April 2019 Newsletter

• Jesse, Laura, and Taylor offer thoughtful videos to help you think about different ways to engage students in the lessons and discussions you are hosting. Whether your course is on-ground or online, for undergraduate or graduate students, we always want you to think about how you can engage your students in finding the answers rather than in you giving them the answers. There is a popular quote, “Those who do the work, do the learning.” Professional development opportunities are designed to help you challenge yourself to find new ways to engage your students so they can do the learning you have set for them.
• The Adjunct Academy continues to go well. Content there provides context for the Active Learning Ecosystem and our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion. A few policies and procedures are highlighted as well (e.g., Title IX, providing reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities, and use of Canvas as our Learning Management System). If you have not yet had a chance to check it out, please take the time to do so as it will help you understand our and students’ expectations of you as a faculty member at Maryville. For those of you who have already completed the Academy, you are being highlighted in this newsletter – THANK YOU for your commitment to us and to our students!
• iPads as a learning resource continue to be available to those who are primarily teaching our on-ground, undergraduate students. If you are interested in being part of the Digital World initiative, please talk with your Program Director about your interest and about how you would like to be more engaged in this initiative.

Housekeeping:
• There is always a lot of housekeeping at this time of year, so please help us address these key operational tasks over the remaining 3 weeks of classes:
o Early Alert – if you are concerned about a student’s performance, it is never too late to submit an early alert – even as the term begins to wind down. We will follow-up on all submissions so that we can help students make good choices about potentially withdrawing from a course, getting a tutor for the final exam, or navigating financial aid for upcoming semesters.
o Finals Week – Maryville does not host Finals’ Week, per se. Faculty are expected to meet with students throughout the full 8 or 15 weeks of the term.
o Academic Honesty – we have high expectations for students completing their own work. Ideally, we hope your assignments are unique enough that students will want to engage and complete them to demonstrate what they have learned, but this is not always the case. If you suspect a student has completed dishonest work, we are here to support you as you address your concerns with your students.
o Grades – All grades for courses ending in May are due NO LATER than Thursday, May 9th. We hope you are keeping the gradebook up in Canvas, but please know that grades do not transfer automatically from Canvas to the AccessMaryville system. When you are in AccessMaryville, be sure to save often and when you hit Submit at the bottom of the screen, you will get a confirmation screen that requires you to click OK. Both steps must be completed for grades to be submitted. Many students rely on tuition support through their work, but grades must be submitted before they can seek a reimbursement.

Finally, as always, we welcome your feedback on the professional development, resources, and support being shared with you, and we are eager to know if there are additional needs you have. You may connect with your program director, members of the Adjunct Advisory Council, Laura and Jesse, or me with any idea or issue you want to share or address.

Best wishes for the remainder of the term!

Tammy M. Gocial, Ph.D.
Associate Academic Vice President