1. Blackboard Upgrade Show and Tell- get the scoop on the new features of SP 13. Friday, December 6, 3pm - 4:30pm, UC 133.

Take a tour of the new Blackboard: global navigation, improved text editor, inline grading, and more. For more info on the upgrade see Blackboard Upgrade for Spring 2014.

2. Copyright webinar - Tuesday, December 10, 10am - noon, UC 131M.  

From course management systems to e-reserves, technology and changes to copyright law are affecting the way faculty, staff, and students share information. This webinar provides a quick, but in-depth look at important concerns surrounding the use of copyright-protected content within a non-profit, academic environment.

I am hosting this session concurrent with the CAFE session. Bring your coffee and join me for the webinar and a discussion afterwards.

My sharing with you is not very techy this week: It's called One Small Step and presents a suggestion for change. I read a blog called Social Triggers and the writer has a similar suggestion: make a commitment to do one small thing before going to bed each day. For me, today, it's doing Yoga. So, in this hectic time, what is one small step you can take to maintain calm?  

Lastly, if you missed the Registrar's email about grades (sent to the Faculty Listserv on Nov. 25), here it is again, just as she sent it.

Fall 2013 grades due December 18th

Grading will be turned on December 6^th for fall classes (in UAOnline).  For fall courses which have ended, grades must be submitted via UAOnline by Wednesday, December 18^th at 11:59 p.m. 

 

Due to compliance requirements for institutions receiving federal money, any grades of "F" or "NB" will require a date of last attendance to be entered.  This fall there is an additional requirement to indicate students who never attended.  Out of a set of options, the Faculty Senate passed the first bullet below.

 

·         New Requirement for students who never attended:

o   Faculty should enter the first day of fall semester 08/26/2013 in the "Last Attend Date" column AND enter a 0 (zero) in the "Attend Hours" column.

o   A best guess is fine, especially as this is a new requirement.

·         For last date of attendance:

o   Enter the last date of attendance in the "last Attend Date" column next to the letter grade.

o   The date must be entered in MM/DD/YYYY form, i.e. if a student last attended on October 1^st, you would enter 10/01/2013. 

o   Instructors utilizing centralized scheduled classrooms will not be able to enter a date beyond December 6^th; however you may enter 100 in the "Attend Hours" column to indicate the student took the final. 

o   Again, best guess is fine.

Once grades have been submitted in UAOnline they cannot be changed.  Please wait to submit your grades until all items for your class have been graded.  After a grade has been submitted, if a grade change needs to occur you will need to submit a change of grade form.

 

UAOnline grading will remain on through Wednesday, December 18^th.   Academic standing, degree awarding, and financial aid eligibility are calculated beginning on Thursday, December 19^th .  Missing grades impact a student's ability to receive aid, maintain good academic standing, as well as graduate.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT GRADING:

 

Incomplete grades should only be assigned when a student has completed the majority of coursework.  Incomplete Grade Contracts can be found on this website and should be filed with the corresponding department.

 

Deferred grades- Research, thesis, or project courses which may have a deferred grade, must have a DF grade assigned as a place holder.

 

No Basis Grade- A no basis (NB) grade may be used when the student has not attended or if there is insufficient student progress and/or attendance for evaluation to occur.  NB is a permanent grade and may not be used to substitute for the incomplete grade.  It cannot be removed later by completing outstanding work.  Faculty are requested to submit a last date of attendance in conjunction with this grade (best guess is fine).  For students who have never attended the class, please use the first day of your class and enter a 0 in the attend hours column.  Faculty are not required to use the no basis grade and may instead assign a failing grade.

 

You must submit a grade for every person on your roster; if you do not know the student on your roster you should assign a NB or failing grade. 

 

Trouble shooting

If you can't access your class list it may be because there are multiple instructors (only the primary instructor of record may enter grades) or the faculty member is TBA.  Departments, make sure you have the correct faculty listed for all of your courses- this may be updated through a class schedule change form.  Pins may be reset by contacting Human Resources, IT Services (786-4646) or UAA One Stop (786-1480). 

 

Please contact Lora Volden, University Registrar, with any questions or concerns at (907) 786-1560

This handout from the registrar explains how to enter grades.